Saturday, October 27, 2007

Summer Graduate Art Programs Abroad (Summer Study Abroad Program)

Summer Study Abroad Program

Most of us cherish the dream of studying abroad and experiencing a different culture from close quarters. No matter how short or long the duration of the program, studying abroad gives a new edge to your qualifications and a new perspective to your thoughts.

Most American universities have arrangements with various universities around the world for summer programs and student exchanges. Check with your school’s Art Department for such arrangements. There are also country-specific summer programs in art. Some universities entertain applications for summer programs abroad even though you don’t belong to that university.

There are many organizations, such as American Institute of Foreign Study, Art Research Tours and International Studios, which arrange for study programs abroad. Many of them conduct seminars on study-abroad programs and summer courses. Attending them and browsing their websites should clarify most of your doubts. The Center for International Education (CIE) administers various funding programs designed to promote international education in USA.

Before signing up for a program, you should make a checklist of your own: cost of the program, additional expenses like travel, board and lodge etc; whether funding is available; and whether you are allowed to work part-time during your stay.

Decide whose art fascinates you the most and what culture you want to experience – Oriental, European, African or Latin. Consider also whether you want to live in a big city or a small town; whether you want to stay with a local family, take an apartment of your own or share the dormitories with local students or students form America.

You need to apply well in advance, generally at the beginning of the academic year, as per the rules of the school. Some schools don’t entertain applications 40-50 days before the date of departure; some may accept late applications with additional fees. An application should be accompanied by the prescribed deposit. You’ll have to pay the remaining fees after the application is accepted. A refund is available in case your application is rejected. If you wish, you can obtain trip cancellation insurance should an unforeseen incident compel you to cancel the trip.

You need to have the prescribed GPA score and your application should be accompanied by recommendation letters from your professors. You need to present a medical form signed by a doctor certifying your health.
The number of credits you receive for a summer program differ form school to school. It may be in the range of 3-6 credits. You can spread your credits over more than one summer.

Graduate Programs provides detailed information on Graduate Programs, Online Graduate Programs, Summer Graduate Art Programs Abroad, Psychology Graduate Programs and more. Graduate Programs is affiliated with Graduate School Rankings.

Abroad Studying - PLUS Loans for Undergraduate Students (Summer Study Abroad Program)

Summer Study Abroad Program

Federal PLUS Loans

Federal PLUS loans are offered to parents to complement other student loans provided directly to the students. These loans are usually awarded because Federal student loans are granted with the idea that parent will contribute to the student’s studies financing and thus, the amount offered on students loans isn’t usually enough. Therefore, for parents who can’t complement student loans with savings, PLUS loans come in very handy.

Yet, this was the original idea of PLUS loans. However, since these loans are not awarded according to the needs of the applicant, there is no particular requirement as regards to the purpose. Therefore, using them for financing study abroad programs is an excellent choice and they have proven to serve the purpose very well. More and more parents are requiring these loans to pay for these programs every year.

Including Study Abroad Programs On PLUS Loans

It is possible to include study abroad programs on plus loans. Plus loans can include all the expenses needed for college and given that under the right circumstances study abroad programs constitute college expenses, it is possible to add these programs. The question that rises is obviously, how can study abroad programs be considered part of college expenses. The answer is as follows:

As long as the study abroad program is sponsored by a college that has correctly accredited its study programs in the United States, there are no additional requirements. Thus, when considering study aborad programs, make sure to check and request all the documentation which proves that the foreign college is accredited under Federal regulations at the United States Educational Authorities.

PLUS Loans And Federal Consolidation Programs

An additional issue concerns those parents who are already in debt. Eventually, PLUS loans can be consolidated in Federal Consolidation Programs. This means that PLUS loans can be included along with student debt on a Federal Consolidation Loan with a Locked interest rate and a longer repayment program. This is particularly interesting because by locking the rate you can save thousands of dollars in terms of interests.
Furthermore, by means of extending the repayment programs and combining all debts into a single loan, you can obtain significantly lower monthly payments. Federal Consolidation Programs make student debt a lot more affordable which can bring a lot of ease to your financial life.

