Academic Considerations

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• If you are currently a sophomore and you have not already declared a major, you must do so before you leave campus. Remember that you can always change your major later, provided that you can still complete requirements on time.

• Academic credit is granted only after you return from abroad and only for liberal arts courses completed with grades of C- or better. Mount Holyoke does not give credit for internships, orientation courses or programs, or non-liberal arts courses (such as business, marketing, nursing, etc.).

• You must arrange to have an official transcript (or other official evaluation, if no transcript is available) of your work sent to the Registrar's Office after the completion of your studies abroad. No credit will be granted until the transcript is received. Note that we cannot provide copies of that transcript to you or to anyone else, and that we will keep it for a limited period of time and then destroy it. Be sure to obtain extra copies for yourself in case you cannot get them later directly from your program or foreign university.

• Grades for work done abroad are not posted on your Mount Holyoke transcript and are not figured into your cumulative average.

• Remember, however, that you must complete your work satisfactorily (the equivalent of C- or better) in order to receive credit. In addition, be aware that graduate schools and employers may require you to submit copies of the transcript for your year or semester abroad, and therefore the grades you earn will remain an important part of your educational record.

• Specific credit for specific courses (e.g., 300-level, Distribution, etc.) must be approved by the appropriate department chair at Mount Holyoke, with whom you should consult before you leave campus.

• Bring your work (reading lists, syllabi, papers, etc.) back with you in case there are questions about credit or the level of the work you have done.

• We recognize that students have many varied (and valid) reasons for choosing to study abroad and that because of the experiential nature of studying and living in another culture, many of your most meaningful learning experiences will take place outside of the classroom. But remember that it is the work you will do in the classroom that will determine how much credit you will receive for your time away.

• You must complete what your program or host institution defines as a full-time standard course load to receive a full semester or year of credit at Mount Holyoke. A full-time standard course load is usually expressed as 15 or 16 semester credits (not by the number of courses). If your program/university advises you to take fewer than 15 or 16 credits, or to take 4 courses because that’s what you would do here, be cautious: check with Mount Holyoke to clarify how those credits will transfer back. Your program sponsor may not know our policy, and Mount Holyoke cannot adjust your credits after the fact because you received poor advice abroad. Check with the Center for Global Initiatives or the Registrar’s Office if you have any questions at all about what constitutes a normal full-time course load.

• If you plan to undertake an independent study (thesis) your senior year, and will be away in the spring of your junior year, check with your adviser or department chair for guidelines. In some departments, students must make arrangements before the end of junior year to sign up for senior independent study.

• If you plan to apply to medical or other health professional school, it is essential that you consult with your Health Professions Adviser before you leave campus.

Many of you will be taking all or some of your courses at a foreign university next year, and you will find that many other countries approach higher education very differently than does the US. Learning about another country's educational system is one of the reasons for studying abroad, but these differences can take some time to assimilate, and thus may interfere with the unprepared student's ability to benefit fully from the experience. Your program/host university will provide additional information, but here are some common areas of difference that may help you anticipate what will be expected of you, and what questions to ask:

• In many countries, students complete 13 years of education (instead of 12) before entering university, and a broad-based liberal-arts type of program exists only at the high school level. Students often begin their major in their first year at university, and they may be more advanced in their studies than a typical first-year student here; in addition, they generally study only one subject (or two, if they are doing a “joint degree” or interdisciplinary program).

• Students often are expected to take much more responsibility for shaping their academic program, and instructors provide relatively little guidance (for example, students may be expected to read widely from a long list of resources, with no specific assignments, and faculty may not be readily accessible outside of the classroom). Your program of study abroad may feel more like an American graduate program than an undergraduate one.

• Expectations about the style and form of essays may be different from what you are used to.

• Students’ progress toward a degree often depends on exams given at the end of each year, or at the end of their program, rather than on work completed for individual classes. Degree candidates therefore may put less emphasis on attendance at lectures and more on the work they are doing outside of class to prepare for exams. As a non-degree student, your work may be assessed differently, perhaps with more emphasis on class essays and attendance.

In some countries (for example, the UK and Ireland), exams given at the end of the year may be the primary or only basis on which grades are determined. We require students who enroll in a foreign university to undertake a course of study equivalent to that which a degree student would take, and we expect them to complete all of the readings, papers, exams, and other work required. We also expect that faculty will assess students' work according to their usual methods and standards. Therefore, students must take all exams, including end-of-year or sessional exams, that the university will permit them to take; a student will not receive credit for a course in which she chooses not to take an examination that she is permitted to write. (Students will not be expected to take degree exams that cover more than one year's work; and students abroad for the fall semester only will not be expected to return in June to take exams.)

• Note that while many universities require visiting students to take exams, some do not; and some US colleges do not require their students to take exams. You may hear conflicting information, so remember that you must follow Mount Holyoke's policy, regardless of what other institutions may require, in order to receive credit here.

• The only exceptions to this policy are if an exam is optional for all students (including degree students) and not just for junior year abroad students; and for some Scottish universities, which offer exemption from exams to students who achieve a high standard in their coursework. In cases such as these, in which exams are optional for all students, they are also optional for you. If an exam is optional only for junior year abroad students, it is not optional for you and you must take the exam.

