Center for Global Education | Help for Students - Colleges and Universities Respond

United States Colleges and Universities
Help for Student Victims of Hurricanes

Study Abroad

1. Introduction

You’ve considered returning to home or your home institution, staying at the school you may have enrolled in after Katrina, or perhaps transferring to a third institution. One more option that you should consider is studying abroad for a semester, whether it be through an institution you are affiliated with, another school, or an independent program provider. Your experience as a displaced student has given you many skills that could be put to excellent use in a study abroad program.

2. Going abroad after Katrina-one student’s story

After the hurricanes, a number of study abroad programs offered places and financial aid for displaced students. Read one student’s story below:

(from Farrell, E. Affluent Students Displaced by Katrina Find World of Options, While Others Must Put Education on Hold, Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/20/2005

French Quarter or France

Alexa B. Erck, a Tulane University sophomore who left New Orleans the day before Katrina ravaged the city had resigned herself to missing out on studying abroad because of the grueling course requirements in her biology major. After Tulane closed down and she could not get the courses she needed elsewhere, Ms. Erck realized that the storm had opened the way overseas. She quickly went online and signed up for American University's study-abroad program in Paris.

Her parents had already paid the fall semester's tuition at Tulane, but they agreed that studying in France was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so they advanced her the additional $9,700 for tuition and $425 per month for a flat with a view of the Arc de Triomphe. Ms. Erck will cover expenses for groceries, entertainment, and trips around Europe with a combination of her summer-job savings and credit-card advances from her parents.

3. Your experience makes you an excellent candidate for Study Abroad!

Most students were fortunate if they were able to relocate to another school in the United States, let alone abroad. Your experience of being displaced, however, may have actually prepared you well for an experience abroad! You have had to adjust to a different place, people, and way of doing things. You have likely experienced many new things and have adapted to change. This has some similarities to what it is like to study in another country. Read one article that draws some comparisons through one student’s experience below:

(Excerpt taken from College Life after Katrina By Stacy A. Teicher, Christian Science Monitor online edition, 10/20/2005.)

'My mom told me, 'Think of it like study abroad.' " For all Whitney Wallace knew of New Hampshire, it might as well have been a foreign country. But when she got word that she could attend college here for free this semester after evacuating from Dillard University in New Orleans, she didn't worry about the details. The sophomore had been sitting at home in Jackson, Miss., for a week when a friend spotted Franklin Pierce College's scholarship offer on the Internet. "I just thought, 'Let me hurry up and do it before I change my mind,' " she says, her slipper-clad feet kicking back and forth as she relaxes in her dorm on a Friday afternoon.

Ms. Wallace could have stayed closer to home, at any number of colleges in the region that opened their doors for free to evacuees. But she and friend Tyger Russell decided to head north for an adventure instead. Thanks to the Dillard network, five others from the historically black college found the right academic fit at Franklin Pierce and arrived here during the first week of September.

Hundreds of schools around the United States are now host to the diaspora of Gulf Coast students and faculty. Franklin Pierce counts 14 "Katrina scholars" - the rest coming from Tulane and Loyola - among its 1,600 students. As homework intensifies and the trees take on the rich hues of fall, the initial flurry of donations and local media attention is fading. But those little moments of discovery keep happening - the comparisons of food and weather and culture that are part of any encounter "abroad."

Dean of admissions Lucy Shonk reassured a number of Dillard parents who were wary about their children arriving there from a campus that's almost entirely African-American. With about 7 percent of the student body from minority groups, Franklin Pierce is diverse by New Hampshire standards, she says. "It's a place where everybody gets along ... and it's diverse not just in terms of minorities but all types of backgrounds." Being in a rural area, she adds, forces the college to build a strong sense of community and trust.

Wallace says she's excited to be on a campus that to her eyes is very diverse. "I've met Italians, Japanese.... These are people I never get to meet on my campus." she says. And some simply defy categories: "There's this guy," she says, giggling, "he wears tie-dyed clothes and hangs a stereo around his neck and just starts dancing."

On their second day in New Hampshire, Wallace and Ms. Russell signed up for the campus's traditional Mountain Day. Along with 250 students and faculty, they had their first hiking experience, climbing to the 3,100-foot summit of nearby Mt. Monadnock. Wallace cracked jokes all the way up to mask her terror. "At the top, I just lay there. I didn't want to move.... I thought I was on 'Fear Factor,' " she says. Russell came away with a postcard-perfect response: "If I can do this, I can do anything."

4. Resources for Study Abroad

You may be more prepared for an experience abroad than you realize. With proper planning, you can make studying abroad a reality. Most students who participate in such programs receive some form of financial aid. You are encouraged to visit your campus study abroad office as well as the following resources:

The Center for Global Education has launched a complete Study Abroad Student Handbook with general information on the benefits of study abroad, finding the appropriate program, things to consider, safety issues, and information about culture shock and re-entry. We suggest you begin to explore your options here. The site includes country-specific information on the most popular study abroad destinations and links you to the best sites for finding programs and information.

(cited from the Study Abroad Student Handbook: Finding a Quality Program:)

Some Tools for Finding a Program:

U.S. Home Campus Study Abroad Office/Resource Center: The best place to look for a study abroad program is your U.S. home campus study abroad office (where available). The staff can help you through the process of finding a program, applying, participating, and returning home.
Reference Books: The following are comprehensive reference books which are updated each year: Peterson's Study Abroad, Peterson's Summer Study Abroad, IIE Academic Year Abroad, and IIE Short-Term Study Abroad. They include detailed explanations and descriptions of many study abroad progams.
Websites: There are a number of websites with information about available study abroad programs. Some websites we recommend are: Studyabroad.com, Goabroad.com, IIEPassport, and Peterson’s.

The Center also hosts the Resources for Study Abroad Website with helpful links for studying abroad.

Although studying abroad generally refers to studying in other countries around the world, there are opportunities to study in other parts of the U.S. beyond the city where you came from. Many colleges and universities have a Washington D.C. semester option.