We're excited to share with you a couple of new ways to reconnect with your CEA study abroad experience! The first is the new Groups tab on our CEA Study Abroad Facebook fan page. In response to student requests, we've created pages for some of our cities to better connect students studying abroad in a particular locale with their peers. We're inviting you to join them and share your own experience and study abroad wisdom. On these pages, you can expect to find:

• Alumni looking to connect with old friends and CEA international staff
• Current students looking for new friends in their study abroad program
• New students seeking advice about their host city and/or culture
• All students just looking to share their excitement and wanderlust for a specific city

Another opportunity to connect with your experience and CEA is through the new study abroad review Web site, StudyAbroad101.com. Similar to Yelp and Trip Advisor, Abroad101 offers students and alumni the opportunity to rate their experience with their study abroad provider. We're inviting you to do the same for CEA.

At CEA, we recognize the value of referrals and we value your opinion of us. We hope you'll take a moment to visit Abroad101 and share your CEA experience with students researching their own study abroad journey.

A special thanks for studying abroad with CEA and your support of our programs.

Wishing you the best this fall season,
CEA Global Education

At CEA Global Education, we have been very busy this summer refreshing our portfolio to better meet you and your students' needs. I would like to share some exciting updates at all of our locations in Spain.

Highlights:

• New Spring Quarter Program in Madrid: International & Cultural Studies
• New Pre-Law Honors Program with CEA's Global Partner, Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona
• New Internship program with placements in education and tourism in Granada
•  New programs: Spanish Language & Culture and International Business & Spanish Language in Alicante
• New Global Campus facilities in Seville

Spring Quarter Program: International & Cultural Studies
CEA's Global Campus in Madrid is very excited to announce a new spring quarter program! Beginning Spring 2011, students interested in international studies will have the chance to explore and study in Spain's capital, Madrid. The International & Cultural Studies program welcomes students with a desire to experience Spanish culture while studying topics such as human rights, international organizations and terrorism. Courses include Comparative Economic Systems, History & Politics of Spain and Spanish Civilization & Culture, to name a few. Courses are taught in English and Spanish with the option to take Spanish language as part of the quarter program. This spring quarter program runs March 24 - June 10th. It is open to students at the Low-Intermediate level of Spanish and above.

Pre-Law Honors Program
The new Pre-Law Honors Program, offered through CEA's Global Partner, Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, allows students interested in studying law the opportunity to delve into the curriculum at a top tier law school. The program focuses on international and European law, comparative private law and some specific legal fields with international relevance. Students take 4-5 courses, with the option of a Spanish language course. Courses are taught in English and Spanish. A minimum 3.3 GPA is required along with at least one semester of Spanish language.

Internship Program
Granada is host to CEA's newest internship program. Offering placements in education and tourism, students will engage with the local community while gaining practical experience and improving their Spanish. Possible internship placements include English language teaching assistants in primary and secondary schools, education assistant in a pre-school, event coordinator with the Granada International Festival of Music and Dance and receptionist assistant with a local hotel. Students will receive notification of their internship placement a month prior to the start of the program. Three credits will be awarded for successful completion of the internship, which is transcripted by the University of Granada.

Spanish Language & Culture, and International Business & Spanish Language
CEA is pleased to offer two new programs on the Costa Blanca in Alicante with our Global Partner, the University of Alicante: Spanish Language & Culture and International Business & Spanish Language. Courses are taught in English and Spanish, and open to all language levels. Students can take business courses in English through the Department of Economics alongside local and European students. Spanish language and culture courses are offered in Spanish with other international students. Additionally, students may choose to put their language skills to the test at the end of the semester by enrolling for the internationally recognized DELE, the official exam of Spanish as a foreign language.

New Facilities
CEA's Global Campus in Seville has moved! Now located in the center of the city, by the walls of the Moorish Alcazar, the Jewish Quarter, and Seville's extraordinary cathedral, CEA's Global Campus boasts a computer lab with 14 student computers, eight classrooms, resource center, student lounge, and Wi-Fi access throughout.

