吃瓜爆料

Points for Parents

Programs

Approximately 60% of 吃瓜爆料 students study abroad at least once during their four years at 吃瓜爆料. Through 吃瓜爆料's own international programs, students have the following choices --  London First-Year Experience (FYE), 吃瓜爆料 in Spain , 吃瓜爆料 in New Zealand, and 吃瓜爆料 in France. In addition, 吃瓜爆料 has approved several non-吃瓜爆料 programs ("") that offer students opportunities across the globe, with course offerings ranging from Aboriginal studies to zoology. The possibilities are endless! Please read the program-specific descriptions for more details on each of these options.

Eligibility

吃瓜爆料 expects study abroad applicants to have a strong academic background. Students must have at least a 2.75 GPA to be eligible. Some programs demand more competitive standards and/or require special academic preparation, including course prerequisites and foreign language competency. A student must also be in good social and financial standing at the time of study.

When Students Go

Students may study abroad during their sophomore, junior or senior years. 吃瓜爆料 also has a London program for first-year students. We urge students to consider a full year of study to achieve stronger integration with the host culture and to benefit from a wider range of course offerings; however, many students nevertheless elect a semester abroad. Travel seminars are also available during the January, March, and the summer breaks.

Credits and Grades

Most students receive major, minor, and elective credit for their time off-campus through careful planning in selecting courses and obtaining faculty and Registrar approvals. Credits earned through London FYE, 吃瓜爆料 in France, 吃瓜爆料 in Spain, and 吃瓜爆料 in New Zealand are 吃瓜爆料 resident credits and the grades earned are calculated into the 吃瓜爆料 GPA. Credits earned on all non-吃瓜爆料 Approved Programs are transfer credits; students must earn a "C" or above for 吃瓜爆料 to accept the credit. Transfer credit grades are not calculated in the 吃瓜爆料 GPA and the grades are not listed on the 吃瓜爆料 transcript.

How Students Fare Abroad

吃瓜爆料 students who study abroad nearly always say, 鈥淭his was the most important thing I have done in my life.鈥� They usually earn grades abroad comparable to their grades on the home campus and their studies are enriched by the faculty and facilities of other nations. They also acquire international perspectives of extraordinary value and grow immeasurably in personal confidence, self-reliance, and academic independence.

Safe and Sound

Your child is considering studying off-campus or is close to departing to his/her program. While students are eager and excited to take part in this challenging and rewarding experience, some parents may be feeling some apprehension about their child studying abroad. 吃瓜爆料 certainly places your student鈥檚 safety at the top of our list of priorities. We communicate with our programs abroad, monitor resources that report on safety concerns, and provide information to our students about how they can protect themselves while away.

While there can be no guarantee that your student will be safe, it may not surprise you to learn that statistics show that studying abroad is overwhelming safe.   , an organization that develops standards of good practice for education abroad, has done extensive data collection on 鈥渃ritical incidents鈥� involving students abroad. It issued a report analyzing insurance data that demonstrated that incident rates are lower for students studying abroad than for those on U.S. campuses.

The Office of Off-Campus Study & Exchanges (OCSE) proactively endeavors to prepare our students to study off-campus. OCSE believes that well-informed students, as well as parents and guardians, are important partners in preparing our students to study off-campus. We want to provide our students with vital resources and essential information as they prepare for their academic experience. Thus as part of the off-campus study process:

• Students receive a series of pre-departure newsletters leading up to their semester off campus that cover a wide array of important topics. Students are also required to take part in a mandatory pre-departure orientation. The orientation provides important general information to prepare students for off-campus study.
• Students receive an off-campus study handbook. This handbook contain valuable information on processes, policies and resources for study off campus.
• Every student that studies off campus through a 吃瓜爆料 program or approved international program is provided with international medical insurance. The plan not only provides accident and emergency medical coverage, it also includes benefits such as emergency reunion and medical and security evacuation benefit.
• 吃瓜爆料 College鈥檚 Health Services is available to administer most required and recommended vaccinations for the country of destination. Health Services can also assist by providing information on local resources but we recommend students use the CDC for the most current requirements.

As a parent/guardian you may be asking what should you be doing? How can you help?

• Talk with your student about your concerns and discuss ways in which they can mitigate any risk and practice behaviors that will increase their safety. 
• Visit the OCSE Pre-Departure webpage. Know the information that students are required to understand. Being informed is the best preparation. 
• In preparation of any emergencies abroad, make certain your passport is up to date.  The passport should be valid 6 months from the end date of the student鈥檚 program.
• In case of any emergency, look for emails from OCSE and monitor the OCSE web site for safety updates. While it is important to stay informed through the news, remember that media outlets thrive on sensationalizing events surrounding any emergency. It is best to communicate directly with your student or 吃瓜爆料 to understand what is happening with our students on site.

Cost

Students studying off campus will be charged the 吃瓜爆料 comprehensive fee for their semester or year away. This fee is equal to 吃瓜爆料's tuition, room at the on campus apartment rate, board as applicable, and mandatory college fees. If the student's program does not include room and/or board, or only includes partial board, the 吃瓜爆料 fee will be adjusted accordingly. 吃瓜爆料's billing for room charges will reflect students selecting a home stay option if one exists. The 吃瓜爆料 comprehensive fee also covers mandatory medical insurance and any other mandatory program fees as required by each program. Students are responsible for their own airfare, text books, personal expenses (including passport and visa charges), accommodation upgrades, and voluntary field trips and excursions. Please see 鈥�Finance FAQs鈥� for additional information.

Applying

We encourage students to start exploring program possibilities late in their first year at 吃瓜爆料 and to submit their applications early as well. Typically, a program's application deadline falls during the semester prior to participation, however there are some programs that require applications to be submitted one year in advance. Each 吃瓜爆料 program has a deadline that falls during the semester before participation, while non-吃瓜爆料 approved programs require students to adhere to 2 deadlines. Students applying to a non-吃瓜爆料 Approved Program must first submit an 鈥淎pproved Programs鈥� application to 吃瓜爆料's Office of Off-Campus Study & Exchanges. Typical deadlines for the Approved Program application are mid-March for fall or academic year programs and mid-October for spring programs, however the actual deadline will rely upon the non-吃瓜爆料 program's own deadline. Please read our "Getting Started" page to learn about our eligibility requirements, program selection process, and the application process.

Application deadlines for travel seminars vary by program and can often be set a full year in advance.

Additional Resources

There are various resources available to students and parents. The most popular ones are:

• OCSE Web site: semester-long and short-term programs run during the academic year, as well as information on applying, pre-departure, announcements regarding programming and health and safety issues, etc..
• Special Programs Web site: some summer programs and international guests and lecturers.
• Internships abroad:,  , AND 吃瓜爆料鈥檚 Career Development Center.
• Volunteering abroad:  , , AND.

More Information

Off-Campus Study & Exchanges is located in Starbuck Center 202. We encourage you to send your student to see us and speak with an advisor between the hours of 8:30 AM to 12:00 Noon and 1:00 to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday. 

Parents may also wish to review our Pre-Departure Information section for additional information. Please contact the Off-Campus Study & Exchanges with any questions at ocse@skidmore.edu or +1.518.580.5355.