1. 400 PROGRAMS, 60 COUNTRIES JUMP START YOUR INTERNATIONAL CAREER WITH STUDY ABROAD

2. LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS Faculty-led Courses (most popular winter option, also available in the summer) Language Institutes Granada, Spain Foreign Universities Stirling, UK Internships MSID Volunteering- San Joaquin, Costa Rica

3. MANY AFFORDABLE PROGRAMS Total Cost of Attendance at Illinois—Semester Includes tuition and fees (Base Rate for Spring 2012 enrollment), room and board, books, and other expenses Illinois Resident/Non-Illinois Resident$13,743/$21,173 Total Cost of Attendance Abroad—Semester Includes airfare, all tuition, room and board, books, insurance, and personal expenses for Spring 2012 programs National University of Singapore$9,457 Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador$10,899 Instituto San Joaquin de Flores$12,710 KULeuven-Illinois Experience$14,250 Spanish Studies in Granada, Spain$14,462 British Exchange Program in Nottingham, United Kingdom$14,785 Verona Studies Program, Italy$15,298

4. Begin your search early! Many scholarship deadlines are before the program deadlines Scholarship deadlines do not impact your nomination/acceptance to your study abroad program Utilize the university’s additional resources and conduct your own search for more I4I Scholarship SCHOLARSHIPS!

5. GAIN EXPERIENCE IN THE REGION Employers want to see that you’ve lived in and understand the culture you may be working in. Remember: what depicts success in one country or region of the world, doesn’t necessarily depict success in another. Address this in the cover letter Gain as much experience on site as possible; create and maintain local contacts Host families Volunteer experience Improve language skills Internships Know what employers value…

6. RESEARCH STUDIES A 2008 study conducted by Stevan Trooboff, Michael Vande Berg, and Jack Rayman entitled “Employer Attitudes toward Study Abroad” showed evidence that “First, employers believe that the longer the program, the more value it has; and second, they place relatively high value on experiential learning.”

7. Specifically… The most valued type of education abroad experience for both senior managers and the HR professionals and others responsible for hiring was a semester internship.

10. WHAT’S NEXT? Check out these Resources! Visit our website: studyabroad.illinois.edu and watch our First Steps Videos! - Like us on Facebook: ‘Illinois Study Abroad’ Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ILStudyAbroadwww.twitter.com/ILStudyAbroad Visit the Study Abroad Resource Room to talk to a Peer Advisor! 112 International Studies Building Attend a First Steps Info Session Mon-Thurs, Lincoln Hall 1027, 4pm-5pm

12. Really, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???