By Danielle Tarloff
Living in a foreign country for three months can be an intimidating proposition, but many students jump at the opportunity to immerse themselves in a different culture. Some are bold enough to leap from the security blanket of American society and to do so without Northeastern’s guidance.
Although Northeastern’s Study Abroad program offers students the opportunity to study at various institutions around the world, some students choose to go it alone, taking a leave of absence from Northeastern and enrolling as a “visiting student” at another institution.
“Sometimes students want to study in countries where we don’t have a partnership, and that’s a huge reason [to go independently],” Associate Director of International Programs Dawn Anderson said.
Many students she has advised are motivated by finances to consider heading abroad independently, Anderson said, rather than with one of the university’s pre-existing programs.
“For some students it is less expensive if they do it independently, but it can be challenging with transferring the credits,” Anderson said. “It depends on the particular situation.”
Katie Cameron, a psychology major who graduated last spring, went independently to the University of Hawaii and participated in its Semester Almost Abroad program.
“It was actually cheaper to go there without my financial aid, than here with financial aid,” Cameron said.
Other students said Northeastern’s study abroad program is more expensive because students earn more credits, giving the program more bang for the student’s buck.
“[Studying through Northeastern is] so expensive because you get four full credits. If you were to go outside the program you wouldn’t get the same amount of transfer credits,” said middler theatre and American Sign Language major Steven Buslovich, who spent last spring at the American College of Thessaloniki in Greece.
While some students travel independently because of cost, financial issues motivate others to stay within the university’s established program.
“When you go independently, your financial aid might not go with you,” Anderson said. “Parents expect it to because that’s part of how our program advertises itself, but when students travel independently, it doesn’t go.”
A closer examination of the process paid off for junior Elizabeth Brown, who also spent last spring at the American College of Thessaloniki.
“I did research and found that if I went through the College of Arts and Sciences, my scholarship would cover me going [abroad],” the psychology major said.
Cameron’s only problem was the organizations her loans went through did not immediately realize that she was still enrolled as a full-time student. Because she took a leave of absence from Northeastern, they expected her to begin to pay. This was easily resolved when the University of Hawaii sent proof Cameron was still enrolled full time.
In some cases, certain grants and scholarships may not apply the same to study abroad because they designate money for specific expenditures, like on-campus housing, Anderson said. In addition, students who decide to go independently should be aware they are responsible for coordinating anything from paperwork to airfare and accommodations on their own.
Transferring credits is often another tricky issue, even when students come from other universities within the United States. Students who study abroad have to make an extra effort to ensure the process is done right.
“While I just took mostly Hawaiian studies courses, it all was able to transfer back,” Cameron said. “Some even satisfied requirements in the College of Arts and Sciences.”
Anderson said no matter which route students choose, sitting down with an advisor to plan out courses is key.
“Students sit down with their advisor and go over a list of courses they want to take. They then get approval, and find Northeastern’s equivalent,” Anderson said. “Whether it’s a benefit or not a benefit really depends on the student and what the student is looking for.”
