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Study Abroad Newsletter - March 2010
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.
- Wednesday, April 28 – Study Abroad Pre-Departure Orientation Session A
- Saturday, May 1 – Study Abroad Pre-Departure Orientation Session B
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.
We are planning a series of country-specific information sessions in March and April, but dates are not set yet. Check our Facebook page, our Twitter feed or the Events page of the OIE website for more information.
Program Updates
Photo of Machu Picchu, Peru by Kyle Lochridge
- ISA update:
- School for Field Studies update:
- Spaces are still available in all summer and fall 2010 programs, but they're filling quickly.
- The Mexico Coastal Studies program has a new kayak fleet allowing students and faculty to better conduct field work in micro-habitats while gaining new skills such as GIS mapping.
- Wildlife Management Studies has expanded and is now a two-country swap program in Kenya and Tanzania. Students are given the opportunity to compare resource and conservation management in both countries.
- CEA update:
Travel Abroad vs Study Abroad - What's the Difference?
It's a great thing to be able to travel and see the world. But what sets it apart from study abroad?
The study aspect is the first thing to take into account. Study abroad has an academic component to it. It's a great opportunity to take the classes you would have done in Oxford, and transfer them to a new setting where you may get more out of the experience. You could take an art history class that meets every week in the museum, or practice your language skills as soon as you leave the classroom where you studied it. It's a great opportunity to live what you're learning and see the practical application of the subjects you're studying in the classroom. When you're a tourist, you may see art, monuments and people without really understanding the story behind them.
Secondly, when you're studying abroad, we want you to get out of the tourist experience and immerse yourself in the culture. If you're spending a semester in another place, you'll have opportunities to meet people, make friends, get involved in your host community, and get to know the culture on a deeper level than you could as a tourist. When tourists meet local people, they usually do so in a service capacity. They meet tour guides, bus drivers, waiters, hotel clerks and other people who are there to serve them. When you're living with a host family, taking classes at a local university, volunteering in your host community or joining a local sports team, you have the opportunity to get to know people as peers, on the same level, and learn more about what they do and why, how they eat, how they celebrate and what their values are.
Sometimes, students come into our office who are more interested in the tourist experience than the academic, culturally-immersive study abroad experience. If you want to spend your summer backpacking around the world, grab your guidebook and go! But if you're looking for a study abroad experience, you know where to find us.
Student Blogs
We've got another crop of students blogging about their spring 2010 study abroad experiences! Check out their blogs to learn more about their experiences in the places they're studying.
- Colin in Wellington, New Zealand: New Zealand Adventures
- Chris in Santiago, Dominican Republic: Cassava, Yucca, and Manioc: Back to My Roots
- Sarah in Galway, Ireland: sarahgoesgalway
- Katherine in Florence, Italy: Goodbye America, Ciao Italia
- Corbin in Munich, Germany: An Der Uni
- Kelsey in Arusha, Tanzania: [a]broadcasting
- Sarah in Suva, Fiji: My Fijian Adventure (and check out her posts from last semester in Bamako, Mali, too!)
- Lorraine in Rabat, Morocco: Global Galavanting
It's Not Too Late to Apply!
MUDEC chateau gates
Even though the first deadline has passed, the Luxembourg Program (Miami University Dolibois European Center) still has openings for the 2010-11 academic year. Pick up an application from the MUDEC Office (217 MacMillan) today, or just drop by to learn more about Miami's campus in Luxembourg! The MUDEC advisors take walk-ins, so you can drop by their office in MacMillan Hall any time to learn more about one of Miami's most popular study abroad options.
And as for other programs, many students have expressed concern that it might be too late to apply to study abroad in spring 2011. Not only is it not too late for spring 2011, it's probably not too late for summer or fall 2010!
As a general rule, most deadlines for summer are around February/March, deadlines for fall are around March/April and deadlines for spring are around October/November. Some programs (like Luxembourg) have completely different application cycles, though, so check their websites to be sure.
