studying abroad?

[mc_carlini]

Im in my 3rd year of french right now and i am very interested in studying abroad in France for a trimester next fall (Sept-Dec). The program i would go through is called Intrax (http://www.intraxstudyabroad.com/france) and the total cost of the program, including airfare, is $6000. That is roughly $45-$50 per day. Is this a fair price? I know roundtrip airfare to France from my town is near 1k, so that really brings the price down to a little over $1000 a month for all meals, weekend trips, and living. I know that my class last year took a france trip that i did not attend for about $3000, and that was for only a week. I am trying to think up ways to find financial help, any ideas? Other than selling my guitars :p

[david eaton]

Depending on your situation, this is a perfect example of where student loans come in handy. I usually don't recommend debt to our students (I teach at a public university so tuition is "reasonable") but for those who don't have any loan debt, or a very small amount I encourage them to look into it for something like this.

[mc_carlini]

Oh i forgot to mention one thing... i will be a Senior in Highschool next year so i doubt student loans would be an option.

[david eaton]

That would change things a bit.

[Moltisanti]

where in France are you thinking of going to ?

I studied in Nice for a semester at IPAG Business School, and I have friends who did the same in Paris and Lille. Mine was part of my degree so it was paid for by my Uni in the UK as part of an exchange programme.

I'd say it depends on what you're studying and what you want to get out of the experience. I really enjoyed my time in France, my French was killer when I got back and i met some great people and had some really fun nights :D, $6000 seems like a lot but over a lifetime of earning it's really not a lot of money, and if you have a great once in a lifetime experience for $6k it's worth it - you'll have plenty of time to buy guitars later, they're not going anywhere!

I'd just check out some alternative trips/courses and try to speak to somebody who has already done it to get an idea of whether they felt it was good value for money.