Hi everyone!
If you’re anything like me, you probably arrived back on campus with the best of intentions to get your study abroad application submitted as soon as you could! Well, I certainly didn’t, since I got swept up in seeing friends, starting classes and getting involved again in soccer and the other things I do around campus. But something about this cold weather makes me want to just hang out inside and work on my application! So, I thought I would loop you in as I work my way through it!
Last time I wrote, I went over the time-sensitive,
logistical parts of the application, like the passport, advisor and faculty
recommendations, and the transcript. This week, I’m working on the more
program-specific items like my Academic Statement, learning goals and the
courses I want to take. I’m going to keep up my application to University
College Dublin, but don’t worry, wherever you plan to go, the same advice
applies pretty much!
Once you are logged
in to your application, over on the right-hand side, you’ll find a list of
application questionnaires. Here is where I need to spend some time and, while I
do, I’ll go over each one so we can get to the nuts and bolts of what we need
to do.
First off, the Academic Statement is basically just your
application essay, in which you explain why you want to study abroad on your
selected program, and how the program will help you achieve your academic
goals. You should definitely plan to talk about the academic connections
between your field of study at Tulane and what you can do on the program when
writing this essay! Does it give you a new perspective on your major that you
couldn’t otherwise get? Or is it something that you can’t study at Tulane
because of the constraints of your major? How have you prepared for the program
and courses you will take?
When writing this essay, it’s also really important to
make it clear that you understand what the program offers – whether the courses
are in English or the local language, what type of support services are or
aren’t available, etc. Don’t write about learning French on your program if
that isn’t actually an option available to you! Finally, you should write a
little bit about how your study abroad experience will help make your entire
time at Tulane more “international.” How will you continue to engage in global
issues when you come back to New Orleans?
The second part of this statement asks you to write down
three questions that you might have about your host country that you can try to
answer while you’re studying abroad. You can think about these questions as
part of your learning goals. Then, write a brief essay about how you will
answer these questions. For example, for me, I want to know how Dubliners carry
on the literary legacy of such famous Irish writers as James Joyce. One way
that I will try to answer that question is by taking courses at UCD like “Reading
the Story of Ireland” and “Reading Joyce.”
But truth be told, I could also take similar courses at
Tulane, so I want to make sure and list some additional ways that I can learn
about Joyce that I could only do in Dublin. I would definitely plan to visit the
James Joyce Centre, home to
many of Joyce’s writings, and the host of the annual Bloomsday festival. They
also offer walking tours all year that visit many of the places he frequented
or put into his books. I’ll write about those two opportunities and explain how
they will help me answer my question about Joyce.
The purpose of this essay is to give us an opportunity to
really show that we have some plans for learning about our host country’s
history and culture while we’re there! And it’s a good way to do some research
about it before we go!
All of this research, by the way, has gotten me really
excited about all the Dublin eye candy I’ll get to see. Here’s a sneak peek.
 |
| In and around Dublin...SO gorgeous! |
OK, enough of that! Back to work!
The last part of the application I’m going to talk about
in detail is your proposed course schedule. To answer this question, you have
to be able to navigate to your program’s web page and find courses that may be
available for you to take when you’re there. It’s okay if these courses don’t
end up being the ones you ultimately enroll in once you’re on site. The
important thing is that you’re able to find course listings and get an idea of
how those courses might translate back to Tulane. That’s why the application
asks you to list the course at your host institution AND list the Tulane
department equivalent!
It’s also really important that you demonstrate that you
understand which courses you can and can’t take. For example, at UCD, I’ll take
five or six courses during the semester I’m there. But, I have to take at least
four of them within my major. So if I list 4 courses outside of my major, then the Office of Study Abroad might say,
“Hey, wait a minute,” when reading my application! So before completing this
part of the application, make sure you know the courses you can take and the
rules and restrictions that you may have to think about!
One other, minor thing. The “Backup Study Abroad Program”
questionnaire was added this year because some programs fill up or have too
many applicants. So in the rare case that not every student can be accommodated
on a program, the OSA has a space for you to put your second choice, just in case. This way, we can all act
very quickly to make sure you still study abroad, if not on your first choice
program. You’re not required to fill this out, but it doesn’t hurt anything if
you do!
You’ll notice that, as you complete these items, a check
mark will appear in the “Received” column on your application. This way, you’ll
be able to track your progress!
Remember, the application deadline is not until February
17th, so you have plenty of time to get it in, even if you haven’t
started looking! For those of you who know where you’re going, check out the
Study Abroad Facebook page
because we regularly post scholarship opportunities that our students should be
looking into!
If you have any questions,
just send an email to osa (at) tulane (dot) edu.
I’ll be back soon so we can do one final review of all
aspects of the Tulane application!
In the meantime, keep an eye out for our weekly
newsletter, posted every Friday right here on our blog. Every week until Mardi
Gras, we’ll be featuring Fat Tuesday traditions from around the world! Make
sure and check it out!