If you would like more information regarding these new programs, or any of CEA's other programs, please contact a member of the University Relations team at UniversityRelations@GoWithCEA.com or 1-877-449-2775.

As we gear up for another semester, we wanted to take this moment to share with you some exciting developments underway at our CEA Global Alliance with Anglo-American University in Prague. As you know, the Global Alliance model has allowed American students since 2006 to seamlessly integrate into an international learning environment, while aligning their studies with the academic needs and structures of their home universities. At AAU, U.S. students attend classes taught in English, and alongside other Czech national and international students.

Dr. Will Barnard, Academic Dean in Prague

Contributing to that alliance is CEA’s Academic Dean in Prague, Dr. William H. Barnard, who has extensive academic leadership experience in Prague managing academic programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Dr. Barnard has been working with AAU over the past few months to enhance our students' and sending universities' study abroad experiences in the Czech Republic. Some of these new initiatives have already been accomplished:

• Long-range semester planning, including the provision of schedules and course descriptions online through CEA's Web site to assist students in course approvals and transfer of credit
• Improved transcripts including standardized text explaining the grading and credit system used and information on AAU’s accreditation by the Czech Ministry of Education
• An improved grade dispute form and procedure, making it easier for students to use even after they've returned to their home campus
• More intensive and structured feedback on teaching and teaching faculty

By combining the strengths and experience of CEA’s Academic Team with that of institutions rooted in integrity and the local culture – like AAU – we're able to offer programs that we believe serve as a model for U.S.-international higher education. Dr. Barnard's work with AAU on these initiatives and more reflects that academic philosophy.

AAU has a more than 20 year history of excellence in offering accredited Bachelor's and Master's degree programs through five schools: Business Administration, Humanities & Social Sciences, International Relations & Diplomacy, Journalism, and Law. AAU offers more than 100 different courses each semester, and uses the U.S. grading and semester credit system. Its syllabi and teaching style also are tailored to U.S. standards.
 
CEA’s Academic Dean in Prague, Dr. Barnard, works closely with AAU’s Provost and Deans to ensure that academic standards and practices hew closely to U.S. standards. In just a short time, this close collaboration has borne fruit – significant innovations in practice at AAU and a clear path forward for the future.

Examples include:

• An extensive review and update of AAU's Academic Policies and Procedures, to be included in the Student Handbook and Faculty Handbook for AY 2010/2011
• Establishment of an External Certification in Language Courses for interested students and legally valid for certain purposes in the Czech Republic and EU
• A more robust, standard Internal Assessment giving a semester "snap shot" of key academic information and indicators to serve as a benchmark for development
• Participation in U.S.-Based Surveys in the upcoming academic year to provide a clear comparison to U.S. universities

We hope you take a moment to explore some of these important milestones for AAU on CEA’s Web site and their significant impact on the Global Alliance with CEA Global Education. If you’re interested in speaking with Will, either via telephone, e-mail or WebEx, please contact our University Services team at 1-877-449-2775. Will also is available to meet with you on site if you plan to be visit Prague in the coming year.

Wishing you well this new school year,

CEA Global Education

The first time I thought about studying abroad was when I was a junior in high school. I was sitting in the auditorium listening to a former student tell my class of her time abroad in Spain. I remember thinking to myself, "Wow, I have to do this!" She had thrown together a PowerPoint full of amazing pictures that ranged from her new home to her new friends, her program and many travels. When I left the auditorium, I left with a new goal: studying abroad in Spain!

When I started my first year at DePaul University, I knew that I wanted to continue learning the Spanish language. I signed up for my first college Spanish class and completed my fifth class right before my trip to Madrid. Of course, there were many bumps and bruises along the way before I decided that CEA Global Education was the best fit for me. I had learned of CEA after many hours of researching programs. I even had the chance to meet with an employee from CEA at school. He talked to me about all of the programs in the many cities of Spain, and the trips that we would take as a group. After this informational meeting, I was sold. I went to CEA's Web site and signed up for an account. An advisor contacted me right away. One of the happiest days of my life was receiving an e-mail with the subject line, "Congratulations on your CEA Acceptance! Here are your next steps!"
My next step: Preparation.

