Advising week is notoriously a stressful time for students, but it need not be! In fact, this period can be both exciting and rewarding. If you are considering studying off-campus, now is a great time to speak with your advisor and explore potential program options. It might seem intimidating to try and plan a semester off-campus, but with the right tools, this can make an incredible impact on your collegiate career and help you earn credit towards your degree. Here are a few tips to make the most of Advising Week and to help you study off-campus.
Talk to your advisor. Keeping your advisor in the loop about studying off-campus will allow them to help you plan out your time at St. Lawrence University. They might provide you with valuable insights into which programs are best suited to your major(s) and academic areas of interest, and the sequence of when courses will be offered on campus.
Attend an Off-Campus Study 101 session. This session is every Friday from 2–3 p.m. in Carnegie 105. Led by CIIS Peer Advisors, this is the best way to get a broad overview of first steps toward planning an off-campus experience, from choosing a program, to starting the application, applying for scholarships, and much more. This week, the session will be led by Amaia Aldazabal ’25, who studied off campus in New Zealand.
Speak one-on-one with a Peer Advisor! They can give you details about specific programs you might be interested in and can also provide you with some insights on how they prepared to study off-campus. You can schedule an appointment on Starfish, or walk in Monday-Friday, 8:15 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
Check APR2. By selecting the “off-campus” filter, you can see which courses are being offered in your desired area of study. Check specific locations in the filter to see which courses are from which off-campus program. Please note that these are only the pre-approved courses students have taken and are not a comprehensive list of all the courses you are allowed to take. (Bonus tip: Check if you can fulfill your distribution requirements while off campus. This might save you the time and headache of having to work those into your schedule later down the line. You can fulfill a DIV13 requirement by attending a workshop and completing an assignment before and after your off-campus study semester.)
Plan for prerequisites. If there is a program or two you are dying to enroll in, check to see if there are prerequisites and register for the course this spring. This will allow you the flexibility to apply for either the fall of 2026 or the spring of 2027. The fall semester can accommodate more students and allow more opportunities for them to get into their top-choice program. Read up on the CIIS website to check if your desired program contains a prerequisite.
Apply Early Decision to one of the SLU signature programs. This will allow you to apply to your top choice program in advance of other applicants and allow you to hear a placement decision faster, giving you more time to plan your schedule accordingly. With Early Decision, you waive the application fee of $50 and get an additional guaranteed $100 of financial aid. These programs also tend to have higher caps and can usually accommodate more students. The deadline for early Decision is Dec. 6, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. in Studio Abroad.
Two of our peer advisors have also graciously weighed in on how to make the most of Advising Week. Halla Chappell ‘26, who studied in Bordeaux her sophomore year says, “I would recommend students meet with their advisors with a thought-out list of programs they are considering applying to, so that their academic advising can better plan for the time spent on campus and include their time off-campus, and so that advisors can write a more tailored letter of recommendation for the student.”
Will de Chabert ’26 shares the steps he took to participate in off-campus study and complete his conservation biology and business majors and African studies minor on time. “As a double major, in order for me to go off campus twice (Kenya & New Zealand), I made sure to meet with my advisor and create a comprehensive plan for classes over my entire college career, both off-campus and back at SLU,” he said. “I also looked at which partner programs with larger universities that offered coursework in both of my majors.” Chabert, a STEM student, double-major, student-athlete, and theme house member, is evidence of how, with the proper planning, anyone and everyone who wishes to participate in off-campus study can do so.
Studying off-campus is a great way to fulfill requirements and earn credit towards your degree. Beyond this (which is obviously a huge perk), there are several internship placements, engaging coursework options, and immersive cultural experiences. The benefits of off-campus study are truly invaluable, and there is no better time to start exploring programs than during advising week. The general deadline for the 2026-27 school year is Feb. 1 at 11:59 p.m. in Studio Abroad