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Accommodation

Accommodation is one of the most important aspects of your Study Abroad, and there are many things that you should take into account when deciding where to stay. A simple decision such as staying in a residence hall, an apartment or host-family can have a huge effect on your time abroad; given that it may affect the amount of language practice you have access to outside the university, as well as your overall enjoyment of your time abroad.

It has been shown that “housing where proximity with international and local persons is fostered, such as University dorms and host families, are both related positively to adherence to civic identification” (Carnine, 2015: 24). In recent years homestays in particular have been proven in research to be “crucibles for language and culture learning” (Pérez-Vidal, 2014: 27), offering numerous opportunities to interact in different settings. That said, the gains in such a situation are largely dependent on the individual host family, and the quality and quantity of language exposure the student receives. Of course, a situation in which the host family and the student have a good relationship and spend a lot of time using the target language together will be far more fruitful than one in which they hardly interact. Research also suggests that while home stays may be more fruitful for younger learners (Kinginger, 2014), adults may be better suited to dormitories (Pérez-Vidal, in press).

It’s never too early to start planning, so make sure to do some research into the different options that are available in your host city, factoring in things like price, the people that you will live with and the language you will speak together, the distance from your university, and travel expenses. If possible, contact students who did their Study Abroad in your prospective university in the past and ask them for advice.