Pre-Departure

Complete and submit the following online forms via SITES:

• Participation Agreement for Smith Study Abroad (requires parent/guardian signature)

• Health and Disability Management Form

• Proof of payment of any non-refundable deposit you have made

• A copy of your program acceptance letter or email

• Confirm enrollment in study abroad program or host university; complete study abroad program or host university required paperwork.

• Notify the program or university that Smith College will be paying your tuition and related expenses. Bills should be sent to the Office for International Study, not your home.

• Designate the Office for International Study as the place your transcript should be sent.

• Notify any program you do NOT intend to attend that you are withdrawing your application.

• Complete any financial aid paperwork: If you will be away from Smith during a semester in which financial aid forms must be completed and signed, find out from Student Financial Services what will need to be done while you are abroad, such as giving power of attorney to a parent.

• Submit a Direct Deposit Authorization/Payment Election in Workday.

• Resolve any problems with your student account: Study abroad approval (and ability earn Smith credit for study abroad) will be rescinded if your student account is not in good standing.

Once you submit the forms above, your enrollment status at Smith will formally change to “study abroad leave,” and your course registration for any term you will be away will be inactivated. You do not need to register for classes at Smith. Any housing assignments will also be cancelled at that point. While you are away, you will receive notification of the on-line housing lottery process for your return to campus. If you are unable to participate in the lottery, be sure to find someone who can serve as your Housing Proxy.

All students must attend the required Pre-Departure Orientation. Important information about study abroad will be presented, and will be followed by country meetings where returned students are available for questions. Each Smith Program Abroad will also have a mandatory Orientation session.

If you wish to switch semesters within the same academic year, a new or revised Plan of Study must be submitted for approval. If you have already been accepted into a study abroad program or university, you must also contact the program, which may or may not allow you to defer enrollment.

If you decide not to study abroad in the upcoming academic year, you must notify the Office for International Study in writing. An email message stating your decision to remain at Smith and the term you had intended to be abroad sent to studyabroad@smith.edu is sufficient. If your decision not to study abroad comes after being accepted to your study abroad program or host institution you must also notify them of your change in plans. Depending on the timing of this decision there may be some financial penalties involved. You will also need to work with the Housing office as well as with the Registrar’s office to make sure everything is in order for you to return to campus. Once you have decided to stay at Smith your decision is final; you will not be able to reactivate your approval to study abroad. You may apply again to study abroad the following academic year.

Study abroad can open up new avenues of research that lead to an independent study or honors project in the senior year. It may also strengthen applications for graduate schools, scholarships and fellowships. You are strongly recommended to investigate all these possibilities before departure; without planning ahead you will find it very hard to make all the necessary arrangements and meet deadlines at the beginning of your senior year.

The Fellowships Office has detailed information on postgraduate scholarships and grants on its website. Watch for announcements of informational meetings about fellowships in the year before you study abroad.

Students interested in the health professions should consult the Program Director for Health Professions and Mentoring Program. Students considering graduate school in other fields should consult the staff at the Lazarus Center.