Time – when you need it, it passes quickly. It may seem that that great Memorial Day barbeque was just last week, but in fact Labor Day is already retreating in the rearview mirror – and with it is the last traces of summer. As Fall picks up steam, of course, so too are the demands of a new academic year.

As hectic as things can be for the average student, though, consider the plight of the international student. Meeting with an academic advisor, registering for classes, finalizing a schedule, attending orientation, buying textbooks, and preparing for the first day of class is hard enough without the added stress that comes from adjusting to a new country and culture. As a result, plenty can fall through the cracks. Before you buckle down for a semester abroad, though, make sure you add one last item to the great “to do” list of international student life: secure funding for the upcoming semester. After all, even the best students will be unable to keep their minds on their courses when they are worried about making ends meet.

While many university-funded and third-party scholarships are hard to get in the middle of the semester (and may be inaccessible to students studying abroad in the US in general), a wide variety of private loans for international students do exist. Moreover, loans for international students, unlike that in-demand English Literature class, are available to meet student needs at almost any point in the semester.

As a result of these loans international students can easily make sure that their financial house is in order when they start a new semester and, more importantly, that they will stay that way throughout the semester. In this way loans can provide much-needed peace of mind and allow international students to make the most of their time abroad.

* Portrait of a handsome young picture from Shutterstock