ABOUT

If you are considering studying or living abroad (or you know someone who is), you have found the right place.

My name is Becca.  I am a study abroad advisor.  And I think that studying abroad is a pretty big deal.

Studying or living abroad is all the rage these days.

I’ve noticed that many students in high school and college love the idea of studying abroad. However, few actually end up committing to a study abroad program.

I won’t throw numbers around here (who really wants to read that?), but the number of enthusiastic, pro-study abroad freshmen who end up studying abroad during their college careers is not anywhere near 100 percent.

How many other times in life can someone move to another country without too many repercussions?

(Here’s a hint – not as many as one would hope.)

This is where Study Abroad and Beyond comes in.

There are plenty of websites and blogs out there that detail many aspects of living abroad, including the life-changing experiences of living with a host family, clubbing until 8 in the morning, meeting and getting bested by the local alcohol (yes, your advisors know that this happens), and hilarious encounters with the transportation systems.

This blog, however, focuses primarily on the nitty-gritty, sometimes not-so-pretty details of study abroad and living abroad.

I will share tools that will help you make realistic expectations for study abroad and prepare for the highs and lows before committing to a program.

My goal is to provide you with a solid amount of information that will prepare you for all aspects of traveling and studying abroad… and beyond!

As a disclaimer, not all of the information on this site will be transferable to all study abroad programs.

I will do my best to incorporate information from all of my experiences in the field.  But, just like WebMD sometimes provides information that isn’t accurate in all cases (like a slight cough is not necessarily the plague), make sure you see a licensed professional (i.e. your study abroad advisor) about program-specific information.

Now that I’ve yammered on for a while… who the heck am I?

My road to becoming a study abroad advisor includes the following:

• high school exchange (2 for 2+ weeks each)
• summer study abroad (2 for 6+ weeks each)
• NOT a semester abroad in college (I was THAT student who withdrew from an exchange program, a decision I regret to this day…)
• international alternative spring break (2 for 1 week each)
• living abroad (1 year), and
• leading high schoolers internationally (2 for 1+ weeks each)

This totaled 8 different countries for study / work / international programming on 3 continents, not to mention the other 50+ countries I’ve visited for funsies.

I have experience at large universities and small, private schools, and I also have a fancy piece of paper that says that I have mastered international education.

I also have worked with students of all ages (and their families) to prepare for future study abroad and travel programs, and hope to do the same with this blog.

When I’m not preparing students for study abroad, I can usually be found searching for airline deals, traveling, cooking, enjoying the great outdoors, volunteering, hanging out in a coffee shop, or reading. I love being able to curl up with a good book (almost) anywhere!

If you ever have a question that you would like me to answer, feel free to contact me! For more travel inspiration, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, Bloglovin’, and don’t forget to subscribe to the blog!

Visit Study Abroad and Beyond’s profile on Pinterest.

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