Story by Carli Chavez

You may even find yourself at Stonehenge if you study abroad. (Photo provided by Carli Chavez)

Study Abroad is an experience that could lead to learning a second language, gaining in maturity, enhance career opportunities and make friends worldwide.

Things to remember

New Mexico State University offers this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  However, studying abroad is not for everyone.  That is why it is important to research what studying abroad consists of and what the culture is like in a particular country before a student plans to fully commit.

If a student is thinking about studying abroad they should plan close to a year in advance.  This is true because a student needs to do many steps before they can actually study abroad.

Some of these steps are as follows:

• Getting a passport

• The series of paper work for The Office of Study Abroad

• Figuring out how the credits abroad will transfer at NMSU

• Obtaining a visa

• Apply for stipends and scholarships

• Pass the online test for The Office of Study Abroad

It is also important to keep in mind that there are deadlines for each of the items listed above.

Where can you go and who can go?

“U.K, Spain, Japan, Costa Rica are the top four choices, with China and Australia a tie for the fifth place for most popular places students want to study abroad,” said Cindy Liechti, program facilitator of The Office of Study Abroad at NMSU.

There are endless places a student is able to study abroad.  They can travel anywhere from Europe to the Middle East.  There are six different program types that allow students to travel abroad. The two most popular programs are either an exchange from NMSU to a university of  choice or the intensive language program that allows a student to earn language credit in a short amount of time.

Any student that has completed at least a semester at NMSU who is in good standing academically could be eligible to study abroad.  Exchanges require students to have a 2.5 – 3.3 GPA, depending on the host institution.  Interested NMSU students should visit the Study Abroad Web site .  There, they will find more information about scholarships, deadlines, office hours, and  they can contact someone to ask any further questions they may have about studying abroad.