Now is the time to start planning for your study abroad adventure. If you’d like to study abroad in the next year, you need to start planning now. Here are the first three items you should tackle:

1. Choose a program

There are literally thousands of study abroad options available. Start by narrowing down your search depending on crucial criteria (i.e. length of stay, subject of study). You can find a program quickly and easily by filtering down the endless list of programs to find exactly what you want.

Popular destinations include England, Italy and France.

2. Talk to your support system

Meet with your academic advisor to ensure you can stay on track to graduate on time, plan the coursework you need to take before you go abroad, the coursework you should save and take while abroad and the coursework that you will need to take after you return. Talk with your parents about why, when and where you want to study abroad. Deciding to study abroad is often a family decision, and having an open conversation with them can help both you and them plan the best study abroad trip for you as possible.

3. Get your finances in order

Funding study abroad is often a concern of many students and parents; however it doesn’t need to break the bank. In fact, many students can apply their current financial aid packages toward their study abroad programs. Plus, there are a variety of scholarship opportunities available too. When choosing your funding options, it’s important to remember to start early, ask for help and seek multiple resources.

Beginning the planning process early will provide ample time to complete all the necessary steps. Learn more about starting the study abroad process today.

Where do you want to study abroad? Let us know in the comments below!

Amanda Gallucci (@agalluch) is a junior at Providence College in Rhode Island, studying English and Business. She has held marketing internships at the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce and Planned Television Arts in New York City.

By Amanda Gallucci

Chances are if you’re on this site you realize the importance of having an internship, but most students don’t have the time or flexibility to have an internship every semester. It’s important to realize that you can find your passion, hone your skills, and gain experience elsewhere—even on your own campus!

Getting involved in sports, clubs, and organizations is crucial for college students, and might be the most convenient way to build your résumé and boost your confidence without venturing too far. Some choices are obvious, like if you’re interested in journalism, you should join the school paper. Other fields might not have their own exclusive organizations, but you can still hold roles that relate to what you want to do. Business majors can easily work on the marketing, social media, or finance campaigns in whichever clubs interest them. If you want to work with kids, there are probably opportunities to volunteer at local after school programs. Cultural clubs can show you are ready to work with international organizations.

Take the time to explore the different options your school offers, and then become an active member in the ones that sound best. “Active” doesn’t just mean showing up to meetings. If a group asks for volunteers to work at events or hang posters, take every chance you can to connect with more people and gain experience. For example, I’m on the marketing committee of my school’s Student Alumni Association. At the bare minimum, I have to attend weekly meetings and write on the group’s Facebook wall. However, since I know networking will come in handy when I’m looking for a job next year, I go to as many of the club’s optional events as possible so that I can meet alumni from my school. I also volunteered to be on a planning committee for Homecoming Weekend because I am interested in event planning as a career.

“Most employers are looking to hire well-rounded people… Clubs and organizations have much more to offer than you may think.”

On the other hand, don’t make the mistake of only joining the activities that sound like they will look best to a future employer, although those never hurt. Definitely choose what interests you and figure out what you are learning from it afterwards. The most important thing to remember is to be able to describe what is valuable about the experience you are getting. Don’t be afraid to put intramural sports on your résumé—they can show you are a good team player, or leader if you are captain. I choreograph for my school’s dance club. That doesn’t directly relate to the marketing position I hope to land one day, but it does show that I’m creative, organized, and able to teach others.

Creativity, organization & the ability to teach others

Most employers are looking to hire well-rounded people who will add personality and background to their workplace community. GPAs and internships are always going to be important, but don’t forget to make the most of all aspects of your college experience. Clubs and organizations have much more to offer than you may think.

Which on campus clubs & organizations are you involved with?

Why study fashion in a classroom when you can experience it abroad?

This is a guest post from StudyAbroad.com – the Internet’s leading source of information for students seeking a study abroad program.  Find your study abroad program at StudyAbroad.com, and visit us on Facebook and Twitter.

As the famous designer Coco Chanel once said, “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” And this week, fashion is definitely in Paris, France.

The kick-off to the 2011 Paris Fashion Week began on September 27th and wraps up on October 5th. With approximately 150 designers showing over seven days, the glamorous week is full of designers showcasing their new collections for the fashion press, retail buyers and others with influence in the fashion world.

It’s an honor for a designer to have a runway show in Fashion Week, and chances are it comes after years of hard work and dedication. What came before that? Likely, a degree in fashion design or merchandising, college internships and just maybe a study abroad program helped to launch the success of today’s leading fashion designers.

Now’s the time to build your resume and gain the hands-on experience you’ll need to land your first fashion design job out of college. Imagine studying fashion and design in the fashion capital of the world. Make it a reality with a fashion study abroad program.

