College students who are thinking about studying abroad _ or are soon on their way _ may benefit from this advice from Long Island students who have already returned from countries including Italy, Krygyzstan, and Australia. From figuring out foreign phone service to taking care of your health, to videotaping your experiences, these students have 20 tips for you (and your families) if you are spending a summer, a semester or an academic year doing coursework in a foreign university:
_ Befriend the study abroad office at your college. "I introduced myself and got to know them better," says Marie Saint-Cyr, 23, of Wyandanch, who studied in Florence in 2016 while majoring in fine arts at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. "They would recommend scholarships I didn't know of, and they wrote me recommendations."
_ Save some extra money before you leave. Saint-Cyr says she worked extra shifts at her part-time jobs and saved for a year so she would have enough money to travel throughout Europe. Some students say they spend an additional $1,000 to $2,000 on travel and experiences while abroad. Students also suggest alerting family and friends who are overseas that you'll be there because many will host students when they're traveling.
