What is a “Year Abroad”?

• You didn’t honestly think that going to university in the UK meant you had to stay in the UK did you?

  The International Office (or equivalent) at your university can offer you the opportunity to travel the world, to integrate yourself into amazing other cultures and to further your studies in an environment you might not have even considered way back when you filled out your UCAS form. It should be fairly clear at this point that a Year Abroad is not a Gap Year;  it’s related to  your degree and can last anywhere from just one term to a whole academic year. It may be a compulsory part of your modern languages degree, an optional exchange with a foreign university, or the opportunity of an internship in business abroad.

  Living, working and studying abroad will show and teach you things you wouldn’t otherwise experience during a normal degree. You’ll develop your self-confidence, independence and, depending on where you travel to, you’ll gain another perspective on your subject and possibly another language.

  But that doesn’t make the whole experience easier. In fact, it makes it harder. The aim of YearsAbroad.com is to make it that bit easier for you, by collating as much information as exists on being a student abroad, regardless of destination, subject or activity. Our student-contributed reviews and recommendations are the “what you need to know”, as written by those who’ve been before and done it.

  This Guide hopes to organise what information is out there, from this site’s reviews, from advice given by British universities to their own students and from other sources like the Foreign Office and Erasmus network. Because it’s often harder than it should be to find out what you want to know before you go, The Guide includes the following secitons:

  A comprehensive breakdown of your Options for a Year Abroad; how to find and what to look for in good Accommodation abroad; tips on Settling In when you move to foreign country; how to deal with The Dull Stuff like administration and application processes.

  Start here with your Options.