Planning ahead will help you get the most from your study abroad experience.
Credit Where Credit is Due
BY ANDREA GOURGY
lanning a year of study in another country can be a daunting task. The rewards can be great—both personally and academically—but ensuring that you get all the credits you need at a foreign college or university can be a tricky endeavour. Understanding the various options and procedures before you go can make the process a little easier. A bit of extra work beforehand will ensure that your credits are transferred back to your home university smoothly, so when you’re abroad, all you’ll have to concentrate on is having the experience of a lifetime.
P Rowena Selby is the Education
Abroad Advisor for Queen’s University International Centre (QUIC), which sent about 1,700 of the university’s 40,000 students overseas in 2007/2008. She suggests that before students consider studying abroad, they first sit down and assess what they’d like to get out of the experience.
“[I’d recommend that they] think about what their personal experience is and what they hope to get out of it,” suggests Selby, “to do a bit of a self-
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audit, a bit of a self-reflection to make sure that if they do this they end up in a place that’s right for them.”
ASSESSING YOUR OPTIONS
Selby explains that there are three main options for studying abroad, and the procedure for applying varies for each. The most straightforward way is through a formal exchange between your home institution and an institution in a foreign country. In this case, you would apply at your home university from a list of established exchange agreements they have with foreign universities. If accepted, in this scenario, you’d pay tuition fees to your home institution for the period you’re abroad, and avoid paying international fees to another university.
Formal exchanges between partner universities have the advantage that the universities are familiar with each other’s procedures and curriculum, simplifying credit transfer. But they can often be competitive and there are not always enough places for the number of applicants. Also, if you want to go to a
specific country where your university doesn’t have a partnership with a local school, you’d need to look beyond formal exchange programmes.
A second option for studying abroad is to apply directly to a university overseas, although, as Selby explains, applying directly can require more legwork. She suggests that before applying, students speak with staff in their international office first and then to faculty within their department to determine whether a course abroad is considered equivalent to one at home. You may need to present faculty in your department with the outlines of courses you’d like to take and demonstrate which courses they’d be equivalent to.
Once you’ve confirmed that credit will be transferred, you will apply directly to the host institution. It’s your responsibility to find out about and meet all deadlines. If your application is accepted you will need to get an International Letter of Permission from your home university giving you permission to leave the institution temporarily and earn credits toward
FOCUS ON : Study Abroad
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