2019-20

We interviewed Sara Branley, the Director of Study Abroad, about the SCU Study Abroad Program.  Sara has served as Assistant Director of Study Abroad at SCU since 2016 and has worked in higher education for over twelve years, spending time at UC Santa Cruz and USC as well.  She is committed to building administrative and advising structures that result in increased access and participation in study abroad. She is originally from Southern California and  graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in Sociology and from USC with a Masters in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs. While attending UC Santa Barbara, she studied abroad in Ireland and after graduation, she lived and worked in Dublin. 

We asked Sara to share with us some insights into applying to the Study Abroad Program. Read her answers below.

1. What are some of the important points for students to be aware of?
2. What are the tips to navigate the course database? 

Applications will open November 1!

Do your Academic Planning Form EARLY! Advisors and professors will NOT be available over the winter break. Leaving the form to the last minute may result in having to submit it without a signature. We will be scoring applications using an updated rubric (which will be made available by next week) to select students for programs. With that said, while you may submit an incomplete application, your score will be affected. 

Remember the deadlines! 

The applications for students interested in studying abroad during the next academic year. The deadline for Fall 2020, Summer 2020, & Spring 2021 programs is January 6, 2020 11:59 PST.

We are recommending that students submit their applications by noon on Monday, January 6, 2020  to ensure that all materials are received and completed on time as our office closes at 5 p.m. on Monday, January 6, 2020. We will not be in office after 5pm, so if there are any technical glitches, we will not be able to help.

Next Steps

After submitting their applications, students should receive a notice that says: “Thank you for submitting an application to SCU Study Abroad. If further information is needed, the application committee will reach out to you. If you have any questions about your application, please contact studyabroad@scu.edu.” It will then list the date and time the application is submitted. Students will be notified by February 7th if they have been nominated to the program.

Program Caps

Cap for each program is 30 students. Programs in Western Europe have been the most competitive programs over the last few years. The overall study abroad process is very competitive. Last year we received over 500 applications and we nominated 400 students. Applications are reviewed and scored by an application review committee made up of SCU faculty and staff. 

If you have questions, email studyabroad@scu.edu.Students can make an appointment with a Peer Advisor by visiting our website homepage. 

Double check class offerings 

The course equivalency database is not a listing of available courses on a program. The course equivalency database contains all courses that have previously been requested for evaluation at SCU. Listed courses may be from either Fall, Winter, Spring or Summer terms, so ensure the courses you plan to take are being offered during your program-specific term. Students should verify course offerings on the program's website or with the program staff.

Our searchable database (click here) 

Provides a quick snapshot on what the program requirements are (minimum GPA, language requirements, etc.) and links to the actual program pages that include information on academics, housing options, etc. Through the program specific pages students should be able to figure out the academic structure of the program (i.e. required program classes, # of classes required by the program, when the courses are being offered and what language are the classes in).

The course equivalent database (click here) 

Provides an overview on how credits and units convert and any existing constraint on specific majors. For example, marketing students can only take one marketing class while they are abroad, etc.. Below the academic information, the database has a list of courses that have been taken by SCU past participants and have or have not been approved. The students should toggle back and forth between the program page and the database to make sure the courses they are interested in taking are offered during the time they are going abroad.

1. If the course has not been approved for the Study Abroad program, how do you petition to get the course approved?
2. What do you look for in the essays?

If there is a course the students want to take, but the course does not appear in the database, the students have to request that the course be evaluated at SCU. The process is outlined here. 

Students should email the director of core or the chair of the academic department (use the template provided) and attach a syllabus. Please note that economics classes should be sent to Professor Shireen Alazzawi salazzawi@scu.edu  and marketing course evaluations should be sent to Professor Shi wshi@scu.edu, instead of the Department Chairs. Normally, the responses take 2 to 3 days but as more requests come in, it can take the departments longer to respond.  

Do not make assumptions, check with the Global Engagement Office, and get the courses approved now, before you are abroad (it will make the process much less stressful). The Academic Planning form will help with planning ahead and needs to be signed by the academic advisor, as part of the application process.

You can find information on the application criteria on our website (click here). We are not able to provide feedback nor edit application essays. Instead, we refer students to the Hub Writing Center and/or suggest that the students ask their family and friends to read the essays (and provide them with the rubric to refer to).

1. What do business students need to know?
2. Are there programs that offer internships for business students?

We look for the number of classes students can apply for their major or minor. If they have a minor, the courses could apply towards both or just their minor. 

Generally speaking the program will require students to take 5 classes; most are semester programs. For non-English speaking programs, the language counts as one out of five courses. A strong academically aligned program would have 2-3 courses towards major, minor and/or business core and one towards general SCU core requirements. 

There are over 25 programs that offer internships. Many are business, but a lot of the internships are in communications and political science. Few have a mandatory internship. The students can find information about internships under the courses listed for the program; they are all academic internships and will have a seminar included.  If the student is interested in the internship, the student should pick the internship course as one of the five classes.

1. What support is offered through the Global Engagement Office for the applicants?

In addition to our website and advising appointments, we can assist students in connecting with returned students. We have returned students that help with questions. Students can request to be connected with a returnee by emailing our Study Abroad Peer Advisors at sapeeradvisors@scu.edu.