Tips for Overseas Study

Ready to study overseas? Take the following steps:

1. As an Indiana University student, you have a range of oversea study classes available to you. You may take a shorter travel experience offered through your home campus, or enroll in one of many classes offered to all students in the IU system. If you are interested in taking a class offered through IU Kokomo, review future course offerings. If you don't find something which interests you through IU Kokomo's programs, go to the IU Bloomington Office of Overseas Studies and review their listed course offerings. Some pointers to keep in mind as you review the courses:

• How long do you want to study abroad?
• How restricted is your plan of study, (meaning, do you have room in your plan of study for elective courses)?
• Is your timing flexible, or do you need to travel in a particular semester, summer or calendar year?
• Do you want to know the instructor of record or meet with him/her prior to taking the class?
• Do you want to complete an orientation to travel on the IU Kokomo campus?
• Do you need to study in a specific program area or discipline (unlikely to be offered or likely to be limited at IU Kokomo), or are you flexible and interested in taking a class in different disciplines?

2. Once you have selected a program which interests you, you need to make an appointment with IU Kokomo's Overseas Study Advisor Dr. Donna McLean. In this appointment, we will discuss your goals, interests and the nature of your selected program. We will also review deadline dates and determine if you need further information on the selected program.

3. Secure necessary funding for travel. You may rely on your own finances or seek financial aid. Feel free to talk over funding options with IU Kokomo's Office of Financial Aid. In some cases, you may be able to apply student scholarships directly to the costs of study abroad. Currently IU Kokomo is offering the David Starr Jordan Scholarship for Overseas Study. Applications for the scholarship must be received by: April 15, 2007 or October 15, 2007.

4. Once decisions are made, you need to complete paperwork and application forms. IU Kokomo's School of Arts and Sciences posts its own application travel form. Prior to being accepted in an Arts and Sciences international travel class, you need to download the application form,  print it, complete it, and turn it in to your instructor with two letters of reference from campus faculty. You will be informed when you have been accepted into the program by the IU Kokomo instructor of record. If you are applying to an IU system wide overseas study class, you will find application forms, deadlines and other information on the IU Bloomington Overseas Study Web site. Make sure to complete the forms in a timely manner, and don't hesitate to contact Dr. McLean if you need any assistance with the paperwork.

Four pieces of advice in planning to study overseas:

Start planning as soon as possible. Although students aren't eligible until their sophomore year, pre-planning will help to prevent any glitches in individual plans of study. GPA requirements vary. However, a good GPA will give you more options and better choice of potential programs. Program applications often require recommendations, so begin to think about who might be willing to serve as a reference for you. Ask people early and work to build ties to faculty on this campus. Funding is available--but the level of funding varies with the program selected.