CHAPTER 1 - Want to Study Abroad?

Reading Skill - Skimming for Main Ideas

A. Skim the article. Read only the title, the first paragraph, the first sentence of the middle paragraphs, and the last paragraph. Don't worry about words you don't know. Then answer the following questions.

1. What kind of people would be interested in reading this article?
   Answer

   students and, possibly, parents;

2. Where would you see this article?
   Answer

   Possible answers include: college newspapers, magazines for young adults, or university websites;

3. The main idea of this passage is
   
   1. the high cost of a university education
   2. how to pay for a university education
   3. living on a student budget
   Answer

   Note: ‘a’ and ‘b’ are mentioned, but are not the main idea.

B. Now read the entire article carefully.

A Student Budget

College is an exciting time to learn and to make friends that will last a lifetime. Many students do not like to worry about money, and would rather not think about it. However, it doesn't matter whether a student's parents pay for everything, or whether the student works part-time to help pay for his or her education. All students can get into money trouble if they're not careful.

The cost of a college education can be high. In English-speaking countries, the average cost per student per year can be well over US$15,000. Students must also pay for books, paper, pens, etc. These can cost $500 to $1,000 per year. Students must also pay thousands more per year for room and board.¹ Add money for clothes, travel, and other personal expenses, and the average cost of one year at university can be $20,000 to $30,000, or more.

So, students need to spend their money carefully. At most universities, councillors² can give students advice on how to budget their money.

This is what they suggest: At the start of a school semester, write down your income-for example, money you will get from your family or from a part-time job. then, list all of your expenses. Put your expenses into two groups: those that change (food, phone, books, travel), and those that will.stay the same (tuition, room and board). Add together all of your expenses. Are they more than your income? Will you need to borrow from family or friends, or will you need to get more money by doing part­ time work? Often, students find it is easier to plan out their own budget, and save their own money, rather than trying to borrow from others.

As you can see, there's more to learn at college than just what's taught in the classroom!

¹ Room and board is the cost of a place to stay and eat meals.
² Councillors are people who offer helpful ideas to others.