Why do a fashion study abroad program?

1. Build your resume and strengthen your credentials
2. Broaden your network of professional contacts in the fashion industry
3. Learn a new language and experience a new culture and its fashion trends.

There are some things that just can’t be read in a text book or taught in the classroom. Studying fashion abroad will allow you to have cultural context for the concepts and techniques you’ve already learned while broadening your horizon and appreciation for the industry.

Studying fashion abroad in a place like Paris, London or Milan will allow you to live and breathe the very essence of the fashion culture in your daily life. The cities are famous for their luxury brands, many of which are produced in the cities’ workshops and sold in the cities’ flagship department stores. In fact, textile designers still hand weave cloth and create embroidery for brands like Chanel and Lesage.

Not only will you have the opportunity to experience the traditional crafts of the fashion industry as you study abroad, but if you land an internship during your study abroad program you’ll bring even more to the table once it’s time for you to find a job post-graduation. Who knows, you could even find yourself at the next Paris Fashion Week as an intern!

Find the fashion study abroad program that’s best for you.

You can comparison shop for the best deal on private student loans right here on Internships.com.

By Alex Braun

It’s that time of the year again! Back-to-school means back to, um, paying for school.Yes, the not-so-fun part.

As soon as you receive your tuition bill, you’ll want to do these few things:

1. Make sure it’s accurate.
2. Deduct any financial aid or scholarships you’ve already received.
3. Make a payment plan.
4. Execute your plan.

Of course, you should only turn to private loans if you’ve exhausted all financial aid, scholarships and federal loans. But if you do need a private loan, we can help you get the best deal possible.

Through a partnership with SimpleTuition, we have a nifty loan comparison tool that can help you examine offers from lenders like SunTrust, Citi, Union Federal, Discover, Sallie Mae and Collegiate Custom Choice and pick which one works best for you.

By using it, you can see details like APR, total cost, monthly payment, borrower rewards and student loan deferment options and compare them directly with competing offers.

To take a look, head on over to our Find Private Student Loans page.

Our friends at The Campus Socialite are here with a technology update that could literally reduce your burden for fall semester.

By LaToya Monah

School is right around the corner, and some of you may already have your jaws gaping at the price of your college textbooks. Yeah, $259 for that economics book is ridiculous.

On Monday, Amazon announced its jump into the textbook market with Kindle Textbook Rental. Students can rent books from the Kindle Store between a month to a year and save up to 80 percent on the price they would pay if they bought the book. Read the full article at The Campus Socialite >>>

Acceptly.com is a new innovative resource for high school students that helps to navigate the often difficult college application and admission process. With high anticipation and a lengthy line of soon-to-be users waiting, Acceptly is gearing up to launch this Fall.

BY DAN DRULLINGER

Do you want the internship or job of your dreams? It all starts before one might think. We at Internships.com see a lot of inquiries from high school students about the possibility of an internship at such a young age. I assume all of you who are already interested an internship might also be planning on a college education after high school. Thank you for that, it restores my faith for the future of the workforce and humanity. Get into college; secure a lucrative internship then BOOM, corral a job right out of the gates! Ideal right? Very much so, but one cannot take for granted step one, getting in. More and more high school students are applying to colleges and universities every year. Stand out above the rest with help from Acceptly!

Acceptly is a new site built for high school students and parents to help them navigate the stressful (and often times confusing) college preparation process. It’s completely (and forever) free to use and can give students a real leg up come admissions time. Acceptly guides students step-by-step through the process of preparing for college by providing personalized action steps and resources to maximize student success.

One of the key points the Acceptly team stresses is the necessity of learning through internships, jobs and extracurricular activities. These experiences help teach vital life skills including responsibility and leadership. These are real life applications that help an individual grow both personally and professionally.

Acceptly is currently in the private beta stage until this fall. For you high school readers, they are offering private codes to the first 50 students who request access via email to the address below. For those of you who have experienced the college application process first hand, they would love to hear your feedback on your admissions process. Anything now you wish you had known then? Anything you think the Acceptly services can do to make the college application process easier? Let them know!

Send your thoughts, questions or inquiries to kyle@acceptly.com

By Vannessa Vargas

Recently, I’ve had to make some hard decisions regarding work and school. I decided I needed to focus on school full-time. Quitting my job has not been easy. The place I worked at was a very negative environment.

I’m still dealing with issues with them, and I quit last week. It has been worth it, though. I finally feel less stress. I don’t have to worry about not having enough time to study.

I’m in the middle of summer school, and it’s been rough. I wonder sometimes what I have gotten myself into, but I know it’s worth it to get some classes over with during summer break. I’m going to be focusing on my classes full time. I have my eye on that graduating prize. I have a little ways to go, but I’m trying my best to finish up and finish well.

