Choose the right study abroad program. This is the most important step. You'll have to decide what program is best for you — not what program is best for your twenty closest friends in college. You'll have to pick the program you want to do, and the city where you'll be studying. Here's how to decide:
If you're not majoring in a foreign language or interested in one particular foreign culture, do some research. Look through travel guides and search the Internet to see what city appeals to you. Once you've narrowed your list down to a few places, ask around to see if you know anyone who did the program you were thinking of, and ask how it was.