Hi all. Frequent stalker but recent poster, here. I've been reading a lot about study abroad during summer and the general consensus seems to be that it is better to get an internship than to go abroad. However, I would really like to study abroad since I never got the chance to in undergrad. My focus/interests are on international human rights and immigration, and I would love to participate in UF's summer program in South Africa.

Considering my focus, would this be beneficial? With that, if I studied abroad, would it be possible/likely to get an RA position for the rest of summer (since UF and most other Africa programs end in late June or early July) so as to have "something legal" on my resume? Also, I'm assuming it's unlikely to get an internship for only half the summer... but would it be possible to volunteer with perhaps a PI organization, etc?

Any thoughts/input on winter study abroad's (i.e. Seton Hall's program in Tanzania on human trafficking) would be much appreciated as well! Maybe it's better to do something like this than to participate in a summer program?

Thanks!

(Oh! And has anyone ever heard of actual summer internship opportunities in Africa?)

Want to study human rights in a way that will stick out on a resume? Go to Africa sure, but go a few miles north.

I hear those who volunteer in Egypt love it so much they "can't leave" when they're done.

LOVE sarcasm, thanks.

Now if anyone else has actual useful insight, that would be great!

Google, magic I know.


http://www.google.com/#hl=en&cp=24&gs_i ... 80&bih=631

You are, objectively, one of the worst new posters on TLS. If you have nothing of substance to add, please do not say anything at all.

I am aware of all ABA approved study abroad's in Africa, thanks. Still completely unhelpful. While your replies are absolutely useless and while I'm unsure why you even bother responding, I do appreciate you bumping my post. So thanks.

You are welcome.

You see people? Manners. Good to see some of us are still civilized.

Agreed. Is there anyway for a mod to change his avatar? That thing is painful to the eyes.

What's wrong with the Avatar? It brings the readers attention. It is "expressive art".
Being well rounded is art is good for the soul you know.

I have so many questions.

1. Why Africa?
2. Ever lived abroad before?
3. Why human rights?

Yes, there are internship opportunities in Africa. Tons of them. I've gone for 2 summers and since I'm a joint degree I'm also going for a third. However, any decent one will not accept you without prior experience either on the continent or in other developing countries. Any internship that would still accept you without this will probably charge you a fee and is pretty much a giant scam.

Also, not getting to study abroad in undergrad is a terrible reason to be trying to go now. Your focus should be on what will give you experience and what will advance your career. The time for running around in foreign countries without a purpose is over.

I am not looking to study/intern abroad JUST because I didn't as an undergrad. Additionally, while advancing my "career" is important to me, I care a lot more about helping people, so to get the opportunity to do so abroad would be phenomenal. Unlike your misguided assumptions, I am not looking to "run around in foreign countries" without a purpose; pretty sure an abroad internship, should it be the right one of course, would be a great experience considering my international human rights interest/focus. Quite frankly, it shouldn't matter to you why I am interested in human rights or why I specifically want to go to Africa. Regardless of the reasons and whether you agree or disagree with them, it is what I want to pursue, and I am simply looking for opinions regarding study abroad vs. interning and subsequently, additional info on actual internship programs.

If you are actually interested in my reasoning behind human rights/Africa because you are curious, and not simply to judge them and tell me they are wrong or I don't have enough experience or a "purpose", etc., I'd be happy to respond in a pm.

Request capitulated

Haha mother of god

If you want actual helpful advice, adjust your attitude. You're talking about going into one of the most competitive and over saturated yet underpaid areas of law and don't seem to have a clear idea of how you're going to do it. People are going to be rightly skeptical.

I respond to attitude with attitude. Based on ONE thread you have assumed I have no idea how to pursue my goals, when I was simply wanting to gather opinions on the topic of study abroad vs. interning. As far as I know, this is the place to gather advice and helpful information, not judgement. But sure thing, thanks for your input. I appreciate you keeping my attitude in check.

If you have to do an intership anyways why not do it where you want to if you can?

If you don't have any major family or work obligations at home, how is it any different to go semester abroad now than it would have been in undergrad? Obviously people do it all the time.