Help! The world’s my oyster!

Whether you’re thinking of your first degree, or looking at post graduate choices, swapping the UK for sunnier, more exotic climes is well within your reach.

Not only do you get to experience an enriching learning adventure, you also offer employers more than the average graduate at the end of your time studying abroad. With that on your CV, you’ve shown you are likely to possess international knowledge, cross-cultural communication skills and maybe a second language – increasingly important for a global economy. You’ve also proven yourself to be good at adapting to new circumstances, independent and up for a challenge.

However, if you’ve only got as far as ruling the UK out, the rest of the world is a rather large area to choose from. Overwhelmed by the choices you’ve yet to make? This brief guide may help.

Europe

At least we’ve got it down to one continent. Unsurprisingly, each country is very different – requirements to study there, funding opportunities, costs: all vary hugely. However, in very general terms, tuition fees in Europe are generally a lot lower than in the UK, but post graduate degrees can still be very expensive. University prospectuses often provide cost of living estimates in their prospectuses, but in general studying in Europe is going to be cheaper than the US, for example.

Funding options come down to two sources: the institution itself may offer funding or scholarship to international students (again information can be got from prospectuses) or scholarships or grants can often be received from the ministry of education, or the regional authorities, in the particular country you’re intending to go to. The ‘Your Europe’ site has more information about funding in specific countries: http://ec.europa.eu/youreurope/index_en.html

How to apply also depends on the country. You’ll either go through the university itself, or through the British Embassy.

France

France is perennially popular with international students, taking in around 130,000 each year. The wine, food, climate – it’s not difficult to see why. But its higher education is also extremely highly regarded.

The Francophiles amongst you should point your browsers at www.edufrance.fr/en/index.htm - the official agency for information on the French higher education.

You can also get information on courses and enrolment procedures from the cultural attaché of the French embassy.
To apply, you go through the institution directly, and most students need to have a decent grasp of French to get accepted.
Jean Johnson is a student at the University of Wales, Swansea, doing her final year of engineering studies as a Socrates exchange student (see below for exchange information) at the Ecole des Mines de Nantes School of Engineering.

“I love France and the French culture - vin, pain, boursin etc. Fresh croissants for breakfast at the cafe before lectures can't be beaten! The school is in a lovely setting right next to the river Erdre where you get to do water sports if you are lucky.”

“The student life is good too; the Maison des Eleves houses the bar, and there are lots of clubs too - I am a member of the Cine club and the role-playing club. It is a very interesting thing pretending to be a troll in another language! And you certainly learn vocabulary that you are not likely to be taught in your school French class.”

Italy

Where better to learn than in the land of Michelangelo, da Vinci and Galileo? Add the beauty of the country, its cuisine and its climate and you’re onto a winner.

The language is beautiful, and you’ll have to get to grips with it; nearly all university courses take place in Italian, meaning you have to prove you have a working knowledge of it.

As with anywhere else, you’ll need to plan your application carefully. Contact the Italian embassy in January or February to get the schedule of application procedures and deadlines; it should also be able to help with further information about applications.

Other information can be gained from Recruitaly (www.recruitaly.it), which offers a guide to living and studying in Italy and most importantly a list of Italian universities for you to peruse. Information on enrolling, admissions, academic and financial advice can also be found here: www.study-in-italy.it.