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Before You Go

Academic Obligations
There is no need to select courses at Princeton for the semester(s) you will be away if you are sure that your study abroad plans are firm and there is no question about your eligibility for study abroad. If you are a rising junior and leaving for the fall semester or for the entire academic year, you must sign into a department in the spring, even if you decide not to select courses for the fall.

Before leaving for your semester or year abroad, you are expected to complete all exams and papers from the preceding semester. If you attend a spring semester program that begins in the second or third week of January, you may need to make special arrangements to complete your final examinations and to meet other academic obligations. Detailed information about the process will be provided at the mandatory predeparture meeting in November.

If you will be away from campus at the time you are scheduled to take a final examination, you have two options: (1) You can ask the instructor of the course to give you an early examination; or (2) if taking an early exam is not possible or desirable, you can have the final examination administered abroad. There is a form that you must complete and have signed by your course instructor to arrange to have the examination administered to you abroad. Contact the Office of International Programs to get a copy of the form.

If taken abroad, the final exam should ideally be taken on the same day that the exam is given at Princeton. The only exceptions are made when the exam is held on a weekend, or when it does not arrive at the overseas site in time. In the first instance, the exam date will be moved to the nearest working day. In the second case, the exam is given one working day after receipt of the exam.

The Office of International Programs will secure a copy of the final exam from the instructor of the course and send it overseas with instructions for administering the exam and a copy of the Honor Code. A temporary notation of “incomplete” will be recorded until the final grade for the course is received.

Students who need to leave campus before the end of the fall semester are advised to make use of the winter recess to research and write term papers so they can submit all written work prior to leaving campus.

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid should read “Financial Aid Information for Study Abroad and Field Study Students” and must submit a “Budget for Study Abroad or Field Study” to the Undergraduate Financial Aid Office in 220 West College. Both documents are available on the Undergraduate Financial Aid website. . No funds will be made available to you and/or dispersed to your program sponsor until your budget has been approved. Make sure you take care of this in a timely manner!

Your budget for study abroad will be reviewed and your financial aid award will be adjusted, if necessary. If your combined expenses for a semester away and a semester at Princeton (or a full year away) are more than a year’s budget at Princeton, University grant funds will be assigned to meet the additional cost. If your total budget is less than Princeton’s, your self-help aid will be reduced first, then, if necessary, grant assistance.

After you have completed and returned all necessary forms, the Student Accounts Office will prepare your financial aid for release. Typically, financial aid is first released to the sponsoring program to cover their direct charges (less any payment your family may have already made to the program). Any remaining aid is released to either you or a parent. Financial aid funds are normally not released until the first day of classes each term. If earlier payment is due to the program, please specify the due date and be sure to discuss your situation with a financial aid counselor.

Housing and Dining Contracts
Before you leave campus, you must return your room key to the Housing Office in the MacMillan Building. If you participated in Room Draw, you must also cancel your 2009-10 Housing and Dining Services contracts. Failure to do so will result in additional charges to your student account. If you have any questions about housing policy or room selections before or during study abroad, please contact either Angela Hodgeman (609/258-3461, hodgeman@princeton.edu) or Phyllis Rodill (609/258-5757, prodill@princeton.edu) in the Housing Office.

Students Abroad for the Fall
If you will be away during the fall semester only, please consult the Housing Office website for information about Spring Move-In. Students who are returning to housing for spring semester should apply for housing online, as instructed on the Spring Move-In Information webpage.

A space vacated by a student going abroad will be filled by a student on the housing waiting list. Students may not hold a room or space in a suite by paying for a yearlong housing contract. In some cases, the remaining roommates may be moved to a smaller room, if one is available. All vacancies in suites will be handled at the discretion of the Housing Office. Students returning to campus for the spring should be aware that single rooms are usually not available. Please expect to be assigned to a vacancy in a suite. If you are returning from the fall semester abroad and wish to take the space in a suite of someone who will be away in the spring semester, let the Housing Office know between December 11 and January 19. As long as the other students in the room agree to the proposed arrangements, there should not be a problem.

Please note that single rooms cannot be requested, even if you know that the room will be vacant. Beginning December 11, you may contact Angela Hodgeman in the Housing Office (609/258-3461) to discuss your housing request and ask any questions. Please note that students returning from the fall semester abroad cannot be given access to their room until noon on the Wednesday of intersession week.

