The possibilities for study abroad can be overwhelming. Before researching programs you will want to have made some preliminary decisions as to the type of experience you want to have. Start by realistically assessing your academic and personal preparation and your objectives. As you research among the many program possibilities, consider the following questions to help you think about the kind of study abroad experience that would be the right “fit” for you.
GOALS & CONSIDERATIONS
- What do I hope to achieve by studying abroad?
- What are my personal goals for my time abroad? Primarily academic? Do I want to volunteer, do an internship or community service while abroad?
- How will my term abroad complement my course of studies here on campus?
- Do I want to take my language skills to the next level? Is my goal to become fluent in another language?
- How do I envision yourself spending my days? Who would I most like to meet? In some programs, you may get to know a number of community members, while others may offer more opportunities to meet college students.
- How important is it for me to be involved with local culture and people?
- How will study abroad impact me?
- What will be most challenging for me about studying abroad?
LOCATION
- Where do you want to go? Why?
- Do you want to study in a less-developed or more-developed country?
- Do you want to be in a big city or a small town/rural area?
ACADEMICS
- What do I want or need to study to meet academic objectives?
- Are there specific academic requirements that I need to fulfill during study abroad?
- Does my major require me to enroll in a particular type of program?
- Am I fluent enough in a foreign language to take classes, write papers, and take notes, or will I need to take some or all of your coursework in English?
- Am I interested in taking courses on the language and culture of the host country?
- What kind of language-learner am I?
- Do I want to focus on my current major interests from a different perspective?
- Would I like to explore a new subject for a semester?
- Do I have research interests I’d like to explore in a foreign setting?
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
- Do I want to be in a university setting? directly enrolled into a foreign university?
- Do I want to be on a field-based or experiential program focused on a particular theme?
- Do I feel more comfortable with the services of a resident director or am I confident I can handle enrollment, sightseeing and travel on your own?
- Is class and university size important to me?
LIVING ARRANGEMENTS
- To what extent do I wish to integrate myself into the host culture?
- Do I want to live in a university dormitory? an apartment?
- Do I want to live with other Americans or with local students?
- Do I want to live with a local family in a homestay? A combination of the above?
TIMING AND DURATION
- How long do I want to study abroad (academic year, semester, summer)?
- When do I want to go? Fall ? Spring? Full year?
- Are there courses here that I need to take on campus in order to graduate?
COST
- Is cost a factor?
- How much money can I spend on the study abroad experience? Consider not only tuition and fees, but also housing and food, personal expenses, and international travel.
- Are there scholarships that I might be eligible for?
ELIGIBILITY
- Does my GPA qualify me for Colby approval (2.7) or for the program (Minimum GPA requirements vary from 2.5 - 3.0 depending on the program)?
- Do I have the language skills required for the program?
- Do I have time to apply before the application deadline?
Other considerations: Be sure that you are mentally and physically prepared for an unfamiliar environment or culture. If you have a physical disability that could affect your participation, we would be pleased to help you identify viable options. Remember that the environment, facilities, and legal requirements will vary greatly in different countries and programs.
In all of this please remember to make your academic needs your first priority, so that you do not waste energy on an unsuitable idea. Do not choose a program (or a semester) because that is where or when friends are applying or went last year; find the best program for your own individual needs.
Remember, finally, that it is perfectly fine to remain here. You may have to make some hard choices; but remember that there are many other study abroad opportunities, including summer, JanPlan, and graduate study, if a semester or year abroad is not feasible.
Talk to a faculty member in your intended major about the department's own guidelines, the courses you will need to take, and how study away can best support the major.
Attend the Off-Campus Study Information Meeting: This meeting will be scheduled during the Fall semester and will be announced on the OCS web and by email. It is required that you attend this meeting.
Visit the Off-Campus Study fair and Departmental information sessions on study off campus.
Read Student Evaluations: Feedback from students on their study abroad programs can be an excellent source of information on programs. Evaluations from Colby students are available on the OCS website at http://www.colby.edu/academics_cs/ocs/evals/index.cfm. You should also talk to students who have recently returned from study abroad. Many programs can also provide you with contacts for past participants for programs where no Colby students have been.
Program Literature: Descriptive literature and brochures on many programs are available in the OCS Office in Eustis. Program websites offer the most up-to-date information. Applications can be downloaded in many cases.
The Off-Campus Study Advisor: The OCS staff is available by appointment to discuss your options for Off-Campus Study. Please call ‘4500 to schedule an appointment.
The only programs that Colby approves are those listed in the Handbook and on the OCS website. These include programs we run ourselves (“Colby programs” in Salamanca, Dijon, and St. Petersburg) and programs run by other institutions that we approve (non-Colby “approved” programs). These approved programs are reviewed regularly on the basis of student evaluations, faculty input, and, when possible, site visits. Additionally, we have listed some programs where petitions are supported by a department.
