I think I’m going to put together a box of chocolates from the various countries DD is thinking about for study abroad as a Christmas gift. Might be a fun gift. Now I just need to find them and decide which to get!
@akmom124 – and you really should sample each one before giving to her!
My daughter is doing a semester at Disney World. Do you think she’ll buy it if I tell her Epcot is just like studying abroad?
@twoinanddone, she can go to Epcot every now and then and visit the countries!
I know either of mine would take Epcot! Wow.
@2014novamom D also really couldn’t do an entire semester abroad. She’s got a double major and minor. Now, if she skipped the minor she could (and according to CC wisdom, minors are useless anyway 
), but she loves her minor. Probably the only thing keeping that kid from a triple major is the need to be done in 4 years.
My son is not interested in study abroad … unlike his older brother who went to Costa Rica twice as part of a service project, Belgium for four weeks, Greece, thanks to his fraternity, for two weeks and American Samoa (he was a Hollings Scholar and spent nine weeks there).
Meanwhile, Son '14 did call last night and say that he thought his first two exams went well. He has a break until Monday when he has an exam. His last exam is Tuesday. One class did not have a final as it is project-based. Then, he will stay a few days, do laundry and clean his place before heading home for the holidays. He’s bringing his girlfriend along – we’ve met her and think she’s lovely. The two plan to visit DC and take in an ice hockey game.
Stopping by…haven’t been here in awhile. My D will study abroad next spring but isn’t sure where. She will be exploring her school’s options as it would help her quite a bit if she could take at least one or two classes that will count towards her major. She recently added a minor in 2018dad’s D is majoring in (information science) at, based on the icon, the same school. She also is engaged in an extra-curricular that counts as a class each semester. She loves it but, between her major, minor and the extra-curricular, she has little flexibility in her classes.
Can’t believe how generous her school is with its break–D will be home for 27 days and she has to be back early for recruitment. Very excited to welcome her back home soon!
Twoinandonedone: a semester at Disney?! Sounds awesome! Unless you’ve described it elsewhere and I’ve missed it, what kind of semester program is available at Disney?
27 days? Wow, that’s really nice. I thought my DS’s 20-day winter break is generous.
Looks like DS is leaning toward Glasgow, Scotland. Once again, CC has bee a valuable resource for extra information to help with choices. I think he’s being really smart about considering all the relevant factors, including how far he wants to push his comfort zone, availability of courses, etc. Will be interesting to see if this changes when he talks more with his friends after break.
We’re enjoying his 5 week break, and I think he is too. Turns out he is planning on coming back for spring break in March, with a friend! (Not a GF, just a friend… they went to friend’s home, and camping around there, last spring, and have been planning to come here this year ever since. But I wasn’t sure it would really happen. As it turns out, I have enough miles for DS, and his friend has the means to pay for his own ticket.)
Next hurdle, though, will be getting a job when he returns in January. He seems so much more mature now, I feel like I can just watch and see how it goes, rather than have to nag him. I’m really seeing a change this year; interesting how they all grow up at a different pace.
DS will be home for 25 days over winter break. He unfortunately has a final on the last day or it would be longer.
@collage1 – I assume you talking about Cornell being generous with the break. We always joked it was so that they wouldn’t need to heat the place in January!
The Presidents’ Weekend break is new since my day. While it seems too soon to have them home again, it was a really long slog from mid-Jan to the end of March, so the extra break is probably appreciated by all.
I am intrigued by her EC that counts as a class, but you may not want to say for fear of identification.
That Info Science building, Gates Hall, is certainly sparkly!
I won’t be seeing DS for spring break since has a beach trip planned with a bunch of his buddies. But I see him often enough in the fall and I will go out for mom’s weekend in February. Nothing like Cleveland at that time!
My son will be home for 4 weeks over holiday break. I can’t wait. It was so good to see him over the few days he was here for thanksgiving. He’s planning on a fall semester in Edinburgh. We’ve been to the city twice before, and travelled a bit in Scotland. I look forward to visiting him there next year. I love that country and England, too. I’m hoping I can attach some days in London. Hard to believe that they’ll be juniors.
Or DS (HS-2011) went to the University of Edinburgh his junior year for fall semester and thoroughly enjoyed it. He took three courses, two of which helped him complete his core requirements and one course in his econ major. He lived in a school flat with 4 other students. They had private rooms but a shared kitchen, great room and bathrooms. He was able to visit Munich for Octoberfest, Rome and the Vatican, Luxemburg, Brussels, and Liverpool for a soccer match and the Beatles original haunts. He also toured parts of northern England with one of his flatmates and their family. We met him in London over our Thanksgiving break, spending three days there, followed by time in Edinburgh, St. Andrews, Glasgow and a side trip to Loch Lomond, north of Glasgow. I can provide info on student banking, cell phones in the UK and U of E housing if you like. It will be a wonderful opportunity for your sons or daughters to experience a different part of the world and culture. And they speak English, too! (Well, its a “dialect” of English - LOL).
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@AvonHSDad I would love to get all that info from you! Thank you so much for offering it. I remember, from our class of 2011 thread, when your son went abroad. Your trip sounded lovely! Did your son use a Georgetown program in Edinburgh? My son is at tufts and while they have many of their own programs abroad, they don’t have one in Edinburgh. They recommend two: Arcadia and butler, I think. Did your son use one of those programs?
Also, were his roommates Scottish or other American students? It would be great to have Scottish roommates to feel more immersed.
My S14 will be flying home after his finals, then within 24 hours I’ll be putting him on a plane to Japan where he will meet up with his dad (who will have been on a business trip). He can put his two semesters of Japanese to the test! Then he needs to come home for a few weeks and tackle the major task of lining up a co-op job. Because of the co-op requirement I don’t think study abroad will work for him, but maybe the visit will inspire him.
S14 is just finishing his semester abroad. His school owns a facility in the Netherlands and takes 85 students each semester. He was lucky enough to be selected. They attend class Monday through Thursday and are expected to travel on the weekends. He was able to visit all over Europe. It was really a great experience for him. He has grown so much. His Monday class is an evening class and there were many weekends he spent an extra night on his own when his classmates left on Sunday. The group flies back to the US on Wednesday and we can’t wait to see him again and hear all the details in person. We are very glad he was able to take advantage of this opportunity.
Hi, I havent posted anything in a while, but always follow the wonderful journeys and growth of our kids. We have spent many years as an expat family in different postings and my kids have the international experience. Im just wondering what are the other advantages of study abroad besides the experience and exposure to a multinational environment. Sorry for my ignorance, but wondering if this is something S14 should explore. We’ve never really discussed it.
@AvonHSDad - If DD decides on the Brown program at University of Edinburgh I would also like to get that info from you! I’m not sure now what her thoughts are but she’s got more time now that they’re in reading period to figure things out about which program best fits her needs.