Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium

It’s been a while since I last posted!  Did you miss me?  I think this has been one of the busiest semesters of my UNC Asheville career.  Not only am I working and blogging, but I am also in the process of working on my senior capstone course, which is time-consuming and a bit stressful, to say the least.  I could not blog this week because I was working on getting a major part of this project out of the way: on Wednesday, I presented my paper at the Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium, taking care of the “oral competency” requirement on my graduation checklist.  What a relief.  Now, all that’s left is for me to put the final touches on my paper, take exams, and enjoy Winter Break.  With just two more weeks remaining in the semester, we’re in the final stretch! 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with undergraduate research at UNC Asheville, I’ll tell you a little bit about the topic.  Not every student at the university is required to complete undergraduate research (done alone or in a team), but those following certain majors must do this as part of their course of studies.  My major, International Studies, for example, requires that I participate in research exploring a topic related to my field of study.  This semester, my academic advisor has helped me develop my topic and craft a strong research paper.  Every fall and spring, we hold an Undergraduate Research Symposium, where students are able to showcase the hard work they’ve been doing all semester.  The Symposia offer students the chance to be recognized for their research, as well as to learn more about the interests of their peers, which is fun, and at times, surprising.  In the spring, students who have successfully completed their research may submit their work for publication in the UNC Asheville Journal of Undergraduate Research and/or the Proceedings of the National Conference on Undergraduate Research.  Pretty great, right?

Here's the title slide of my presentation, just in case you're curious~

Initially, I was a bit scared of the prospect of completing this research; when I realized that I would have to present the project orally, I was nervous that I might not do well.  However, as my project comes to a close, I feel glad that I was forced to participate.  I have learned a lot in the process, and I have really enjoyed the opportunity to focus so much attention and time on a topic in which I am very interested.  If you’re in Asheville in May of 2012, why not stop by some of the presentations on campus and see for yourself?  It will be 100 % worth your while.    

Here are the links for the Undergraduate Research Program and this year's Fall Symposium schedule.  Check it out! 

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Study Abroad: Where Should I Live?

Happy belated Halloween, everyone!  Unfortunately, I had so much work this weekend that I could not enjoy the festivities, so I do not have an exciting Halloween-themed post to share.  Instead, I thought I would return to the subject of study abroad.  This time, I want to address the issue of where you will live when you study abroad.  When I studied abroad, I had three basic options for housing; I could stay with a local family, post up at a boarding house, or live in the school's residence hall.  I actually had a difficult time deciding where I wanted to stay because each option has its attractive points.

If I lived with a local family, I would have a chance to see how a real Korean family lived, and how a typical Korean college student would carry out his or her daily routine, including commute.  If I did this, and decided to avoid using English as much as possible, then my language-learning experience would be that much richer.   Also, and equally important, I would likely get homemade meals two or three times a day, which would help me save money on food and hopefully be very delicious!


If I decided to stay at a boarding house or hostel, I would have the opportunity to meet a variety of guests from around the world.  Perhaps we might spend time together exploring the city on weekends, and I feel that we definitely would have been able to learn a lot from each other.  There would also have been two meals provided per day, which, covered in the cost of boarding, would be helpful for my budget.


If I boarded at the school's residence hall, then I would get a chance to better know my classmates or even local students.  Further, I would be able to observe campus life in a foreign university, and could easily participate in events on/near campus.  I would also be able to use the laundry, dining, and exercise facilities.


As it happened, I actually had the experience of staying in a youth hostel as well as the school's residence hall.  When I arrived in Korea, I spent about a week and half travelling and meeting friends, and spent the night at at hostel in Seoul.  This option was exciting, because it offered me the freedom of being able to explore the city on my own, or with a fellow boarder.  However, it was also nice to settle down in the residence hall once classes started.   If I had any problems, I could contact my RA or program director easily, rather than having to more or less fend for myself.  


As with my time in the hostel, I also had a very positive experience living in the residence hall.  I enjoyed two meals a day in the cafeteria and felt very safe, as the security there was pretty high.  My roommate and I were placed in the same level of language class, and got to know each other pretty well over our time.  I also got to know well several other international students from places like Italy, Hong Kong, Japan, and Germany.  Looking back on my experience, I do not know which option I would choose if I studied abroad again.  I think it really depends on your budget, comfort level, and goals for your trip.  Think these over carefully before deciding, because your living situation can really define your experience away from home and country.  

Curious about where I stayed?  Here are some pictures of my residence hall! 

  

The view from our room!  

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Study Abroad: Blog or Journal?

One of my favorite things to do is read travel blogs.  When a friend studies abroad, one of the first things I ask them is whether they plan to keep a travel blog or not.  For those of us at home, especially for family, blogs are a great way to check in with our loved ones and follow their journeys.  


Many people begin with good intentions, setting up their blogs and writing faithfully for the first few days, only to leave the task by the wayside once life abroad picks up and they begin making friends.  Others blog diligently, posting once or twice a week for the entirety of their trip.  A handful of people will decide not to keep a blog, as they were are most interested in fully experiencing life abroad, and do not want to waste time with blogging.  A rare few will keep travel journals. 


