Ongoing Orientation
Congratulations! You have completed your application to study abroad. The Office of International Programs has a number of events planned which will help you plan appropriately for your semester overseas.
Letter from the Office of International Programs
Shortly after completing your application you will receive a letter from the Office of International Programs with details about the status of your application. You should be aware that the Study Abroad Consortium will ask you for a deposit and you should pay it immediately. Your place in the program will not be guaranteed without this deposit. Get your passport NOW!
Study Abroad Forms
Early in the semester we will hold a brief orientation session on study abroad paperwork (both Wofford and program forms) along with applying for a visa (see below). This will help you get started on the pre-departure process.
How to Get a Visa
Most study abroad destinations now require a student visa in order to study in that particular country. This is a long and arduous process and you need to get started gathering information for this right away. The consortium will provide you with a number of documents, but only if you have paid your deposit. This meeting will be designed to help you get started. Please plan to attend and bring all of your visa information (IES: Visa Starter Packet/CIEE: Info from website, etc.). Read carefully over your visa information so you will be able to ask questions regarding the requirements. Every consulate has different requirements so it is important you are familiar with what your consulate requires! You will need a passport which is valid until 6 months after your return home.
Alumni Advising (ongoing)
Chances are that a Wofford student has been to your program in the recent past. Please check Past Participants. You will find their study abroad programs as well their email addresses. Feel free to contact any alumni for specific information about your program.
Nuts and Bolts of Study Abroad Orientation
This session covers the basic logistical pieces of studying abroad - managing finances abroad, communicating home, what to pack, tips on air travel, managing expenses overseas, etc.
Health and Safety Orientation
This session will be devoted to personal health concerns as well as general safety and security issues which students face when they go overseas. Dean Wallace will be on hand to discuss medical issues including your medical forms, medications and care overseas, general physical as well as mental health issues and what to expect during your transition on-site. We will also discuss insurance and general safety issues/concerns. Please note that in addition, each program provides an on-site orientation with health and safety information specific to each location.
Independent Project Preparation (ongoing)
Those students who plan to major in Intercultural Studies for Business, Government with a Concentration in World Politics or a certificate in Latin American and Caribbean Studies should start working on the preparation of the required project for their major. All students participating in SIT programs will also have independent study projects to propose and implement on site. Students should present a draft of their project and get it approved by the appropriate department.
Study Abroad: What to Expect
This session discusses some of the cultural issues of study abroad and the ups and downs of adjusting to a new culture. We talk with you about how to be a global citizen, what cultural values you take with you abroad, and offer advice on how to better integrate into the local culture.
Family Study Abroad Mailing
At the end of the semester you will have gone through most of the logistical preparation for going overseas. In this piece we will include your family and get them involved in the final stages of pre-departure preparation. We will discuss financial issues, health and safety issues, academic culture overseas and the process of adaptation to another culture.
Independent Project - Research
If you are one of the many students who are required to complete an independent project, you should start gathering information and research about your project when you arrive onsite. What will make your project stand apart from something that you could do on campus? Do you have resources that are unique to the area? What have you done to prepare interviews with local resources? Keep track of your progress and check in with your faculty sponsor to report on your findings. Students who are not required to complete this kind of project may find it beneficial to do similar research to enrich the courses they take upon their return to campus.
Papers Written Overseas for Portfolio Project
Instructions for submitting a paper to the electronic portfolio: Using any browser, go to the College's web site. Open the "Academics" menu from the first page. On the menu bar of the "Academics" page you will see a link to "Student Portfolios". Open this link. This action opens a new page asking for your username and password. On the new page, under "Campus Email", indicate your Wofford email username, e.g. dunlapbb@wofford.edu. Your portfolio ID is your "W" number. This action opens a second page with an interactive form. Enter the appropriate information in the form (the course for which you are submitting a paper is "FS 305") and then click "Browse". Your computer's drives will appear. Search until you locate the document you are uploading and open it. The document title will appear in the last block. Click "Submit".
Welcome Home Dinner
Shortly after your return you will be invited to a Welcome Home Dinner. This is an informal gathering at which we will ask you to share some of your experiences. Select faculty and staff will be in attendance to share in your experiences.
Beyond The City's Northern Border
We invite you to participate in this creative competition in order to encourage you to consider how your study abroad experience has affected you personally, academically, linguistically, and professionally and how it will continue to do so throughout your college career and future. We find that it will provide an outlet for you to reflect upon cross-cultural experiences and share insights and provide a resource for future study abroad participants. We hope to encourage you to interact with your new culture and explain that interaction to the readers, not merely be an observer. We want everyone at Wofford College to know about your wonderful experience. Please see the Beyond the City's Northern Border Competition web page for details and deadlines.
Two to Tell
We hope you will participate in this new competition in which participants present 6 PowerPoint slides in a timed presentation. Each slide will appear for 20 seconds. Each contestant may talk about each individual slide or have a coherent text which does not accompany any individual slide. Because the slides are timed, it is often more effective to not focus on each slide individually. The text may be prose or poetry, a daily entry in a journal, an anthropological observation or a more journalistic text. We encourage the presentation to be more of a narrative form with a beginning, a middle, and an end (rather than solely discussing the pictures themselves).
Independent Project - Implementation
If you are one of the students who must complete an independent project, after your return to campus you will be engaged in implementing the research done while you were overseas. Make certain that you make use of the resources available to you. Many faculty members besides the sponsor of your project can serve as resources to help you complete the project.
Working, Volunteering, and Teaching Abroad
This session provides information to students who want to further their study abroad experience through international opportunities to work, intern, or volunteer abroad after they graduate. Students also receive resources on how to better market their study abroad experience on resumes and graduate school applications as well as how to advice on highlighting skills gained abroad.
Alumni Advising
We will ask you to help us in advising future participants in your program by inviting to you a variety of events at which you will be asked to share your experiences.
Program Evaluation
Your honest assessment of your study abroad program will help us advise future study abroad participants.