For Faculty Advisers
We encourage students to work with their faculty advisers early in their academic career to properly plan how a semester of study of study abroad will best fit into their plan for graduation from Pitzer.
Students should be taking course work that will help to prepare them for the study abroad experience and are advised to discuss appropriate courses with their advisors during pre-registration advising. Some programs have requirements for a certain amount of language study completed prior to participation or other specific preparatory coursework. Pitzer requires that students indicate preparation for either the location through area studies courses that may cover the history, literature, politics or important social issues of the region or courses related to the theme of the program and/or have taken courses that prepare them for a cross-cultural experience.
Pitzer has a list of approved study abroad options for students to consider. The approved options include the programs that Pitzer administers in Brazil, Botswana, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, India or Nepal, as well as a set of exchange programs. Students should be encouraged to consider the approved options first and most major subjects can be studied through one or more of the approved programs. All students are required to select a first and an alternate choice program because space on some of the programs is limited. Qualified students who select one of the Pitzer administered programs have the best chance of getting their first choice program. The college has allotted a limited number of spaces for students to apply for other programs. Students should consider that in past years the applicant pool for the spaces allotted for unapproved programs has been highly competitive with less than half the applicants being approved for such programs. Students who apply for an unapproved program should be prepared to participate on their alternate choice program by fully researching the alternate choice option and meeting the program pre-requisites. Students may only choose from the approved program options for their alternate choice.
Students applying for other programs must indicate why they are unable to accomplish their academic objectives on one of the already approved options as well as demonstrate that the other program incorporates Pitzer’s educational objectives in the experience (see Philosophy and Educational Goals for Study Abroad). The inability to meet language requirements or other program prerequisites for one of the approved programs is not necessarily considered a sufficient reason to apply for other programs.
When your student advisees express an interest in study abroad, please alert them to the steps involved in applying:
- Attend an information session: Students must attend an information session as the first step in the process for information on the procedures and policies of applying for study abroad. Students typically do this in the fall of their sophomore year to apply for the following academic year. The information session is repeated weekly from September to early November. Fall 2007 Information Session Schedule
- Schedule an appointment with a Study Abroad Adviser: Students meet with a study abroad adviser to discuss specific programs and receive the Intent to Study Abroad forms where students must choose their first and alternate choice programs and get their faculty advisor’s approval on the courses they plan to take abroad.
- Discuss academic preparation and choose courses to be taken overseas with faculty advisor. Students should discuss their chosen program with their faculty advisor during pre-registration for spring semester. Students need their faculty advisor’s signature to ensure that they remain on track for graduation.
- Obtain approval for special cases. The faculty advisor’s signature of approval is required if a student decides to apply for 1) an unapproved program, 2) participation as a sophomore or second semester senior, or 3) participation for more than one semester. Students must plan their academic program more carefully when applying to participate under any of these conditions. Participation as a second semester senior is not recommended but students with special circumstances may be approved with signatures of the faculty advisor and field group representative to ensure that graduation requirements can be met with the coursework abroad.
- Submit the Intent to Study Abroad paperwork by Monday, December 4, 2006. Students must submit this paperwork for any approved option. Students applying for unapproved programs must submit the full Pitzer application on this date or their application will not be considered.
- Submit the complete application, including all supplements, by Monday, February 5, 2007. Students will be given the forms for their program before winter break and will complete additional essays, request faculty references and other fill out the other application materials by the February deadline for priority consideration. Late applications will only be reviewed once all the priority applicants have been accommodated.
- If you have questions on the study abroad process or any particular programs, do not hesitate to contact any of the Study Abroad Advisors – Carol Brandt, Mike Donahue, Jamie Francis, Kebokile Dengu-Zvobgo or Neva Barker.
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