When I started preparing for my trip, this was a decision that I had to make.  As you might expect, as a blogger, I was really interested in the idea of keeping a blog for family and friends at home to read.  However, because I keep a pretty modest journal at home, I also thought it would be nice to record my thoughts in greater detail in a travel journal.  I weighed the pros of each: 

Blog: 

My family can follow my adventures from home

It's an easy way to let everyone know that I'm safe and sound

I can share pictures with those who cannot travel 

I can type very fast, so recording my travels will be relatively quick and easy

Journal: 

It's a physical reminder of my trip when I return home

I can save receipts, tickets, and such small souvenirs easily 

Because it's private, I can record more emotion or personal thoughts here

In the end, I decided to do both.  Unfortunately, I had success only as far as the blog was concerned.  Once classes started at my university, the journal proved to be too time-consuming, and I had to abandon it.  I ended up blogging a lot, and saving all of the paper memories to be taped into my journal upon my return home.  As you can see, I still haven't completed this task yet.  I am proud of myself for trying, and when I finally get everything taped into the journal, I'll be happy to have this tangible reminder of the time I spent in Korea.  For now, that is what it looks like: 

There is definitely something to be said for simply "living in the moment" without having to worry about recording it for others or even yourself.  However, years after your study abroad experience, you may still have the photos you took, but you  might not remember some of the stories or incidents from that trip.  So try to record your trip in some way.  It might be easy for you to keep a blog, or you might be an avid "journalist."  It may take a bit of work or deduct from your free time, but I think it will be worth the effort in the end.  What do you think?  Would you rather blog, journal, or neither? 


If you're interested in seeing my travel blog, you can access it here

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Study Abroad: Funding Your Trip

When I started thinking about studying abroad, one of the first things that I wanted to know was how much it actually cost to do so.  At UNC Asheville, students usually pay tuition for their study abroad experience directly to UNC Asheville (the same cost as attending university here).  However, if you do a very short-term program or if you follow the same path that I did (attending a university with which UNC Asheville does not have an established relationship), you'll pay directly to the school abroad.

In the end, regardless of whether you pay UNC Asheville or a foreign university, you're going to need money to pay for living expenses once you arrive at your destination.  You'll probably be following a meal plan or living with a host family during your time abroad, so theoretically you won't have to worry so much about budgeting for food, but you will definitely have other things that you either need or want to purchase.  For example, when I was in South Korea, I had to buy bedding, towels, and shower supplies, none of which I had even thought about bringing.  I also found that in Korea, many people meet their friends for coffee, which generally starts at $5.50 (small size), and, as a consequence, I frequented coffee shops upwards of three times a week.  These excursions were great for socializing and studying, but ended up being pretty expensive.  My point: you're going to need money.  

Luckily, there are a ton of scholarships available to help offset these costs.  If you're receiving federal aid money, this will carry over when you pay the tuition for your semester or year abroad to UNC Asheville.  Here are just a few sources that offer funding:

• Many organizations and institutions actually offer scholarships to those seeking to expand cultural horizons abroad.   From my experiences, there are a lot more scholarships available for study abroad in more "popular" countries like France, Italy, Spain, and so forth, so if you're planning on visiting any of these places, you've definitely got a lot of options.  Many organizations have essay or video contests for varying sums to be applied to experiences abroad.  
• UNC Asheville also offers a fairly competitive scholarship for study abroad (based, I believe, on need as well as academic merit).  You can find information on these scholarships on the Study Abroad website, there are a lot of study abroad resources listed to help.  
• The US government also provides scholarships for study abroad, especially if you are studying in a region whose language is considered to be "critical."  These scholarships tend to be more focused on long-term language acquisition, so although I was travelling to a country whose language is currently considered "critical," I was not eligible for the scholarship because my program was for only five weeks.  Frustrating?  Yes. 
• Local organizations such as the Rotary Club also offer scholarships for study abroad.  If you're interested in attaining one of these scholarships, you need to apply early. I missed the deadline for my application by about a year.  

TIP: I would recommend a quick Google search for available funding.  You can search for scholarships by region and college major.  I found that some of the most popular destination-oriented scholarships included China, Japan, Germany, and Italy.I investigated, and applied to several Asia-Pacific oriented scholarships when I was preparing for my trip.  Because I am not a math or science major, I was unable to apply for scholarships which I would otherwise have been well-qualified.

Have I exhausted you?  I hope not, but  do want to make it clear that although it's costly to study abroad, there are so many resources available to help make it happen.  As a student hoping to study in a foreign country, you should realize that because there are so many resources, it can be pretty daunting to try to navigate the various websites, brochures, and applications until you find that will ultimately be the most help to you.  The information I have provided is really just, as they say, the "tip of the iceberg," and should get you thinking about the world of information and aid out there to the student who looks.

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So...What About Study Abroad?

I was recently asked to write a bit about my study abroad experience this past summer, so I thought that with the Study Abroad Fair coming up on Wednesday, this would be a good time to do so.  As I was thinking about what I wanted to share with you, I reflected on my days as a high school student hoping to study abroad in college. At that time, sitting nervously in some university’s Q&A session, all I wanted to do was go beyond the face of things, and really get to know what it meant to study abroad.  I wanted to know more than what was offered by pamphlets and information sessions.  How could I get involved with a study abroad program?  How would I choose where I wanted to go?  How would I pay? What were study abroad experiences really like, beyond the selected reports from students and faculty members in the study abroad brochures?  Just..."how," beyond the basic facts offered by university representatives or student tour guides. 

Remembering all of these questions I once had, I thought that it might be useful for you if I described my personal study abroad experience on this blog.  To this end, I have decided to break down my trip into several posts chock full of information, pictures, and advice.  I’ll share a little bit about how I selected, prepared for, and anticipated my trip, and then what actually happened, and finally, how I felt upon return.  If, at any point, you have questions about something I mention (or don't talk about), please leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer them!  What do you think?  Would that be helpful? 

I’ll start posting about this on Wednesday, and will try to post once a week on this topic, so keep checking in to learn more~ 

 Day one of my trip: Goodbye, Blue Ridge Mountains!

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