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What should I do this summer?

Paulefinch — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:31:16 -0800

What are some life-changing things I, as an art student, can spend my summer doing? Here's a little background before I get to my real question.

I'm a 19 year old, gay male student double majoring in Art Education and Studio Art at the University of Central Florida. I'm finishing my sophomore year this semester. After growing increasingly frustrated with the college grind, I want to make some changes! I don't like the fact that I have to have a degree to do what I want to do. What do I want to do? I want to design avant-garde clothing and performances. (e.g. Lady Gaga, Of Montreal, and the Cremaster Cycle by Matthew Barney) Instead of dropping out of school, which I know isn't a very good idea, I just want to develop the parts of my life not directly related to school. I'm considering dropping the Art Education major, because while I want love to teach, I don't think my school's College of Education is right for me. Next semester I'm taking a minimum number of classes (12 credit hours) instead of my typical 15-17, so I'll have more time to create work that my current schedule doesn't allow.

What should I do this summer? I really want to do something that will provide me with amazing experience. I would love to live abroad, study abroad (I have languages bases in French and German.), get an internship, visit museums, or get an apprenticeship. Basically I want to do something with my summer that will change the direction of my life for the better.

Is there something I haven't even thought of? I'm supremely interested in everything related to design, art, and culture, so I'm open to almost anything!

Is there anything else I can do? If not, help me let it go.

Anonymous — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:34:41 -0800

Is there any further action I can take to recoup the financial loss and and deal with the emotional frustration resulting from my university's swine-flu-panic decision to cancel a much-anticipated field research opportunity? For over a year, my fellow grad students and I had been planning for a month-long field research opportunity in [foreign country]. For several of us, it was part of our motivation to attend this university – research opportunities in our field for non-PhD grad students are rare, and this is a small and amazing program to benefit a community in need. The summer research has been going on successfully for several years now. Our professor works unbelievably hard to arrange this...it takes an amazing amount of coordination and resources to make it all come together.

A few days after swine flu was initially announced in the media (late April) – and almost two months before our research was to begin, this June – I received notice from our professor that our trip had been canceled by a [certain office at the university in charge of assessing risk]. Upon hearing this, we all made many attempts to salvage the situation on many fronts, to no avail. Because swine flu is no longer a major threat, the tickets are booked through online travel companies, and the flights are international, none of us are able to reschedule or refund our tickets. Even with insurance, which I bought at booking. We also can't afford to take a "forced vacation" (ie. taking our flights and spending a month playing in [foreign country]). For me, this is $600 of sunk cost. Additionally, this research would have provided us with a summer opportunity to earn a necessary 3 units towards our graduation. Without it, many of us must spend an extra unplanned semester at our university, including the cost of tuition, books, and time spent. And of course, not to mention missing out on the experience of a lifetime, which can't really be compensated for any other way.

Two weeks after the decision, I contacted the person at the university office that made the cancellation, and sent them a very professional yet personal email explaining how this negatively impacted us students, and that we are unable to resolve things. He ignored all that, and replied with a generic response and blamed the State Dept. for the decision. This prompted me to send a follow-up email, calmly expressing my frustration with his manner of communication, lack of concern, and the financial cost and emotional distress his/their decision has left us with. He remains unconcerned, and frankly, somewhat hostile with his minimal replies. This all has left me feeling bitter, disillusioned, and now angry.

My flight leaves this Friday, without me on it. As it approaches, I feel increasingly helpless and frustrated. I cannot seem to let this go. Especially if there is something more I could do to resolve the financial or emotional aspects of this unfortunate situation.

Are there any things I can do, big or small that will:
a) Make me/us feel better.
b) Get the university to acknowledge us and/or take some positive action, however small, to help us out and/or prevent their lame handling of a situation from happening again. I do not wish to start controversy or create problems however.
c) Help recoup the $600 airline cost – even if it has nothing to do with the airline, flight insurance or booking agency. I've tried calling all places, several times. There is no getting the money back. I can however dump an extra $200 + additional cost of airfare to take a flight I don't need anymore to a place I don't want to go to (and can't afford to go to) in the next six months, if I so wish.
d) Help me just let it all go, if that's where I really should be focusing my energy.

