If you intend to apply to study abroad during either semester of the 2010-2011 academic year, you must follow these steps:
1. SUBMIT PRELIMINARY APPLICATION BY NOVEMBER 15, 2009. Go to the OCS web page under "students" and fill in a preliminary application form on line. When you are done, submit it to your advisor(s). If you are a double major, both advisors will receive a copy and must approve it before your application is complete. Your advisor may return it to you for changes before indicating his or her approval. If your advisor approves your preliminary application, he or she will submit the form electronically to the OCS office. You are responsible for ensuring that the form reaches our office before the deadline of November 15, 20089; we recommend submitting it to your advisor no later than November 10. You can check the status of your preliminary application on the web page so that you will know when it has been submitted.
2. OCS ADVISING. The OCS office may contact you to set up an appointment to discuss your off-campus study plans if you have an issue that will require special attention. You will also be invited to a variety of informational sessions on programs and regions; some of these will take place in the fall and some in February. If your program has an early deadline or if you need extra help in the planning stage, contact the OCS office.
3. COLBY APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL. When you meet with the OCS staff or attend an information session, you will be given an application form for approval of off-campus study and guidelines for petitions, if appropriate. There are different forms for different types of programs. For Colby programs, this form serves both as permission to study abroad and application to the program; for non-Colby programs, the form serves only as permission to study abroad. You must fill out the form, answering all the questions, and have it signed both by your academic advisor(s) and the Off-Campus liaison for your major and/or minor. All applications also require parent signatures acknowledging your plans to be away. In the case of some Colby programs, you may need a letter of recommendation from your advisor. This form is to be handed in at the Off-Campus Study Office whenever it is complete but by March 15, 2010 at the latest.
4. PETITION. If you do not meet the GPA minimum, wish to study for more than one semester, or on a non-approved program, you must submit a petition to the OCS Advisory Committee by March 1, 2010. You must have a meeting with an OCS staff member to discuss your petition and the petition guidelines and procedures.
5. TRAVEL WARNING PETITION. Colby College discourages travel to countries and participation in a program in a country for which there is a U.S. State Department Travel Warning in effect at the time of departure. Students wishing to travel to a country currently under U.S. State Department Travel Warning are required to submit a petition to the Travel Warning Review Committee by March 1, 2009 providing a complete description of and justification for their study/travel at a Travel Warning site.
6. PROGRAM APPLICATION.
If you are approved to apply for admission to a non-Colby program, you will also need to fill out the application form appropriate for admission to that program. Students alone are responsible for applying to the program approved by the OCS office within the program’s stated deadlines. Application forms for most approved programs are available on-line at the program Web site. Hard copies of applications for many programs are also available in the OCS library. You must respect the deadline of the program you choose, and, in many some cases, this deadline will may be earlier than March 15. You will most likely also need to obtain letters of recommendations from your professors and advisor, and have your official transcript forwarded from the Registrar’s office.
7. Most study abroad programs will require a form requesting the approval of a "Study Abroad Dean or Advisor". This must be signed by Off-Campus Study before the program will accept you. Keep in mind that our office cannot sign this form for you until you have submitted a completed Colby application for permission to study abroad.
8. In late March or April, you will receive formal written approval of your plan of off campus study.
Please be aware of the following deadlines for all approved off-campus study (foreign and approved domestic programs) at any time during the 20009-2010-2011 academic year:
Preliminary Application Due: November 15, 2009
Petition Deadline: March 1, 2010
Final Application Due: March 15, 2010
- November 15, 2009 is the deadline for completion of your preliminary application form to indicate your intention to study off-campus either in the fall semester 2010 or the spring semester 2011. The preliminary application will be available on-line in mid-October. All sophomores will receive an email notification when the application is accessible. Since your advisor/s must approve your initial plans, we strongly suggest that you submit your preliminary application to your advisor/s no later than November 10.
- March 1, 2010 is the deadline for petitions of any kind. These may include: low GPA (under 2.7), study abroad for more than one semester, and/or non-approved programs.
- March 15, 2010 is the final deadline for admission to Colby programs and/or application for approval of participation in non-Colby programs. Different forms are required for each of these situations, but all must be submitted by March 15, regardless of whether you plan to study abroad in the fall semester of 200109 or in the spring semester of 20101. These forms will be made available to you later during the fall 20098 semester and after you have identified your program choice in consultation with the OCS staff and your academic advisor(s).
- Program Deadlines: You will also need to meet the deadlines and complete the application required by the program itself. For Colby programs abroad (Colby in Salamanca, Dijon, or St. Petersburg) there is only one application form that gives you approval to study abroad and admits you into the program. For non-Colby programs abroad, you need to fill out an application for approval in order for your plans to be approved by Colby and then complete the materials required by the program to which you are applying.
If you do not respect these deadlines, it is likely that your off-campus study plans will not be approved and you will not be able to get credit for them.
A petition to the Advisory Committee on Off-Campus Study will be required by March 1, 2010 in the following circumstances:
- If your GPA is below 2.7 after Jan Plan of 2010.
- If you wish to study off campus for more than one semester (unless you are exempt from petitioning according to the policies outlined in the OCS handbook). This includes off-campus study in one location for a year or in two different locations for a semester each ("Y2").
- If you wish to participate in a program, either abroad or domestic, that is not on Colby’s current "approved list" (Listed as “A” in the OCS handbook). Please see the criteria for acceptable non-approved programs on p. 7 of this handbook.
An appointment is mandatory if you intend to petition for one of the criteria above and you will be given specific petition guidelines at that time. Petitions will usually include a statement of petition by the student, a faculty recommendation, and a completed application form for the intended program. Students can only petition one time and all materials should be submitted by March 1. All petitions will be approved at the discretion of the Off-Campus Study Advisory Committee and within the space constraints of the enrollment goals of the College.
One part of the application for off-campus study requires parental approval. Parents of students currently in the process of applying for Off-Campus Study, may download the required Parent Statement/Release & Hold Harmless Agreement here to print, sign, and return the original to OCS by mail for our records.
For a Colby-run program (Dijon, France, Salamanca, Spain, or St Petersburg, Russia):
Colby program Statement & Assumption of Risk form
For a Non-Colby program:
Non-Colby program Statement & Release and Hold Harmless form
In addition to the Colby application for approval, you are responsible for the separate application process to your intended program - this will include, among other items, the program application itself, faculty recommendations, transcripts and other supporting materials requested by the program provider. Students alone are responsible for applying to the program approved by the OCS office within the provider's stated deadlines. Some providers have deadlines that are earlier than the Colby deadline. Please read your program provider's information carefully. Incomplete and late applications are usually not considered by most providers.
Most study abroad programs will require a form requesting the approval of a "Study Abroad Dean or Advisor". This must be signed by the Off-Campus Study Director or Associate Director before the program will accept you. Keep in mind that our office cannot sign this form for you until you have submitted a completed Colby application for permission to study abroad.