CEA guided me through the next steps of acquiring my student visa, filling out my housing application and choosing classes. The hard part was over, right? Little did I know that my summer before the biggest adventure of my life was about to become little more hectic. My summer was consumed with classes and work while I planned little by little. My last two weeks were spent buying, organizing, packing, re-packing, reading, learning and e-mailing. So, on August 29th, 2009, I got on an 11-hour plane ride to Madrid. No big deal.

On the plane, I had a lot of time to think:

1. I am crazy to go on this trip without knowing a single person!
2. I won't be able to read the signs at the airport.
3. I'll get lost in the airport and so will my bags.
4. I didn't pack enough clothes.
5. I wonder where I'll be living.

However, all of that thinking led to an upside to every one of my doubts:

1. Everyone is in the same boat as me.
2. My Spanish classes actually have prepared me to read!
3. I won't get lost in the airport and I will find my bags at baggage claim.
4. I packed more than enough. Whatever I don't have, I can buy!
5. Well, I still wondered where I was going to live and hoped it would be fabulous!

Even with all of the uncertainties I was about to face, I was doing the very thing that I had been waiting on for so long: studying abroad!

The first few weeks in Spain literally felt like days.

Seriously, I'm not kidding at all!

Madrid was far different than what I imagined and even expected. I moved into my apartment with my Señora, adjusted to my class schedule and started speaking Spanish more and more! I had some serious bonding time with my Metro map (if Madrid is your choice like it was mine, you'll want to carry that little guy with you everywhere because Madrid's Metro is huge!) and also my new friends. One of the greatest things about Spain is the culture. We could sit and talk for hours about travel plans, the upcoming weekends or school work at the local Cervecerias. I experienced my first bullfight and my first futbol game. I relaxed in the parks, strolled the city streets and traveled all over Spain and Europe.

Hands down, the greatest piece of advice I was told was to experience Spain first. Spain's culture and people captivated me back in high school, so I’m glad that I took advantage of traveling in Spain before venturing out to other countries. A few friends and I decided on cities we all wanted to visit and that way we could easily agree on where to travel to next. Another reason I went to Spain was for the food. Spain’s food is extremely different from that of the United States’. The food in your city will also be different, so have an open mind and don’t try to be too picky. It won’t hurt you to try new foods because if you don’t like it, that’s okay!
Another great piece of advice came from my CEA Madrid Director. During our orientation, she told us that we would probably all become homesick at one point during our stay, but to try and not call our family back home at that time. When you are feeling homesick more than 10,000 miles away, there is nothing your parents can do but worry. This advice really stayed with me because feeling like this is only temporary. There are also thousands of tips in travel books on packing and sightseeing. Definitely hit up your local library or book store and buy a book or two. I can honestly say that I met lifelong friends and had many once in a lifetime experiences from my study abroad experience. It wouldn’t have been possible if I didn’t choose CEA.

Some may say, "One year older, one year wiser." By the time I resumed classes back at DePaul, I realized that I had grown up quite a bit. I was ready to focus on this daunting task ahead, aka my future! It's weird to say, but Spain prepared me for the next step in my life. Whatever it may be, I have no reservations and I'm ready.

Colleen Kokaisl is now a junior majoring in Marketing at DePaul University in Illinois. She studied abroad her fall semester in Madrid, Spain.

Caroline Atwood in Argentina

The day I left for Buenos Aires, Argentina, I received a lovely email from one of my best friends; she had recently studied in Grenoble, France, and had some terrific words for me. She told me, “I hope your experience is everything you want it to be, and more (though most likely it will be better than you think, but just different because that's how it was with my expectations)!”

I know she has experience in the realm of living in another country, but my friend couldn’t have been more right! I didn’t really know what to expect when the plane set down in Buenos Aires, but I still had ideas of what things would be like from reading books and talking to other people.

Before I arrived, I thought that my Spanish was going to be more than fine to get me through life in the city, but a brush-up would help, (which is why I chose a program that included a month of Intensive Spanish classes) and that I would immediately feel comfortable in my surroundings. Instead, when I arrived, I was so nervous that I forgot all of my Spanish outside of “Hola, me llamo Caroline.”

