During the 2007-2008 academic year, more than 350 Middlebury students will study abroad in more than 40 countries at more than 90 different programs and universities. This is about 60% of the junior class! Next year you could be one of these students!! This information sheet attempts to answer your initial questions about studying abroad and directs you what to do next.
1. Where does Middlebury have programs abroad?
Middlebury has programs in Argentina (Buenos Aires and Tucumán), Brazil (Belo Horizonte, Florianópolis, and Niterói), Chile (Concepción, La Serena, Santiago, Temuco, Valdivia, and Valparaíso), China (Hangzhou), Egypt (Alexandria), France (Bordeaux, Paris, and Poitiers), Germany (Berlin and Mainz), Italy (Ferrara and Florence), Mexico (Guadalajara and Xalapa), Spain (Córdoba, Getafe, Logroño, and Madrid), Russia (Irkutsk, Moscow, and Yaroslavl), and Uruguay (Montevideo). See the Office of International Programs and Off-Campus Study for information on any of these Schools Abroad and visit our web page: www.middlebury.edu/academics/ump/sap.
Middlebury is also a member of two academic consortia: one with the Associated Kyoto Program in Japan (see the Japanese Department Chair for more information), and one with the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies (ICCS) program in Rome (see the Classics Department Chair for more information). In addition, students should see the Japanese Department Chair concerning participation in Middlebury's exchange program with Keio University in Tokyo, Japan.
Middlebury also has exchange agreements with the University of East Anglia and with the University of Nottingham, both in England. These exchanges are particularly beneficial to students with significant Middlebury financial aid. Also in England, Middlebury has an arrangement with Lincoln College at Oxford University, which provides opportunities for several highly qualified students to study for the full academic year at Oxford. See the Office of International Programs and Off-Campus Study for information on these programs and visit our web page (www.middlebury.edu/academics/ump/sap).
2. What if I am interested in studying in a country where Middlebury does not have a program?
Each year a significant number of Middlebury students study abroad on non-Middlebury programs in countries such as Australia, Denmark, Greece, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Nepal, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, among others. Middlebury's Programs Abroad Committee oversees study abroad on all programs other than the C.V. Starr-Middlebury Schools Abroad (i.e., on non-Middlebury programs). Information on all forms of study abroad in non-Middlebury settings is available in the International Programs and Off-Campus Study Office in Sunderland Language Center (and you can visit our web page: www.middlebury.edu/academics/ump/sap). The Off-Campus Study staff can answer questions about specific programs and the study abroad process in general. There is also a study abroad resource library (Sunderland 124) where you can research your options through catalogs, brochures, past student evaluations, and on the web.
3. How do I apply for study abroad?
Information and applications for both Middlebury and non-Middlebury programs are available from the Office of International Programs and Off-Campus Study in Sunderland Language Center.
APPLICATION DEADLINES FOR STUDYING ABROAD DURING 2008-2009 (full year, fall, or spring):
JANUARY 11: You must submit all application materials to your academic adviser(s)
FEBRUARY 1: You must submit all application materials to International Programs and Off-Campus Study
(Students who apply after these deadlines run the risk of not having their applications reviewed.) For Middlebury programs, acceptance decisions will be made in accordance with criteria established by the appropriate language departments and other study abroad policies, and applications for non-Middlebury programs will be reviewed by the Programs Abroad Committee. For non-Middlebury programs, please note that you must be approved in advance by the Programs Abroad Committee to receive credit for study abroad.
4. What are the study abroad application requirements?
Middlebury requires a minimum overall GPA of B- (2.7) and an average of B (3.0) or better in the major and language. See our web page for language requirements for Middlebury Schools Abroad: www.middlebury.edu/academics/sa/. Students are also expected to study the target language through the semester prior to studying abroad. Approval is contingent upon students maintaining the above performance in courses taken between the time of application and the date of intended departure. For more information see the Study Abroad Guidelines: www.middlebury.edu/academics/ump/sap/guidelines/.
5. How much does study abroad cost?
Study abroad costs are generally similar to or somewhat less than U.S. college costs; see International Programs and Off-Campus Study for specifics. Students studying abroad (except those on official exchange programs) are charged an administrative fee of $1,050 per semester abroad in order to help offset the cost of the services provided by the Office of International Programs and Off-Campus Study.
Middlebury grant and loan financial aid is available for students who, as an integral part of their academic program abroad, engage in advanced language study in a language taught at Middlebury and who study at Middlebury Schools Abroad or on an approved program in Japan; this aid is also available for students who are pre-approved International Studies majors with a focus in African or South Asian Studies; students on an official exchange program; or Classics and Classical Studies majors on an approved program in Greece or Italy. For Latin America, Middlebury grant and loan financial aid is only available for the Middlebury School in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay) and non-Middlebury direct enrollment programs in countries other than Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay.
Middlebury grant and loan financial aid is not available for study in countries where English is the official language (including Oxford) or lingua franca, or for School for International Training (SIT) programs (unless part of the African or South Asian Studies tracks in IS; though some very limited scholarships may be available directly from SIT) even when the program is conducted in a language taught at Middlebury (e.g., Latin America, francophone Africa). Middlebury financial aid is also not available for international students who seek to study on non-Middlebury programs in their home country. Financial aid other than Middlebury grants or loans can usually be applied to study abroad expenses for any approved programs.
For more information, please see International Programs and Off-Campus Study and the Office of Student Financial Services and visit www.middlebury.edu/admissions/finaid/study_abroad and www.middlebury.edu/academics/ump/sap/guidelines/. Also, International Programs and Off-Campus Study will hold a meeting during the fall semester regarding financing study abroad.
6. What do I do next, and who do I talk to for more information?
Spend the first part of fall semester (starting now!) looking over information, meeting with your academic adviser, speaking with professors in the language departments and/or professors who have spent time in the area of the world in which you are interested, talking with returned study abroad students (International Programs and Off-Campus Study can provide you with a list), and researching your options on the Internet. You should also plan to attend the Study Abroad Fair on Thursday, September 27, 2007 (McCullough Social Space, 12:00 - 4:00 p.m.), as well as regional information meetings with returned students during the fall semester (for dates and times of these meetings, check our Events page: www.middlebury.edu/academics/ump/sap/events. Also during the fall semester, work on your application for International Programs and Off-Campus Study [due to your adviser(s) by January 11 and to International Programs and Off-Campus Study by February 1], and (if appropriate) begin your application to the universities or programs to which you are applying.
Spring semester can be spent finalizing your plans with your program or university and taking care of logistical details in order to study abroad. Also during the spring semester, International Programs and Off-Campus Study will conduct pre-departure orientation meetings for students going abroad next fall or full-year; if you go abroad in the spring semester, your orientation will be next fall.
For information on any study abroad opportunities, visit the Office of International Programs and Off-Campus Study in Sunderland 129 and visit our web site (www.middlebury.edu/academics/ump/sap). Familiarize yourself with the study abroad options and with Middlebury's Study Abroad Guidelines. You are welcome to meet with the staff in International Programs and Off-Campus Study at any point to ask questions, learn about your options, and talk about study abroad. Please note that you must meet with Stacey Thebodo, Bill Mayers, Lindsay Dobucki, or Nicole Chance at least once during THIS fall semester to discuss your study abroad plans for next year. Please call x5745 to schedule an appointment (anyone who answers x5745 can schedule an advising appointment for you).
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