If you are curious about opportunities provided by study abroad programs & scholarships, something that you should understand is that nobody holds a monopoly on these opportunities. This or that organization might provide you with a full scholarship for studying abroad in Paris based solely on your grades and extracurricular activities, sure, but anybody with money can start a scholarship program. This means that while your academic career is certainly important, what will give you the upper hand will be things like your extra curricular activities, hobbies, and your passions outside of reading, writing and arithmetic.
Here are some of the scholarship programs and opportunities out there that prove just how important these factors are…
AASEV
The AASEV is the American Society for Enology and Viticulture. In other words: wine. When you come out of high school, you will not even be legal drinking age yet… in the United States, at least. However, if you have a passion for gardening, for agriculture, you can develop that into a love of vineyards and wine. If you want a scholarship that might send you to Italy and France, this one is handed out to students who show promise in the fine art of winemaking.
Italian Culinary Scholarships
If you want to go to Europe, learning to cook is a great excuse. For argument’s sake, let’s say that you have no interest whatsoever in becoming a chef. Well, why let that stop you from learning how to make pasta from some of the greatest chefs in the world and explore Italy while you are at it? You do not have to set in stone what you are doing with the rest of your life right now, you only need to figure out what opportunities are out there and how to take advantage of them.
The Rotary Club
Have you heard of the Fulbright scholarship? This scholarship is dedicated to improving relations between the US and other countries. Here’s a trick: apply at the local Rotary Club, not at your local university. This gives you a better shot at earning the scholarship.
Paying to Stay Abroad
These programs really can be a huge help, and you should look into applying for as may as you think you might possibly be eligible (and some you are not), because every penny can help. To break down some of the basic monthly living expenses if you want to study in, say, Australia…
- Studio apartment or room rental – $900 AUD
- Food – $255 AUD
- Clothing and Laundry – $230 AUD
- Train Fare – $120 AUD
We have only counted up the basics, and already we are at around $1500 AUD a month, and the exchange rate between AUD and USD is roughly one to one. These are conservative estimates, as you will see other people quoting much higher numbers. Not to mention, this is just low end estimates for living in the city near a major university. This is if you really know how to shop around. Realistically, most students spend anywhere from $1500 to $2500 a month living in Sydney or Melbourne, and while studying in, say, London might be a bit cheaper, you probably are not going to be able to find anywhere on Earth to study for less than a thousand dollars a month USD.
Yes, the expense really can be a major downside to studying abroad, but the good news is that if you can qualify for certain scholarships, be they the programs everyone knows about, or something weird like the “Scholarship for Tall Students” (that is a real scholarship program, by the way), every cent helps.