Common Study Abroad FAQs

When will students have time to visit home?
For First Year Abroad(FYA) students, the best time to visit home would be in December, during winter break. Visit our FYA page to see exact program dates and breaks.

 

How can I contact my student during his/her time abroad?
Michelle Futo, a Student Recruiter, wrote a great article on this earlier this summer so check out her post at this link (nolereservations.blogspot.com/2015/06/how-to-alleviate-your-parents-worries.html). When I was abroad I chose to FaceTime from my sister’s iPod with my whole family in the room. Check out your options and consider whichever is best for your situation before you go abroad.

 

What about money?
In our three Europe locations, students will need to take out local currency (Euro for Valencia and Florence and the British pound for London). Paying in cash is highly recommended since many banks and credit card companies will charge a fee for using a credit card outside of the U.S. Speaking from personal experience, I would say to go to your local bank and buy $300-400 worth of currency before you go abroad. It’s good to have some money when you arrive, so you’re not scrambling around looking for an ATM the first couple of hours in your new home.

Throughout your trip you will want to make withdrawals of currency. Make sure you do this in larger increments to make it worth the convenience fee. Keep money you won’t be using in your safe in the residence hall room and be sure not to carry more than $50 worth of money with you around town.  

I would also recommend making a budget before you go and to discuss this with your parents about money before you leave so no one is taken by surprise. Use Google Docs to write your budget written down and share it with your parents.This organization will help you keep track of spending.

Contact your bank as well so you don’t have to worry about any denied transactions while you’re abroad.

 

How many hours will I have to take abroad?
Program fees cover up to 16 hours in the Fall and Spring and 3 to 16 hours in the Summer semesters. In order to receive Bright Futures or Florida Pre Paid, you will need to enroll in a minimum of 12 hours for Fall and Spring and 6 hours for Summer. FYA student's program fees cover up to 49 credit hours. FYA students must complete minimum of 36 FSU credit hours and maintain a 3.0 GPA in those classes in order to receive in-state tuition upon return to FSU. Please note, credit hours vary based on programs and length of stay. Please refer to our website for the specific amount of credits included.

Closer to your program date, you will receive an email telling you to register for classes as well as specific instructions on how to find the classes offered in your abroad location on the my.fsu.edu page.

 

Is English spoken in the program locations?
All classes (except language classes) will be taught in English. Although, there is no guarantee that the citizens around you will be proficient in English. Make sure you buy a phrasebook or download an app like Duolingo to help learn some of the language. I can’t stress how important it is to learn some basic phrases (and possible responses to those phrases) in case you get lost. Most taxi drivers will not speak English so be sure you know how to get to your destination and back in the local language (including cities you visit outside of your study location); also have the address written down in case you can’t pronounce the address. Knowing those key phrases goes a long way to making a good impression on the people of your host country.

 

What can I expect in my classes when I study abroad?
When you study abroad, many of your classes will be taught by FSU professors or local faculty. These people are experts in their particular course subject . Therefore, you can expect classes to be very similar to the ones you are taking at the Tallahassee campus. Classes abroad, however, are much smaller than in Tallahassee. So small, that your absence or tardiness will be noticed and may negatively impact your grade. Textbooks are also very important when you go abroad. The best idea is to purchase them before you leave and bring your textbooks overseas. Shipping textbooks from the US is not advisable since the package will have to go through customs where you may be charged more than you paid for the textbook. Also, the book may not arrive until several weeks after your program starts (for this same reason we recommend that parents do not send their students care packages while abroad).

Since class sizes are very small and you are most likely in a city full of things to do, you will be walking around the city for a lot of your classes. Professors like take advantage of the opportunity to show students city highlights and how they apply to the course content. Bring clothes and shoes that are comfortable for walking!

 

Will I be picked up and dropped off at the airport at the beginning and end of my program?
Your program fees will include airport pickup for most locations. If, for some reason, your flight will not arrive in time for pickup, you will need to find transportation to the study center on your own. A few months before you leave, you will be emailed a pre departure information packet. In this packet there will be specific airport pickup times. The packet will also include instructions on how to get to the airport pickup location and how to get to the study center. The FSU International Programs department suggests printing out this packet and keeping it in your carry-on in case something happens to your luggage.