Conclusion

If your children want to study abroad on a particular field and you are considering different finance sources to afford the expenses associated with this programs, PLUS loans should be your first choice. They will provide you with all the money you need and the repayment programs and refinancing options will make the repayment a simple affordable process with no hassles at all.

Jessica Peterson writes finance articles for Yourloanservices.com where she shares her knowledge about how to get money for a starting-up business, consolidating any kind of debt, repairing a home even with a bad credit history and more.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Learn the Exotic from the Exotic (Summer Study Abroad Programs)

Summer Study Abroad Programs can range from learning about physiological ecology in the Galapagos Islands to learning Spanish in Peru. With all the programs available it can be hard choosing just one, but some things will almost always remain the same no matter which summer study abroad program you choose.

Choosing a Summer Study Abroad Program to Apply for

While most scholastic institutes offer a variety of summer study abroad programs, bear in mind that you can usually apply for a program outside of the school you might currently be attending and still have the option of financial aide covering you. Even if you are not attending any schools, a summer study abroad program is within your reach. Local colleges and universities usually have listings of any study abroad programs they have available and if the requirements for signing up for that program are not listed then you could always check with one of the attending counselors for further information.

Passports, Visas, and Medical Releases - Oh My! Passport rules have changed recently, at least for American citizens. As of January 23, 2007 the long expected new passport rules take effect today. US citizens traveling to Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean will need to show valid passports in order to re-enter the country. So when you are busy planning a summer study abroad program, remember to secure one more thing: Your Passport! These new passport rules are required to secure the borders of the United States against terrorist acts. Recent statistics show that just about one quarter of Americans hold valid passports. This is because until now most US citizens could travel to Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean without passports. Showing just a driver's license or a birth certificate was sufficient. But with these new passport regulations all that changes, effective January 23, 2007.

So if you are planning to spend a summer studying in any one of those countries, take steps to get your passport now. While a passport isn't usually too hard to get, it can still take a fair amount of time so you should be applying for that before or around the same time as you're applying for the summer study abroad program of your choice. A travel visa should usually be applied for around the same time as you are applying for the study abroad program for the simple fact that they can take quite some time to be processed properly and returned to you in good standing.

Before you head off on your trip you should also be sure to check if you need any medical release forms stating a clean bill of health and/or up to date vaccinations. For instance, if traveling to tropical South America you might be required to get a Yellow Fever vaccination before being allowed to travel. But don't let the paperwork scare you away from a summer study abroad program. The opportunities available during such a program are virtually limitless and can provide a wealth of wonderful memories.

Accommodations

A majority of summer study abroad programs will have accommodations already planned out for you, but it's usually wise to make sure beforehand so you know where you'll be staying during the course of your program. If lodging is not provided and you will need to make your own arrangements for a place to stay, the internet can be a great help in locating an affordable hotel room or short term apartment. Language barriers can make for a slightly sticky situation when trying to set up lodging arrangements from a distance, but it's not usually too difficult to get around them long enough to have a place available for when you get there so that you can make some more stable plans.

A lesser known choice in summer study abroad programs includes the option to learn while on an ocean voyage that stops at various countries. Such a program can be available to anyone, student or not, and help make clear your own culture by showing you the varying cultures of other locations. So no matter what your taste is, specific language to general world interdependence awareness, or your age, there's bound to be a summer study abroad program for you.

You can find lots of study abroad and student travel destinations, tips, and articles at http://www.every1loves2travel.com/ and http://vacation.every1loves2travel.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Darlene_Berkel

Summer Graduate Art Programs Abroad (Summer Study Abroad Program)

Most of us cherish the dream of studying abroad and experiencing a different culture from close quarters. No matter how short or long the duration of the program, studying abroad gives a new edge to your qualifications and a new perspective to your thoughts.
Most American universities have arrangements with various universities around the world for summer programs and student exchanges. Check with your school’s Art Department for such arrangements. There are also country-specific summer programs in art. Some universities entertain applications for summer programs abroad even though you don’t belong to that university.

