Read more on "Tips for Making the Big Move Abroad"]]>

A lot of graduates decide that simply attending college in another state isn’t enough. Traditionally, a student in Carolina deciding to attend The University of Miami might check out some off-campus apartments, cars for sale in Florida, and other aspects of their new state, but others take this even further and hop across the pond to study overseas.

If you thought changing states was a culture shock, just imagine growing up in North Dakota and attending a university in Japan. It’s outright scary for most people, but some brave students really crave this experience, and studying abroad is always a popular move with thousands of students every year.

Of course, looking for things in England or China or Romania isn’t the same as looking up things for sale in Florida. It takes a lot more intel – and there’s your first tip in studying abroad: Get to know your new location.

You should be the quintessential tourist. Pick up maps, find out about local restaurants, and even look around for working opportunities that allow you to assimilate into the culture.

Secondly, work to learn the language. Even if you’re going to the UK where the language is still English, Americanized English and the Queen’s English can be quite different, especially when it comes to rule of grammar. Familiarize yourself with other languages and customs to ease your transition.

The most important tip we want to cover here is to keep your head down and your nose clean. Avoid any trouble. When letting loose on an American campus, it’s all about keggers and fraternity/sorority hazing. Other cultures may not be so forgiving of what you think the collegiate experience is.

Studying abroad can be a great learning opportunity for you, but you will be a long, long way from home. Take the time to assimilate and always keep under the radar.

Read more on "A Word on Travel Safety"]]> For any students studying abroad, or thinking of studying abroad, we have one piece of very, very, very important advice: read the news.

Get your news from as many sources as possible. If a story confuses you, cross reference with another source. You need to read the news because you never know what’s going to be happening wherever you’re headed.

Growing up in the west these days is a disproportionately peaceful experience. Even if you’re from a rough neighborhood, we are willing to bet that if you’re headed to school overseas, then you probably never got caught in the crossfire of a civil war, or had to find shelter in the middle of a drug war.

The world is worth exploring, but there is some real danger out there. If you are thinking of studying somewhere, make sure that you read the headlines, read the news from the area, and make sure that it’s safe before you decide that that’s where you want to go.

Remember to always put safety first. The world is full of con artists just looking for some young, trusting westerner out exploring the world for the first time. Don’t let it be you. Don’t go anywhere new without bringing someone you can trust, don’t ever give out personal information to strangers and remember that just because that young man/woman has a sexy accent doesn’t mean that you should lose your inhibitions and go wherever they want to take you.

In short: keep up on the headlines, and don’t act any differently than you would at home when it comes to dealing with strangers. It can be tempting, while you’re out there having new experiences to want to just be open to every single possible opportunity, but not all opportunities are what they seem. Check your facts if you must: if someone tells you where they’re staying, go there with a friend. If they tell you where they work, go check it out. Just be careful. It’s a big world out there.