Before reaching the sandy beaches of Spain or experiencing the chic Parisian life, some University students must first travel to unexpected destinations within the United States if they want to study abroad.

Students who participate in study abroad programs through the University say they were unprepared to travel to cities outside of Michigan in order to obtain a required visa.

Aaron Lang, an LSA senior who studied abroad in Grenada, Spain, said he had problems applying for a visa and was frustrated by the fact that he had to drive to Chicago to fill out the application.

“You drive three or four hours and you are only there for 10 minutes, and then you drive back,"Lang said. “It’s a hassle.”

Lang said traveling to the consulate general, which processes the visas, could be an even bigger problem for out-of-state students who have to travel further to get to their region’s consulate.

“Every student had to individually travel all the way to Chicago if they were from Michigan,” Lang said. “If they were out of state, like from California, they had to fly all the way back to California just to pick up this visa.”

LSA junior Alison Oreh, who is planning to study abroad in Seville, Spain for six months starting this January, said she encountered many problems when applying for and receiving her visa but received little guidance from the Center for Global and Intercultural Study office during the application process.

“It’s completely on you to figure out what you need to apply,” Oreh said. “You need to travel to the Spanish Consulate General in Chicago to actually apply in person, and then you have to go back in person a second time to pick up your visa.”

Oreh said she was confused by the application process because she did not know what kind of visa she needed, and that it was difficult to fill out the application because she did not know where she would be living in Spain.

“It was very frustrating for me because it felt like I was walking in the dark and there was no one to help me, so I kind of just did what I thought was right,” Oreh said.

Pardip Bolina, associate director at the CGIS, said though the center provides students with information about the visa process, students are responsible for obtaining the visas themselves.

If a student encounters a problem with the visa application process, Bolina said the center is limited in its aid because it is not affiliated with the government and, therefore, does not have the legal authority to help with the process.

“It’s up to the students to go ahead and follow through, apply, and if they have problems, then unfortunately we’re just not a legal sort of entity or anything like that to be able to grant them a visa,” Bolina said. “We would just try to work with them and see if we can help ask questions that they should be looking into.”

But Bolina said she believes there are only a few students each semester who actually encounter difficulties when applying for a visa and that those students are often able to find a solution themselves.

“I am certain some students do experience challenges in obtaining visas, but they may resolve them on their own without us ever hearing about it,” she said.

Elizabeth Jurmu, an LSA senior and a peer adviser at the CGIS, studied in Sydney, Australia for five months.

Jurmu said she didn’t experience any difficulties in the application process and was advised by CGIS to fill out an online application to expedite the process. Jurmu added that the application process might have been easier because she applied to study abroad in Australia.

“It was easier to do an application for Australia than it is for other countries,” Jurmu said.

Though Jurmu had a simple application process and received overnight approval for a visa, she said she has heard from other students who have experienced some problems.