Study and Work Abroad

Studying abroad project

Many of us dream (or have done so) about studying somewhere that is else – experiencing a different country, culture and climate while getting a degree at the same time.

Having spent time abroad can also look good on your resume when applying for future jobs, it might say something about your ability to adapt to new settings, to working in a language not your own, and your sense of adventure.

person holding terrestrial globe scale model taken — Photo by Artem Bali on Pexels.com

For the next weeks, you will plan your year of studying abroad, and then present this plan orally. Here’s what you need to do:

First you need to find out what you want to study and where. You can take this test https://www.educations.com/career-test if you need inspiration.

Find a real university that offer this study program and find out what you need to do to apply there. Grades, college interview, personal statement, recommendations from teachers??? How much does it cost to study there? Do you need some sort of student visa – how do you get that? http://www.ansa.no/ is a website that offers a lot of information about these sort of things.

What kind of student activities do this town offer? What do you want to do in your spare time? Plan this too.

Where will you live? Find a place – look at actual listings for apartments or student dorms in your chosen city. https://www.goabroad.com/articles/study-abroad/best-student-accommodation-websites

What about the culture in this country – are there rules of behavior you need to adapt to? Communications, festivals, food, religions…

Make a prezi, a power point or a video where you present your study plans. This will be graded orally.

There is no required LENGTH – I know how much you love to ask about that, but if you want a good grade you should make sure that you answer all the assignment asks of you.

You are also to write a personal statement, which will be graded as well. We will work with how to write a personal statement in class, so save that for then.

Useful websites:

https://no.studyacrossthepond.com/anbefalingsbrev/bachelor/referent

https://www.kilroy.no/utdanning?gclid=Cj0KCQiA1sriBRD-ARIsABYdwwGEG6rwwsYu2JfK9jQxoTZn17I-WDqhStgQxKx8udcQs5gnCyf2qu4aAmZ7EALw_wcB

https://capaworld.capa.org/5-sites-to-prepare-you-for-study-abroad

https://www.goabroad.com/articles/study-abroad/best-student-accommodation-websites

Kompetansemål:

finne fram til og drøfte internasjonale utdanningstilbud og arbeidsmuligheter
reflektere over hvordan kulturforskjeller og ulike verdisystem kan påvirke kommunikasjon

adult book business cactus — Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

Criteria for evaluation:

	1-2	3-4	5-6
Presentation	Has a simple presentation, does not look at the audience, bound by script, no creativity	Has some contact with the audience, somewhat free from the script, uses some creativity in his/her presentation	Has good contact with the audience, knows the script by heart, creative and independent presentation
Content	Simple content, has worked very little with different sources, shows little independent thought and research. Answers only some of the assignment given.	Good content with some independent research, has clearly worked with different sources. Answers the assignment.	Independent and well-researched content, and a thorough answer of the assignment. Explains and gives examples.
Pronunciation	Has a clear Norwegian accent, struggles with pronouncing a lot of words	Has a good pronunciation overall, struggles with some words.	Pronunciation and accent are close to, or, flawless
Vocabulary	Has a simple vocabulary, uses a lot of repetition and little variation.	Has a broad vocabulary, with some more advanced words. Shows that he/she understands the words they use.	Has an advanced and varied vocabulary, varies in sentence structure and length. Understands and are able to use and explain difficult concepts and definitions.

Hanna

Work and migration

As mentioned last week, we are going to move on from studying abroad and volunteering to working abroad.

Today we will look at migrant workers, mostly through listening to accounts found on E2 – which is Gyldendal’s resource for international English.

You will work with some questions based on these accounts, before moving on to reading an excerpt from Zadie Smith’s short story “The Embassy of Cambodia.” You will get the excerpt as a handout, but if you are interesting in reading the entire story, you can find it here.

After having read the excerpt, I want you to write a blog post discussing Fatou’s story and comparing it to the statistical information you will also be given in class.

Publish your blog post at the end of class today.

– Hanna

The personal statement

Many learning institutions outside of Norway demand a personal statement from their applicants. This statement is meant to set you apart, to show why you belong at this school, or this particular program. You have read an example of a personal statement, and now it is your turn to try:

Write a personal statement to a university/learning institution that tells about yourself- your hopes, ambitions, life experiences and inspirations. You could focus on your background and how this has shaped your dreams and aspirations, or tell about a personal talent or quality, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. How does this relate to what person you are? Remember to write persuasively.

UCAS has some tips on how to write your text:
– “Structure your info to reflect the skills and qualities the universities and colleges value most.
– Write in an enthusiastic, concise and natural style – nothing too complex.
– Try to stand out, but be careful with humour, quotes or anything unusual – just in case the admissions tutor doesn’t have the same sense of humour as you.
– Proofread aloud and get your teachers, advisers, and family to check – then redraft until you’re happy with it and the grammar, spelling, and punctuation are correct.

Gap Year

Watch the first episode of the series Gap Year

Discuss in your groups:

What is a gap year?

Why does the travel writer they meet on the plane warn Sean and Dylan about going to China? Where should they go instead? Why do you think she says this? What is the reason they are going to China?

What is the difference between Sean and Dylan when it it comes to their background and what they did before they went on this trip?

What stereotypes of and prejudices against American tourists do we see in this film? How are they treated differently at the music festival on the wall? Comment especially on the experiences the Chinese-American girl makes.

Do you think a series like this can teach us something about culture and cultural stereotypes? Give reasons for your answer.

If you were to do a gap year, what would you like to do?

Study and Work Abroad

Competency aims:

Locate, elaborate on and discuss international educational options and employment option
Use digital tools in an independent, critical and creative manner in the gathering of information, and in the communication and presentation of his or her own material
Present material from course oral and written

Imagine you are a student who is rather tired of Ålesund and its climate, and you long to experience a new culture, somewhere abroad.

Therefore, you plan to study abroad next year, but you are not quite sure where yet. Perhaps the education fair at Fagerliahallen could be inspirational, but you need to find other options than those presented there.

1: First, you need to find out what you want to study and where. You can take this test https://www.educations.com/career-test if you need inspiration.

2: Choose a university/learning institution in a country you would like to know more about, and make a brief presentation and share this with your group. Your presentation should last approximately 3-4 minutes and you should include what you can study there, what it costs, what activities they offer and why you would like to study here.

3: Write a personal letter or statement to the university/learning institution that tells about yourself- your hopes, ambitions, life experiences and inspirations. You could focus on your background and how this has shaped your dreams and aspirations, or tell about a personal talent or quality, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. How does this relate to what person you are? Remember to write persuasively. Here are some samples of a personal statement and you could also listen to Tim Minchin’s nine life lessons speech for inspiration.

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