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Study Abroad Newsletter - October 2006

In this issue:

1. Upcoming Events
2. Scholarships
3. Study Abroad Airfare Grants
4. Application Deadlines
5. Study Abroad... and Housing
6. Study Abroad Photograph Contest
7. U.S. State Department
8. International Film Series
9. Junior Year Abroad
10. Popping the study abroad bubble
11. Opportunities for Returned Students
12. Featured Study Abroad Program of the Month

1) Upcoming Events

(Contact the MU Office of International Education for details on visits' locations/times)

• October 2 – Visit by a representative of CET Academic Programs - http://www.cetacademicprograms.com/
• October 3 – Study Abroad Fair – 2-6pm - Shriver Multipurpose Room – more than thirty programs will be represented
• October 5 – Visit by a representative of KEI - http://www.keiabroad.org/
• October 18 – Visit by a representative of Kent State University - http://dept.kent.edu/oia/
• November 1-2 – Visit by a representative of the Peace Corps - http://www.peacecorps.gov/

2) Scholarships

• CIEE is increasing the number of scholarships to be awarded for their Spring 2007 programs in Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, and Taipei. Application deadline is November 1. http://www.ciee.org/study/scholarships.aspx
• Full and partial fellowships are available to students applying for ACTR programs to study the languages of Eurasia. Students must have at least 2 years of Russian or the host country language. Application deadline is October 15. For more details: http://www.americancouncils.org/program.asp?PageID=121&ProgramID=8
• The Alliance for Global Education will be offering scholarships of up to $2000 for students with financial need for programs in China. http://www.allianceglobaled.org/scholarships.html
• Many other scholarships are available for study abroad, but it's important to apply early! You may need to apply for a scholarship up to a year before your study abroad program begins. If you think that you'll want to apply for scholarships for a study abroad program, visit the MU Office of International Education in 216 MacMillan Hall and check out some of our scholarship listings at: http://www.units.muohio.edu/internationalprograms/scholarships.php. Summer awards are very limited, so THINK SEMESTER! If you have questions about funding your study abroad experience, please talk to a study abroad adviser – email wallermb@muohio.edu or mcnittsa@muohio.edu for an appointment.

3) Study Abroad Airfare Grants

Are you planning to study abroad? Could you use a grant to help purchase your airline ticket? The Office of Student Financial Assistance is offering grants and interest-free loans to students with financial need to help them purchase their airline ticket for study abroad. Awards will be available for study beginning fall 2007. To qualify, you MUST:

• File a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• Study abroad full-time during fall or spring semester
• Submit a printed and signed estimate of the ticket price
• If studying in non-Luxembourg program, submit a completed consortium agreement and study abroad declaration form

4) Application Deadlines

• ISA has extended their application deadlines for Winter/Spring 2007 programs in Spain, Italy and London to October 15, 2006. If you're interested in ISA programs, please apply soon! See http://www.studiesabroad.com/
• CEA's Spring 2007 programs in Madrid and Barcelona are filling up quickly – if you want to apply for these programs, do so quickly! See http://www.gowithcea.com/

5) Study Abroad... and Housing

As we move through the early housing season at Miami, please remember to think about study abroad when making your housing decisions. If you'll be studying abroad for a semester, have you made provisions for the other semester? Some students sublet an apartment, or take a lease and advertise to find someone to sublet from them. Others spend one semester abroad and the other semester in a campus residence hall. Some students find a friend who will be studying abroad the opposite semester and "share" a room in a house, trading off at the end of the semester. Whatever you choose, you should start thinking about how studying abroad will affect your housing decision and vice versa. (Remember: Even on-campus housing may have restrictions on the housing agreement. Read the fine print and ask questions!) The Office of International Education and the Luxembourg Program share a housing folder where students can place or consult housing ads.

6) Study Abroad Photograph Contest

Stop by MacMillan Hall between October 23 and November 22 to see the winning entries in the Office of International Education's 2006 Study Abroad Photograph Contest! These photographs, taken by participants in 2005-06 study abroad programs, will be displayed on the walls of the first- and second-floor lobbies. They may inspire you to study abroad in a place you've never thought of! (Currently on display are the winning photos from the Luxembourg program's photo contest. Check those out through the first half of October!)

7) U.S. State Department

If you are interested in a career in diplomacy through the U.S. State Department, you can prepare yourself while you're in college. There are student internships in State Department posts in the U.S. and abroad (http://careers.state.gov/student/programs/student_internships.html), and many study abroad programs offer opportunities to study what the State Department has identified as "Critical Needs Languages" (currently includes: Arabic, Chinese, Urdu, Hindi, Nepali, Bengali, Punjabi, Farsi/Persian, Dari, Tajiki, Pashto, Korean, Russian, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkish, Turkmen and Uzbek). Find out more at http://careers.state.gov/. The deadline for summer internship applications is November 1.

8) International Film Series

• India through Film: A glimpse into the world's largest film industry. Presented by Pulkit Datta, sponsored by Film Studies. Every Thursday (Oct 5 – Nov 9) at 7pm in Bachelor 101. Films in October include: Earth: Deepa Mehta; Rang De Basanti ("Color Me Saffron"); Water: Deepa Mehta; Black: Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
• Intersecting Lives: Globalization is Diversity in the 21st Century. Sponsored by the Center for American and World Cultures. Wednesdays through October 11 at 7pm in MacMillan 212. Films in October include: In America; Bend it Like Beckham

9) Junior Year Abroad

NBC is venturing into online production and one of their first online-only projects is Junior Year Abroad. On their website at http://www.nbc4.tv/jya/index.html you can follow the videos, blogs and photographs of 10 students living in Argentina, Australia, Dominican Republic, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Africa and Taiwan.

10) Popping the study abroad bubble

Students who live abroad sometimes have a tendency to cling together, rather than immersing themselves in their host culture. In this interesting opinion piece from the Michigan Daily, a returned student suggests ways to avoid the bubble and get the most out of your experience. http://www.michigandaily.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&uStory_id=cd6a12bd-943a-4d39-805d-18d5ec151acb

11) Opportunities for Returned Students

• Returned study abroad students are invited to write about their experiences for the Student Diplomat Essay Competition, sponsored by NAFSA: Association of International Educators and Abroad View magazine. More information: http://www.nafsa.org/public_policy.sec/study_abroad_2/student_diplomat_essay. Abroad View also has a Student Writing Contest - http://abroadviewmagazine.com/?page_id=43
• Glimpse Abroad magazine also solicits essays and feedback from returned students - http://www.glimpseabroad.org/guidelines-quarterly.php
• Peace Corps information sessions will be held November 1-2 on Miami's campus (Contact the MU OIE for details)
• Students who will graduate soon may currently be looking for short-term work, teaching or volunteer options. Check out our Returned Students page and our Work, Internships and Volunteering Abroad page for more information:
• http://www.muohio.edu/international/reentry.php
• http://www.muohio.edu/international/wiva.php

12) Featured Study Abroad Program of the Month

Study abroad programs have increasingly begun focusing on China. One of our providers, the Alliance for Global Education, offers three programs of study for students of varying levels of Chinese language ability (including beginners):

• China in the 21st Century: Language and Cultural Studies in Beijing
• Contemporary Chinese Society and Language in Shanghai
• International Business in China

The Alliance is a new joint effort by Butler University Institute for Study Abroad and Arcadia University, two of our long-time affiliates. Find out more about these options for studying Chinese language, culture and business at http://www.allianceglobaled.org/ and more about Miami's other affiliated programs in China at http://www.muohio.edu/international/sa-cn.php.