By Maureen Inouye
Hundreds of UP students study abroad each year and a small percentage of these students do so through programs not directly sponsored by the University.
The number of students studying abroad through various non-UP sponsored programs has risen from 29 last year to 36 this year - an increase of approximately 24 percent according to the Office of Studies Abroad.
Why are students increasingly attracted to programs outside UP's core study abroad series? The answer seems simple: more choices.
The Office of Studies Abroad offers locations like Australia, England, Spain, Italy, Salzburg and Japan. Some students, however, find it necessary to look to outside programs to fit their needs.
Senior Kathleen Lynch said she chose an outside program, Gonzaga's Florence trip, because she wanted a full-year program and had a few friends from Gonzaga who were attending.
"My mother went through this program; it's really well established. So I knew I wanted to go to Florence," Lynch said. UP offers only one full-year program to Salzburg, Austria, and this did not appeal to Lynch as much as Florence did.
Arcadia University, a separate study abroad school, offers several of the same locations as well as Ireland, Greece and Guinea.
IES, or the Institute for the International Education of Students, offers an even broader selection, including Argentina, China, the Netherlands and South Africa.
Brochures and applications for each can be found in the Office of Studies Abroad in BC 161, and all three of these have separate application processes.
"Students are on their own," said Belinda Chamness, the administrative assistant in the Office of Studies Abroad, about the applications.
When students apply to study abroad through a UP program, they are assigned a student worker to process their applications and answer questions. With the other programs, students are not walked through the application procedure as carefully. IES, however, does assign its student applicants their own adviser.
Students say there are several advantages of studying abroad through programs not directly sponsored by UP.
"I liked that Gonzaga's Florence program was larger than our Salzburg program. They're both for a full year, but Gonzaga's had like a hundred students, so I never got sick of anyone," Lynch said.
There are also more opportunities to meet new people. Traveling with another program, like an IES sponsored one, means you will meet more people you would not have had a chance to meet otherwise.
"I met some of the people I consider my best friends now on that trip. I'm even dating one of them," Lynch said.
Language requirements are also not as strict. The Office of Studies Abroad conducts interviews in different languages for those applying for certain programs, such as the Granada semester, in Spanish. IES programs do not require an interview to determine language proficiency.
The IES applications just take into account the number of semesters a student has taken the language required and the grades received in those classes.
"These programs are for people who want to do something different," Chamness said.
There are also a few disadvantages to studying abroad through programs not sponsored by UP, however.
University financial aid does not transfer to any of the other study programs except the IES France program. Because UP does not offer a trip to France, but does offer a French major, this is the exception.
"For all other programs, students must pay their own fees to the institutions actually sponsoring the program," Chamness said.
Because financial aid does not transfer, other programs can be more expensive for students.
"It was a lot of money, but I'm glad I chose the Gonzaga program," Lynch said.
Another disadvantage is the paperwork involved. IES and Arcadia applications both require more paperwork than the UP application. UP relies on recommendations from teachers, advisers and RAs, but the other programs require these things in addition to several forms attempting to learn about the student.
"I had to do the application on my own, but UP and Fr. Art (Wheeler) helped me with setting up classes, making sure credits would transfer when I got back," Lynch said.
For many students, however, the wider array of choices makes outside programs worth the trouble. Like the Australia program, where students study at the University of Notre Dame Australia, many of the IES and Arcadia locations allow students to study at local universities. This gives students an even greater chance to immerse themselves in the culture.
For more specific information on all the study abroad locations available to students, the Office of Studies Abroad has a wall of fliers and booklets outlining the different choices and applications.
Chamness said the increase of students studying abroad through other companies this year does not indicate a trend because it could go down again next year.
"Every year is different. The number of people who study with other groups depends on the class, the year, the students," Chamness said.