The positives from all of this are helping somewhat...I do get to do some important things and attend some events that otherwise wouldn't get to (since I would have been out of the country). However, I keep thinking about the lack of concern by the school and missing out on this amazing experience. What can I do?

University of Salamanca Housing

PaulingL — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 12:56:48 -0800

Help me choose living accomodations while studying abroad in Spain! Starting at the end of August, I will be studying abroad at the University of Salamanca.

This involves a one month "intensive month" and the Fall Trimester and Winter Trimester.

As of now, I have planned to live with a host family for the first month and the Fall Trimester, and then switch to the Residencia for the Winter Trimester to get the best of both worlds.

What do you think? Any suggestions? Any experiences with anything similar?

A suggestion box

Lemon of Byzantium — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:33:19 -0800

I graduated from university a few months ago, and have absolutely no idea what to do next. After reading about my past and current circumstances, could you swell folks offer me some suggestions? Although I did quite well in high school, my experience studying liberal arts in university was checkered. I went to a good Canadian school, and performed reasonably well academically, but there is undoubtedly a whiff of mediocrity emanating from my years there.

My mental health was at a low ebb during portions of my time there. This made it extremely difficult to concentrate on anything at all, much less academic work. I graduated without writing a thesis. This lack of purely academic prowess would be negated by good work experience and other extracurricular things, but I didn't focus on these either. Despite a few half-assed efforts in these areas, I was probably one of the most aloof people to ever attend this particular university. I didn't do any internships, nor did I form any lasting contacts with professors. I really didn't have any idea why I was even attending university in the first place.

Now that I've graduated, I have no idea what to do. I've been living at home and working a couple of so-so jobs, but this is driving me nuts. I've been thinking about teaching English in a foreign country, but I'm not sure. Does travel help? I have absolutely no desire to do an MA, or any other schooling, at the present time.

The thing is, I'm well aware that you can do well in life without having accomplished a billion things during your youth. Many people - intelligent people, at that - have faced similar problems, I'm sure. Perhaps you're one of them. I shouldn't be too whiny. But some help would be much appreciated. Does anyone have suggestions?

Writing a Travel Grant

tickingclock — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 02:34:19 -0800

I am applying for a small travel grant to fund a trip to a semi-local conference. The problem is that I have no idea how to write one! I am interested in presenting the results of my undergraduate research project at a small conference taking place at a nearby province. To help fund this trip, I would like to apply for one of the undergraduate travel grants available at my university -- but I have no idea what I am supposed to say. The application instructions are fairly minimal: "attach a one-page explanation of your role at event and title of presentation."

Some specific questions:
* Do travel grants have a standard format that I should follow?

* What kind of information are they looking for in the grant proposal? My role at the event and title of presentation will not take up a whole page -- what are they actually asking me to say?

* There is a separate application cover sheet that contains the important information such as the name of the conference, the amount of money requested, as well as the proposed dates of travel. Should I repeat this information in the proposal?

* Should I attach some documents that are not explicitly requested? I am thinking of things like the abstract, a proposed budget, and my resume.

This is my first time writing a grant, travel or otherwise (see: undergrad), so any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

What are you going to do with your life?!

arianell — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 02:36:54 -0800

I dropped out of college after 3 semesters. I want a degree, but I'm not sure if I'm "ready" to go back to school. Help! I graduated from high school when I was 17, and thanks to my designation as a National Merit Finalist, I got a full scholarship to a pretty reputable public university. Due to a serious struggle with depression, I ended up dropping out after three semesters. I wasn't flunking out, but my GPA wasn't stellar either (around 2.75). I loved my major (linguistics) but I realize that a large research institution probably wasn't the best choice for me, as I'm rather shy and I felt somewhat lost in the shuffle.

