When I was in college, I knew that I wanted to take advantage of every travel opportunity possible. I was able to do so because my college offered several programs that allowed me to study in other locations along with me being able to learn. College is a great time to take advantage of travel, especially with all of the money that is being paid to these institutions.  

National Student Exchange 

During my undergrad, I took part in the National Student Exchange Program. This program allows students to study in participating colleges across America, in Canada, and the Caribbean. While studying at the college of your choice, you accumulate credits that go towards your degree.  

The Process 

While going through the process, you make a list of colleges you’d like to go to, in the order of your choice preference. Then, if you meet the criteria, you get selected to go to that college, if not, you get the next pick, and then the next pick, etc.  

Financial Aid 

They have an A list and a B list for the colleges. The lists basically determine if you pay tuition to your host college or if you pay it to your home college. This will also determine who distributes your financial aid.  

I ended up going to CUNY- Queens college in Flushing, Queens. I believe this college only had the option of the host college distributing financial aid, so I had to follow New York’s college financial aid distribution structure which differed a bit from California’s.  

In California, you received your financial aid about a week ahead of the time that school started. In New York, I guess they have scamming issues (I don’t know), so they waited about two-three weeks until after I was enrolled, and they made sure I wasn’t dropping any classes before they distributed the financial aid. Every state is different.  

Housing 

Unless you plan on staying on campus, you have to figure out housing yourself. Most people that I knew had support systems, and they came with their parents to get their housing situation figured out. I didn’t, so I had to figure it out for myself. After an AirBnb and a temporary stay in Sunnyside, Queens, I was able to find a stable apartment in Bushwick, Brooklyn to sublet.  

What This Program Did for Me 

I made sure I utilized my time well in this program. I had several jobs in New York (consecutively, not concurrently), I met so many people, I had an internship at the Center for Fiction, and I got to explore and see so many different places in New York City.  

The good thing about participating in this program is that it got me ready for my study abroad program in France. I moved to New York by myself and figured out most of everything out from there. Studying abroad actually required less of me, believe it or not.  

California State University International Program (CSUIP) 

I was part of the CSU system in California, which was great because the colleges collectively offer a study abroad program for students. My experience was unique in that I studied abroad as a graduate student. I think most people study abroad when they’re undergrads as most of the credits are more applicable. I chose to go as a graduate student because it was just something I always knew I wanted to do and if I didn’t do it, I’d regret it.  

I simply applied through the website and once I did, I got accepted into my program. From there, I followed all the steps to participate in the program and get to France. This included applying for my visa, signing up for the insurance they offered (that was really quality), submitting a photo, submitting my passport information, submitting my flight information, etc. They made a checklist that made everything easy to do and I was able to follow the steps to make sure I was able to make it to France.  

The Cost 

It’s definitely cheaper to study abroad as an undergrad. The great thing about the university that I went to is that studying abroad costs almost the same as attending college at home, with just a few more fees, so it didn’t make too much of a difference for me.  

I also applied for a fellowship. It was a diversity equity fellowship, and it ranged in an award from $2,000 to $4,000. I was awarded the full amount of the fellowship and apparently, I was the first one to do so to study abroad.  

Housing 

The fee of study abroad covered temporary housing for two weeks when we arrived in France. It was an apartment hotel that had a full kitchen and bathroom with two students in each room. 

Once we were there, they had a woman that was connected and knew many apartment owners or people that just wanted to make some extra income and they were able to help us with our housing. The price at that time that people paid ranged from 500 euros for a studio apartment to mine which was eventually 800 euros for my own apartment. I honestly could have negotiated the price but the apartment was meant to be for two people. I just needed space to myself.   

Study Abroad Center 

I was fortunate to have a study abroad center on campus that I was able to visit to get more information on both programs that I participated in. If your campus has one, that’ll be the best spot to get in touch with the coordinators of this program. They will have information about the programs in detail, they will have information about scholarships, they will have information about how to apply and what steps you need to take. They’ve often studied abroad themselves so they can give you firsthand experience about what it means to do so.  

What Traveling in College Programs Did for Me 

I’m grateful for the time that I spent studying in different places. It stretched me so much more than just staying in one spot for my whole time in college, and it forced me to grow. It also forced me to challenge my beliefs and to question things that I had been taught growing up the way that I did in America. It was an immeasurable experience that I’ll never forget.