• Many students find this end-of-year exam system daunting because it differs so much from what they are accustomed to here. Don't hesitate to ask your tutors or other advisers for advice about how to prepare for them (sometimes you may be able to review exams from previous years, which will help give you an idea of the approach taken and the kinds of questions asked). The vast majority of students do well on the exams, but returning students advise that you take them seriously and keep up with your work throughout the year.

• Mount Holyoke sponsors summer research fellowship programs that are open to first-year students, sophomores, juniors, and Frances Perkins students who wish to pursue research or certain other kinds of projects during the summer. Some awards are given for work in specific countries or disciplines, others are unrestricted. Students have successfully applied from abroad, but advance planning is helpful. Details about awards and application procedures are available on the Career Development Center website. The universal application process enables you to be considered for all awards for which you may be eligible; the deadline for summer 2007 is February 14, 2007.

Students who are currently sophomores should note that there are several scholarship programs in which Mount Holyoke participates for which students must apply during their junior year. Students may apply from outside the country, but must make arrangements to do so well in advance of the deadlines. A sampling of awards is listed below; more information is available from the Career Development website; Katerina King, Associate Director for Fellowships and Scholarships, coordinates Mount Holyoke applications and nominations.

• Barry Goldwater Scholarship. For sophomores and juniors, US citizens or permanent residents in the top quarter of their class, who are preparing for graduate work and careers in mathematics or the natural sciences, for a $7,500 renewable scholarship.

• Harry S. Truman Scholarship. For juniors who are preparing for a career in government or public service (including teaching and research), for up to $27,000 scholarships for senior year and graduate study. Applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents, and in the top quarter of their class.

• All USA Today Academic Teams. For undergraduates who have completed or who are working on an outstanding academic, artistic, or public service project that has been started during the student's college career and has received some type of public recognition or achieved tangible results. Cash prizes.

• Beinecke Memorial Scholarships. Open to juniors who are US citizens for $32,000 scholarship for graduate study in the arts, humanities or social sciences.

• Udall Scholarships. Open to sophomores and juniors, in two categories: those who are US citizens or permanent residents preparing for a career in environmental public policy; OR who are Native American or Alaska Native students who intend to pursue a career in health care or tribal policy. Up to $5,000 renewable stipend.

• UNCF-Merck Science Research Scholarships. Open to African-American students majoring in the life or physical sciences, who are US citizens or permanent residents with a minimum cumulative and major gpa of 3.3 for a $25,000 Scholarship and two $5,000 internships at a Merck research facility.

Students who think they might be interested in applying for any of the major fellowships for graduate study should look into the requirements and application procedures for these awards before they leave campus. Most application deadlines for the awards for study abroad will be early in the fall semester of senior year, and we encourage students interested in any of these awards to begin the application process during the junior year, or the summer between junior and senior years, at the latest. Some of the more prominent awards are listed below; see the Career Development Center website for additional information.

For study abroad:

• DAAD Annual Grant. For one year of study in Germany, open to US and Canadian citizens and US permanent residents.

• Fulbright Scholarship. For one year of study abroad, available in many countries, open to US citizens.

• Gates Cambridge Scholarships. Open to applicants from every country of the world except the United Kingdom, normally under 30 years of age, for study at the University of Cambridge.

• Luce Scholars Program. For a one-year professional internship in Asia for individuals with no background in Asian studies, open to US citizens.

• Marshall Scholarship. For two years of study at any British university, open to US citizens.

• Mitchell Scholarship. For one year of study in Ireland or Northern Ireland, open to US citizens.

• Rhodes Scholarship. For two years of study at Oxford University, open to US citizens. (Citizens of other eligible countries must apply in their home countries.)

• Rotary Scholarship. For three or six months, one year, or up to three years of study abroad; note that students who wish to apply for a Rotary Scholarship for study abroad in the year immediately following their graduation must apply in the spring of junior year. Open to all students who are citizens of countries in which there is a Rotary Foundation.

• Winston Churchill Foundation Scholarship. For one year of graduate study at Churchill College, Cambridge, in engineering, math, or science. Open to US citizens between 19 and 26.

For study in the US:

• Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Scholarship. $50,000/year for graduate study in any field. Open to U.S. and international students

• Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowships for Minorities. For US citizens or nationals who are members of a designated minority group for graduate work in the behavioral and social sciences, humanities, and sciences.

• Mellon Fellowships. For US citizens, nationals, and permanent residents for a first year of graduate work in the humanities.

• Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships For New Americans. For green card holders, naturalized citizens, or children of two naturalized citizen parents for graduate study in any subject.

For public service:

• Echoing Green. $60,000 for two years of funding of a public service project anywhere in the world. There are no restrictions of age, citizenship, or grade point average.

• Samuel Huntington Public Service Award. Open to all graduating students, for a $10,000 stipend for a public service project anywhere in the world.

Use your semester or year abroad to investigate graduate programs if you want to return to the same country; it’s a lot easier to do this while you are there than it will be after you return to Mount Holyoke.