That’s okay, though, because the CEA staff who received me at the airport were all too friendly and helped break down some of that nervousness. My homestay mother – Pipa – also has really helped; I’m so glad I chose homestay life because my Spanish has significantly improved and a large part of that is being forced to communicate with an entire family in Spanish. I wasn’t exactly sure why I thought an Argentine family would be any different than my own, because there are more similarities than differences. My family has made me feel so welcome and also found a way to give me as much freedom as I would have had if I had been living in a dormitory at college back in the United States.

Then, there’s city life. Never having been to Buenos Aires before, I expected it to be a lot like New York City. But Buenos Aires is unlike any city because it’s a combination of every city I’ve been to before. Here, the buses are the king of the street; the subte is much like the Washington, D.C. metro – only a few lines, and easy to navigate; and while guidebooks proclaim the city to be “the Paris of the South,” it’s really a mix depending on what barrio (neighborhood) you’re in.

Belgrano, where the University is located, reminds me so much of Boston. But the cobblestone streets of Plaza Serrano, in Palermo’s neighborhood, are like something straight out of Rome; and where I live, in Recoleta, I can see the French-inspired architecture. While New York City boasts Central Park, Buenos Aires has multiple smaller parks that are great to sit in for people watching, and now that we’re pulling out of ‘winter-mode,’ they are full of people all the time.

Finally, school – that’s what I came here for, right? Well, it appears that there actually is a “study” to “study abroad.” I made it through my month of Intensive Spanish Language unscathed and with friends from all over the United States.

Now that I’m in my regular semester classes (and hitting midterms, mind you!) I know people from all over the world and I’m even friends with Argentines. I thought I would just be friends with other students from CEA because I didn’t expect there to be much of a mix-and-mingle, but I really am getting to know people from all over, which is great. And, for the most part, I love my classes at the Universidad de Belgrano.

The University offers a great selection of classes, so people with a wide variety of majors can find classes to take. I’m enrolled in:

• Social and Political Change
• Gender in Latin America
• Latin American Cultural Studies
• Tango
• A Spanish Language class

I was worried that taking classes in Spanish would be over my head, especially after my first two or three days in the city, but I’m acclimated to it now. Two of my classes are actually taught in English, and when the professors start speaking, it seems weird that it’s not in Spanish.

I tried to come to Argentina with open arms and embrace a culture that’s different than the one that I am used to, and I’m now finding it easier and easier. By making friends from all over and talking to my CEA friends’ homestay families, I’ve now done things like:

• Go to an 85-year-old Spaniard’s birthday party
• Go to a REAL milonga – one that’s built into someone’s house like they used to be in the beginnings of tango
• See sights that I’d only dreamed of (Iguazu Falls, the Andes, etc.)

Argentina has a way of doing things BIG: the widest street in the world (Buenos Aires’ Avenida de Julio at 16 lanes), the widest waterfall in the world (Iguazu Falls, which shares a border with Brazil), and the widest glacier in the world (Perito Moreno, which is still growing!). And while I’m possibly becoming the widest study abroad student in the world, thanks to my high intake of Argentina’s delicious empanadas, I plan on continuing to do my study abroad time up big too!

Caroline Atwood is currently studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is majoring in International Studies at the University of South Carolina at Columbia.

1. Roma Sparita

Roma Sparita means “The Rome that has Disappeared.” Just the name of this family owned restaurant should intrigue you, not to mention their tasty wood-fired pizzas and beautiful view of the Piazza di Santa Cecilia. Relax on their quiet patio away from the traffic and chaos and enjoy old Roman recipes such as, Tagliolini al Cacio e Pepe and Coda alla Vaccinara. Check it out, to taste the true flavor of Rome!

2. Tazza d’Oro

While it’s not off the beaten path, it’s a rite of passage for any student studying in Rome: a granita al caffè from the famous “Tazza d’Oro.” Just imagine an iced coffee topped with thick whipped cream; it is coffee in its most perfect form! Tazza d’Oro is located right by the Pantheon, making it convenient for you to grab a coffee before you head out for a day full of sightseeing.

