The college that I'm transfering over to next year offers a program called Study-Abroad, which basically allows students the chance to study for a couple months/semesters in another country. I've been looking into the program and I'm pretty sure that I want to get in on it, if it won't mess with my getting a security clearance later on. So, my questions are these:

1) Will it impede my chances for a security clearance if I spend some time in another country?

2) How long would be an acceptable period of time to spend in another country?

3) Does it matter which country (obviously some countries would be out of the question anyway) I stay in?

I should also mention that I have an arrest on my record and might have to explain the whys and hows of that too, so would I just be better off staying off of foreign soil?

Thanks everyone.

Dude, you don't need to worry about study abroad unless you're entering the middle east on false passports, staying there for 2 years and returning with your name as Muhummad.

You are allowed to travel.
If you are studying, you will have to be on a student visa (over 90 days) and that really won't make your investigator real suspicious.
Don't travel anywhere the state department says that Americans should stay out of... you can pretty much go anywhere they have a real school.

They (a fun federal investigator) will ask you questions, but will not make wild assumptions like- since you were studying in Russia for 4 months, you must be a communist who will overthrow the government on your return.

Awesome. Thanks.

Uganda, here I come. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

What does this have to do with CCT?

Well, I'm planning on enlisting CCT, so the security clearance would be for CCT. And I couldn't find a "Security Clearances" forum anywhere. And this doesn't qualify as "Bufoonery", at least it doesn't to me. If you know of a better forum to put this under though, I'll try to move it for you.

A better spot would have been "General Questions", since it applies to many of the AFSCs involved with ST...no worries.

The documents page contains a sample clearance worksheet to give you an idea of the kinds of questions that are involved.

Okay. Sorry about that, TE. Thanks for the help.