MAXIMIZING YOUR TIME ABROAD
Embrace all your opportunities abroad, and think about life after study abroad before and during your study abroad experience. How do you do this, you ask? Consider the following:
- Seek out additional opportunities in your field, such as internships or volunteering
- Join social, educational, and professional associations
- NETWORK!
- Connect with alumni
- Develop your personal brand through LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, blogs, etc. to reflect your study abroad experience
- Cultivate relationships with professors, administrators, supervisors, and lecturers abroad
- Create a 30-second study abroad elevator speech
extending your stay abroad
You may choose to remain abroad for an additional semester. Arrangements should be made through the Center for International Programs and your Study Abroad Advisor. This is one of our favorite emails / calls to receive!
COURSE CHANGES AND APPROVAL
If you elect to take a course abroad that was not pre-approved on your Study Abroad Equivalency Form, you MUST email your contact in the Registrar's Office so that the new course may be evaluated and your registration updated. This will facilitate proper and timely transfer of credit.
HOUSING UPON RETURN TO SIENA
The Office of Community Living will contact semester abroad students with updates and important housing information. Students intending to live on campus following their semester abroad will then need to complete the appropriate housing forms. For further information, please review the Study Abroad Specifics for Return Housing or contact the Office of Community Living.
REGISTRATION FOR SIENA COURSES
The Registrar communicates with all students, including those abroad, via email, concerning upcoming online course registration. While abroad, you register online at the time allocated to your class year, as determined by the Registrar - be sure to account for the time-zone difference, though! All students abroad are expected to abide by the same norms as students on campus. You are responsible for contacting your academic advisor and obtaining your PIN at registration time. Only in very exceptional circumstances will a student be exempted from online registration. Visit the Registrar's Office for more information.
For problems regarding technical aspects of Web registration, contact the ITS Help Desk. The Assistant Dean of your respective School may also be of some assistance.
TRANSCRIPTS
You must arrange for your transcript to be sent to the Center for International Programs at Siena College upon completion of your program abroad. This is often done during the application process for your program or upon arrival in-country. Have your transcript sent to:
Br. Brian Belanger, Director of International Programs
Siena College
515 Loudon Road
Loudonville, NY 12211 USA
In order to assure proper credit allocation for courses taken abroad, they must have been pre-approved by the Assistant Dean of your respective School. Without pre-approval, course transfer is not guaranteed. Be sure to complete this course approval process prior to departure for your program; your Study Abroad Advisor can be of assistance in this process.
library resources
Many of the resources of the Standish Library are available to you while abroad, including research databases. After you click on a database name, you will be prompted to login using your regular Siena credentials.
VOTING WHILE ABROAD
Don't ditch your civic duty while abroad! To arrange for an absentee ballot, consult the Federal Voting Assistance Program.
FURTHER INFORMATION
The U.S. Department of State has created a useful, highly-informative, user-friendly website dealing with study abroad. You may access it by going to Students Abroad. It will help you find answers to questions our website may not have covered. You may also find their Traveler's Checklist quite helpful.