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Study Abroad Newsletter - September 2009
Upcoming Events and Deadlines
See http://www.muohio.edu/international/events.php for more information on upcoming events and deadlines, including times, locations and links for more information. If you plan on studying abroad in spring 2010, CHECK NOW to see what your program's application deadline is. We only list here application deadlines that have changed, or internal deadlines for this campus.
- Friday, September 4 - Second-Year Programs Open House Series: Study Abroad
- Tuesday, September 15 - Study Abroad Fair - Shriver Multipurpose Room, 12-4pm. The biggest study abroad event of the year!
- Wednesday, September 16 - Information sessions on the Miami University China Semester Program.
- Tuesday, September 22 - MUDEC Information Session
- Tuesday, October 6 - Gilman International Scholarship deadline
- Monday, October 19 - Deadline to apply for OIE-administered scholarships
- Wednesday, December 2 - Passport Blitz
- Wednesday, December 9 and Saturday, December 12 - Study Abroad Pre-departure Orientation Session for spring 2010 students
If you are starting out your study abroad search, please attend one of our Study Abroad 101 Information Sessions. Dates and times can be found here.
Program Updates
Study Abroad Fair
Student meeting with a program representative
at a past Study Abroad Fair
The annual Study Abroad Fair will be held on Tuesday, September 15 from 12-4pm in the Shriver Multipurpose Room. We'll have representation from MUDEC (Luxembourg), professors who run faculty-led programs and third-party providers. If you'd like to browse your options, pick up materials about different programs or ask questions about a specific study abroad opportunity, this is your opportunity to do it!
Help us spread the word about the fair by RSVPing to or sharing our Facebook event!
Moving off campus? Consider your study abroad plans!
This is the season when students start thinking about signing leases for the next school year. If you're thinking about studying abroad, though, you may want to think twice before you put pen to paper. Many students who come to our office feel they have to settle for a short-term summer program when they'd really prefer to do a semester program, but they've already signed a full-year lease.
Here are some ideas:
- Arrange a semester lease. While most rental agencies in town offer year-long leases, some will let you rent by the semester instead or may make an exception in order to accommodate you. In the current Oxford housing market, you have the upper hand until you've signed that lease, so negotiate! Be sure to ask if a semester lease is a possibility, even if you're not sure yet whether you want to study abroad!
- Make a deal with friends. If you're going abroad in the fall and have a friend who's studying abroad in the spring, you can make a subletting arrangement to be sure that no one's left with an empty apartment for a semester and that your roommate or housemates aren't stuck with a stranger.
- Sublet someone else's apartment. This is frequently cheaper than signing a full lease, and is especially popular when you study abroad in the fall and return to campus for the spring.
- Spend a semester in a residence hall. Miami's Office of Residence Life is more flexible than most local landlords and rental agencies, and now there's a Study Abroad living-learning community where you can live with students who are planning on going abroad or returning from study abroad, so that you can all share your stories and experiences.
- Study abroad for a full academic year. It may be easier than you think! Talk to your academic advisor and study abroad advisor about this possibility.
- Sign a year-long lease, then find a subletter. This can be dangerous, because there are more apartments on the market than there are students. You may be left paying for your apartment even while you're gone. But it has worked for some students in the past. Some advertising ideas: flyers on campus, Facebook ads, Craigslist.org. You can also advertise your housing availability on the Office of International Education Facebook page.
Don't miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime experience just because you signed a lease. Think ahead!
The new Miami University China Semester Program
Miami has identified the Alliance for Global Education as the host provider for the new Miami University China Semester Program. This does not mean that students cannot participate in other programs in China, but rather that course transfer will be streamlined for this particular provider. Courses will be pre-approved by the departments so that students do not have to have them approved individually. Program fees will be set by and paid to the Alliance for Global Education.
The Alliance has programs in Xi'an, Beijing and Shanghai, focusing on art, business, Chinese language, culture, history and a variety of other subjects. For more information on the study abroad programs available, please visit the webpage.
Information sessions about these programs will be held:
- Wednesday, September 16 - 4-5pm - 114 MacMillan Hall
- Wednesday, September 16 - 5-6pm - 114 MacMillan Hall
If you have questions and can't attend one of these information sessions, you can stop by the Alliance table at the Study Abroad Fair, contact the Alliance for Global Education or contact Sarah McNitt in the Office of International Education.
