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PrincetonUniversity |
Academic Opportunities of Interest to SophomoresField Study The Field Study Program allows students to work full time in jobs or fields closely related to their academic interests. Field study may be substituted for one term at Princeton. If accepted into the program, you are expected to hold a responsible position in a government agency or private firm or organization, or to undertake significant research projects, normally under the supervision of a Princeton faculty member and an on-site supervisor. You must secure the position yourself and may undertake nonpaying as well as salaried work. Individual projects differ greatly; recent ones have included participating in archaeological fieldwork in South America, conducting biological research in a private laboratory, and interning in a congressional office. The academic component of a field study proposal is as important as the job assignment. You will be expected to work closely with an academic adviser, both in preparing proposals and while engaged in the program; you will normally complete several papers or projects demonstrating your knowledge of the relevant theoretical literature and analyzing your work experiences. Students usually benefit by waiting until their junior year to engage in the program. Plan ahead, however, to see if such a semester would enhance specific study you might be doing as a junior. Field study applications are available from Dean Richard G. Williams, 408 West College, 8-5520. Proposals should be developed in consultation with Dean Williams and an academic adviser. Admission to the program is granted by the Committee on Examinations and Standing. Study Abroad Studying abroad adds a valuable dimension to your undergraduate education. In a world that is becoming increasingly interdependent, it is critical that students have the opportunity to experience and understand other cultures in a direct way. Seeing yourself and your world through an unfamiliar lens can have a significant impact on your studies and will deepen your understanding of yourself and challenge your assumptions about the world. The Study Abroad Program allows you to receive Princeton credit while spending either one semester or an academic year abroad. The program is open to spring-semester sophomores, all juniors, and fall-semester seniors. Applications to non-English-speaking countries are especially encouraged. To qualify for the Study Abroad Program, you should have at least a B average for the fall/spring of the academic year preceding the semester or year you wish to spend abroad. Successful completion of a Princeton language course at the 107/108 level or its equivalent is the minimum prerequisite for study in a country or program where a language other than English is used. Prior to going abroad, most students complete at least one 200- or 300-level language course to attain greater fluency. Selecting a University or Program. Princeton is affiliated with a number of programs abroad, but students may also enroll directly in a foreign university or in an American program that arranges for its participants to take regular courses at a foreign university. Other options include American or foreign-sponsored institutions that set up their own academic programs abroad, taught in most cases by foreign faculty, and programs that offer a combination of courses organized specially for their own students along with regular courses at a foreign university. The academic calendar of a program or university should not conflict with Princeton's. Permission to participate in a program with a minimal calendar conflict will be granted if all specific details for completion of the semester at Princeton have been carefully worked out. Brochures and catalogs of foreign universities and American programs, as well as brochures about foreign summer schools, are available in the Office of the Dean of the College and on the study abroad Web site at www.princeton.edu/~odoc/saindex.html. Written evaluations by returning students are on file in 406 West College and provide a student perspective on the academic, social, financial, and administrative aspects of each program. Before you apply to a university or program, consider all factors that may affect your choice: Are there valuable courses offered in your discipline? Do you have sufficient language ability? Has the program or university been recommended by the Study Abroad Program adviser and your departmental representative? You should think about whether you would prefer living or studying with other Americans or with students of the host country. Do you want a program where housing, meals, and academic arrangements are made for you; or would you like to make these arrangements on your own? Are the advantages of a large city important to you, or will you learn more about the culture and get to know people more easily in a smaller city or town? Have you investigated additional costs of living in a large city? What are the total expenses for a semester or a year, including round-trip plane fare, vacation travel, and incidental expenses? Application Procedure. After you have completed preliminary research and clarified your goals, make an appointment to discuss your plans with Dean Nancy Kanach or Dr. Elena Uribe. There is a two-part application procedure. You first apply to the foreign university or study program and then submit an internal Princeton application. If you meet the eligibility requirements and have departmental support, you will be approved to study abroad by the Committee on Examinations and Standing in almost all cases. If you wish to apply directly to a foreign university for the junior year, it may be advisable to complete an application as early as the fall of the preceding year. Although it is possible to apply to many foreign universities or American programs later in the year, qualified applicants are admitted on a rolling admissions basis, and thus early applicants have a better chance of admission and better housing choices. Many students submit applications at the beginning of the semester preceding the one they plan to study abroad. They apply in February for the next fall, or in September for the following spring. The Princeton University Study Abroad Program application should be completed by May 1 for students applying to study abroad for the fall or a full year, and by November 1 for sophomores and juniors applying to study abroad for the spring term. The application consists of a statement of your reasons for wanting to study abroad, how such study will benefit your departmental (or proposed departmental) studies, a list of proposed courses to be taken abroad, and, when appropriate, statements from your independent work adviser and departmental representative supporting the proposed program of study and plan for independent work. Costs and Financial Aid. Princeton University charges a fee for study abroad. The fee maintains your full-time enrollment at Princeton and covers academic advising and administrative arrangements before, during, and after your time abroad. All study abroad program expensestuition, fees, room and boardare payable to the program or university you attend, except in cases of some Princeton-affiliated programs. Students on financial aid will continue to receive financial support from the University during the period of study abroad. An estimated budget form must be submitted to the Undergraduate Financial Aid Office, 220 West College. If the budget for a semester away is more than the budget allowed at Princeton, you will be advised about sources of funds available to meet the additional costs. If the budget is less than Princeton's budget, the self-help portion of your award will be reduced first, and then the grant. If a job is normally included in your financial aid award, the expected earnings will be replaced with a loan. You should complete financial aid applications early in the semester to allow sufficient time for approval of loan applications and subsequent direct payment of funds. Transcripts and Credit. The number of courses taken in a semester or a year varies among the foreign institutions and programs that Princeton students attend. In all cases, however, Princeton requirements are met by earning a C or better in the courses preapproved by the Committee on Examinations and Standing. This must be certified by a transcript or other similar report sent to the Study Abroad Program office at the end of the time abroad. Independent work, if required, must also have been submitted at specified times during the year. In most cases, the Princeton University transcript does not list foreign study grades except the grade for the junior independent work. The transcript will indicate where you studied abroad for credit. Graduate and professional school admissions offices usually request the foreign study transcript in addition to Princeton's and recognize the credit granted by Princeton University for the semester or year abroad. Courses taken abroad may satisfy up to two distribution area requirements in two different areas and may also be preapproved to fulfill departmental requirements. Grades received in departmental courses taken abroad may not be used in calculating averages for departmental honors. Junior Independent Work. Upperclass students are required to submit independent work to Princeton regardless of where they decide to study abroad. Many students find that doing research in a foreign country is vital to their independent work. Writing about a particular foreign culture or an international topic often acquires a different dimension, a greater depth and sense of context, when a student directly experiences the environment under study. You may find that your department arranges for the advising of junior independent work in the context of study abroad. For example, the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs offers policy seminars abroad at designated universities to enable students to complete junior independent work while studying abroad. In the fall, the English department offers the Junior Seminar at University College London, so that students can write their first junior paper under the guidance of an instructor appointed by Princeton. Princeton has also developed a system of on-site independent work advisers in a number of locations for students in particular departments. The on-site adviser is appointed by Princeton to guide the junior independent work project and to serve as a local resource on academic matters. If independent work is supervised by a faculty member on campus, there are always professors and scholars abroad who can serve as local resouces. Contact with the on-campus adviser can be maintained by e-mail, fax, or phone. Some students, who know in advance that they will be away on study abroad in the junior year, opt to do a junior paper earlybefore the junior year. Writing a junior paper early is a good idea if your topic does not depend on research in the foreign country or if it requires resources only available at Princeton. If you are interested in study abroad, you should read thoroughly the Guide to Study Abroad, which is available in the Office of the Dean of the College and on the Web. After you have familiarized yourself with some of the opportunities, make an appointment to discuss your plans by calling the study abroad office at 8-5524. The University Scholar Program is designed for a small group of students with outstanding and developed talent in an area that cannot be pursued within the confines of the regular curriculum. The requirements for admission are: 1. Evidence of outstanding scholastic achievement and promise. 2. Evidence of exceptional talent and accomplishment in an academic or creative field the student wishes to pursue either within or outside the field of his or her concentration. 3. A program of study that cannot be accommodated within the requirements of the normal curriculum. (Applicants are asked to submit a statement describing in detail the studies they propose to carry out.) 4. Strong support of the student's program by three faculty members, one of whom will serve as adviser. A University Scholar who is a candidate for the A.B. degree may be exempted from distribution requirements and/or the foreign language requirement by the Committee on Examinations and Standing. A University Scholar completes the normal departmental program but may have a reduced course schedule in any given term. A University Scholar may not fall below the minimum number of courses required in any given term. Comparable privileges are extended to University Scholars who are candidates for the B.S.E. degree, including the opportunity to begin departmental work early. An interim University Scholar holds appointment for one term only in order to pursue special projects while carrying a reduced course load. He or she is not relieved of University requirements. The application procedure is the same for the regular program. Normally students do not apply for University Scholar status until the end of their freshman year. Further information is available from Dean Hank Dobin, 403 West College, 8-3040.
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