Since everyone will have different travel plans, there is no group drop-off at the airport at the end of the program. However, when you check out of the study center, the program assistants will call you a taxi to get you safely to the airport.  

 

What travel documents will I need to travel Europe?
To enter the country for your program, you will need a passport. When traveling outside of your host country, you will need to bring your passport as a form of identification. Before you leave, make a photocopy of your passport for your parents or guardians to keep in case of an emergency. When you get to the study center, they will also make a copy of your passport for their record. When traveling, keep your passport in a carry-on bag but not in a front pocket for maximum accident protection.

 

What do I pack?
The main thing you need to pack for your time abroad is a rain jacket (or umbrella) and a couple pairs of comfortable walking shoes (you will be walking A LOT). Do some research on what type of converter you need for electronics and bring the appropriate one. If you’re traveling in the summer, you may want to bring sunscreen and/or bug spray. You will also want to bring a laptop, many assignments need to be done online; our study centers all have wifi available for students.

Electric appliances like hair dryers, straighteners, etc. should not be brought over.

Written by: Kevin Smith, 2015-2016 Student Recruiter

FSU International Programs Valencia 2005

 

 

The style in 2005 might be different, but Valencia, Spain is the same now as it was then- incredible! Check out this video to learn about some of the excursions from 2005 that this program continues today. This is a great blast-from-the-past video that shows so much of what Valencia has to offer. For more information about the Valencia program visit http://fla.st/1G0h54Z.

Florida State University Panama

Although this video is a few years old, the FSU International Program in Panama is the same life-changing experience. Students are fully emerged in the Panamanian lifestyle and encounter many academic, professional, and cultural experiences while studying here. Check out the video to see the beautiful scenery of Panama City, Panama!

Peter Jones Joins the Valencia Faculty in Summer 2016

Peter Jones

 

President

Franklin Templeton Distributors, Inc.

            Peter Jones graduated from FSU in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He is a trustee of the Florida State University Foundation and serves as chairman of the investment committee.  Mr. Jones joined Franklin Templeton Investments in 1989 and was promoted to President of Franklin Templeton Distributors, Inc., on January 1, 2000.  His previous roles included Director of Sales and National Accounts Manager. Prior to joining Franklin Templeton Investments, Mr. Jones was President of IDEX Distributors from 1984 to 1988 (now part of Transamerica Funds).  He also was a tax manager and CPA for Price Waterhouse from 1977 to 1984. Peter Jones will be teaching the Financial Management of the Firm and Personal Finance courses in Valencia, Spain this summer. 
   

Florence 1975

 

I’ve always been fascinated with communication, so in my senior year of college, I decided to put that passion to use and go on the Florence Program. I was a music student at FSU and ended up taking basic studies throughout my four years, so I could also tend to music making. My freshman year I was shocked to learn that even instrumentalists had to sing.  Not only did we have to sing, we learned to do so in Italian. That experience made going on the Florence Program a natural choice.

Forty years later my Italian alter ego is still fun to flaunt!  The world has changed a lot and offers many virtual experiences, but there is nothing like that “we’re not in Kansas anymore” experience to give meaning to the American experience. I learned more about myself and what shapes my thoughts and attitudes in Italy than anywhere I’ve visited in the United States. 

It was intimidating to be on the program with so many art majors, but I carried my flute with me everywhere and played it in some memorable places. Some of these included inside the Ear of Dionysius, on the ruins in Agrigento, and after dinner at a Sicilian sulfur mine. 

 

Studying about Italian history gave me great insight, because I later married an Italian, took Italian citizenship, owned a home in Italy, and helped my son with his geometra (a kind of Italian high school) homework. When I want to understand what’s going on in the world, I appreciate being able to understand Italian in order to get another viewpoint not governed by the United States’ mass media.
 

Today, most young Italians understand, if not speak, English, and I heard that Florence’s famous Vivoli’s ice cream will be available at Disney's EPOC soon. So, why go on the Florence Program?  Florence is a gem that can’t be totally appreciated in a few months but one can be totally enveloped by the city and be connected with other wonderful areas in Italy while studying in Florence. Italy isn’t quite as standardized as in the United States, so one can experience interesting regional differences without going great distances.  Heck, go up in the mountains in Tuscany and see the ghiacciaie that helped to make Vivoli’s ice cream possible. 

