The Study Abroad Student s Self-Orientation Handbook

Transcription

1 The Study Abroad Student s Self-Orientation Handbook Office of Off Campus Studies CUB 290 Gettysburg College Box 421 Gettysburg, PA Phone: Fax: ocs@gettysburg.

2 The Study Abroad Student s Self-orientation Handbook Congratulations on your decision to study abroad! You are about to embark on one of the most exciting experiences of your life, and Gettysburg College would like to help you prepare for this adventure. In order to do this, we would like to offer the following Handbook as a starting point for your information gathering. We hope it will help to make your trip as enjoyable and trouble-free as possible. This Handbook is different from any other information you will receive about your study abroad program. That is because this is a book of questions, not a book of answers! We have found over the years, that oftentimes, the hardest part of study abroad is to know what to ask your program sponsor. Although this book is not comprehensive, we do believe it will help you learn how to ask the questions you need to ask to be successful. You will find questions that focus on health and safety issues, on academic and cultural issues, and on administrative issues that will be important to you over the next few months. There are many sources that you can use to answer these questions, such as your program sponsor, travel books, world wide web sites, and offices at Gettysburg College. We have provided space to write down what you find as you make your inquiries. When you are finished filling in the answers you will have a handy reference guide once you have left the United States. Our congratulations again on your decision to study abroad. Please remember that your adventure begins with this preparation - and your preparation is what will make your adventure the best it can be. So enjoy!

3 PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS: 1. What is the name of the institution where you will be studying? Is this the same name of the program in which you will participate? 2. In what term will you be studying? Is it considered the same type of term in your host country? (i.e. Spring term, Fall term, Trimesters, 1st Session, 2nd Session.) How does the term fall on the calendar? Does it fit with your academic plan for when you return? 3. When does the term begin? When do classes start? Is there an orientation program? What happens at orientation? REGISTRATION AND CLASSES: 4. How will you register for your study abroad program at Gettysburg? 5. Will you need to do further registration procedures for your host institution? 6. How will you enroll in classes? Does enrollment happen before your departure from the U.S. or after your arrival in your host country? 7. Where and when will course offerings or catalogs be available to you? 8. Who will help you with enrollment? How will you know if a particular course will be transferable to Gettysburg, and to your degree requirements?

4 9. What must you do at Gettysburg before leaving, in order to ensure that your proposed course of study is approved by the proper people? Who are those people that must approve your courses? 10. What if you change your courses while you are at your host institution? How do you get your new courses approved by Gettysburg? 11. Will your courses abroad transfer back as grades or just as credit? 4. If your courses transfer back as credit only (not grades), what grade do you need to receive in order to get credit for the course? 13. What happens if you fail a class? How does that affect your credit or grade transfer? 14. How will you pre-register for courses for the term following your return to the U.S.? Who will you ask to handle this pre-registration? When should you call that person to remind him/her to do it? Can you pick out a tentative course schedule for that term now, so that the person can just fill out a form and hand it in for you?

5 MONEY: 15. How much is your study abroad going to cost? (Do this in pencil so you can revise it.) How many months/weeks will you be abroad? COSTS: Tuition Insurance (from home, and/or host country?) Passport Fee Visa Fee Round-trip Airfare Transportation To/From School (per wk.) To/From Town (per wk) Books/Supplies Housing for entire stay including vacations Food for entire stay including vacations Utilities if living in an apartment Laundry/Toiletries Gifts for others and yourself Phone calls (local and long distance) Entertainment Customs and/or Departure Taxes (Airport) Money to Cover U.S. Bills while Abroad Miscellaneous A. B. GRAND TOTAL

6 16. How will you pay for your budget above? Financial Aid? Parents? Savings? How much money will come from each source? (Answer the following questions first.)