“How do people who go to school and work do it? Surely if they are balancing the two, I can.”

I have been thinking a lot about gaining experience in my area of interest career-wise. I’m not sure if I can balance an internship and work. I think it will be easier if I like the job. Plus, I kind of have to do something in order to gain experience and see if this is the route I’m going to take in my professional career. I have a hard time deciding what sort of schedule should I request for my work hours. How do people who go to school and work do it? Surely if they are balancing the two, I can.

It’s been a rough year, but sometimes hard times need to be had in order to get to the good ones. I certainly hope I have some good ones on the horizon. I’m very excited about what future prospects I might have down the road.

Does tech and social media play a big role in your internship? Check in every Friday for this update from The Campus Socialite. This week, we’re buzzing about Apple shutting down iPhone cameras at concerts, a big milestone for mobile devices and technology that could let your fingers power your phone.

By Matt Schoenman

Consumers Now Spend More Time on Mobile Apps Than The Web

Combined tablet and smartphone sales have surpassed those of desktops and laptops for the first time ever. That means that people on the go are now spending more of their time checking Facebook and Twitter via mobile apps, instead of opening up an inconvenient laptop to see going on in social media. A study reported that consumers spent 81 minutes per day using apps, compared to 74 minutes on the Internet. So if you don’t have an app for your site, now would be the time.

Apple Patents Technology to Shut Down iPhone Camera in Venues

Apple is now developing software for the iPhone that would disable its video camera with the help of infrared sensors installed at concert venues worldwide. The purpose of the technology is to prevent concertgoers from taking video footage of shows that certain broadcasters purchased the rights to record. It would also help curb the posting of copyrighted material to the Internet.

The Future: Your Gadgets, Powered By You

Let me explain: Australian researchers have discovered a way to harness the energy we use while typing, swiping, and touching our gadgets using piezoelectric film – a material that creates an electrical charge as you apply mechanical stress. Soon enough, your phone, computer, tablet, etc., might be coated in this stuff, allowing your technology to potentially have an endless supply of battery life. Awesome.

By Matt Schoenman

The dudes from The Campus Socialite are back with the latest on tech and social media news affecting college students, including Facebook for iPad, Facebook’s long-awaited public offering and the Rebecca Black blackout.

The fun is over, at least for the time being.

Rebecca Black’s ‘Friday’ Taken Off YouTube

It turns out that Rebecca Black has been battling Ark Music Factory, the studio that produced her hit single “Friday” over the past few months, claiming that the company was unlawfully profiting from the video. In the past few days, the “artist” has claimed copyright infringement, and the video that racked up 170 million views has been taken down from YouTube, and now has a proper home on Vevo. That means that Black is officially making the move from viral sensation to actual musician/celebrity. Yikes.

Facebook iPad App to Launch in Coming Weeks

Years after the launch of the Facebook app for iPhone, the social networking giant has announced that they have finally surrendered to the overwhelming power of Apple and developed an app for the iPad. From what we hear, this new Facebook app goes well beyond the capabilities of even the website.

Facebook Prepares for Early 2012 IPO

A new report has determined that Facebook’s initial public offering, rumored to be in the first quarter of 2012, could easily top $100 billion. That’s more than quadrupling Google’s $23 billion IPO in 2004, but isn’t unexpected considering the success of LinkedIn’s IPO a short while back. But Facebook’s growth is apparently slowing down…so the company might want to hurry before it begins to lose its consumer and investor appeal.

By Matt Schoenman

Each week, we check in with The Campus Socialite for a roundup of the latest in tech news affecting college students. This week, they talk about Google’s nifty guitar logo, Facebook facial recognition and a new milestone for Apple.

Les Paul Google Doodle

If you’ve been on Google the past 2 days, then you probably noticed an ingenious Google Doodle celebrating the birthday of the late guitar great Les Paul. The Doodle, which is designed in the appearance of Google’s logo, simulates real guitar sounds when you scroll over it, and even comes with a feature that allows you to record and play back your musical stylings.

Facebook Turns on Facial Recognition

Facebook is one step closer to being self-aware. The social networking giant turned on a feature this week that groups similar faces together and automatically suggests who you should tag. It is now a default setting, so if you’re one of the people who always worry about privacy on Facebook, you should be changing that option right about…now.

Apple Surpasses Microsoft and Intel Combined

When I read that I was shocked, but not surprised. After the market closed on Friday, MacDailyNews crunched the numbers and figured out that Apple now has a market value of $317.6 billion, just over the $316.8 billion that encompasses the market value of both Microsoft and Intel combined. While Microsoft still has a commanding market share in desktop computers, Apple’s expansion into mobile technology like smartphones and tablets is what is reflected in the company’s valuation, which is based on estimates of growth, rather than current sales.