Two ways to look at it:

a) go somewhere you might want to live one day to make connections, personal and professional and "try before buy" that country, or

b) go somewhere you will never live and are very unlikely to visit. Easier to go when the setup is a bit of a 'package', i.e. support from the school, housing arrangements, easy meals, etc.

I like the NZ/OZ option people mention because it is such a hike to go to on a vacation that many people opt not to. If I was going professionally I'd aim for the UK or Paris, somewhere where I might have a realistic chance of getting a job one day.

If it's just a party year abroad, well then, wherever the been is cheapest.

I did a study abroad program in St. Petersburg, Russia, shortly after the Soviet Union collapsed. It was the most incredible experience I had in my life, and set me on a career path I love and never expected. I got to travel to Moscow, Uzbekistan, Estonia, and it was just amazing. So amazing I sold my ticket and stayed an extra 4 months.

I have great stories of those times, from buying bottle of Stoli for like 25 cents to selling American nylons (which were a million times better than Soviet-era ones) on Nevskii Prospekt so that I can pay rent. You'd walk into a store and there would be an aisle full of one kind of pickled beets, an aisle full of one kind of pickles, and an aisle full of one kind of vodka. Ah, the bread kiosks! Ah, the babushkas who could say "don't touch" in 20 languages in the Hermitage to supplement their paltry pensions that they'd starve on. Ah, the mafiosos who would shake down kiosk owners in the middle of the day in the middle of the street.

Sadly these days things have changed so much in Russia that I don't think there are many programs operating there anymore. I fear the Russian Soul has been extinguished by crass consumerism, Putin's propaganda machine, and the rampant nationalism. It is so sad, and such a different Russia from the one that I fell in love with 20 years ago....the only thing that remains that same is the suffering of the vast majority of the population at the hands of their leadership.

I have English family and was already very familiar with Europe and spending prolonged time in Europe, so I went to NZ for my study abroad. Six months. Wonderful time. Also traveled around Australia and went to Fiji and Thailand. This was in the 1990s so the world wasn't quite as connected in those days. Thailand was very exotic back then!

Absolutely loved New Zealand and have been back several times already. But I was an outdoorsy student and took advantage of the great walks/treks and outdoor activities and exploring the country. It's probably not the best place if you aren't so interested in the outdoors.

I studied in Mexico, Italy (Florence, Rome) and Ghana. Ghana was by far the country that had the largest impact on me and the most incredible experience. My vote is to go somewhere you will most likely not go again for a vacation etc. -- a true cultural experience.

I studied in Prague and had a wonderful time. Being in Central Europe is great, too, because it's so easy to travel to many other places...Germany, austria, Hungary, the balkans, Poland, etc. it's not super cheap anymore like it was when I was there but still much less expensive than other major European cities. I have traveled extensively throughout Europe and maintain that Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.

However, I really don't think you can go wrong if you choose a place you're interested in...there are many, many other places I'd have loved to study abroad...considered Buenos Aires, London, Florence, Costa Rica, several others and feel sure I would have enjoyed all of them. My good friend studied abroad in dar es salaam and loved it too.

I studied abroad for a full year in India. Changed my life, only in good ways.

Check out sIT in Middlebpurgh- best study abroad full immersion programs.

Anonymous wrote:I studied in Italy. I assume you're looking for your kid. The program that you choose matters just as much as where you go. I was in an execellent program through my college with other kids from my college that took us on many weekend trips. Choose a program where your kid goes with a group of students and lives with the students.. I think it's better then staying with a family, because you don't know if you'll get an involved family.

I disagree. If you are doing a foreign language you will want immersion, which means living with a host family. Yes, a lot of them are not great, but it's an experience. If you stay with other students (like from a college study abroad program) you will all speak English among yourselves. If you have an option to stay with foreign students (from the host country, like in an apartment or dorm) that could also be good provided they don't also speak English.

Definitely would go for study abroad where I could learn a foreign language. 1 whole year abroad will make you fluent if you are diligent about not speaking English.

I would imagine Spanish would be useful for an occupational therapist. Other languages, not so much, if you are in the US.

*backpacking not backing!

I was supposed to study abroad in Spain but due to various circumstances ended up backing Europe instead. It was an amazing experience, but I really hope my kids study abroad. You can't go wrong, although I think it's best to do it in a foreign-language country and learn the language. Personally I think Spanish is probably most practical/useful, so Spain, Argentina, Chile, etc. I'd so love to do that.

DD is at Edinburgh and loves it. It is a wonderful school in a cool city.

I never studied abroad. DD is a college junior headed to Australia in January. She will go to:

Sydney: Ku Ring Gai National Park, Blue Mountains

Brisbane: O'Reilly's Guesthouse in Lamington National Park, Thunderbird Park

Cairns: Great Barrier Reef, Kuranda

Melbourne: Great Ocean Road for surfing and 12 Apostles

Tasmania: Hike to Cradle Mountain, Mole Creek Caves, Canyoning, Honey Farm

The three people I know who went to Australia (both to Melbourne) loved it. Note: all of them fell in love there. One with an Australian and she almost stayed (her parents convinced her to come back and finish school, and the distance did them in), one with an Australian she later married and who moved to the US, and one with an American also studying abroad and is still with him.

So if your DD goes to Australia, be prepared that she might wind up wanting to live there with her spouse!

Haha yes, my child is a sophomore in college and thinking about study abroad next year. I'm not really asking "for" her per se, but she was saying how she's not sure where she wants to go but she does want to do a study abroad and that got me thinking...what a cool predicament to be in! If I was in that situation, where would *I* choose to go?

She is a psychology and biology major looking to go on to become an occupational therapist...so not like being say, an art history major where the answer of where to go is much more narrowed down (Italy).

The vast majority of programs through her school are "direct enrollment" i.e. you enroll at say, Oxford (although that's not an option...just using an example that I think people would know!) and although there would be other American students/students from her school, she'd be living/going to class alongside English students.