This blog is about saving money and ways to fund your International Business Seminars trip. When studying abroad the thought of money can be scary. However, I can say from first-hand experience it is so worth it. IBS makes it very possible to find many different ways to fund your trip.
Funding Your IBS Program and Why it is Well Worth the Money
Studying abroad has always been something that I have been interested in. I love to travel, but studying abroad is a much more valuable experience because you earn college credit. However, the only downside to studying abroad is that there are so many options. I mean pages and pages of different programs, different timelines, different places to explore, different experiences, and different finance options.
For me, this was difficult because I am so terrible at making any sort of decision. The only thing I was sure of was that cost was going to be a major factor for me. I was determined to go abroad, but I wanted to make sure what I was paying for was actually worth it. In addition, I knew I wanted to experience new things in a completely new country, but I also knew it was going to be a huge investment for me and I wanted to make sure I was getting my money’s worth. I wanted to make sure the program I chose was going to give me so much more than just a few weeks abroad; this is how I knew an IBS seminar was for me.
Being Drawn in by IBS
What first drew me in about an International Business Seminar was the opportunity to be able to go to experience international business first-hand. I have always wanted to move abroad so to me, this was the perfect way to go and experience the business culture and see if this plan was right for me. Of course, the next thing I noticed was the location.
Thailand and Vietnam always sounded interesting to me, but I never actually thought I would be able to travel over there while earning college credit. After being drawn in by the IBS location and company tours, the next thing I started to consider was cost. I remember applying for an IBS seminar and then freaking out because I realized I did not even really study the cost of the program and what is included. This is when I decided I wanted to go no matter what, so I chose to raise the money and pay for the trip on my own. I mean I was going to Southeast Asia while earning college credit and I was also going to get to be able to make lots of real-world business connections, so I knew it would be worth it.
First step in the Study Abroad Process
My first step in this process was planning out a budget for my trip. My flights and the cost of my trip were billed through my school, so I knew I had a little bit of time to raise the money. Making a plan was important because I needed to know about how much money I was going to spend while on the trip in order to save enough. I also found that by having a certain spending money number in my head, it made it easier to stick to my original budget while abroad because I knew what I could and could not splurge on.
Saving Up
I started saving up by simply cutting back on what I spend while at home and at school. Instead of going out, I used my meal plan way more. You would be surprised at how much money I saved. I also asked for more hours babysitting. When I would get paid for babysitting, I put all that money away for my trip. I even made a separate bank account so I would not be tempted to spend my savings. Working more, saving money, and making a budget was important for this trip. However, my biggest relief was the scholarships I applied for through the International Business Seminars itself.
IBS Funding Opportunities
IBS provides so many scholarship opportunities, and that is one of the reasons I was so drawn to them. They offer scholarships for everything from writing to making videos and they give out lots of different price packages. My biggest piece of advice would be to apply to all of the scholarships.
Even if you have no experience making a video, still apply. However, applying for scholarships does take some time and a well-thought-out application. In the end, though, you are getting free money to get to travel abroad so it is well worth it. I know the planning part of studying abroad is exciting and everyone wants to plan out free-time activities. Your trip will be more fun if you work hard, submit a killer scholarship application, and stick to a budget. This is because you will have a lot fewer concerns about money while being abroad!
