By Emmalee Welch, Staff Writer
Choosing to study abroad is a big decision. Most students come into college wanting to study abroad, but never actually go through with the process. When I came to Saint Leo University as a freshman, I knew I wanted to study abroad in my junior or senior year. I had my sights on England, but most students wouldn’t have made that decision so early on in their college experience.
When my junior year came around, I knew it was time to put my words into action. I knew that I needed to apply to study abroad. But I had no idea where to start the application process and I probably took much longer than I needed to. This is because I was doing something new without any guidance from someone who had been through it, and I didn’t have a clue where to start. That’s when I met Paige.
Paige Ramsey-Hamacher is the Executive Director of Center for Global Engagement at Saint Leo. Her office is located on the second floor of the Students Activities Building.
“My office and most often me are the first points of contact,” said Ramsey-Hamacher.
Ramsey-Hamacher encourages everyone to consider studying abroad, even freshman.
“It’s never too early to start,” says Ramsey-Hamacher. “The first thing you want to do is to explore the website so that you can see the map of the world and be able to start looking at partner programs that might interest you.”
Then, once you have chosen your program, Ramsey-Hamacher recommends that you “download or come to the office and pick up the Study Abroad Approval Form (SAAF).”
At first glance, the SAAF may seem overwhelming because of the many signatures you’ll need to get. However, for me, the empty boxes where you are meant to fill in the classes you are interested in taking while abroad were the most daunting. After refilling this form almost four times, I have gotten to know it very well and hopefully can help you so that you only have to fill it out once.
Something you should know about classes abroad versus classes in the United States is that the credits per class may differ. For example, I am studying abroad in London, England this semester and I am taking three classes that are each worth five U.S. credits, which is about twenty U.K. credits.
While filling out the SAAF, you should be looking at your university’s study abroad website and keep in mind any class that interests you. The SAAF only has eleven slots for classes, and you should try to fill all of them because these classes have to go through a lot to get approved.
“Approve way more than you need because that gives you the option of being able to pick and choose,” said Ramsey-Hamacher.
First, the classes have to be approved by your advisor, then your major’s chair, then your college’s dean, and, lastly, the university that you are going to. The reason you want to have all eleven classes chosen is because, even if you get all of them approved by your advisor, chair, and dean, the classes could fill up fast in your host university. During this process, it is important to be prepared.
I am a student who is successfully living out my dream of studying abroad. You too can have an education outside of the United States with the help of those around you. Throughout the next semester, I will be doing a travel log and a video blog, using my experiences to help others that are considering study abroad. You can follow along with me by following The Lions’ Pride Media Group on Instagram @lionspridemedia. I hope that my writings and I are helpful for your future journeys.
To learn more about Saint Leo’s study abroad program, you can also visit their website at https://saintleo.abroadoffice.net/index.html or email Ramsey-Hamacher at paige.ramsey.hamacher@saintleo.edu for more information.