I left university in December of 2006, moved halfway across the country on a whim, and I'm now taking a couple of classes at a local community college while working ~30 hours a week at a fun-but-uninspiring customer service job. My depression is now under control, thanks to cognitive behavioral therapy, but I feel like my life is on hold. I turn 20 next month, and I have no idea where to go from here.

My parents would be thrilled if I decided to transfer to a "real university", but I feel sort of panicky whenever I even think about it, and I'm not sure why. I think I'm just not "ready" to try again, but I have no idea what I should do instead. I enjoy my job and have close relationships with my co-workers, but it's not really challenging and I can't see it becoming a career. I'm a trust fund kid, so finances aren't a huge worry for me anyway. I enjoy earning money, but it's not my main concern.

The way I see it, my options are these:
1.) Transfer to a local university (inexplicably unappealing)
2.) Look for rewarding work that doesn't require a college degree
3.) Live/teach abroad (I speak Italian and German fairly well)
4.) participate in a large service project like City Year, or
5.) your suggestion here!

I'm female, and I live in Washington DC, if that has any impact on your advice.

What type of courses in Japan are taught in English?

jord — Tue, 15 May 2007 19:07:30 -0800

I'm investigating doing an exchange with my university here in Australia to study in Japan for 6 months. I will only have learned a semester of the Japanese language before I go over, however there are some exchange courses offered in Japan taught in English. Does anyone have any experience with these courses, and are they limited only to some majors? I'm studying Mechanical/Electronic Engineering and Cognitive Science, with a minor in Japanese.

Specifically I'm looking at going to Kyoto, I hear about 10% of the population there are international students.

The university looks after most of my academic paperwork, I study in Japan as though I was studying here at home. Also wondering what temporary life there is like - eg part-time job, finding a place to live etc. Is knowing Japanese important, or can I get by and study it in Japan?

To Exchange or Not To Exchange

divabat — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 06:31:08 -0800

Should I go on exchange next year? I am an international student (Bangladeshi passport, Malaysian PR, considered Malaysian for all purposes except immigration) studying in QUT in Brisbane, Australia. Currently I am doing a Bachelors in Creative Industries (Interdisplinary), submajoring in Creative Writing and Creative Industries Management.

My university offers students an opportunity to go on an exchange for a semester-a year with their partner universities worldwide. I'm thinking about taking up the opportunity, but I'm not entirely sure if I should.

Now I'm an exchange nut. I've always wanted to be an exchange student in some fashion. One and a half years ago I travelled around the world on a global education program and had the time of my life. I should be jumping for joy at this opportunity, but there are some things that are making me second-guess it.

PROS:
1. It's exchange! Travel! Learning! New experiences! Just my thing!
2. I can obtain an "International Exchange" minor from this, which may actually help with my career goals.
3. I don't have to pay the overseas uni; I just pay my usual uni fees. I'm on a scholarship (which covers half my usual fees) so that helps.
4. There is a system in place and I will get credit transferred.
5. It fits with my visa guidelines (as long as I am here for my final semester I'm fine - I'm planning to go in early 2008).
6. I have a semester full of electives, which I can use to study just about anything - I'm hoping to do something related to education or social work.

CONS:
1. The partner universities don't seem very appealing. I'm quite the "alternative nontraditional education" girl (think Hampshire or Semester at Sea) and the unis they have there are more on the traditional side. (It was telling when I asked people for recommendations, listing my preferences and the unis available, and I got so many recs for UC Berkeley - which is NOT a partner uni.)
2. The more interesting countries have a language requirement, which I can't fulfill. Or they don't quite have the courses I want. Which leaves me with UK, USA, Ireland, or Canada. There is one uni in the US (The College of New Jersey) that has piqued my interest, HOWEVER...
3. ...the US is weird in that I have to go back to Malaysia to get a student visa (I already have a tourist visa). Other countries let me get visas at the Australian embassy. I don't know if I'll have the time or resources for that.
4. I'm not sure I'll be able to support myself or be supported financially. I still depend on my parents to a large extent (my part-time job doesn't pay all that much) and they already paid for my round-the-world trip, so this would be a hard sell.
5. I have a boyfriend, whom I loathe to leave behind. He's actually encouraging me to go on exchange, he thinks it'll be good for me. But it'll still be hard. We spent 3 months apart for hols and it was still hard!

