Studying Away General Information

Introduction

Students from every major (including mathematics, engineering, and the sciences) at Trinity College have studied away in recent years, and most  have gained academic credit from their study away program or institution toward major requirements at Trinity. More than forty percent of each graduating class in the past several years has participated in a study away program for one or two semesters. Undergraduates from Trinity have studied in Italy, Great Britain, China, Japan, Sweden, Australia, Kenya, Ireland, Chile, Russia, Spain, France, Mexico, Nepal, Zimbabwe, Greece, Brazil, Germany, Poland, Israel, The Netherlands, Belgium, Morocco, New Zealand, Denmark, Egypt, South Africa, Vietnam, and more.

The key to arranging a successful study away experience is careful advanced planning.

Our website provides you with enough information to initiate your inquiry and to give you an outline of the study away process. While studying away, travel away, and cross-cultural experiences can always be seen as educational, students should understand that a mere sojourn in another country is not necessarily worthy of academic credit. If your only motivation in considering study away is to "get away", then you might consider independent travel during a period of voluntary withdrawal rather than a formal study program for academic credit. Trinity expects the study away program to be approximately equivalent in quality and standards to the academic work offered in Hartford.  Please see Trinity's List of Approved Programs.

Be sure to consider the relevance of any prospective program to your studies at Trinity. You might want to know whether internships, independent study, particular disciplines, or other options are available in the curriculum offered.  Don't underestimate the value of choosing a program that is academically demanding.  Keep in mind that, except for some Trinity-run programs,  grades earned on study away programs are not calculated into your Trinity GPA (see  Trinity's List of  Approved Programs on this site).

Deadlines

At the start of your planning process, recognize the importance of respecting deadlines. Please review carefully the Application for Transfer Credit available in the Office of the Registrar and consider the established deadlines that appear on that sheet. It is particularly important to note that you must finish your applications to all programs (including back-up choices) by March 15th (for fall or full-year programs) or by October 15th (for spring programs). This is true even if the program to which you are applying for has a later application deadline. Of course, any program that has an earlier application deadline must receive your application by that earlier deadline! Many programs practice rolling admissions, and some of the better ones are filled early. It is to your advantage to apply as early as possible. If you wait until the deadline, you may find a program is already filled. The deadline for submitting the Intent to Study Away is November 15 for fall, the following spring and full year programs.

Things to consider:

Whether or not you have made a definite decision about study away, you ought to consider the following before you decide upon a specific program:

1.  Do you wish to study directly in a foreign university with students from the host country; in a U.S. college-sponsored program fully integrated with a foreign university; in a non-integrated program sponsored by an American institution such as the Trinity College/Rome Campus; or in a U.S. college-sponsored program which offers a mixture of its own courses and foreign university courses? Each has its strengths and weaknesses that we would be happy to discuss with you.

2.  Do you wish to study in a major city or in a rural, small town? Though many students are drawn by the allure of capital cities, there are many advantages to studying off the beaten track.  Cultural integration is generally easier in a more intimate setting.  Seriously consider studying outside your host country's capital city!

3.   What type of housing would be most comfortable for you? Consider carefully the kinds of accommodations, if any, offered by a particular program or institution: with students of a host country, with American students, or with families.  Do you wish a single or a shared room? If required, are you willing to find your own housing?

4.  Is it your intention or desire to study and converse in English or in another language? Do you wish to strengthen your skills in another language or even to start learning another language?  You are strongly encouraged to enroll at Trinity in at least a year of the language of your host country prior to your period of study away, even if your program has no language prerequisite. Having background in the language of your host country will make your time away more profitable and will help with your integration into the culture.

5.  What are your own academic goals, desires, and obligations? How will a period of study away affect or enhance your career and graduate study plans?  What about plans for summer employment? Many academic schedules outside the U.S. run through the end of June or into July. And if you are south of the equator, you may find yourself attending school during our summer. 

Office hours

Monday through Friday,

8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Prior to studying away you are required to meet with either an Assistant Director or attend a study away information session (a schedule of information sessions will be established at the start of each semester and will be available in the Office of International Programs as well as publicized through email).

Resources

The Reading Room in Goodwin Lounge includes  program brochures, binders of student evaluations, and various reference books. Please stop by during office hours to take a look at this information or to pick up brochures.  Also, take a look at Trinity's List of Approved Programs. If you find a program that is not on the Approved List it is possible to petition the Office of International Programs to consider an alternative program although this only occurs in exceptional cases. Contact the Office of International Programs for details.

The Office of International Programs has evaluations of Trinity students who have studied away. Most are very willing to talk with you about their experiences. If no evaluation exists for a program in which you are interested, perhaps you will be able to find a student who has studied in the country in which your program is located. You can also contact other colleges whose students have studied in the program and ask for evaluations or names and addresses of recent participants. 

Talk to faculty

Confer with your faculty adviser and department chairperson about your plans for study away. You should check with the chairperson of your major department on any specific requirements or limits on the amount of major credit which may be earned while away. If you plan to declare an interdisciplinary minor, consult with the program director of that minor. All transfer credit courses used for major or minor requirements must be approved by the appropriate department chairperson or program director.

