Study Abroad Scholarships for Pre-Nursing?

[MaryK11]

Hi everyone! I am a pre-nursing major and I just applied to study abroad next semester with Semester at Sea! After college, I hope to work in remote or impoverished areas here in America and internationally. I really want to join something like Doctor's Without Borders, or maybe work directly in an orphanage. I have also thought about being a travel nurse, or just working in an impoverished inner city area. I don't really know yet, just that I want to serve and I want to travel. Semester at Sea is a study abroad thing that involves living on a huge boat for a semester and sailing around the world; visiting lots of different places along the way. I want to do this partly because I want to see the world, and this sounds like an incredible once-in-a-lifetime chance, but I also want to learn about these cultures around the world so that if I ever work there, I can already know what it's like, and so I can get a better idea of where I might want to work. The problem is that it's really expensive, and while the program does have several scholarships, that I plan on applying for if I am accepted, it won't be enough to cover most of the cost. Are there any organizations that provide scholarships for this sort of thing or nursing specific scholarships in general? Has anyone done SAS before?

[verene, MSN]

To pay for study abroad you probably want to look for study abroad specific scholarships (your school financial aid office and study abroad offices should be able to help with this). I suspect it is typically easier to find scholarships if you are going to study in one country/region for a period of time rather than Semester at Sea, as unfortunately Semester at Sea has a reputation for being a non-stop party where students don't do much work and spend a lot of time drinking.

General scholarships that support your college education may also be applicable to your tuition while abroad it depends on the program. I studied in Russia for a semester and I was able to apply financial aid towards study abroad. (Note: the study abroad was required as part of my major and had pretty strict guidelines; not sure if funds would always carry over).

There are many scholarships out there that support undergrad students (particularly if this is your first time through school) and nursing students. I highly suggest talking to your financial aid office and nursing adviser.