Hi everyone! I’m a freshman at UW Madison, but I’m already thinking about studying abroad. I want to major in poli sci and envir studies, and then go on to get a masters in international relations or pacific area studies. Therefore, I feel like I need to do a longer study abroad than a normal college student might do. I am on a full tuition scholarship that will pay for tuition when I am abroad, so money isn’t the biggest issue. I was just wondering if anyone thinks this is an attainable goal, especially with my intent to double major. If so, should I study abroad in two different countries for two semesters my junior year, and combine that with either spring semester sophomore year or fall semester senior year? Thanks!
So long as your scholarship will cover it, you should definitely go for it if you are going to do IR. Longer time means better language possibilities. I would recommend sciences-po of Paris.
Check your schools policies. Some colleges require a certain number of credits obtained on campus which could make it difficult to study off campus for 3 semesters.
Lay out your graduation requirements (including major) and (as @doschicos says) make sure that they work with your plan. Remember also that simply being abroad for 3 semesters is not an end in itself. For example, simply spending 3 semesters in three countries will be of less use than finishing with ‘full professional fluency’ in another language.
How is wanting to study poli sci and enviro as an undergrad making 3 semesters abroad necessary? Plenty of students maximize their experience in even one semester. Even if you said IR or PAS for UG, it’s the quality of your experience (and your work there,) not the extra semesters. For grad plans, you could do a summer internship, build your creds outside class.
Plus, being away from the home school that long changes your relationships with your major dept, courses taken, research opps, and the profs who would recommend you to grad programs.
I do think it is attainable. Though studying in two different countries? Why do you intend to do so? I mean why not target a country which can accommodate all your study needs at once? I think that’s more practical if we look through your plans. If you jump from one country to another it might (I’m not firmly saying it will) delay you for some reason.
What foreign languages do you currently study? What level have you reached?
I think you need to familiarize yourself with the offers the colleges are capable of. They might not be able to give you what you exactly planned so you might want tore check everything before mapping out your plans