Study Abroad 101

On January 10th, 2011 I will be boarding a flight from Newark Airport to Leonardo da Vinci Airport (more commonly known as Fiumicino) in Rome to embark on my study abroad adventure. I’m currently in the process of applying for my visa, so I thought I’d take the time to briefly explain the study abroad application process. I will be going to Rome through Temple University for a little over three months this coming spring semester.

Thanks to Fordham’s study abroad office (which is called ISAP [International and Study Abroad Programs]) choosing and applying to my program was easy and painless. Initially I wanted to study in Madrid because I studied Spanish for a few years, but I ultimately ended up choosing Rome for several reasons. For one, I have always been fascinated by the history and culture of Italy (oh and not to mention the food), so Rome was the obvious choice there. I’m from Philadelphia and therefore a resident of Pennsylvania, so going to Rome through Temple means that I get to pay in-state tuition for my semester abroad (which made my mother especially happy). Fordham offers a list of approved programs from other schools in order to make credit transferring easier and Temple is one of them. We also have our own programs, like Fordham London for business students, LDA in London for theatre students, and Fordham Granada, that students can opt to go through. Another big reason I chose Temple Rome is because it is not required that I have any prior knowledge of Italian (which is good because my Italian vocabulary consists of “Ciao” and “Buongiorno”). When I get there I will have to take an intro course, but otherwise my classes will be taught in English.

 

When you apply to go abroad you first have to fill out an application for Fordham. This includes your basic information, teacher recommendations, a few personal statements, and a list of potential courses you will be taking. You’re assigned an advisor who can walk you through all of this (I visited the ISAP office many times during this process and they were incredibly helpful) and your major advisor is also a big help. I met with my major advisor (I’m an English major) and planned out the best courses to take prior to going abroad so that I would not fall behind. For English, only two of the courses you take abroad will count toward the major, but being as I will probably only be taking four courses, one of which will be Intro to Italian, this works perfectly. Once your application is complete it is reviewed by Fordham for approval. You generally need a 3.0 GPA or above to be approved by Fordham, but the individual programs might have different requirements. Fordham has an application fee for studying abroad, but if you apply before the early action deadline you save a good amount of money, so that’s why I applied last semester for the Spring 2011 program.

After I was approved by Fordham I had to fill out Temple’s application, which was basically the same as Fordham’s plus an official transcript and a form saying I’d been approved by my home university. I submitted that at the end of May and I was accepted into the program in early July. I also have an advisor at Temple who has helped me with everything thus far. After being accepted I had to send in a deposit to secure my place and now, as I said before, I am applying for a visa. It’s also really important to make sure you have a passport that isn’t expired and that won’t expire for up to three months after your program ends.

I believe the majority of students study abroad sometime during their junior year. Gabelli School of Business students can study in London during their sophomore year as well. I choose the spring semester because that’s when most of my friends are going, so I’ll be able to travel around Europe and visit them. In the next few months I’ll be choosing my courses, booking my flights, securing my housing and attending various orientations to prepare for the experience. I’m unbelievably excited knowing that in a few months I’ll be living in an apartment that is a ten minute walk from the Vatican and that I’ll be studying in one of the most culturally and historically rich cities in the world.

Check out the ISAP website to see all of the amazing programs that Fordham works with around the world!