As one understands the language and how Italians care to communicate; the Italian legal system; the Italian health care system; the Italian appreciation for historical patrimony; the Italian appreciation for the arts; the Italian love of sports; and the Italian quirky habits, one also begins to understand how Americans use English; what Americans value; along with American social systems.

Avanti Sevoia! Go for it!  Make your Italian adventure count.

Deborah Nelson

Florence, Italy, 1975 alumna

Retrospective Realizations

As I sit in the airport waiting to head home, I keep thinking about some of the things I learned while I was on my study abroad program, some of which may be helpful to others. One suggestion I have for those traveling is to keep a journal. I have a terrible memory, so I invested in a leather journal my first day in Florence, Italy and recorded all of my adventures. Without this journal, in just a few years I would forget many memories of Italy. With the same idea in mind, I also relied on the app Day One. This app is a photo journal that records the date, location and time a picture was taken, as

well as allowing you type a comment about the picture. Little things like this will help you keep track of all the experiences you have traveling. Another important tip is to make the most of your time abroad. I know that sounds obvious, but after a few days you may think taking a long nap is no big deal or skipping a museum is fine. However, it’s important to remember that your time abroad is going to come to an end, and it usually comes much faster than expected. Don't try to pack everything in at the end of your stay. I advise you to spread it out and plan accordingly. If you're not a museum person, find other activities. I love coffee and found a class that taught you how to create coffee art. I wanted to see a performance, so my friends and I attended a ballet in Fiesole, a beautiful city only 20 minutes outside of Florence. There is always something to do in a foreign city, so don't spend too much time on homework or catching up on sleep. You'll regret not doing more in the end. 

 

Author: Courtney Merolle

Passports!

At just 3 ½ x 5 inches, a passport is one of the most important documents in the world. If you have a desire to see the world beyond your computer screen, you will need a passport. Not only do passports allow you to travel across international borders, but they also serve as an official residency and identification document.  Here are some interesting passport facts from around the world!

1.       The term "passport" derives from the French word passer, to enter or leave, and port, a port.  It is essentially a permit to leave a country.

2.       Around 450 BC, King Artaxerxes of Persia gave the prophet Nehemiah a letter granting him safe passage to Judah. This is seen by many as the first passport.

3.       The artwork inside U.S passports took six years to design.  It was developed by a team of six people and features a variety of patriotic scenes. When   e-passports were introduced in 2007, the State   Department seized the opportunity to give the   standard blue book a makeover. Some of the   patriotic imagery that made the cut are Mount   Rushmore, a bald eagle, and the celebration of our   first moon landing. The theme even has its own   name: "American Icon"

4.       Just like U.S. Passports, Finnish Passports have   fun artwork too. Their passports depict flipbook-style imagery featuring a walking moose.

5.       Turkey claims the most expensive passport fees, costing citizens a whopping $275.00. The cheapest passport hails from Swaziland with a cost of $1.56. US Passports cost $110 for standard processing. 

This handy document gives you access to travel the globe and who wouldn’t want to see different countries and cultures? If you don’t have a passport, it’s not too late to get one! And to make it even easier, FSU has a Passport Office on campus! The FSU Passport Facility is located in the Stadium on the 5^th floor of University Center A in International Programs office. Please visit our website for more information about our Passport Office as well as the programs we offer abroad: http://international.fsu.edu/Passport/Default.aspx

Budgeting- Let’s Be Realistic

London is an expensive place to live- and eat. Especially when the conversion rate is around 1.5 US Dollars to 1 GB Pound. No, London is not just a large but still quaint, English city. It is the business capital of the world and an international melting pot equitable to living in New York City. In preparation for my study abroad this summer I thought, “It’ll be so great to have a flat where I can cook all of my meals. I’ll average about $4 per meal!”- No.

            Any place you study abroad you will want to experience the local cuisine as much as possible. As someone who enjoys cooking, I have found myself cooking dinners at home only about one night a week. I eat lunches at home another 1-2 days and most breakfasts. Other than that, I’m always out and about in the city, traveling, exploring new places, not worrying about getting back to the flat to make myself a sandwich when I can pick one up on every street corner- beautifully prepared with a side of crisps from Pret a Manger.

