Cash. Moola. Benjamins. No matter how you slice it, money is money. And for access to many experiences in life, including study abroad, money is essential. So where is this money, and better yet how can you find more for your approaching Spring program? Allow us to show you a few last-minute ways to access different types of study abroad funding. Ka-ching!
1. Scholarships
Wait, did we just say scholarships this late in the game? You bet your Andrew Jackson lusting wallet we did! Study abroad scholarships come in many shapes and sizes and from many different sources such as your university, your community, your church, private companies, etc. Therefore, the key when it comes to searching for a scholarship is to research those that fit your credentials specifically - including scholarship deadline. Some examples:
3. Go Social You post, you tweet, you blog, but did you know that you can now raise funds socially? As a member of the most connected demographic ever, utilize your knowledge of social media to help find money for your experience abroad this Spring. Put your social skills to the test with the following ideas.
- Hit up the local library to search for quick entry scholarship guides
- Ask your parents, aunts, uncles, best friend's parents to see if their employer provides any scholarships
- Use the U.S. Department of Education's Federal Student Aid Free Scholarship Search to find a possible match (in particular, the Scholarship Matching Wizard provides tons of criteria to whittle down your scholarship search)
- Take a virtual trip to the International Financial Aid and College Scholarship site to see which scholarships are still available for Spring programs
- Find/apply to a part time job off-campus. Taking a job as a hostess or babysitter allows for you to make some extra cash in your spare time, in addition to having fun doing it.
- Go to your university's career center to inquire after any on-campus jobs. A 10-hour gig checking out books in the library could be just what you need to fill up your study abroad piggy bank.
- Start your own tutoring service for your peers or check to see if your university has any paid tutoring positions open. This way, you could even tie in some language practice with your money-making efforts.
3. Go Social You post, you tweet, you blog, but did you know that you can now raise funds socially? As a member of the most connected demographic ever, utilize your knowledge of social media to help find money for your experience abroad this Spring. Put your social skills to the test with the following ideas.
- MyTab, a social travel registry, allows you to use your Facebook and Twitter pages account to ask family, friends, cousins, etc. to contribute to your study abroad experience. Simply sign up and create your trip within MyTab to start rollin' in the dough!
- Post or tweet to the study abroad groups you follow through various social media outlets asking them about last minute financing ideas. Just today StudyAbroad.com shared a link to their study abroad funds page for all followers to see! Ah, the benefits of the social network.