By J.P. Mitri

Can you imagine saving money while studying abroad and taking courses that would all work toward your Buffalo State College degree?

“In an area where the cost of living is low, students could actually end up paying less for a semester (compared to a semester at Buffalo State College) because the housing and food and other stuff would be much cheaper,” said Lee Ann Grace, director of the Office of International Education.

The office offers students the opportunity to study nationally or internationally in more than 400 cities and 57 countries. The exchange program is usually the cheapest way to study abroad.

“How the exchange program works is that you pay (a student) the Buffalo State College tuition, they do the same there, and you swap,” said Grace.

Ester Rosario, 22, a junior working on her Spanish education degree at BSC, is interested in the Study Abroad program, but doesn’t know the process she needs to follow to make it happen. Rosario moved to Buffalo about a month ago from Puerto Rico and hasn’t traveled too much outside the Caribbean. She’s been thinking about studying in Spain.

“I am generally interested in my own culture. I would like to see where my ancestors came from,” said Rosario. “After reading about the programs I learned that it is much more inexpensive than I thought.”

The process of getting into a study abroad program starts with the student’s own academic as well as personal goals, according to Grace. Any student at BSC or not, can visit the Office of International Education in Cleveland Hall 416 and pick up an easy step-by-step application or get it on the Web site above. A student must obtain two academic and one non-academic references.

A 2.5 GPA is required for most programs, but some programs require a 3.0 GPA. Financial Aid for exchange programs will cover the same amount as a normal BSC semester would. Questions or concerns regarding financial aid can be obtained at the Financial Aid Information Page, at www.finaid.org.