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Study Abroad Newsletter - January 2008

In this issue:

1. Upcoming Events
2. Application Deadlines and Scholarships
3. Program Updates
4. Planning Ahead for Study Abroad
5. Featured Study Abroad Program of the Month
6. Study Abroad Paperwork
7. Study Abroad Photography
8. Featured Study Abroad Program of the Month

1) Upcoming Events

See http://www.muohio.edu/international/events.php for more information on these events.

• January 24 – Visit from AIFS
• January 24 – Study Abroad and Your Future workshop (for returned study abroad students)
• January 25 – Visit from The Alliance for Global Education
• January 30 – Visit from CIEE
• January 31 – Visit from IES
• January 31 – Visit from SIT
• February 4 – Visit from Arcadia
• February 5 – Visit from EducAsian (China Semester Program)
• February 5 – Exploring Majors Fair
• February 6 – Visit from EuroScholars

2) Application Deadlines and Scholarships

This list includes extended deadlines from our partner providers, but not original deadlines.  If you are interested in applying to a particular program for spring 2008, check the website or contact the provider to see if they're still accepting applications!

• January 24 – First-round application deadline for MUDEC, 2008-09.  See http://www.muohio.edu/luxembourg
• January 25 – Application deadline for Critical Language Scholarships for Intensive Summer Institutes.  This U.S. government-sponsored scholarship covers all program costs for study at pre-approved universities or language centers.  See https://clscholarship.org/home.php
• January 25 - Application deadline for Study Abroad Credit Workshop scholarships for summer 2008.  Talk to the program's faculty leader for more information.
• January 25 – Application deadline for NSEP Scholarship.  See http://www.iie.org/nsep/ .  Must be submitted through Office of International Education.
• February 18 – Application deadline for Phi Kappa Phi Study Abroad Grant Competition.  See http://www.phikappaphi.org/Web/Scholarships/studyabroad.html
• March 5 – Application deadline for summer 2008 Freeman-Asia Award.  See http://www.muohio.edu/international/scholarships.php
• March 24 - Application deadline for several scholarships, including Study Abroad Fund and Havighurst International Minority Scholarship.  See http://www.muohio.edu/international/scholarships.php
• April 2 - Application deadline for fall 2008 or academic year 2008-09 Freeman-Asia Award.  See http://www.muohio.edu/international/scholarships.php
• April 15 – Application deadline for fall 2008 or academic year 2008-09 Gilman International Scholarship.  See http://www.muohio.edu/international/scholarships.php

3) Program Updates

• CIEE is offering a new Co-Sponsored program in Rabat, Morocco:  http://www.ciee.org/program_search/program_detail.aspx?program_id=1817

4) Planning Ahead for Study Abroad

If you will not be applying to study abroad for another semester or even a year, how can you be preparing right now?  Here are some ideas:

• Talk to an academic advisor in your department or division about where study abroad fits into your overall academic plan.  Figure out which classes you will take here at Miami and which requirements you'll complete while abroad.  In certain majors, it may be advisable to save up a few Miami Plan requirements (such as World Cultures, Humanities or Social Science) for your study abroad program, or you might want to think about completing a self-designed Thematic Sequence while you're abroad.  Talk to your adviser about when you should study abroad and what subjects you should study.  Try to meet with them soon, before the semester picks up and before they're in high demand!
• Learn about the countries you're considering, and keep an eye/ear open for news and developments from those countries.
• Talk to a professor about your plans (you may need a faculty recommendation so it will be useful to form a relationship with a faculty member anyway).
• Talk to your parents about your plans, especially about cost and safety.  You can also direct them to our Parents page:  http://www.muohio.edu/international/parents.php
• Apply for a passport!  It will save you a lot of stress if you already have a passport at the time you apply for a study abroad program, especially if you need to apply for a student visa.
• Don't forget to talk to a study abroad adviser!  We can help you search for a program that fits your academic needs and advise you on the most appropriate program for your individual situation.  To set up an appointment, please email Marcia Waller (wallermb@muohio.edu) or Sarah McNitt (mcnittsa@muohio.edu)

5) Program Types

There are over 200 programs that have just been named as Co-Sponsored programs and we have recently changed the name of one program type from "Affiliated Programs" to "Approved Programs" to better reflect Miami's relationship with the study abroad providers.  But do you know what other types of programs are available, or what the difference is?  There are four types of programs that Miami promotes:

If you need more explanation or guidance to figure out what type of program is best for you, please contact a study abroad adviser!  The program listings are divided by type on each country page:  http://www.muohio.edu/international/programs.php

If a program is not listed on our website, it is considered a Non-Miami program, which means that we are not as familiar with the provider.  If you have done the research on your own and want to do a Non-Miami program, you just need to contact a Study Abroad Adviser in the Office of International Education to make sure that Miami can accept the transfer credit.

6) Study Abroad Paperwork

So, you're going to study abroad on an Exchange, Co-Sponsored or Approved program?  What kind of paperwork does that involve?  There are three main forms:

• Study Abroad Declaration Form – from the Office of International Education – This form notifies the OIE, the Registrar and Information Technology of your intent to study abroad and keeps your accounts active while you are abroad.
• Transfer Credit Approval Form – from the Office of the Registrar – A list of the courses you're taking abroad and their Miami equivalents, signed by an academic adviser.  This allows the Registrar's Office to process the transcript from your study abroad program when it arrives.  Some advisers will require that you complete this form after you return, but many will pre-approve courses based on syllabi provided by your study abroad program.
• Consortium Agreement – from the Office of Student Financial Assistance – This is only required if you are applying federal financial aid or scholarships to your study abroad program.  If you will be deferring student loans while abroad, you should consult SFA about that, too.

You may also need to complete forms for other offices if, for example, you are going to be in a Miami residence hall for one semester of a school year and studying abroad in the other.  Information about the steps to studying abroad can be found here:  http://www.muohio.edu/international/applying.php

7) Study Abroad Photography

Did you know that the Office of International Education runs a photography contest every year and displays the winners in MacMillan Hall?  If you haven't already seen them, the top photos from the last two contests are also available online:  http://www.muohio.edu/international/photocontest.php.  Many study abroad providers have their own photo or essay contests, too.  One of our Approved providers, CEA, has offered a series of photography tips on their blog to help you make the most of your study abroad photography:  http://studyabroadcea.blogspot.com/2007/12/take-great-photos-while-you-study.html

8) Featured Study Abroad Program of the Month

Hungary is becoming a popular destination, particularly for Business and Political Science students.  As the Euro grows stronger against the dollar, it becomes more and more expensive to study in Western Europe, as opposed to other study abroad destinations.  Increasing numbers of students choose to study abroad in other locations, including the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (like Hungary) that have not yet established the Euro as their currency.  Through CIEE's Study Center or their affiliation with Corvinus University in Budapest, you can take courses in English while learning the basics of the Hungarian language and society.  There are even opportunities for internships.

• For more information on CIEE Budapest, see:  http://ciee.org/program_search/program_detail.aspx?program_id=64
• For more information on programs in Hungary, see:  http://www.units.muohio.edu/internationalprograms/sa-hu.php

This monthly newsletter is brought to you by the Office of International Education. Please remember: if you wish to subscribe, unsubscribe or read this issue online instead of through email, you can do so at http://www.muohio.edu/international/sa-newsletter.php