Colby Calling

Spring Greetings from Colby

April 2007

Each semester the Office of Off-Campus Study issues a single edition of "Colby Calling", a newsletter intended to inform students abroad of important updates, deadlines, and processes that occur here at Colby while you are away. Please be sure to review all the information included in this issue of Colby Calling, particularly that which pertains to security issues. Careful review of this issue will also help to facilitate a successful completion of your semester abroad, a smooth transition back to campus, and proper transfer of academic credit.

We hope that you have a rewarding semester and safe return home!

From Off-Campus Study to All Students on Non-Colby Programs

• If you have changed courses from those originally listed on your OCS blue form, we need to know before your transcript arrives. Otherwise, you may have difficulty getting credit. Please remember to send us a notice today!



• If you have changed courses from those originally listed on your OCS blue form that were preapproved for departmental (major/minor) credit or distribution requirements, you will need to make sure that any replacement courses are also approved by the appropriate department. Remember that courses approved for distribution credit must transfer as at least 3 Colby College credits. Please forward any such approvals to OCS, or better yet, just copy offcamp@colby.edu on any correspondence with the departments.



• If you are returning to Colby after this semester, make sure you have authorized your program to release your transcript to Off-Campus Study (not the Registrar). Some programs or universities require you to fill out a specific transcript release or request form; make sure you do this before you leave your program site!



• Your program transcript will not be released from OCS to the Colby Registrar until you have completed a program evaluation. Program evaluations for COLBY and NON-COLBY programs will be available for completion on-line through the Colby Off-Campus Study Web site, once you have completed your term(s) abroad. TRANSCRIPTS WILL NOT BE PROCESSED until OCS has record of your log-in for completion of the program evaluations. You will be notified shortly when the system is open to complete evaluations.



• SIT participants, remember that your completed Independent Study Project needs to be evaluated by a Colby faculty "reader" and approved for the number of credits issued by SIT. Be sure to bring a hard copy of your project back with you. If you have written your project in a language unfamiliar to your reader, it is your responsibility to translate it.



• The Echo is now available on-line and can be accessed at: http://www.colbyecho.com/.

Safety Considerations for Students Abroad

• Keep in contact with on-site staff. Your on-site staff will have updated information from the US and from the local Embassy and/or State Department.



• Minimize travel from your program site. If travelling, always notify your program staff and leave a detailed itinerary with the resident director, your host family and/or the foreign university international office.



• Keep emergency contact information with you at all times, as well as a photocopy of your passport.



• Keep in touch with your family on a regular basis- you may know that you are safe, but your family will always be concerned about your well-being and will want to be able to reach you in case of an emergency.



• Check your Colby email account frequently for any important updates. Share any information with your peers who may not have checked their mail as recently as you. Remind your peers to also check their Colby email accounts.



• Register with the US Embassy/Consulate at your study site and if you travel to other countries.



• Maintain a low profile- do not advertise yourself as an American by wearing University clothing or clothing which advertises US companies or locales.



• Avoid crowds and protest groups, as well as restaurants and discos/nightclubs, particularly those with American associations (McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts, TGI Fridays, etc.).



• Keep up with local and world news through newspapers, radio, TV. In the event of disturbances or protests, DO NOT get involved.



• Use common sense and caution when divulging information to strangers about yourself, your program and your fellow students.



• Check with the US Embassy/Consulate of your program site and any additional travel destinations for travel safety information. Check regularly the Department of State Web site for any new information: http://travel.state.gov.



• Stay clear of any unattended packages in public places and of unattended luggage in train stations, airports, hotels or hostels.

From the Housing Office

Information intended to solicit housing preferences for those returning this fall was sent to you via email earlier this semester. If you did not receive information or have any questions, contact the Dean of Housing at skcheah@colby.edu or call (207) 859-4262.

From the Registrar

Course selection for Fall 2007 will be available on-line April 23rd through May 4th for students away from Colby, all of whom will have been cleared by the Registrar's Office to select courses. This means that although you are encouraged to be in touch with your advisor, s/he need not clear you to make your selections. Most course information should be available by April 18th through Curriculum Search at: www.colby.edu/registrar/students/. If you are unable to access the Internet between April 23rd and May 4th, please communicate your course preferences to the Registrar's office by email or phone: registrar@colby.edu or (207) 859-4620.

From Career Services

PLANNING TO DO AN INTERNSHIP THIS SUMMER?

