Academic Opportunities of Interest to Sophomores

Field 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, (609) 258-5520. 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 and has been one of the high points in many Princeton students’ undergraduate careers. Seeing yourself and your world through an unfamiliar lens can have a significant impact on your studies, deepening your understanding of yourself, and challenge your assumptions about the world. Having learned to adjust to another culture and educational system, students return from study abroad with a new level of confidence and a better sense of what they want to accomplish as undergraduates and beyond. As citizens in a globalized world, it is critical that students learn to appreciate and function in different cultures and contexts.

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. You may attend any of the more than
100 programs and universities that are approved by or affiliated with
Princeton. Options include direct enrollment in foreign universities, American or foreign-sponsored institutions that set up their own academic programs abroad, and programs that offer a combination of courses organized specially for their own students along with regular courses at a foreign university.

Information about foreign universities and study abroad programs is available in the Office of the Dean of the College and on the study abroad Web site at www.princeton.edu/~sap/programs. 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 students from the United States 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 identified some study abroad options, make an appointment to discuss your ideas 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.

Most students submit applications at the beginning of the semester preceding the one in which they plan to study abroad. Different programs and universities, however, have a range of deadlines, so it is wise to survey the programs of interest to you early on to determine when applications are due. Early applications are always advised, as most programs admit students on a rolling basis and may be full before the published deadline date. If you have questions about whether it is too late to apply for a particular program, please contact the Study Abroad office.

Princeton’s 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.

Cost and Financial Aid. Study abroad is usually not more expensive
than studying at Princeton. Students approved to study abroad during the academic year remain matriculated students and have access to their financial aid.

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.

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 be submitted at specified times during the year.

The Princeton University transcript will indicate where you studied abroad and list the courses taken. With few exceptions, the grades earned in courses taken abroad are not recorded on the Princeton transcript, but the grades for any junior independent work completed abroad will appear and are included in the calculation of your departmental grade point average. Please note that graduate and professional school admissions offices regularly require the original transcript from your study abroad program or foreign university in order to determine how well you fared in your courses 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 are not used in calculating departmental averages.

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 greater depth and sense of context when a student directly experiences the environment under study.

You may find that your department arranges the advising of junior
independent work for students abroad. For example, the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs offers policy seminars at designated universities to enable students to complete junior independent work while studying abroad. Princeton also has 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 resources. 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 early before 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, read 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 Program office at 8-5524. We are eager to encourage as many students as possible to take advantage of this opportunity.

University Scholar

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 the Associate Dean of the College, 403 West College, (609) 258-3040.