Joseph Sevigny: Hi! I'm Joseph Sevigny with IES Abroad. Today I'm talking to you about how to choose a Study Abroad Program.

I'm now going to discuss how to choose your study abroad location. When deciding on a study abroad location, you have dozens of amazing places you can choose from. Europe, England, Spain, and Italy are among the most popular places that students go. You can find a program on nearly every continent. You can live in a metropolitan area or choose a smaller city; each has its own unique benefits and challenges. But before making your decision you should ask yourself a few basic questions. Living in a foreign country is very different from visiting a foreign country. For one thing, a visit is much shorter than the typical study abroad program. Can you imagine yourself living in a particular location on a day-to-day basis, running errands, going to class, taking local transportation? Are you generally comfortable with what you know about that location's culture? If your answer is no, you might want to reconsider that particular location before study abroad. And other important question to ask is do you want to learn a foreign language or improve any language skills, or are you seeking a program that's offered in English?

There are a lot of English only options for U.

S. students in countries all around the world, but if you do want to learn another language or improve the skills you already have, that is something to keep in mind as you're considering a program destination.

In terms of academic interest and requirements, make sure that the study abroad program you choose to study offers options that will allow you to meet your academic goals. If you're studying in an emerging field, where could you go to enhance that degree? Some countries offer specialized programs not offered in the U.

S. There are many questions to ask when you first start thinking about study abroad, and I hope that I've helped to identify some of the initial questions you should ask when choosing your study abroad location.