Summer internships do not have to be registered, unless academic credit is involved. In most cases this occurs because academic credit is a mandatory requirement of the internship provider (the company or the non-profit organization offering the internship). Colby's internship policy does not offer academic credit for internships, but does offer transcript notation. In order to receive transcript notation of your internship, you must arrange for a Faculty Sponsor and complete the on-line application found on the Career Service's web site. The application will require a 375-word proposal detailing the responsibilities you expect to fill, what you hope to learn from the internship, and how it fits in with long term goals. You must also make a clear statement of the academic product you expect to hand in at the conclusion of the internship (a Reflective Journal, Analytical Paper or Creative Project). The application deadline is May 15th. Complete Internship Policies can be found at: http://www.colby.edu/career.serv/student/intern/.

For further assistance, call Career Services at (207) 859-4140 or e-mail us at career@colby.edu.

Database Passwords for Off-campus Access to Career Services On-line Resources:
You will find most of these resources linked to the Career Services Student page at http://www.colby.edu/career.serv/student/index.shtml

Has the thought "maybe I'd like to come back here to live or work for a while after I graduate from Colby" crossed your mind yet? Students who study abroad experience an incredible amount of personal growth, and a strong sense of independence during their time abroad. Many students feel that they are just finally comfortable in a new culture about the time they have to leave. As a result, students often think about returning to their study abroad country, or another country, after graduating from Colby.

It can be extremely difficult to locate work abroad from the U.S. The key to making a return abroad both possible and profitable is to use some of your time as a student abroad laying the groundwork for your return. Along those lines, here are some ideas of what you can be doing NOW to make your return possible.

1. Realize that your study abroad experience is likely to be a very different experience from that of living and working in a foreign country. As a student, whether you are on a Colby program or another program, the way is made smooth for you in any number of ways. You probably had assistance with obtaining the appropriate papers and visas, with finding a place to stay, with orientation to the city or university where you are studying. You will be on your own as someone returning to live and work there, so familiarize yourself with work permit regulations and visa applications that will apply to you.



2. Look beyond the experience you are getting as a student to try to form an accurate picture of what it is really like to live and work in the country. Read the newspapers - what is the unemployment rate? How are foreign workers perceived in the country? What is the minimum wage? How much does it cost to rent an apartment? Are apartments or other living situations readily available? How difficult is it to keep in touch with family and friends not in that country?



3. Think very hard about what you would want to be doing if you return. If your goal will be just to find a way to return to the country, then jobs in the service industry (restaurants, hotels, etc.) may be something you should consider. If, however, you want to gain work experience that may relate directly to a future career path, it is doubly important to do the research and groundwork before you return to the U.S.



4. Do research now on where in the country you may want to work. Use all resources available to you to identify possible employers. Collect company/organization names, addresses and phone numbers. Although the internet makes it somewhat easier, that information will be more difficult to access once you are home or back at Colby.



5. Make a point of meeting people who can serve as information sources for you once you leave the country. If your host family owns a business and offers you a job after graduation - great! If not, find out who your host family's friends are, talk to them about their work and about the possibility of your contacting them upon your return to the states. Get addresses and phone numbers. If your host family does not seem to be "well-connected," find ways of meeting people who will be able to help you with your job search once you return to the U.S.



6. Think about doing an internship in an organization where you might like to work. Volunteer workers are hard to turn down and employers won't have to do any paperwork or legal maneuvering for you. It could pave the way for your return upon graduation. At the very least, it will give you some great experience.



7. Talk with citizens of the country about the job search process in that country. Find examples of resumes (commonly called CVs, or Curriculum Vitae in countries other than the U.S.) that you can use as a model for yours. Find out what customary business correspondence looks like. If paper typically used comes in different sizes than the U.S. 8 1/2 X 11 (such as A4-international size), stock up on the paper you may need for your resumes and cover letters. Learn what other supporting documents you will be expected to supply when you apply for jobs. Ask about cultural expectations of job candidates that are different from the U.S. (such as body language, level of assertiveness expected, gender expectations/limitations).



8. Make an appointment to talk with someone in Career Services soon after you return to Colby. Staff members will be happy to acquaint you with the resources that are available on campus, and give you advice about other places to seek information and assistance.

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Questions?

(207) 859-4500

offcamp@colby.edu

Off-Campus Study:

Jim Citron, Director, jlcitron@colby.edu

Danna Lee, Associate Director, djlee@colby.edu

Sharron Taglialavore, Administrative Secretary (Colby program travel), sltaglia@colby.edu

Other Offices:

Registrar, registrar@colby.edu

Dean of Housing, skcheah@colby.edu

Career Services, career@colby.edu

Kristin Talka, Internship Coordinator, kmtalka@colby.edu

Colby Echo, echo@colby.edu