Each week, I am getting an increasing number of emails from students, parents, educators, school administrators and of course, numerous study abroad program reps who want me to plug their programs.
I’ll be hiring someone to help me sort through these, as I really want to respond to most of them but don’t have the time as I’ve got a deadline for finishing this manuscript (July 15th!).
In the meantime, let me summarize things:
**If you are on a study abroad program now and have realized that you are paying way too much for it, I offer you my sympathy and encourage you to consider staying LONGER as an independent study abroad student. You’ve already paid for the plane ticket, you’ve probably already learned what you need to know to live there on your own, and you can now do it for a fraction of the what you’re paying for your program. You might as well get a longer stay out of it and frankly, you’ll learn a whole lot more about the place when you’re exploring it on your own and with the help of new friends who are locals. Worried about getting credit? There will be a lot of great advice on this in my book, for for now, all I can say here is to contact a prof at your home university and say you want to do an independent study–see what the options are. That way, you can go in your own direction, work with a mentor (preferably on both sides) and not pay for tuition. Now you’re down to living expenses. Check out options and see what you can find. You’ll probably be pretty upset when you find out how cheaply you can live compared to what you’ve been paying, but hey, at least you’re figuring out how to get more out of your experience. I wish I could help you more, or get your money back, but what’s done is done. Move forward wisely!
**If you are a college professor or administrator who is writing to say that you are concerned I might be asking students to shortchange themselves in terms of their education, I’d like to simply suggest that there are students who are perfectly capable of getting a BA or even a BS in far less time than 4 or 5 years, and those who do tend to be far more directed and engaged in their education than those who simply show up to take the next round of classes every semester without questioning the process. I’ve interviewed many students who have finished early, and they’re not doing it in order to dive into the working world necessarily (so spare me the “they need time to mature before entering the working world” argument)–they are doing it to dive into MORE LEARNING. Some are going abroad, some are volunteering, some are working in an area that they want to explore, some are going to grad school, but these students are ON FIRE. They are not the ones you need to worry about–focus on the students who can’t seem to make it to graduation and ask them what is preventing them from becoming more engaged in their own education.
**If you are a high school student who is feeling like there MUST be another way to get into college other than jumping through the traditional hoops (AP, SAT, high GPA, every extracurricular activity known to man, etc.) you are absolutely right. Kudos to you for being awake and aware enough to look around and see how preposterous this path can be. I wish I could give you a copy of my book, but it’s not done yet. But I can tell you this: do not consider leaving high school unless and until you have a STELLAR plan for diving into more advanced learning. If you’re bored in high school, you might be bored in college classes, too…but that’s no excuse to opt out or choose not to do your work. There are some GREAT ways to dive into college early. Talk to your counselor, go online, and check out your options. You absolutely do not need to be stifled, deadened, anguished or depressed in high school–your brain is screaming out for more, and it’s your job to find out what will satisfy that hunger. Go forth and connect with those who understand your frustration and know some other options. Much, much more on this in my book.
**If you are a study abroad program coordinator who wants to tell me how fantastic your program is, that’s fine, but don’t expect me to put anything about it in my book unless it is extremely reasonable (Can you beat $5,000 per semester? Can you come close? ) and does not involve sending groups of Americans out together.
**If you are a parent wondering if I can help your son or daughter figure out how to do school differently, let me just say that I am focusing everything on the book right now and hope to provide a lot of assistance through the book and the new website I will be building.
**If you are a student wondering how to connect with other “bold school” students, I plan to create a website forum that will allow you to ask questions and share your best tips and contacts for programs and study abroad destinations/colleges. We need to get you all connected! There is so much you can learn from each other, and it’s my intention to create something that will allow you to build your own bold school community online.
Okay, that’s it for now. Back to the writing. Thank you so much for your interest–I really appreciate the many emails and messages of encouragement!
1 Comment
July 13, 2008 at 12:28 am
Hello Maya from viviane.
have been reading your blog for years now beginning with the mindfulness zine you had. Good luck with meeting your deadline! wish I could help you read all those e-mails and help reply. it must be facinating to see what your book is generating.
looking forward to read the book, especially as someone who works in international ed and who completed a undergrad degree and travelled and worked in different countries in a more “bold school way”.
your book will make so many more options available for folks. thanks for sharing your experience with others!!!!