One thing I want to do in college is study abroad. I was wondering if anyone had any suggustions/compelling arguements for a particular place. I was thinking either Germany or Japan.

[quote author=Shout link=topic=14622.msg149404#msg149404 date=1143742162]
One thing I want to do in college is study abroad. I was wondering if anyone had any suggustions/compelling arguements for a particular place. I was thinking either Germany or Japan.
[/quote]

I wanted to do this too, but never ended up going.  Definitely complete
your first year at your home university before thinking about going abroad.
I'm going to be in the Max Planck institute in Germany soon, so I could tell you about
what it's like over there.  I hear that Japan has an easy university system
compared to Britain, US, Can, etc...  I have a friend who's doing abroad in
New Zealand right now and he seems to be enjoying it.

Maybe I'm closed-minded here, but I'm not quite sure what the point of studying abroad is, other than to learn about a culture you will never participate in again once you leave university.

[quote author=Rule link=topic=14622.msg149409#msg149409 date=1143744295]
Definitely complete your first year at your home university before thinking about going abroad.
[/quote]

I am going to a tech school for freshman year, $1,200 instead of ~$15,000. I was thinking of going my junior year.

[quote author=Shout link=topic=14622.msg149498#msg149498 date=1143831878]
[quote author=Rule link=topic=14622.msg149409#msg149409 date=1143744295]
Definitely complete your first year at your home university before thinking about going abroad.
[/quote]
I was thinking of going my junior year.
[/quote]

I had considered that as well.  Although, in retrospect, I think it would be best to go in second year; generally, your success in third year is more important than in any other year: it is all that grad schools really look at, and is also mostly what
professional schools will care about.  Of course, if you plan on taking a fifth year
or making applications after you've graduated, that's different.  It could be fine to go abroad in 3rd year (I have friends who have done it), but I think second year is ideal for that.