Advising First-year Students about Study Abroad
Faculty and staff members are effective advocates for study abroad
and often influence students to consider international study as part of
their academic program at Ursinus. Freshman advisors help first year
students complete core curriculum requirements, make important decisions
about their future majors, and discuss goals for life beyond Ursinus.
Since study abroad is one way that students can fulfill the Independent
Learning Experience (ILE), first year advisors should familiarize
themselves with the Ursinus College Policies and Procedures. In
particular, advisors should emphasize the following:
Top Ten Tips for First Year Students Considering Study Abroad
- Study abroad is a privilege, not a right. Study abroad is competitive.
- Students may be allowed to study abroad for credit as early as the
summer after the first year and as late as the fall of the senior year.
Normally, sophomores are allowed to study abroad for a semester only in
faculty-led programs. Most students who study abroad for a semester or
longer do so as juniors.
- All students must apply in advance for
approval (a) to study abroad in a specific program, (b) to receive
academic credit, and (c) to count a given study abroad program in
fulfillment of the ILE requirement.
- Students must be in good disciplinary standing in order to study abroad.
- The preferred minimum GPA for semester or academic year study abroad is
3.0; the minimum GPA for short term study abroad is 2.0. Individual
programs set their own eligibility criteria which may be more or less
stringent.
- Students pay UC tuition and room (and usually board)
for semester or academic year abroad programs. All financial aid
travels.
- Students bear the entire burden of summer or winter
interim program costs which vary widely. Very limited funding is awarded
on a competitive basis to students who demonstrate high academic merit
and high financial need.
- Students with advanced foreign language skills often have more study abroad options available to them.
- Students who do coursework at Ursinus on a particular culture or region
of the world make a more convincing argument to study abroad in that
culture or region.
- Study abroad should allow students to deepen
their understanding of their discipline (major and minor) and/or their
liberal arts education (core curriculum) and should be academically and
personally challenging.