It is important to ask appropriate academic departments about future schedules of course offerings at Trinity and projected faculty leaves or sabbaticals. This information may influence your choice of the semester or year when you will study away. You will need to plan a year in advance for entrance to limited enrollment senior seminars and other courses.  You should tentatively plan your Trinity course schedule for the semester of  your return. If you do this, you are not as likely to be disappointed in your selection of courses or your progress toward the completion of major requirements.

Graduate school and career plans

Consult your major department and Career Services to assist you in determining how study away effects your academic plans, including your major, graduate school, or future career.   In the Trinity College Handbook, is a list of the members of Advisory Committees for professional school disciplines. Considering how your study away experience might complement your career or graduate school plans can be an exciting and useful planning exercise which might also result in valuable experiences to offer a prospective graduate school or potential employer. Individuals who participate in study away during their undergraduate years go on to a variety of professions, graduate schools, and professional schools (including law school, medical school, business school, and architecture graduate school).

If you plan to study away during the first semester of your senior year and then plan to attend graduate school the following year, you should be aware that your study away transcript may not be available prior to your application deadline for graduate school. It is recommended that first semester seniors studying away confer with their prospective graduate schools well in advance to determine policies on receiving first semester senior-year grades beyond the application deadline. Study away for the second semester of the senior year requires special permission (consult the Director of International Programs and the Registrar).

Criteria for admission to study away 

Students often wonder how many study away programs they should apply to in order to assure their acceptance. Very often, Trinity students only need to apply to one or two study away programs.  Trinity students who satisfy the following criteria can usually be assured of acceptance into their first choice programs:

    1.  You must meet any prerequisites that the program has for admission. Prerequisites may include language ability or GPA.

    2.  You should have at least a B average (at least an 3.0 GPA. on the Trinity 4.0 scale). 

    3.  You must be in good academic standing.

    4.  Your application should be completed as early as possible. 

    5.  ** All Trinity College students must have fulfilled the math proficiency requirement by the end of their sophomore year.  For some students, the requirement must be satisfied by taking an assigned math course at Trinity (Math 101, 102, 103, or 104). Students should plan their schedule so as to complete any required proficiency course before applying to study away programs.**

The Director or Assistant Directors will be able to advise you about whether you need a "back-up" application or whether an early application to the program you are considering is sufficient. Of course, students with averages of B- or slightly lower can usually be admitted on the basis of other factors.  Such students should not rule out the possibility of study away.

Applying to programs

Application forms for most approved programs can be found in  Goodwin Lounge. In some cases, you will need to write to or call your prospective host program or institution to obtain your own application materials. Most programs also have websites with applications available to download. Approval or reference forms  required by many non-Trinity programs should be given to the Assistant Directors. Always be sure to include a stamped envelope addressed to the proper person or office at your host program. Again, be careful to note Trinity's deadlines. You must complete your application by October 15th (for spring programs) or March 15th (for fall or full-year programs) even if the program or institution to which you are applying has a later deadline. Obviously, you must abide by your prospective host institution's or program's deadlines if they are earlier than the Trinity deadlines. Before the Office of International Programs sends administrative approval to your host program,  your academic record will be reviewed.  Allow several days lead time for all documents.

Cost and financial aid

The cost of study away (including round trip transportation to your program or institution and spending money) is normally no more than the cost to be at Trinity for a comparable period of time. However, the student who wishes to do extensive traveling while away may find that additional funds are necessary; also, the student who normally spends more than the estimated amount for personal expenses at Trinity will probably find that the cost of personal expenses away is also higher.

A Study Away Fee for participation in non-Trinity study away programs is charged to Trinity students. Please contact the Office of International Programs at 860-297-2005 for the current study away fee.   It is billed through the regular College billing process, but is not levied for Trinity-run or sponsored programs. The fee must be paid before the student may transfer credit from a study away program and prior to his or her subsequent registration at Trinity. The fee is not charged for summer programs.

Those who are recipients of financial aid from or through Trinity College are always able to use that aid for a study away program approved by the Office of International Programs (take a look at our information on financial aid). Remember that some study away programs offer financial aid to applicants who have demonstrated financial need, whether or not those applicants are presently receiving financial aid from their home institutions.

After your program notifies you

When you have received a reply (acceptance, denial, waiting list, or other reply) to your application(s), you must notify the Office of International Programs in writing.

Once you have committed yourself to studying with a particular program, confer with your faculty adviser and department chairperson (if you wish credit toward your major) concerning your choice of courses for the period of time you will be away. You must file your Application for Transfer Credit by May 1 or November 15 (immediately preceding your period of study)  so that you can be given notice that your courses are acceptable for transfer credit.  You may also request that transfer credit be applied to your major, minor, or the general education distribution requirement on the Application for Transfer Credit.

Preparing to leave

In either May or December, you will receive a prolific amount of information including housing and course registration for the time of your return.