Students Abroad for the Academic Year or the Spring
If you will be abroad for the academic year, you should participate in room draw for the following year through online room draw. If you will have limited internet access, you should contact the Housing Office to make other arrangements. You can designate a friend or the Housing Office to select your room and roommates by logging on to the room draw website and clicking on “Assign Proxy.” Your proxy will then be able to log in (as you) to select your room. You should be sure that your proxy is aware of your draw time and your room preferences. Your electronic signature on the Housing/Dining Contract indicates your intention to occupy the room. You are therefore subject to all rules concerning the cancellation of the housing contract.

Storage
If you wish to store boxes while you are away, storage space is available in the second entry basement of 1939 Hall. Storage is limited to boxes only; there are no facilities for storing carpets, furniture, or refrigerators. Although there is no limit set for the number of boxes you may store, you should try to store as few as you can to help assure that space exists for all students who are studying abroad. Also note that there is no charge for storage for study abroad students.

You can access the storage facilities Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. When you are ready to place your belongings in storage, call 609/258-3490. Someone from Building Services will meet you at the designated spot to unlock the building. When you return to campus, you may retrieve your items during the storage access hours as stated above by calling Building Services. If you have any questions, please contact Rick Clugston at Building Services by calling 609/258-6241 or e-mail clugston@princeton.edu.

Library/Carrels
Before departing, check at the library circulation desk to return all books and pay any outstanding fines. Your library card and privileges will not be canceled while you are away.

Juniors who wish to sign up for a carrel for senior year must submit a carrel application form. Information about applying for a carrel is available at http://libweb.princeton.edu/services/carrels.php. Juniors will be notified via e-mail of the date that the Access Office will be accepting applications for the coming year. If you have questions about the process or questions about carrels, please contact the Access Office (access@princeton.edu or 609/258-5737).

Only students in the following departments are eligible for carrels in Firestone Library: Anthropology, Classics, Comparative Literature, Economics, English, French and Italian, German, History, History of Science, Near Eastern Studies, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, Religion, Slavic Languages and Literatures, Sociology, Spanish and Portuguese, and Woodrow Wilson School.

Parking
Study abroad students may not leave their vehicle unattended while away.

Juniors and seniors who plan to have a car on campus for any part of the 2009-10 academic year should register their vehicle as soon as it is brought to campus at www.princeton.edu/parking. (Parking on campus is not available for freshmen and sophomores.) For further information, contact Transportation & Parking Services (parking@princeton.edu, 609/258-3157, 609/258-5436). Please visit the T&P website for office hours, rules and regulations, etc. For any parking concerns after hours, to avoid citations, boots, and tows, contact Public Safety for instructions, 609/258-1000.

Change of Address
All students studying abroad need to register a temporary change of address so that mail can be forwarded to your home while you are away. A change of address form will be distributed at the mandatory predeparture meeting and should be returned to the Mailboxes and Package Room in Frist Campus Center, Room 118.

Mail for students who do not have a U.S. home address will be forwarded to the Office of International Programs, and we will send it on to your study abroad location.

Health Check
Travelers who have a chronic medical condition, are pregnant, or are traveling to Africa, Asia, Central and South America, Eastern Europe and the NIS of the former Soviet Union, and the South Pacific (except Australia and New Zealand) should make a travel planning appointment with University Health Services.

At least four to six weeks before your departure, call University Health Services (609/258-5357) to schedule a travel planning appointment to discuss immunizations and prescriptions. Appointments can be made Monday–Friday and last approximately 30 minutes. Make this appointment as early as you can. Students planning to travel in numerous countries and across different continents should schedule their appointment at least ten weeks before departure. Visit the UHS Travel Services website for more information.

Be sure to bring any application/travel requirement forms to your appointment. This appointment covers general advice about travel and must take place before any immunizations will be given. The clinician will review your immunization record and discuss any safety precautions that should be taken during your trip. Immunization appointments may be scheduled immediately after the travel-planning visit. If a physical examination is also needed, it must be scheduled through a separate appointment.

You are also strongly urged to consult the Travel Medicine Services website provided by UHS. Additionally, the UHS Travel Tips website offers travel-related information, including jet lag reduction, food and water precautions, and insect and animal protection.