Hi everyone! I hope you are well. In this week’s blog, I’m going to talk about my experiences working with Amherst’s Global Education Office, applying to study abroad programs, and picking a program that I think will fit me well. Please email me at sgoldsmith24@amherst.edu if you have any questions!
Global Education Office
The Global Education Office (GEO) helps students apply to study abroad programs and navigate the entire abroad process. I scheduled a meeting with GEO when I knew that I wanted to study abroad in Fall 2022 (instead of a different semester). I’m double majoring in French, so I picked a few study abroad programs in France that I thought I would be happy at before my appointment to bring up with the advisor. The person I met with told me about the general process of applying to study abroad programs, getting a student visa, and fulfilling major requirements. She also answered some questions I had about billing and transferring course credit.
Applying to Study Abroad Problems
Often, students at Amherst who study abroad do so through a program that is affiliated with a different school. For example, the programs I applied to were operated by Syracuse, Wellesley, and Hamilton, among other colleges. Amherst has approved lots of programs that are operated by different schools for students to participate in (here is the list), but if you are interested in a program that has not been approved by Amherst, it is easy to petition GEO so that they sign off on the program.
I can’t speak for all programs, but for the four programs that I applied to, you apply directly through the program’s website, as opposed to through an Amherst portal. The programs I applied to required a personal statement, answers to some short response questions, and one or two letters of recommendation. I heard back from the programs very quickly, and was accepted to all of them. Overall, the application process was very smooth and not especially anxiety-inducing.
Picking a Program
After I was accepted to my programs, I spoke to some students at Amherst who had participated in the programs in past semesters. I’m very glad I did this, because I was almost ready to commit to a program until I spoke to a past participant, and decided it wouldn’t be a good fit. On a whim, I decided that I wanted to study abroad in Paris instead smaller French towns in south France, and applied to a program that is based in Paris. After I was accepted, I committed to the program, and I’m very excited that I will be spending my fall 2022 semester in Paris, learning to navigate a city in a foreign language, visiting museums and landmarks, and experiencing life in a different country than the United States.
Thank you for reading! Please email me at sgoldsmith24@amherst.edu if you have any questions or comments! I’d love to hear from you.