7 17. Will you be eligible for financial aid for your study abroad? What type? Federal aid? State aid? Gettysburg aid? 18. How do you apply for it? What are the deadlines? 19. How much loan money are you eligible for? Do you have any other cheaper ways to get the money you will need, avoiding interest costs or origination fees? 20. What happens if your promissory notes arrive after you have left the U.S.? What do you do? (Perhaps speak to an advisor in Financial Aid about this.) 21. Are there any scholarships available? What do they offer? How do you apply for them? What are their deadlines? What are your chances of receiving one of these scholarships? 22. How and when will you apply for financial aid or scholarships for the term following your study abroad? 23. How much currency will you take with you? U.S. Currency? Foreign Currency? Traveler's Checks? 24. Where is this currency going to be located? On your person? In your luggage? In a Bank account?

8 25. Should you leave money at home for someone to transfer to you once you are settled? How much? Who will you leave it with? (Bank, parent, good friend or relative.) How will you transfer it once you are abroad? Have you informed the bank/person how you want it transferred? 26. How should you handle your money while abroad? Will you keep cash, open a bank account, rely on credit cards and have a designated person pay the bills each month? If you want to open a bank account, how do you do it? Are there any costs involved? If you are going to keep cash, how much should you have at one time, and how will you safeguard it? 27. What type of plane ticket do you have? One-way? Round-trip? Can the return date be changed? Is there a fee for this change? How do you make the change? MEDICAL AND HEALTH ISSUES: 28. What health risks are there in your host country? What about health risks in other areas you may visit while abroad? Possible diseases, etc.? (Call the Center for Disease Control Traveler's Hotline at (404) to have information faxed to you, or check out their WWW site at What should you do to protect yourself? Inoculations? Certain clothing? Condoms? Medicines? 30. Are you taking any prescription medicines that you will need to have while abroad? Or are there any conditions that could arise where you would need to take certain prescription medicines? What are they, or what will you need? Do you have enough to last you the entire time you are abroad? If not, how will you get your medication while abroad?

9 31. If you need medical assistance while abroad, what will you do? Hospital? Doctor? What medical standards does your host country follow? Explore the options now, so that you will know where to go or what to do if the need arises. 32. What does your insurance cover? Do you have to follow a certain process or procedure in order to be covered? What is it? Are there specified doctors you must go to? 33. Are there any medical services provided by your host institution? What are they? How can you use them? Do they cost anything? 34. Are there any counseling services available at your host institution? Where? or Who can you call? 35. Do you wear eyeglasses or contacts? What is your prescription? Can you take an extra pair of glasses with you? 36. What do you do if you need to see an eye doctor or a dentist? How do you find a good doctor? Are there any services that will help you find a doctor? What are they? or Can you get recommendations somehow before you go? 37. Have you discussed your insurance with your family, or someone else close to you? Who? What will they do if you need some help with your insurance while you are abroad? Have you given them the necessary phone numbers, contact names, forms, or policy numbers? What are they?

10 38. Is there anything about you that may require special accommodation or needs (LD, ADD, physical disability, etc.)? Does your host country provide such accommodations? (Notice that by law the U.S. must make all buildings accessible for the disabled, but must your host country?) Will your special needs be met in the host institution? How? Will they be met in the public setting? How? What about where you will be living? 39. Do you plan to drive while you are abroad? Do you need an international driver's license? What kind of auto insurance do you have? Is it simply coverage for auto damage or is it for personal injury/liability? The latter is the most important. Does your insurance cover you in foreign countries? In cities other than where you will be studying? If you don't have liability insurance, we recommend that you do not drive because foreign legal systems are very different from our own. Some places may even imprison you for minor accidents, speeding, etc. 40. What is the food like in your host country? Are you a vegetarian? Vegan? Can you find the food you prefer to eat, or must east due to dietary restrictions? If not, can you alter your eating habits for the length of the program? HOST INSTITUTION: 41. Upon arrival, how will you proceed to the host institution? Will someone meet you at the airport/ train station? Who? What are the train and bus schedules just in case nobody meets you? What will you do if you arrive on a weekend or late at night? 42. Do you have living arrangements set up already? Where and what are they? Are you living with anyone else? Who? (Put down addresses and phone numbers here if possible.) If you don't have living arrangements set up, why not? How will you set up housing once you have arrived? Is the institution going to provide temporary housing while you find a place? Are you sure? Who did you set up your temporary housing with? (Put down the person's name or hotels name and #, etc.)

