5. 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)
6. 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
7. 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
8. OVERVIEW
• Preliminary steps to studying abroad
• The Process
• The Study Abroad
• Cultural immersion
• The Return
• The Integration of Your Experience
9. PRELIMINARY TO STUDYING
ABROAD
• Be Proactive (think & plan ahead)
• Never too early to start
• Choose where to study based on what you like
10. THE PROCESS
• W & J administrative procedures
• Initial application
• Study abroad dinner and info. session
• Coordinate enrollment into abroad school
• Acceptance letter
• Credit/course transfers
11. 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!
12. WHAT IS CULTURE SHOCK?
Image courtesy of music.wordpress.com
13. HOW TO LESSEN THE EFFECTS OF
CULTURAL SHOCK
• 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
14. SCHOOL IN FRANCE
• 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
15. 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
16. SOCIALLY-DESIRABLE SOCIAL NORMS (IN FR)
• 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
Image courtesy of www.barnesandnoble.com
28. 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
29. 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
30. INTEGRATION OF YOUR NEW
WORLDLY PERSPECTIVE
• 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
