Study Abroad!—A behind the scenes look by Courtney L. Conner

Presentation by Courtney Conner

STUDY ABROAD!—A BEHIND THE SCENES LOOK

LYON, FRANCE (ARRONDISSEMENT 9)

IDRAC-LYON

MUST RECEIVE A FEDERAL PELL GRANT TO BE ELIGIBLE

Scholarships

INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS FUND AWARD

• Washington & Jefferson College study abroad scholarship

• Funded by the donations of generous W & J alumni

• Amounts vary from $500-$4,000

• Eligibility:

• GPA of at least 2.5, full-time student, U.S. citizen

• Deadlines: March 15th (Fall) or October 15th (Spring)

THE RICHARD S. PETT ACADEMIC TRAVEL AWARD

• Washington & Jefferson College study abroad scholarship

• Funded in memory of Richard S. Pett by his wife and family

• Eligibility:

• Junior or senior majoring in a foreign language who desires to study abroad

BARBARA RANSOHOFF BURNETT PRIZE IN MUSIC

• Not study-abroad exclusive, awarded by the Washington & Jefferson College music department

• Awarded for excellence and leadership in the field of music, to inspire continuation of musical studies

• Aided in discovery and participation in “Le Marching Band de l’UPI” while abroad

OVERVIEW

• Preliminary steps to studying abroad

• The Process

• The Study Abroad

• Cultural immersion

• The Return

• The Integration of Your Experience

PRELIMINARY TO STUDYING ABROAD

• Be Proactive (think & plan ahead)

• Never too early to start

• Choose where to study based on what you like

THE PROCESS

• W & J administrative procedures

• Initial application

• Study abroad dinner and info. session

• Coordinate enrollment into abroad school

• Acceptance letter

• Credit/course transfers

OBTAINING A VISA FROM THE U.S. GOVERNMENT

• Start the process right away—takes about 2 months to complete all of the steps

• Application through “Campus France”

• about 2-3 weeks alone for processing and approval

• Scheduling a consulate visit (has to be at least 3-4 weeks in advance)

• Region/district

• Be early and remain calm

• Have extra copies of all necessary documents

• Organized with labels and multiple pages stapled

• Follow ALL instructions VERY CAREFULLY

• Don’t forget to get a U.S. Passport if you don’t already have one!

WHAT IS CULTURE SHOCK?

Image courtesy of music.wordpress.com

• Learn about your environment in advance—will you be living with a roommate?

• Make contact and get to know them beforehand

• Always stay open-minded—there are a lot of differences when studying abroad

• Go out and explore—even if you don’ feel like it at first

• Make friends—isolating yourself in an attempt to “escape” will only make you feel worse

HOW TO LESSEN THE EFFECTS OF CULTURAL SHOCK

• Subjects are taught and graded objectively

• Scale from 1-20

• A lot less homework, but… a lot more classes too (10 on average)

• Emphasis on group work through projects, presentations and group analysis

• Majority of grade is based on one final exam at the end of the semester

• National Exams

SCHOOL IN FRANCE

PUBLIC SOCIAL NORMS

• Different in every society

• Things that Americans are not necessarily aware of

• The following behaviors are examples of undesirable American social norms in France:

• Talking loudly on the phone or on public transportation

• Wearing flip flops, sweatshirts or any sort of sports-wear in public

• Openly discussing wages or politics

• Common social references & slang

• Customary dinner etiquette

• Importance of fashion

• Significant desire to preserve traditions and heritage

• National holidays and what to expect in French business interactions

SOCIALLY-DESIRABLE SOCIAL NORMS (IN FR)

Image courtesy of www.barnesandnoble.com

The Study Abroad

Know your climate.

Know your area.

Make a bucket list.

CULTURAL IMMERSION

• “Be a chameleon”

• Higher understanding

• Experiencing rather than observing

• Expands worldview and life perspective

• Doesn’t happen immediately

• Avoid temptation to hang out only with other Americans or international students

• “Do as the French do”

• Rarely fails and certainly can’t hurt

THE RETURN

• Reverse culture shock

• Hard for others to understand what you’ve experienced

• Some will be very interested to hear about your trip and others will not

• Pictures are worth a thousand words

• Make a scrapbook or blog about your experience to share with others

• You may have changed more than you think—it takes a while to readjust to being home

• Numerous websites for parents about how to help and understand a child who has studied abroad

• Easier to see how what you have learned may appear in everyday life

• Finally readjusted to “life as usual,” but a new and better version

• Share what you learned

• Encourage others to study abroad

INTEGRATION OF YOUR NEW WORLDLY PERSPECTIVE

QUESTIONS?