Young students are getting inclined towards studies as well as internships overseas. The overseas experience provides the students with the opportunity to travel to new places, meet new people from diverse cultural backgrounds, learn to be independent, work effectively and efficiently to achieve the end result, hone their overall personality and experiencing all this while getting a degree or earning a professional experience. With that being said how do you know whether you should go for studying abroad or interning? Below is an account of the similarities and the differences between the two to help you make your choice.
Academic Credit
Study Abroad
The academic credits earned during your Undergraduate studies are transferred to your graduate course. You should consult your advisor and find out how your credits can be transferred to your course.
Intern Abroad
It is possible to earn academic credit for an internship. You just need to consider whether the number of credits you earn is flexible or not. Sometimes, the more hours you spend in interning the more credits you can earn. However, an independently researched internship outside of school is not possible.
Financial Aid
Study Abroad
When it comes to financial aids you must check with your advisor and financial aid office on campus to know which parts of your financial aid package can be applied to study abroad program and what scholarships you might be eligible for.
Intern Abroad
Most internships abroad are unpaid. So if you are tight on budget, then you should get academic credit since you can transfer some financial aid to help with the expenses abroad. You might as well look for scholarships to help you with the costs.
Lifestyle
Study Abroad
When you study abroad, then you have to attend the classes regularly. You will have a weekly class schedule and you will have to make time for studying apart from the study hours, forming study groups, submitting assignments on time and the regular college stuff. You might also have to work part-time in order to bear your expenses.
Intern Abroad
While you are interning abroad you will ideally be working for about 20 to 40 hours in a week, working in a field which would be relevant to your career aspirations. Unlike study abroad, you will not be spending your time in studying for exams, rather you will get the opportunity to spend your time in exploring the places near and around the host country. You will also be spending your time building connections through networking.
Hands-on Work Experience
Study Abroad
Studying abroad gives you a platform which encourages both theoretical and practical learning. The emphasis will be on practical approach also which will make you aware of the industry. Studying abroad will not have hands-on experience as the main focus. Though, the curriculum might include practice-oriented tasks or projects.
Intern Abroad
The internship is all about hands-on experience. You will work in the relevant field and will get to know as to how the work is done and how to advance in your field. You will meet many people who have been working in this field and will get practical job experience. You will be able to develop a global perspective and the experience of few months will really add value to your life.
Developing Professional International References
Study Abroad
Studying abroad might help you get references from your faculty, unlike the internships which will help you make good professional contacts and will also help you develop professional International References.
Intern Abroad
The word of your previous employer abroad might really help you in getting a job anywhere else. When you do an internship abroad, you make many professional links and contacts which act as good references. Internships also help you become more employable in a shorter time span.
In short, if you are looking for international work experience along with academic credit then an internship is a good choice. Whereas if you want to gain in-depth knowledge of the area of your interest and want to spend few years in a foreign country, then studying abroad will be ideal for you. You can approach Overseas Studies Consultants for professional help.
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