preparación financiera para estudiar en el extranjero
¿Conque ha decidido estudiar en el extranjero? ¡Qué emocionante! Con las aventuras que le esperan, puede ser difícil sentarse y pensar en la logística.
If you take the time to map out your finances now, though, you'll not only leave yourself with less stress during your studies, but you'll be far more likely to recover afterward from the long list of unforeseen expenses. You'll be financially stable and ready use that shiny new degree of yours!
Currency
The prep works begins with becoming familiar on which currency you'll be using.
Cuando comencé mi tiempo en el extranjero, el dólar estadounidense era más fuerte que el dólar australiano. I remember thinking to myself, "Hmph, this is great! I have enough money to pay my tuition with some to spare".
What I didn't realize was how quickly that could change.
A los pocos meses de haber comenzado la carrera, el dólar estadounidense se volvió una parodia, y al final de mi período de dos años en Australia, ¡estaba pagando 1.5 veces más que cuando llegué!
Tome este consejo: si tiene el lujo de poder pagar por adelantado, hágalo. Si no es así, infórmese sobre las tendencias del dólar y siempre espere lo inesperado. You may want to plan several forms of payment during travel to include backup cards, too.
Income
Just like here in The States, you'll probably want to earn some income while you're studying. If for nothing but for another chance to see life through the eyes of a local, it'll give you that cushion for unexpected expenses.
I had the luxury of working at a cupcake cafe – I'm talking straight out of Breakfast at Tiffany's, this place was stunning! To my surprise, a cafe job in Australia could provide a reasonable income. Pude pagar el alquiler y pagar el doble del pago pendiente de mi préstamo para estudiantes de la universidad.
Try and plan for more than just your current budget and take into consideration what you'll be responsible for once you've graduated. Unlike the grace period that you receive from federal loans in the US, most – if not all – of the loans you'll be taking out to study abroad will be private. Depending on the lender, you could be looking at a hefty bill by the day you graduate.
Hablando de préstamos…
Financing
Pedir dinero prestado puede ser una de las partes más complicadas de prepararse para estudiar en el extranjero. By the time I realized that I didn't have enough savings left to pay tuition, it was already a dire situation.
Los préstamos que se aceptan en EE. UU. no siempre son los mismos que los que se aceptan en el extranjero. It highly varies by country. The university I attended was so picky that they only accepted loans from one US student loan lender. Para empeorar las cosas, el prestamista solo tenía dos productos de préstamos para estudiantes para elegir.
Puede evitar fácilmente esta situación planificando para la peor situación. Do your research and figure out what your options would be, even if you think you're all set. Vaya un paso más allá y comuníquese con el proveedor de préstamos para también tener una idea clara de la tasa de interés del préstamo.
It's all about the prep work when it comes to studying abroad. Don't feel like you have to go about it alone, though. If you still have questions, we're here to help.
¡Buen viaje!
-ADJ
