{"id":15864,"date":"2021-07-22T15:35:13","date_gmt":"2021-07-22T20:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/studyabroad\/?page_id=15864"},"modified":"2025-12-03T16:04:53","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T22:04:53","slug":"choosing-a-program","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/studyabroad\/find-a-program\/choosing-a-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Choosing a program"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Study abroad is not one-size-fits-all. What&#8217;s great for your friend or roommate may not be the best fit for you. There is a lot to think about as you choose <b>your<\/b> perfect study abroad program. Here are a few things we recommend considering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Personal goals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Why do you want to go abroad?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What goals do you hope to accomplish?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Academics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Does the program offer courses in your major(s) or minor to help keep you on track for graduation?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What are the experiential learning opportunities?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Are there internship\/research\/volunteer opportunities?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Program length and timing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>When do you want to go?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How long to you need to be abroad to meet your goals?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When does studying abroad fit into your degree plan best? Your academic adviser can help you figure this out.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Location<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Where do you want to go? Don\u2019t limit yourself to English-speaking countries. Courses taught in English are available on most of our programs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do you want to be in an urban center or a rural community?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do you speak another language or want to learn one?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cost and scholarships<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Does the cost of the program fit your budget?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What is included in the cost of the program? What personal expenses do you need to budget for?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What is the cost of living in the host city\/country (e.g., meals, transportation, entertainment)?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What scholarships are available?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Are there country-specific scholarships available or scholarships offered by the program provider?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Logistics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Would you prefer a more structured, highly supportive program or a less structured, more independent program?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do you have a strong preference for the type of housing you will live in (e.g., residence hall vs. homestay)?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Identity abroad<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What is the attitude toward your identity (i.e., race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, etc.) in the host city\/country?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If you have a disability, what kind of accommodations and accessibility are available where you would be living and studying?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If you identify as LGBTQ+, are same-sex relationships legal?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Is it safe for women to travel alone in the host city\/country?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other considerations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Are there health and safety concerns you should think about when selecting a program?\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Review information for <a href=\"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/health-safety-security\/staying-safe-and-healthy-abroad\/\">staying safe and healthy abroad<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Review <a href=\"https:\/\/travel.state.gov\/content\/travel\/en\/international-travel\/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages.html\">Department of State country-specific information<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Study abroad is not one-size-fits-all. What&#8217;s great for your friend or roommate may not be the best fit for you. There is a lot to think about as you choose your perfect study abroad program. Here are a few things we recommend considering. Personal goals Academics Program length and timing Location Cost and scholarships Logistics [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":67,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-15864","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15864"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15864\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21702,"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15864\/revisions\/21702"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/67"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/studyabroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}