New passport office open for applications
If you plan on traveling to another country at any time during your Miami career, you should have a valid passport. Fortunately, you can now apply for a U.S. passport right here on the Oxford campus. The Office of Lifelong Learning have recently been certified to accept passport applications. They are located in 127 McGuffey Hall and accept applications Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. - noon. At this location you can apply for:
- a new U.S. Passport Book or Card
- a renewal of your U.S. Passport
- a U.S. Passport Book or Card for a minor
You don't have to have a travel destination in mind yet to apply - it's good for ten years! Some study abroad programs are now requiring that you have a passport at the time you apply to study abroad, so applying for a passport early can help expedite that process.
If you're applying for a passport, you will need a document proving your U.S. citizenship. For those who are renewing, this could be an expired passport and for new applicants, this is usually a birth certificate. So if you're going home this semester, don't forget to bring your documents back with you! If you prefer to apply from home, you can find a local application office here.
Fall 2009 student blogs
Photo from Jessica and Stephen Go to Ghana
We have two new blogs from students going abroad this semester:
If you'd like to take a look at the blogs from spring 2009, they included:
A word from a study abroad alum
2006 Miami graduate Justin Doshi has been traveling around the world ever since he left Miami, and it all began with his study abroad experience.
[...] In the end, it all started at Miami. If Dr. Klingenberg hadn't convinced me to leave the comfort of Miami and explore South America, I'd probably be sitting at a desk right now in corporate America and not laying on a beautiful beach in paradise! Books are great, have tons to offer, but nothing compares to living and experiencing it all first hand. Travel allows you to live the culture, to experience the music, to taste the local dishes, to feel the colors. It allows you to meet the locals, to see life through their eyes. As Maya Angelou put it, "Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all people cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends."
Give it a try, explore. High Street will be there when you get back, your fraternity or sorority will be there, C.J.'s will also be there, and most importantly, your friends will be there. If you're lucky, they may even come visit! Enjoy the ride and remember, life's too important to take seriously!
You can read more about his travels here.
Featured Study Abroad Locations of the Month: Nordic countries
Many students want to find a study abroad program where they can take their classes in English. These students naturally gravitate to English-speaking countries like the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ghana, Botswana and Tanzania among others. What many students don't realize is that there are many countries (and not just the ones featured this month!) where you can take your classes in English, then step outside the classroom and hear other languages being spoken.
In the Nordic countries (Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland), many university classes are offered in English and although each of these countries has their own native languages, English is taught in school from a very young age, and therefore widely spoken. They are also noted for having extremely high standards of living and a strong commitment to sustainability efforts. Here are a few programs in those countries that might pique your interest:
Denmark
The Denmark International Study (DIS) program has increased greatly in popularity with Miami students in the past few years, based on the strong and varied course offerings there. Students have been particularly interested in its Public Health, Medical Practice & Policy, and Architecture & Design programs, although it also has courses available in Biotechnology, Child Development, Communication, European Culture, History, Politics and Society, Economics, Business, Psychology and Sustainability.
Photo by Claire Showalter
Finland
The advice from one recent returnee to students considering studying in Finland was, "Bring good hiking shoes, a camera and a sense of
adventure!" There are many strong programs in Finland, but Lappeenranta University of Technology may be of particular interest to Engineering students. Disciplines with courses in English include: Chemical Technology, Electrical Engineering, Energy and Environmental Technology, Information Technology, Mathematics and Physics, Mechanical Engineering.
To read one Architecture student's blog from her semester at the Tampere University of Technology in Finland, visit Suomessa. She's also done a photo-essay on the ISEP website.
Iceland
Classes in English at the University of Iceland include Business Administration, Literature, Law, Political Science, Philosophy and Geology. Geology and Geography students might be particularly interested in taking advantage of the opportunity to learn about Iceland's unique geothermal situation through the university's academic-year program in Earth Sciences.
There are many more programs in Scandinavia and other Nordic countries beyond what we've listed here. If you'd like to learn more, why not check out these additional links?
To learn more about these locations and the study abroad opportunities there, see:
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
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