11 43. What other costs may be involved with finding housing? Are there fees for realty people, deposits, etc.? How do people look for housing in your host country? The process may be very different from the U.S.. It may not be done through ads in the newspaper, it may involve agencies, etc.. So what is the process in your host country? 44. Is there a "university campus" in the American sense of the term? What is the layout of the institution? (i.e. Lots of buildings close together, or one building in town, or located remote to the city, etc.) 45. Is there a school ID offered by your host institution? Does it cost anything? How do you get one? What benefits does it provide? Should you get an International Student Identity Card (ISIC) also? Does your program provide you with an ISIC? 46. How are students expected to study and learn at your host institution? Through lectures or text books or projects? Initially adapting to different instructional methods can be difficult sometimes (but not impossible). For example, in many countries text books are not available to buy, printed matter can be very expensive. Some universities strictly use lectures. This can come as a sobering surprise to unprepared students, especially if they are studying in a foreign language. So be aware of the differences, check into it! 47. How are students evaluated at this institution? Tests? Essays? Papers? Discussions? Participation? And how often are you going to be evaluated? (Midterms? Finals? Weekly?) 48. Who is your advisor at your host institution? (Name, address, and phone #.)

12 49. Who will you speak to at your host institution about getting a transcript before you leave? And how do you get another one sent to the Office of Off Campus Studies at Gettysburg? HOST COUNTRY: 50. What are visas, and why do you need them? What kind of visa, if any, do you need to enter your host country? How do you get one? How long does it take to get one? How much does it cost? 51. Are there any documents that you must carry with you at all times while in your host country? What are they? Do you have them? How do you get them? 52. What are the customs in your host country regarding energy conservation, hot water usage, room temperature? (Answering this question may affect what type of clothing you decide to pack, or how you should act when living with someone - i.e. keeping costs down, or being courteous to others with the hot water.) Perhaps look in guide books for your host country, or speak with professors, visiting students, former students, or your host country's embassy. 53. What are the customs regarding drinking alcohol? What about using hand gestures? What is offensive and what is neutral? What are appropriate subjects for social conversation? (You could talk to professors, or former study abroad students about this. Perhaps there are some answers in the peer advisor binders in the Office of Off Campus Studies.) 54. Do you know the time difference between your home and your location abroad? What is it? Does it change at all while you will be gone? (i.e. Daylight Savings time change.) Have you told your family and friends what the time differences will be?

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14 TRAVEL AND CURRENT EVENTS / VIEWS: 55. What are the seasons in your host country? When are the school breaks? When and what are the holidays that will happen during your stay? 56. Where would you like to visit while you are abroad? (i.e. adjacent countries, different parts of your host country.) Why? What do you want to see and do? 57. What languages are spoken where you would like to visit? Do you speak the language? If not, can you get by with a travel book? (Ask language professors, they have most likely been to the area.) 58. Will you need any other visas where you want to travel? What are the requirements? How and where do you get the visas? How much does it cost? 59. Is there any civil or social unrest that you should be aware of before you depart, or that could potentially spring up while you are abroad? (In your host country or where you plan to visit.) What type? Strikes, protests, war? And what will you do if it does? (Take pictures, leave, etc.?) You can contact the US Department of State to get information about this at or check out their WWW site at Are you familiar with current world events? What are the hot topics? What topics might affect your host country? (Talk to professors about this, read newspapers, etc.) What topics are TABOO in your host country? What are good sources of quick thorough information on world news? 61. What are the hot topics in the U.S.? (Don't forget that people in your host country are going to expect you to be an authority on events in the U.S., so get current!) What are good sources of quick thorough information on current events in the U.S.?

