Tatiana Salazar reports to class five times a week to conjugate verbs and use punctuation in French.
Salazar, a UF art history junior, plans to study abroad in France next summer. Though she could push herself to graduate next spring, she’s planning on taking her final courses while in Europe.
“In undergrad, you have more opportunities to do it, so you have to take advantage of it,” Salazar said.
The cost is something she hasn’t totally figured out yet.
“I’m kind of relying on scholarships and loans for it,” Salazar said. “I know the ticket is probably $1,000, and the whole trip is possibly $8,000.”
But she isn’t the only one juggling the cost of financing a trip abroad.
According to a recently-conducted survey conducted by The Forum on Education Abroad, 66 percent of the respondents reported that the global economic crisis has had a negative effect on their study abroad programs.
UF’s International Center is among those that have seen fewer students traveling, said David Maas, a program assistant at the center.
In the summers of 2007 and 2008, about 1,300 students traveled abroad. However, in 2009, UF sent 1,100 students out of the country, a drop of about 200.
Maas said students looking for a reasonably priced experience can pay about $2,500 plus airfare, but more people spend $3,000 to $4,000. Some trips can cost up to $10,000.
In addition, fewer student travelers are relying on financial aid, Maas said.
“Students traveling during a really hard economic shake tend to be more affluent travelers,” Maas said. “Kids in the middle are affected the most.”
Despite these various challenges, Maas said UF’s numbers have started to rebound, and he is expecting about 1,200 Gators to visit a foreign destination this summer.
“I think students want to be competitive in a global marketplace,” Maas said. “Study abroad can do that.”
