Busting Common Myths About Earning Your Degree Overseas

If you are hesitant about pursuing degree programs overseas at an Australian college or elsewhere, you may have heard some horror stories or other reasons about why it is difficult. But, as the late lyricist DuBose Hayward wrote in the score of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, "...it ain't necessarily so." There are many good reasons to go through an MBA program or get an International Relations degree from an overseas institution. There are a number of myths surrounding degree programs overseas that you should be aware of.

One of the most prevalent of these is the expense. The fact is that in many cases, you will be an exchange student: you'll simply be trading places with a foreign student, and except for your plane ticket, you won't incur any expenses that you would not have had otherwise. In addition, you can use financial aid awards for this purpose, and as a student overseas, may be allowed to engage in limited employment as well.

Another misconception is that you must be able to speak a foreign language in order to take advantage of an overseas degree program. While it doesn't hurt to know something about the language of the country in which you will be studying (especially for an international relations degree), you'll find that many courses at foreign universities are taught in English for U.S. students. In any event, this is not likely to be an issue in Australia; college in this country is not much different than it would be in the States.

Some people are afraid that a degree program overseas will delay graduation and that the credits earned won't transfer back to their home university. It is true that in order to receive credits for classes taken abroad, you will need to plan ahead - but it is still possible to apply such credits to your degree program and graduate on schedule.

You should also be aware that while MBA programs or get an International Relations degrees are popular, you are not limited to these. You can study whatever you wish and continue with the major you are already working on.

Finally, you do not have to have advanced class standing in order to study abroad, though it is unlikely you will qualify in your freshman year. Nonetheless, degree programs overseas require a great deal of advance planning and preparation, so you'll definitely want to get started during that freshman year.