15 Can you get copies in your host country? Or can you get someone from home to send you a copy every so often? How much will it cost? 62. Do you know what the penalties are in your host country for taking or smoking illegal drugs? What are they? What about for drinking alcohol? What are the customs? What are the penalties for breaking the law otherwise? What other laws might affect you in your host country? 63. What are the dominant religions in your host country? What are the local views about sex, birth control paraphernalia, homosexuality? Are you comfortable with the views, or can you be tolerant of those views? 64. Can you practice your own religion in your host country? 65. What are the hygiene customs in your host country? (These may be tied to energy conservation, too. Like showering less often, etc.) If this is in conflict with your hygiene habits, can you try to adapt to the customs of your host country? Or will you be able to practice your own hygiene customs? PACKING: 66. How long will you be gone in weeks? How often will you do laundry? (How much does washing cost? And how accessible will washing facilities be? How much does dry cleaning cost - and is it available at all?) 67. What will you pack specifically? (Write it out, and write in pencil so you can change your mind as you go along). Now pack it all up and see if it fits!

16 68. Can you carry this luggage all by yourself? Can you carry it if you have to walk 10 BLOCKS with it? (Did this dry-run packing include any books, toiletries, documents, cameras, etc. that you will also be taking?) What do you really need to pack? And what from your list can you leave at home? Should you leave room for the things you will buy while abroad? GOALS: 69. What are your goals for doing this study abroad program? (Make a list so that you can see what you have accomplished as you go.) What are your hidden (or unspoken) expectations? 70. What cultural experiences do you want to have during your study abroad? 71. How will your experiences affect your career objectives? MISCELLANEOUS: 72. What documents should you photocopy? (i.e. passport, visa, insurance card or policy, money orders, checks, credit cards, etc.) How many copies should you make? Which copies should you leave in the U.S.? Who will you leave them with? Which copies should you take with you? Where will you put the copies? (Luggage, on your person, send through mail, etc.) 73. What offices, agencies, or people must you contact to update your address before you leave? What about after you are settled in your host country? What address should things like bills or school papers be sent to while you are abroad? Have you updated all the necessary places? Have you informed the people that will be receiving your mail? Have you told them what to do with the various types of mail they will receive? (i.e. forward to you, hold for your return, call you, pay the bill, fill out the form and send to X, etc.) 74. Do you have living arrangements set up for after you return to the U.S. and /or Gettysburg? Should you? What are your immediate plans for when you return?

17 (Write down a "things to do" list for your first couple weeks after your return. i.e. living arrangements, checking registration status, financial aid, etc.) 75. Can you legally get a job while you are abroad? Do you think a job is feasible with the class load you will have? How much money might one expect to make per hour in your host country? Doing what kind of job? How will you find work? Do you need a work permit or special visa? Who do you need to contact? Do you need to worry about taxes in either the U.S. or your host country? 5. Will you be able to have an account in your host country or even at your host institution? Some study abroad sites have access, others do not. If your program offers , how do you get an account? What are the addresses of your friends, family, professors, advisors? 77. How much does postage cost from your host country to the U.S.? How much does it cost to send boxes from your host country to the U.S.? Depending on the country, this may be an inexpensive way to send things home at the end of your stay if you send it by slow boat. But in many countries this is still very expensive! 78. Should you set up a phone schedule with your friends and family? (Like a certain day each week or every couple weeks, at a certain time, etc.) Is it cheaper for people to call you from the U.S., or vise-versa? 79. Should you take any appliances with you? What are the plug sizes and voltage in your host country? Is it better to either do without your appliance or buy a new one once you are abroad?

18 80. Have you bought a good guide book about your host country? Do you need books for the places you want to visit, too? (A good guide book is invaluable! Take a look at brands like "Lonely Planet", "Let's Go", and "The Rough Guide".) 81 What other questions or concerns do you need to have answered before you depart for your program? Who can assist you in answering these questions?