finance

When studying abroad a lot of people think about the amount of money that they would have to spend while away. It is not an easy decision to make, and it sure is not cheap to study abroad. It also depends a lot on your program, if they would allow you to get a campus employment job or if you would have to finance everything yourself.
One good thing about Saint Lawrence Program in France is that the directors try to find as many jobs as possible to help students earn some money, and thus enjoy the city. Program also offers a cultural reimbursement up to 100 euros if you go to theater, museum or see a French movie. This is very encouraging when it comes to experiencing the culture and learning more about the country.
When going to France, you need be prepared for a price shock, especially if you study in Paris. It is very expensive; a small cup of coffee might be as much as 3 dollars. Students have a lot of advantages in France. Almost every museum, famous monument, or cinema offers a 50% discount for students. It is very nice to see how they understand that students do not have thick wallets.
One should also know that euro-dollar exchange rate changes all the time. Sometimes a 100 euros will be 140 dollars, while the other week it might be 120 euros.
It is very important to pay attention to many important factors while studying abroad. You need to spend some quality time with people you know and be open. Making new friends, and especially the ones from different countries, is fun and helps you to understand the cultural differences in the world.

Friends and advices

One important thing while studying abroad is to make some friends. Your friends and you can have a blast if you know how to use the resources that a place where you are studying abroad offers you. Many articles say that when studying abroad students should not just spend weekends on trains and travel. Studying abroad is about breaking out and learning about culture. If you escape from the place every weekend, then you will never be able to do so.
If you stay over the weekend, you can learn about your host family's life over the weekend when they are not working. I can tell that it is very important from my own experience.  I have traveled maybe two weekends and the rest I spent with my host family, I have seen, for example, that my host family likes to go to the cinema or theater over the weekend. If it is nice outside, we would all be in the garden reading books or studying for the next week.
It also depends oh how open your host family is. Some host families accept students like somebody who is part of their family, while the others like to have some distance. It is important to remember that every beginning is hard. It takes a while til you and your host family become completely open to each other. It is also important that one engages him/herself into their lives and understands the cultural differences. Sometimes it might take longer than you would expect, but that is why we all study abroad; to learn something new and to expand our skills on solving problems.