Although studying abroad can be exciting, it can feel overwhelming to plan with all the options available! Here are some tips I found helpful when I was choosing a program! 

There are two programs at UH Manoa available: Study Abroad and Manoa International Exchange (MIX). I chose the study abroad program because the programs were pre-planned with accommodations set, and you would be traveling with an advisor and group of other students.  Though not pre-planned, MIX is more customizable, where you are able to study abroad in another country through the program, but you pick the university and accommodations. I think there are benefits to both! I chose the study abroad program because there was a program that fit my needs and it seemed easier as most of the planning details were done already! I have had friends study abroad through the MIX program, and they’ve said they chose that route because it gave them more options and freedom to find a school and timeframe that worked for them.

If you’re looking through the study abroad programs on their website, https://www.studyabroad.hawaii.edu/, they have the programs organized by semester/year, summer, and area. This allows you to view programs depending on what is most important to you! My initial strategy was finding programs based on if they had courses for my major available that could transfer over. When clicking on a specific program, it gives you all the details including time period, university, course information, housing information, excursions, cost, and application deadlines. With the course information, you are able to see a document that has all the course options available for you to take, with the equivalent course credit that would be transferred back to UH. 

Through the semester, before applications are due, the Study Abroad Center will set up many informational sessions to give students more insight into what their programs look like! They also will go through the application process with you. I found the application process to be relatively quick: application forms, letters of recommendations, and $30 application fee (non-refundable). 

I am not familiar with the types of scholarships available, but I know there are a handful of them available to students specifically studying abroad. Once you fill out your application for your program, I would start applying to scholarships as I believe they will have deadlines soon after!