An article in the Nov. 1 issue of the Campus Times entitled “Students shut out of Prague programs” states that “many students have found themselves rejected from certain study abroad programs [for next semester] due to unexpected over-enrollment.”
While it is true that an unprecedented increase in applications to the Prague program offered by the Council on International Educational Exchange forced the program to not accept some students, only three of those students were from the University of Rochester.
In fact, those three students were the only UR students to not gain admission to a study abroad program for Spring 2008 from among the more than 160 here who applied. No one was rejected from either an Institute for the International Education of Students program or any other UR program due to oversubscription, and none of those programs filled early.
CIEE relied on its normal rolling admissions policy this year, as it has in the past. It is now discussing the possibility of changing that policy for its most competitive programs.
Because the majority of UR students are accepted into their first choice of program, the Study Abroad Office recommends that students apply to no more than three. There is, however, no limit to the number of applications. We are unaware of any student not accepted to the Prague program who doesn’t have another option, as suggested in the article. (For those not admitted for spring, CIEE offered admission to the Fall 2008 Prague program.)
We are always available to discuss study abroad programs. Students’ goals and aspirations change, and so do their interests in international education. As academic counselors, we like to develop working relationships with students from freshman year on, so that we can best guide them to the broadest range of opportunities.
-Jacqueline LevineAssistant Dean and Director Center for Study Abroad and Interdepartmental Programs
