Emily K on budgeting in South Africa

Many people ask me how I was able to afford to come on a trip so amazing as this and participate in all of the wondrous activities Cape Town has to offer. It has been a combination of a lot of things that allowed me to come on this trip in the first place and that allows me to sustain being here!

I think that taking advantage of opportunities that college offers is extremely important. When I applied for college, I knew that I wanted studying abroad to be part of my experience. I also knew that there would be significant costs involved if I wanted to make my goal of studying abroad a reality. Knowing this, I took special care to make sure that I sought out, or found, every financial option to ensure my trip could happen.

I did this in a few different ways. First, I saved my own money from my summer job and my job at school. This was very important because even if I did win scholarship money additional money would be necessary for me to have to spend on the trip on things like groceries and activities that would allow me to make the most of my experience. While at my university I tried to find work that was relevant to my field and enhance my college and study abroad experience while gaining funds that I needed for studying abroad.

In addition to working, I looked for scholarship opportunities available to me as a student at the University of Connecticut. I found that our study abroad office offered a Global Citizenship scholarship that I could apply for when I submitted my study abroad application through the completion of an essay on global citizenship. I also found that my major, Human Rights, offered funding for students completing their internship and I would be completing an internship while studying abroad. I was very excited to win both of these scholarships and they significantly offset the cost of studying abroad.

Lastly, I looked for scholarships to study abroad available to all university students. I found a program called the Gilman Scholarship given out by the United States Government for students who have financial need and would like to study abroad. I applied for this scholarship and went to the study abroad office for advice on writing my essays and the Gilman application process. This award helped tremendously with the cost of studying abroad and not only provided me with funding but important connections to a community of current recipients and alumni who studied abroad as well as connecting me with programs like Reach the World to help me get the most out of my study abroad experience.

Now that I am abroad, I know that I need to be responsible with the funds I have with me. In order to accomplish this I came up with a budget before I left that I try to adhere to. This budget allocated money for certain things each week; it allows for money to cover transportation costs, groceries, and some money for activities. I also made a list of things I wanted to do in Cape Town outside of my program and set aside a special fund from my summer job so that I can have these experiences. I keep track of all of my expenses in a notebook so I can see where all my money is going and to make sure that I am maximizing my experience through the best possible use of the money I have with me.