The basics of the Semester Abroad program are that students spend Spring semester attending a special series of courses which prepare them for the challenge of spending one hundred days in Europe, travelling and researching a project of the student's choice, and then composing a substantial research paper after returning home. The research project is developed during the spring before departure with the help of a faculty advisor. Then, with the help of the advisor and the Semester Abroad directors, the student arranges contacts in Europe in advance, so that when he or she arrives in Europe there will be people to meet with during the research. Generally, the research happens in one specific area of one specific country, so that the student can get to know the culture well. The cost of the program isn't fixed.
Individual lifestyles determine how much money each student actually spends in Europe.
It is strongly recommended that students take around USD2500 with them to pay their expenses. There are also special loans and scholarships for studying abroad, and they're worth looking in to. This page was last modified onFriday, Dec 15 2000.