Choosing where to study abroad is a tricky dilemma. Unless you have traveled the world extensively, you probably only have a stereotypical perception of most places. I can’t speak for most places from experience, but I can hopefully combat some of the ignorance most students have in making a recommendation.

There are two main aspects to consider while choosing your location. The first is where in the world you want to study and the second is what size of a city you want to study in. When considering the pros and cons of locations, you must consider both aspects simultaneously.  Many students want to study in Australia. Australia has beautiful nature from the kangaroos to the great Barrier Reef. You also don’t have to worry about the language barrier. Yet Australia is quite expensive and it’s difficult to travel inside Australia and to other countries. South America is another popular destination. I’ve never been to South America so to avoid speaking out of arrogance I wouldn’t say much. I will say from what I’ve heard it’s an amazing place, but you pretty much need to know enough Spanish to get around. This is especially true for smaller towns in South America. It also generally applies to any country, the smaller the town the more likely people will only speak the local language.

From a bias perspective, I will say Europe is a great place to study abroad. Now I think where in Europe makes a huge difference. If you want to be surrounded with only local culture, smaller towns are a better bet. Just make sure you are prepared to abandon English for several months. On top of a reduced language barrier, large cities also have the advantage of large airports. If you want to travel Europe, this makes a huge difference. I studied in Madrid and easily found time to visit 8 other countries and 3 other cities in Spain. Europe has ample discount airlines which makes traveling affordable. In addition, I got around easily with minimal Spanish. I recommended a larger city to anyone who hasn’t lived in one. For the record, Louisville isn’t a large city. I was set on never moving to a large city until I lived in Madrid and now it is one of my goals.

Be aware of how expensive cities and countries are. Cities such as London and Amsterdam are wonderful places, but they come with a nice price tag…. on everything. I found Madrid was fairly cheap compared to most other cities in Europe. Prague was the only other city I found comparable to Madrid in size and price. Study abroad is expensive enough even with scholarships so do yourself a favor and study somewhere cheap. Save your money for traveling and souvenirs. So when choosing keep in mind what kind of experience you desire and remember there really is no wrong decision!