One complicating factor is that my friends are adamant about going to South America during the summer/end-year holidays - fun idea, but between getting the visas for everywhere and getting my paperwork sorted, it is a logistics nightmare.

Mainly, though, it's the lack of any super-interesting partner universities that's bumming me out. There's none there that make me go "OH I MUST GO". I would much rather travel on a program like The Scholarship or Semester at Sea or wherever, or do an internship for a semester, but that involves taking a Leave of Absence, which can be really iffy on my credit transfer and with my student visa. Also, I'll have to pay full fee, which could suck.

What should I do? Any suggestions? There's gonna be an exchange fair in the next couple of days, but what other options do I have?

Two empty weeks in July - what to do?

philsi — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 06:57:22 -0800

Okay, I have two weeks at the end of July when I have nothing planned, and want to do something a bit different that is going to be something to write home about as such. I'm 18 and off to University at end of September and have lined up plans for the rest of my holidays, just not anything for these two weeks. So from Sunday 16th of July to Thursday 27th July I have no plans (I'm meant to work the Friday 21st / Saturday 22nd but can take that off if required).

I'm not adverse to travelling (I'm in the UK at the moment) - I have always wanted to go to America / Canada and explore more of these countries. I've already lined up some work experience with a company in London and a lot of overtime to earn some cash for Uni.

Money is a bit of an issue - I have no more than £500 to use really. I'd ideally like something that is different, not like anything else - not just another holiday, something truly memorable. I'm open to any and all suggestions!

So any ideas from you guys? What would you do if you had two weeks spare?

Future Brissie

divabat — Thu, 04 May 2006 07:13:47 -0800

I'm moving to Brisbane, Australia soon for university. What should I know? The last time I was in Brisbane - or Australia for that matter - was in 1995, and obviously things have changed a lot. The "Study In Australia" guides all sound pretty same-y, and while I have tons of great advice from elsewhere, they're largely US-centric. What would be useful to know before I head off to Brisbane?

Some thoughts:

1. I'm coming in July, and I understand that's winter - how cold does it get? Do I need to hang on to my best friend's winter coat? (I'm from Malaysia, so 21C is "I need a sweater" by my standards, but I'm familiar with snow to some extent.) Last time I was in Gold Coast, I nearly had a heat-stroke - does it still get drastically hot?

2. I'll most likely be living in International House in University of Queensland; my course is in the Kelvin Grove campus of the Queensland Uni of Technology, 2km from the city centre. IH advertises themselves as being 20 mins away from the city, but the Translink trip planner tells me I need to leave about 45 minutes before I have to arrive if I'm taking the bus. (St Lucia to Kelvin Grove, 411 & 345, and vice versa) How long do the buses actually take? How early should I leave? Is it different at night than at daytime?

3. I'm the sort of person that constantly needs something to do. I know I'd be busy with college work anyway, but what else is there to do around Brisbane? I'm not a partier, so clubbing or pubbing is out; ditto sports (can't play sports to save my life). I'm interested in writing, music, social work, activism, culture, youth, and anything out of the ordinary. What can I do during free days that doesn't get me booted out of the country?

What else should I know? Any and all tips are appreciated. Thank you!

What to Bring to University?

Orange Goblin — Thu, 09 Sep 2004 12:50:45 -0800

Things to take to university? I'm moving into my (self catered) accommodation in a couple of weeks from now, and as I am sure most of you have been through this before, I was wondering what the absolute essentials are, along with any other tips you can throw at me.