View of St. Peter's through the Aventine Keyhole

3. The Keyhole

On the Aventine Hill there is a closed garden near the ruins of the Savelli family castle, called the Parco Savello. The garden is better known as the Giardino degli Aranci (Garden of the Orange Trees). Onlookers can gaze through an unsuspecting keyhole (an actual keyhole!) in the in the Piazza Cavalieri di Malta to see much more than just the gorgeous orange trees. We challenge you to take a picture of the surprising view!

4. Cat Sanctuary

If you have any sort of soft spot for furry animals, you must plan a stop to the Cat Sanctuary in Largo di Torre Argentina. This is the scared site where Caesar was murdered more than 2,000 years ago and is home to some of Rome’s earliest temples. Most visitors to Rome will stop by this archaeological site and marvel at the number of cats lounging around the ruins. Few visitors notice that you can descend into the archaeological area to a place dedicated to medicating, vaccinating, sterilizing and safeguarding Rome’s abandoned cats.

5. The Ancient Cult of Mithras

A student in Rome will eventually come across the Church of San Clemente, an amazing testament to the “layers” of the Eternal City. A highlight of this visit is a peek into the Mithraeum, where worshippers of Mithras gathered to make animal sacrifices during the Roman era. If you stop by the church of Santa Prisca on the 2nd or 4th Sunday of the month, you can descend below the church to see lesser known and larger Mithraeum, complete with beautiful paintings and reliefs. If you listen closely you will be able to hear rushing water from the ancient aqueducts.

Interested in studying abroad in Rome for Spring 2011? Learn more here. 

Housing? Check. Tuition? Check. Travel? Yup.

Whew! The cost of study abroad adds up fast. No one can argue the return on your investment is enormous: an increased sense of independence and international experience that tomorrow's job market demands. The good news is there are resources available to help you pay for your study abroad program.

 The Higher Education Act of 1965 was amended in 1992 enabling students to obtain financial aid for study abroad programs as long they are enrolled in a program that is approved by their home institution and they qualify for financial aid under federal guidelines. Federal law provides that financial aid can cover all reasonable costs of a study abroad program, including:

• round trip transportation
• tuition
• living costs
• passport and visa fees
• health insurance

So how exactly do you go about getting financial aid?

Shanghai, China: Old Town at night

 1. Contact your campus’s study abroad office to make sure your home university will certify financial aid funds for CEA. You also want to determine what type of financial aid your school is willing to accept. You do not want to work hard accumulating financial aid, only to find out at the last minute that your university does not accept it.

2. Fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). It is required in order to file for Federal and State assistance. Fill it out even if you do not think you are eligible for government funding. Some students are surprised by the amount of money they receive. Government aid can come in the form of grants or loans. Some of the options available are Safford Loans, Parent Loan (PLUS Loan), Perkins Loan, and the Pell Grant.

If you receive government aid, you must fill out a Financial Aid Disbursement Form, indicating the amount you are receiving, when the funds will be disbursed, and who the funds will be disbursed to. Once CEA receives this form from your school’s financial aid office, we will defer the final payment due date, for your financial aid funds, to the disbursement date that your school has provided.

3. If you need more funding or did not receive government assistance, there are still options available. CEA offers more than $25,000 in scholarships each year. We also have some great promotions throughout the year; so be on the lookout for those!

4. There also some great Web sites that have scholarships available for study abroad programs. Check out fastweb.com and nextstudent.com. There are plenty of Web sites out there; so, dedicate some time to researching them.

5. Check with your parent’s employer to see if they have programs that support education. Some offer scholarships, low interest rate loans through the credit union, and even fund matching programs.
It's never too early to start researching financial aid options. Many scholarships and loan applications have early deadlines. If you are proactive and persistent, you will have no problem financing the study abroad program of your dreams! More information about financing your study abroad trip can be found at www.gowithcea.com/students/financing.html.

Interested in studying abroad in Shanghai, China, for Spring 2011. Learn more here.