Assistance includes financial, safety advice
USC’s Study Abroad Office offers programs and assistance to students who want to learn in another country.
“We have fewer programs than UGA and Florida, who [have] big study abroad [programs], but more than some other universities,” said Sarah Langston, a study abroad adviser. “We try to provide a lot of additional services, like workshops, intern abroad assistance, scholarship review, etc., that other schools might not be able to provide.”
Of the programs USC does offer, 32 of them are Global Exchange Programs, according to Langston.
“These are overseas partner schools where USC students can study for a semester or academic year and take courses at the foreign university while paying in-state USC tuition,” Langston said.
About 4.5 percent of USC students decided to study abroad last year, according to Langston. The number of students who have studied abroad so far this year was not available Wednesday night.
The options can be overwhelming for students having to decide on programs, scholarship opportunities and their destination.
Kathleen Hynes, a fourth-year Spanish student, has studied in Salamanca, Spain, twice. Her first trip was during the summer of 2009, and she went back last spring. According to Hynes, the role of the Study Abroad Office is to guide students in the right direction.
“All of the advisers are very well versed in many programs and are willing to help students find what could work best for them,” Hynes said. “They won’t simply tell students where they should go, but instead show them a variety of programs.”
Not only does the Study Abroad Office help students before their departure, but it is also in contact with students while they are away.
“While in Kenya, some acts of terror occurred in the city I stayed in, and I was the only American student whose school knew what was going on and cared,” said Joyce Gannaway, a second-year public relations student. “USC checked up on me and offered to help in anyway possible. We are lucky to have a great program here at USC that every student should take advantage of.”
It is important for students to meet with their academic advisers to make sure credit work abroad will transfer back to USC, according to Langston.
“All courses should be pre-approved for transfer, and we encourage students to get alternate courses approved in case their schedule changes while abroad,” Langston said. “Students are responsible for making sure their transcript is sent to our office from the foreign university.”
In order to study abroad, students must be vigilant about the application process.
“Much of the study abroad application process can involve other departments at USC (e.g., Honors College, Financial Aid, Bursar’s (Office)), each of whom individually wouldn’t always know the other departments as thoroughly,” said Rahoul Ahuja, a fourth-year biology student who studied abroad in Switzerland Fall 2011. “The Study Abroad Office is cognizant of exactly where you need to go for each part of the process, and this helps to have one efficient headquarters.”