1. COLBY PROGRAMS ABROAD:
A. Junior-Year Programs:
Colby in Salamanca (Spain) - Integrated Program
Colby in Dijon (France): fall semester only
Colby in St. Petersburg (Russia)
B. Language Acquisition Programs
Colby in Salamanca (Spain) – Language Program
Colby in Dijon (France): fall semester only
Detailed information about these programs is available from the Off-Campus Study website and office.
2. OTHER APPROVED NON-COLBY PROGRAMS:
Colby offers students the opportunity to study on programs that meet our criteria and are consistent with our philosophy of study abroad. These programs are listed in the Web version of this handbook; they are reviewed regularly on the basis of student evaluations, faculty input, and, when possible, site visits.
Colby policy is that students who wish to study in a country in which there is a Colby-approved program available, for which they qualify, must attend this program. Where there are no such programs available, or when the approved programs do not meet the student’s academic needs, the Off-Campus Study Office will work with the student and the student’s major department to try to find an acceptable program for which they can petition.
3. PETITIONS FOR NON-APPROVED PROGRAMS
Reasons for requesting the OCS office to approve a program not listed in the Off-Campus Study Handbook must be entirely academic. Climate, the size of a city, or cost are not valid academic reasons. Moreover, students should not shop around on the Internet for programs and ask the OCS office to approve them. For the OCS office to approve a program not listed in this handbook, not only does the student need to have a valid academic reason for choosing the program, but the program itself must meet certain criteria:
- The program must have a duration of at least fourteen weeks of class time (including exam time but not including vacations and excursions), and, with few exceptions, must be situated in one host country. Touring or shipboard programs (such as Semester at Sea, for example) are not acceptable nor can they be petitioned as the academic content is not deemed consistent with Colby’s standards).. (such as Sea Semester and Semester at Sea for example)
- The academic quality of the program must be consistent in quality and quantity with Colby’s curriculum.
- With the exception of a foreign accredited university, the program must be sponsored by an accredited US college or university, whose academic standards are high.
- In the case of a program situated in a non-English speaking country, the program must provide instruction of the host language throughout the semester.
- The program must provide a cultural experience substantially different from that of the majority of US students.
Petitions to approve programs must be submitted by March 1, 2010 (petitions are not accepted after the March 1 deadline). A prior meeting with an OCS staff member is required. If your program has an early deadline for application, it is to your advantage to submit your application well in advance of this deadline so as to ensure a timely decision in your case. You may petition for one program only, and if you are not accepted by that program, you must apply to an alternate program that is approved.
Note: On the web, you will find a list of programs for which petitions would be encouraged. These programs are not currently on the approved list as they have not yet had sufficient attendance by Colby students to warrant formal approval by the Advisory Committee. However, they have been recommended by faculty as appropriate for Colby students and thus a well-presented petition prepared in conjunction with the major department would have a higher chance of success. These are not the only programs for which students may petition, of course, but they already meet the criteria above and have been reviewed for quality.
Colby’s process for including a program on the “approved list” entails that at least 3 Colby students (or 2 students and a Colby Faculty) have successfully participated and favorably evaluated the program for it to be eligible for a vote of approval by the Off-Campus Study Advisory Committee. A program will remain non-approved and require a petition until that vote of approval takes place.
A Word of Caution
Study abroad programs are some of the most aggressively marketed commodities in American education today. You will see advertisements for programs posted all over campus, and you should know that many of these are not approved by Colby. You will see advertisements in the Colby Echo by large universities and private companies for their study abroad. You may even receive telephone calls and e-mail from representatives of study abroad programs. If they are not listed in this handbook as (A) Approved, they are not approved by Colby. (such as Semester at Sea for example)
Colby’s policy is that the choice of an appropriate off-campus study program can only be made in an atmosphere free of pressure and advertising. The program providers we have invited to the Colby Off-Campus Study Fair have been carefully selected as appropriate for the needs and interests of many Colby students. Not all approved programs have been invited nor are they all able to participate in our Fair so please do not limit your choices to those you will see at the Fair. Accordingly, Colby has no “study abroad fair” and does not allow recruiters for non-approved programs on campus. Representatives of approved programs may visit campus to offer informational meetings or drop-in hours and you are free to attend these opportunities if you wish. HoweverIn the final analysis, it is the OCS staff and your advisor(s) who should be your can best guide you in the choice of a study program abroad.
There are many worthwhile experiences abroad that do not, in Colby’s view, merit academic credit. A great many programs are not approved by the Off-Campus Study Office, not because they are necessarily of inferior quality, but because they do not meet the criteria that Colby has established for the granting of academic credit. Before embarking upon the petition process for a program that is not currently approved, please consult with OCS to determine such basic information as the program’s accreditation status and its duration. These may seem like minor details but are critical in the success of a petition.
Please bear in mind that it is possible to study off-campus without the permission of the OCS office, if the program will accept you under these conditions. However, you will not receive credit or financial aid from Colby in such a case, and you risk having to spend an extra semester on campus in order to fulfill the 8-semester requirement for graduation from Colby.
