The Jetlag Entry… Full of (hopefully) useful information on how to go abroad!

Alrighty. It’s 1am. But my body really thinks its 6pm. The conversation between my internal and external clock goes something like this.

Brain: It’s 1am. Go to sleep. You have to wake up in 6 hours.

Body: What are you talking about? It’s 6pm! Let’s party. And eat. Do we have any food?

Brain: Go to sleep!

Body: NO!

Total score: Body 4, Brain 0

I think these next couple days will be a bit rough for the sleep schedule. As far as adventures go, today was mostly boring orientation stuff, including using most of the morning getting classes organized and books purchased. It is nice to have my class schedule set, although I didn’t get to take the beginning French class I wanted because it was full and I already reached the 15 credit limit.

Since I’m on the topic of school, I supposed I should answer the “how” question of studying abroad. Specifically, “Is it possible for anyone to go abroad?” and even more specifically, “Can someone who isn’t wealthy afford it?” The answer to both questions is yes, with a little planning.

Many other international students here have a partnership with their home University and the University here in Morocco. Most colleges have some sort of international partnerships. RMC participates in a program call ISEP, or the international student exchange program. On ISEP exchange, you apply to up to ten universities abroad, ranked in order of preference. This requires many hours of research about different countries, academic requirements, language requirements and if the classes you take abroad will transfer. Some universities abroad are competitive to get into, some take almost anyone, regardless of language ability or academic level. I spent about 20 to 30 hours researching my options, but considering I will spend a year here, I don’t feel that time was wasted at all. Once accepted, you file the necessary paperwork, AND the best part, pay tuition, housing and meals to your home institution. That means you can still receive federal financial aid, school scholarships, and federal loans.  

There are also external scholarships available for studying abroad, especially to Asian and Middle Eastern Countries where you will be studying the language. Most require some sort of follow-up project, but they look great on a resume. Tack on another 20 hours of work if you really want to be a competitive applicant. Yes, all of this is a lot of work, but it really is a once in a lifetime experience. I encourage anyone reading this to contact me for more information.  

            So this is admittedly not the most exciting entry-but more stories of orientation, getting settled, and meeting new people will be to coming soon!