When you deside to be an engineer, where would be the best option to study abroad?
I want to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering and my goal is to use my degree to better help someone other than the United States. I know many colleges offer a study abroad program and require it many times for engineers. Where would be the best place where I can use my mechanical engineering degree to better help someone from a foreign country? #engineering #mechanical-engineering #study-abroad #women-in-stem #stem-education #helping-others #helping-people
3 answers
Kelly’s Answer
Hi Luz,
Great question! I studied mechanical engineering in college, and was able to study abroad in Japan for 6 months my Junior year! It was by far one of the most formative and rewarding experiences in my undergraduate education, so I would highly recommend it!
At my college, they offered a few study abroad locations that actually had engineering classes for credit, including locations in Japan and Germany. This made it way more feasible for me to fit the time abroad into my schedule. I would recommend looking at the online information sites for any study abroad options at your school, and if possible, attending information sessions or talking to students who have participated in a study abroad program in the past.
Another tip, is to start planning early! Get a 4 year plan for your degree, and try to fit in a study abroad session with all of the units and classes required to graduate on time. If you need help doing this, normally a college counselor or student advisor at your school can lead you in the right direction.
One final piece of advice is related to class work and outside activites. I took a few classes that worked with global orgnainzations to solve engineering problems, and it also allowed my engineering work and class exepeince to impact people outside of the USA. There are also organizations like Engineers without Borders that would allow you to participcate in international projects. I have listed some exaples websites below.
http://extreme.stanford.edu/
http://www.ewb-usa.org/
Either way, try to plan ahead and if you can make it work, definitely go for it!
Best,
Kelly LaBuff
Greg’s Answer
So many things to consider. For me, I would start with which culture I would want to learn but also consider where engineering is in demand. For example, I would look into Dubai, China, Europe, and India. There are many things to learn and your experience will be great as long as you are also comfortable in your environment.
Fabíola’s Answer
The united states has one of the best engineering school in the world: MIT. But Germany is also a leader, specially in mechanical engineering.