           Problem #2 with trying to plan ahead and keep a well-stocked fridge: the food goes bad within a matter of days. Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve found the downside of the fresh, non-GMO, preservative-free food populating the grocery stores in the UK- it rots at rapid speed. Here, it’s the social norm to run to your local Sainsbury’s or Waitrose to grab your next meal every day, maybe twice a day. Keeping large amounts of food at home isn’t realistic for a busy student like you or me. When your bread, deli meats, and cheese are all perishing at different paces and you don’t want to buy a whole bottle of mustard or mayonnaise for the 1 to 2 months you’ll be here, why bother? Just go to Itsu and get some half-priced sushi between 7-8pm and punch another notch in your loyalty card.

            BUT don’t let all this get you down! There are still plenty of ways to stay on track and on budget while studying abroad in London:

-Sainsbury’s offers a meal deal of either a sandwich, pasta, or salad with crisps (chips) and a drink for 3 pounds (about $4.5). Stop by in the morning and bring it with while you’re traipsing around town.

-Have “family dinners” with your flat mates. As often as we can, my flat mates and I take turn cooking for each other. When you buy ingredients from the store, it’s going to be enough to feed 5 anyways.

-Don’t spend money on water bottles. All of the tap water in London is safe to drink and tastes fine! Keep 1 or 2 bottles at home and reuse them.

            Be sensible with your spending on food but know that a typical meal out is going to average 6-10 GBP (tack on 4 GBP if you plan on getting a drink). This will come out to about $15-$20 per meal. 

Budget accordingly and you’ll have a recipe for success. Cheers!

A Postcard from Florence

Two Florida State University students, Jordan Park and Paige Granfield,  share how studying abroad with International Programs gave them the opportunity to explore the world and broaden their horizons in the realm of education and self-discovery. 

Switzerland, a Program for the True Traveler

By Bridget O'Toole

Looking to feed your wanderlust? FSU’s study abroad program in Leysin, Switzerland may be just what you need. The Switzerland program’s area of study is Hospitality. So, yes, preference is given to Hospitality majors, but the program is also open to all interested students. If you’re a non-Hospitality and are worried about your chances of being accepted, don’t be! It worked out for me, and I firmly believe that the Switzerland program is one of the best programs for students with a desire to travel but without a major-specific program.

As a student in the Switzerland program, you can take a European Travel and Tourism course. Your homework? Traveling all around Europe and sharing your trip experiences when you get back! Not too shabby, right? Classes are conducted Sunday evening through Tuesday morning. Often times, you will go on a field trip to a gorgeous five star hotel in Switzerland, and from there, you may leave to travel anywhere you want in Europe as long as you are back by Saturday night. The last train up the mountain ends early so you have to be time conscious! But you will be surprised how many places you can see over the course of three days. One week, my little group and I spent a day in Paris, France, a day in Nice, France, and a day at the beach in Monte Carlo—all in one week! I was able to visit more than ten incredible European cities over the course of four weeks. But of course, there are benefits to remaining in one city the whole week, such as having the time to visit all of the famous hot spots. The scope of traveling one does is really up to the individual. 

The mountain life in Leysin, Switzerland is also something to take into consideration. Let me

tell you, having a view of the snow capped mountains while eating a delicious French breakfast will probably be the most relaxing moment of your life. Nothing can beat the view in Switzerland, but don’t worry, just because the mountains are snow capped does not mean you’re going to freeze! The sun will be out every now and then. There will be days when you despise mountain life because of what the students like to call “the stairs from hell.” While walking down them isn’t a problem, you will be challenged walking up them in the high altitude. Just remember that the view at the top is worth it.

In general, the Hospitality program is so much fun—especially when you’re a guest at a hospitality business as opposed to a stressed out employee. As a student in this program, you have the opportunity to learn from industry professionals when you visit five star hotels with classic architecture, restaurants with five course meals, and spas with amazing jacuzzis. To be able to visit these high quality destinations is a huge bonus for anyone living on a college budget. One of the best trips is the trip to Balmers Hostel in Interlacken, Switzerland. Here you will learn about the hostel business. This trip is also a great initial experience where you can get to know your group members better and where you can meet people from around the world.

So if you’re feeling like a Nolemad*, visit FSU International Programs offices (UCA 5th floor) to find out more information on the Switzerland program!

*A Florida State University Seminole (Nole) that likes to travel a lot.