How can I go about finding new scholarships before I go abroad in the Fall? I have found a few but my financial aid does not cover enough of the costs.
Also, is it pretty easy to adjust to the currency change when one goes abroad? I'm afraid that I won't be able to adjust until I have made a few mistakes.
Well, whadya know! This is a great site to start looking! :} Also going to your financial aid office to see what they are offering can help. www.fastweb.com and http://www.studyabroadfunding.org/ is another good site to look. Depending on your program and the school it's affiliated with you can see if they have specific scholarships they offer just for that program or country. I know there's a couple for people just studying in Asian countries for example. Type in the country you are going to and scholarships (i.e. study abroad scholarships: Spain) in a search engine, you should be able to find some decent results.
If all else fails, check out some loans to help cover the rest of your costs. Make sure you don't wait too late to apply and give them proof of your enrollment in your home school as well as classes you'll be taking abroad.
As far as currency change, it'd probably be best to look up a currency converter before heading abroad to see what is equivalent of the US dollar to whatever currency of that country is. Write it down and put it someplace safe, like a wallet, so you can remember. That way when you are up there it will help you to avoid making mistakes like spending way too much on something you know isn't right. Some people will know you're a foreigner and might not know the correct amount so will try to sell you something that's way overpriced. When I went to Italy, I found out ahead of time that 1 euro was about 1.50 in US dollars. So I knew if I was spending 10 euros on a regular no. 2 pencil or something, it was way too pricey. Good (and trusted) sites for currency converters: http://money.cnn.com/data/currencies/converter/index.html
Always think before you buy. Souvenirs however will always be more expensive; so shop around at various vendors first before buying! You may find someone selling the same exact thing you want to buy cheaper elsewhere. Sorry for the long reply. :/ Hope this helps!
I know you're already abroad, but good general advice is to look at your school's study abroad office? Mine offers numerous merit and need-based scholarships to its students. They also have a library full of resources for scholarships
I think adjusting to currency can be difficult, but with practice you'll be fine.
I've found that searching on www.fastweb.com doesn't provide you with the best chance of getting the scholarships because they are so competitive among the hundreds/thousands of students applying everyday.
I look towards my many different organizations to assist me. I'm involved with some organizations, like Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society, Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority, and I've found that they are more willing to offer members scholarships.
I also suggest applying for your study abroad program. Many times they offer $500- $1500 to go abroad.
So, look around your campus for scholarships as well as looking online.
Hey, I wrote a blog post on Study Abroad scholarships a while back with quite a few resources where to find scholarships specifically for study abroad students. Cheeck it out here on MariaAbroad Scholarships. Hope this helps!
Have fun studying abroad and good luck applying for scholarships!