There are many organizations, such as American Institute of Foreign Study, Art Research Tours and International Studios, which arrange for study programs abroad. Many of them conduct seminars on study-abroad programs and summer courses. Attending them and browsing their websites should clarify most of your doubts. The Center for International Education (CIE) administers various funding programs designed to promote international education in USA.
Before signing up for a program, you should make a checklist of your own: cost of the program, additional expenses like travel, board and lodge etc; whether funding is available; and whether you are allowed to work part-time during your stay.

Decide whose art fascinates you the most and what culture you want to experience – Oriental, European, African or Latin. Consider also whether you want to live in a big city or a small town; whether you want to stay with a local family, take an apartment of your own or share the dormitories with local students or students form America.

You need to apply well in advance, generally at the beginning of the academic year, as per the rules of the school. Some schools don’t entertain applications 40-50 days before the date of departure; some may accept late applications with additional fees. An application should be accompanied by the prescribed deposit. You’ll have to pay the remaining fees after the application is accepted. A refund is available in case your application is rejected. If you wish, you can obtain trip cancellation insurance should an unforeseen incident compel you to cancel the trip.

You need to have the prescribed GPA score and your application should be accompanied by recommendation letters from your professors. You need to present a medical form signed by a doctor certifying your health.

The number of credits you receive for a summer program differ form school to school. It may be in the range of 3-6 credits. You can spread your credits over more than one summer.
Graduate Programs provides detailed information on Graduate Programs, Online Graduate Programs, Summer Graduate Art Programs Abroad, Psychology Graduate Programs and more. Graduate Programs is affiliated with Graduate School Rankings.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Emerson

Summer Study Abroad Real or a Dream (Summer Study Abroad Program)

Summer Study Abroad Real or a Dream -by Menno Cooper-

One day you wake up and say to yourself, he I want to study abroad. After taking a shower you still have in your mind that a study abroad program is very cool. Now you sit down and take some breakfast but your mind is still very busy with the thought that a summer study abroad program is the solution to get out of the rat race.
Waiting for the bus to go to school you ask yourself, is study abroad real or a dream. The bus is stopping in front of the school and you drag yourself to the science class. While listen to the teacher about science stuff what is not in any interest to you your mind is going back till this morning when you woke up with the "dream" to study abroad. Just thinking about summer study abroad in a sunny Italy and eating pizzas. Or dreaming of a nice study abroad in London where we can visit the Big Ben. The bell is ringing the class is over and now going to the next boring class where we can hear the same thing again. The study abroad idea is still in your mind the whole day and you still not sure if it is real or fiction the day is coming to an end and you are again waiting for the bus to go home. During this journey you say to your self that you need to do something to make your dream come true. When the bus stops you get out and go home. After taking some orange juice you get behind the PC and you Google the internet for study abroad. You get a lot of information regarding study abroad programs. It is a jungle out there to get the right information and you get impatient and tired. You feel that the study abroad in Italy and London gets further away. But you are determining to get your summer study abroad information what you need to get your mind to rest. Your eyes are getting smaller and you get tired and frustrated. You need to go to bed because tomorrow is a one off those boring days at school again. You feel defeated because you didn't find the study abroad program you wanted. In bed you are closing your tired eyes and dream again of the nice summer study abroad.
The alarm clock is ringing it is 6.45 in the morning you open your eyes and look out of the window and you see snow. You ask yourself is this real or a dream.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Menno Cooper is a recognized authority on the subject of study abroad. His web site, http://www.mystudyabroadsite.com/index.php, provides a wealth of informative articles and resources on everything you'll ever need to know about study abroad."