Information about all Union and non-Union programs is available in the International Programs Office (IPO), Humanities 211. If you do not find what you need, please ask for help. Be sure that you have the latest information sheet, as certain programs vary from one year to the next in terms of the courses offered. About a week before applications are due for a particular term's programs, there will be informational meetings for all individual programs. Attending these meetings is important, since you may receive information that will help guide you as you write your essay or prepare for your interview.
Students applying for any international program must have an overall GPA of 2.50. There will be no exceptions to this rule for any reason.
Students may participate in one and only one term abroad. Students who have participated in a term abroad may participate in an exchange or mini-term so long as all qualified students who have never studied abroad have been accommodated. Students who have participated in an exchange or mini-term may participate in a term abroad so long as all qualified students who have never studied abroad have been accommodated. Students thinking about a mini-term should pick up a separate information sheet about mini-terms in the IPO.
Second time applicants to a particular program will be given priority if they meet the requirements and can demonstrate strong continuing interest (e.g., by taking relevant courses).
Applications are available at the IPO. On the back of the application form, you will see that some programs require essays, some require interviews, and some require both. If the program you are applying for is not listed, please ask what is required for a complete application, especially since some mini-terms require special additional information. If no one is in the office, please return at another time to ask about your program. Be sure to take a copy of the sheet entitled "Suggestions for Writing the Term Abroad Essay and/or Preparing for an Interview," which you should read carefully before applying for any program.
All applications are due by 5:00 PM as follows:
Since the essay is a very important part of the selection process, it is STRONGLY recommended that if you are writing an essay, you show it to another person - a friend, a faculty member, a student who has already participated in the program to which you are applying - to get constructive criticism and suggestions. Your essay should reflect that you have done your homework; that you know something about the program you are applying for, the culture of the host country, and how participating in this program will help your personal and professional development. Each fall the tutors in the Writing Center are briefed on how to help other students with terms abroad essays. Engineering majors may show their essay to whomever they please, but they must show it to their advisor. Essays must be one page only. Essays that exceed one page will disqualify your application.
Decisions about which students will be admitted to a program and which will be waitlisted will be made by a three-person committee that will read the essays and/or conduct the interviews. Normally they will be faculty members, but for some programs a student who has participated in the program will be used. Decisions about non-Union programs will be made by the Committee on Study Abroad. If you want to know who will be sitting on which committee, please don't hesitate to ask.
If you have applied for an interview program, you will receive a memo in your mailbox asking you to come in to the IPO to sign up for an interview.
Essays should be specific to the program to which you are applying. The "Suggestions" sheet should guide your thinking about what criteria are used for a particular program. If you have specific questions about what a committee wants to see, please ask at the IPO. Students applying for a non-Union program should remember that the Committee on Study Abroad wants to know, among other things, why the goal(s) of the proposed program can not be accomplished on a Union program. This means that these applicants must be familiar with what is offered on various Union programs.
Essay/interview committees will try to make their decisions about two weeks after the application deadline, but this cannot be guaranteed, especially when there are large numbers of applicants for a program. Students will be notified as to whether they have been accepted or waitlisted by a letter in their mailbox. Lists of accepted students are never posted; only students accepted to a program may see the list of other accepted students. Acceptance information is never given out over the telephone.
Q: “Will I have a better chance of being accepted if I apply early?”
A: No. No application will be considered until the deadline is past. Students applying for essay programs are urged not to turn in their application until after the informational meeting, since they may want to revise their essay in light of what they learn.
Q: “I don't have a 2.5 GPA. If my GPA moves up to a 2.5 at the end of the term, can my application be considered?”
A: Yes, but you will be at the end of the wait list. Thus, please be realistic.
Q: “I have a 3.7 GPA. This will get me into any program of my choice, right?”
A: No. The IP admissions system certainly gives preference to students with high GPA's, but only if they have appropriate and convincing reasons for participating in a particular program. It is perfectly conceivable that a person with a 2.7 GPA might have far better reasons for participating than the person with the 3.7 and thus will be accepted to the program.
Q: “Can I apply for more than one program?”
A: Yes, but be sure that you have strong reasons for multiple applications. The essay/interview committee for each program will not know that you have applied for another program. Thus, you will not be wait listed for one program because it appears that you will get into another. Each committee will judge you on your merits for that particular program. Please note that since the Committee on Study Abroad reviews all non-Union applications, applying for more than one non-Union program is not a good idea.
Q: “I am on very high financial aid and cannot afford the $200 deposit. Is there something that I can do?”
A: Yes. Go to the Financial Aid Office and ask for a waiver of the deposit. Please bring the note Financial Aid gives you to the IPO.
Q: “I have decided that I cannot participate in the international program for which I was accepted. What should I do?”
A: Please come to the IPO in person to let us know this decision. Phone calls and e-mail withdrawals cannot be accepted. Please note that not paying your deposit is not an acceptable way of withdrawing from a program.