The application for study abroad programs in the fall and spring are now due at the same time. St. Lawrence University has changed the date for fall ‘19 and spring ‘20 applications to be due on Feb. 1. The changed deadline is aimed to give students more time to prepare to go abroad.
The Center for International and Intercultural Studies is looking for new ways to improve the study abroad experience for all students and change the perception of going abroad. “This new deadline will help foster student intentionality and advance planning and will also assist the CIIS office in submitting the most accurate annual budget we can,” said Dr. Marina Llorente, the associate dean of International and Intercultural Studies. “We noticed that some students waited until the last minute to apply to study abroad and we wanted to shift that culture for students to focus on which program fits their academic and personal experience the best,” Llorente said.
“Another reason why we changed the date is we have noticed that students are taking much longer to receive their Visas,” Llorente added. “An earlier deadline gives students more time to prepare the paperwork”.
The previous deadline for the fall application was on Feb. 20 (19 days after the new one) and the deadline for the spring was Sept. 10 “I am going abroad this spring and I had to drive down to New York City to pick up my Visa and come back the same day, mainly because it was fault for waiting last minute,” said Seamus St. Lager, a student at St Lawrence. “With the new deadline I would have acted quicker in getting my Visa and not gone through the stress.”
The deadline change also raises concern students for students thinking to go abroad in the spring because they are forced to decide. “A lot can change in the next couple of months,” said Tyler Senecharles, another student at St Lawrence. “I am indecisive and don’t know if I could commit to the spring program basically a year early.”
“Other schools around us do it like this and we want to try it out for about two years,” said Llorente. “We will look at the pros and the cons and go from there.”
St Lawrence offers 30 off-campus programs in over 20 countries cover all topics and majors. Applications for fall 2019 and spring 2020 are open now and are due on Feb. 1. Contactciis@stlawu.edu or visit https://www.stlawu.edu/ciis/programs for information on study abroad info sessions.