What is the ICIP?

An opportunity for you to:

·         do something you like

·         engage with your host community

·         reflect on your study abroad experience

Most students abroad for the academic year are required to complete an ICIP, and it is required for some semester programs as well.

ICIP Categories

·            Job/Internship

·            Community Based Learning Project or Volunteering

·            Follow Your Passion

For more information, including examples of past ICIPs, see http://www.holycross.edu/engaged- learning/study-abroad/programs/independent-cultural-immersion-project-icip-0

Supervision of the ICIP

There is a designated ICIP Advisor at each program location that requires an ICIP who advises students regarding local opportunities and directs students to on- or off-campus resources, and will usually meet with students four or five times over the course of the year. The ICIP Advisor is not a personal tutor. Students are expected to work independently and to update their Advisor on their progress.

Assessment and Academic Credit

The ICIP Advisor evaluates both the long-term engagement and a final project. The final project is usually a written essay (8-10 pages) or a reasonable equivalent (video, photo essay, performance). In some locations, students will also be required to give a short presentation of their project. The project will not satisfy any course requirements at Holy Cross, but it will be given an “overload” ¼ unit academic credit and will appear with a grade on the student’s transcript (it will not affect your GPA).

Your ICIP and the Future

An excellent ICIP can be the start of a senior-year thesis, and can also serve as the basis of an application for a number of competitive fellowships awarded to students upon graduation, such as the Fulbright. Other opportunities include publishing in the Holy Cross Library’s CrossWorks publishing site http://crossworks.holycross.edu/celebrating_philosophy/.

Awards and Honors

Following your return to Holy Cross, you will be invited to apply to participate on the Study Abroad panel at the annual Academic Conference in April, which features student presentations of their ICIP or an academic project they completed abroad. Every spring a graduating senior is selected for the Study Abroad Award for the best ICIP. The award winner receives a prize from the Office of Study Abroad. In May of your senior year, you will be awarded a Study Abroad Participation Cord to wear at graduation.

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