It's always better to apply early, but - thanks to the current economic climate - many programs also end up extending their normal deadlines or accepting applications after the official date has passed. So if you find a program you like, it's always worth giving the provider a call to see if they'll still accept you. It can't hurt to ask.
In any case, come to a Study Abroad 101 session or make an appointment to talk to a study abroad advisor if you're worried about deadlines. Don't just assume you've missed out!
Apply to Be an Orientation Leader for International Students
 2009 POLs
Are you a leader? Do you enjoy learning about other cultures? Do you want a great resume building experience?
The Office of International Education (OIE) is looking for International Peer Orientation Leaders (iPOLs) to help welcome new international students to campus next summer. You must be available to start late July/early August and you must also be available to attend a training/planning program in April and May.
If you are interested in interacting with international students, broadening your cultural perspectives and understanding all while further developing your leadership skills, please read more about the position here.
Chile Update
 Locations of Miami University's Exchange, Co-Sponsored and Approved study abroad programs
Last weekend, an 8.8 earthquake occurred near Concepción, Chile. We had no students in Concepción, but several Miami students were already in Chile, preparing for the March start of the fall semester at universities in Santiago and Valparaíso (about 7-9 hours north of Concepción). Our students have all been accounted for, are in healthy and safe situations with their host families, and their programs are providing the normal orientation activities as well as optional counseling for them while the universities assess how to proceed.
Most services in Santiago and Valparaíso are up and running as normal, thanks to Chile's excellent earthquake preparedness. Being so close to a fault line, Chile is used to earthquakes, and has very strict building codes for new buildings (many of the buildings that were damaged in the quake were historic buildings dating back to a time before Chile was as well-prepared). Most students who study abroad in Chile will feel a few minor tremblors over the course of their months in Chile, but normally these smaller earthquakes cause little to no damage. Chile also has excellent emergency response teams who are prepared for seismic activity - in fact, Chilean earthquake experts were some of the first on site when the earthquake occurred in Haiti earlier this year.
There are still some problems with transportation within the Santiago region and with looting and stretched public services in Concepción, but our students are - again - 7-9 hours from Concepción. To give you an idea of the distance, we created a map (at left) with the locations in Chile where Miami students most frequently study abroad. We have no programs in Concepción - it is only on the map as a reference point.
For an update on the current situation in Santiago from one of our most popular providers in Chile, see IFSA-Butler's Santiago update.
If you have any questions or concerns about studying abroad in Chile, please talk to a study abroad advisor or contact a study abroad provider to ask about their emergency preparation plans.
Featured Study Abroad Program of the Month: FSB Explore Asia
Photo by Victor Lin
Program Itinerary (click to enlarge)
Would you like to experience many different Asian and Pacific cultures over the course of a semester? You may want to look into the FSB Explore Asia program. As a student on the program, you will be based at a Korean university (either Korea University in Seoul or Yonsei University in Wonju, depending on which better meets your interests and academic needs) but will also travel with other Explore Asia students at the other university to China and Japan. An optional layover in Hawaii is also available. A Miami faculty member will be on-site in Korea during the semester to help you with problems or concerns, and will also lead all of the excursions.
Although the Explore Asia program is sponsored by the Farmer School of Business, it is not restricted to FSB students. Courses are offered in English in many different subjects including: East Asian Languages & Studies, Economics, Finance, Management, Marketing, Philosophy and Political Science. Students have full access to all English language courses across all departments offered at their host university of choice. Many students choose to take a combination of major/business courses and Miami Plan/elective courses. It is also possible to do a pre-approved self-designed thematic sequence in one semester. Student must get courses pre-approved for Miami equivalencies (forms and help are available in 1022 FSB) prior to participating on the program.
Scholarships are available and applications are being accepted now for fall 2010! If you have any questions about the program, contact Jing Liu or Sooun Lee at the FSB for more information, or check out details on the FSB Explore Asia website.
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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