Before You Leave

If you do not already have a passport, apply for one as soon as possible. For U.S. citizens, passport application information is available on the U.S. Department of State website. If you have a passport, make sure that it is valid for at least six months beyond your intended return to the US. Allow at least 4-6 weeks for processing if you must apply or renew your passport.

A visa is a sticker or stamp in a passport given by a foreign government allowing the passport holder to remain in the country for a specified period of time for a specific reason. In most cases, student visas are required for study abroad. Obtaining a student visa is the student’s responsibility. Your education abroad program or host university should provide information on when to apply for your visa as well as advice and documentation needed for the visa application itself. In most cases, the responsibility for obtaining the visa remains with the student. As soon as you know in which country you will study, begin researching visa requirements. Obtaining a visa can be very complicated and take up to six months, so research visa requirements early. Usually, you must apply at the embassy or consulate of that country nearest to your home.  If you require a letter of support, you may request one here.

Student travel agencies such as Student Universe provide discounted airfare to students. In some cases, students may be required to use a group flight organized by your program or host institution. You should confirm whether or not you are subject to such a requirement prior to booking your flights. Students receiving need-based financial aid will automatically be considered for an airfare stipend which is calculated based on a sliding scale of your need level (as determined by SFS).

The ISIC is an internationally recognized card for students that provides student discounts on airfare and entry fees to cultural attractions such as museums, and supplementary health and accident insurance. All Smith students are covered by a Five College supplemental insurance policy for emergency medical evacuation and repatriation of remains, but you may be interested in the supplemental health insurance available from ISIC. Cards can be purchased online. Some programs provide ISIC cards to their students; check before you buy one. 

Your pre-departure medical needs will depend largely on the countries you intend to visit and your own personal medical situation. To find out what is currently recommended or required, look into the information provided by your program, and that is available from the Centers for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization. You may also find Travel Health Online useful. Some countries require vaccination or negative-HIV certificates. Most programs will require you to provide a medical report, consisting of a doctor’s physical exam and additional information from you on your medical history and any disabilities for which you are requesting reasonable accommodations.

Smith College Health Services can assist you in completing health forms, give physical exams, and administer vaccinations. They can help you decide about preventive medications for malaria, altitude sickness, allergies, diarrhea, etc. Make an appointment with Health Services early to be sure you have adequate time to complete any immunizations and provide results of any required tests to visa authorities. Some vaccinations may be available only from a travel clinic. There is one at UMass, and Pioneer Valley Travel Clinic is located in Northampton. 

We also recommend you prepare for how you will obtain prescription medications while abroad well in advance of your departure. In some cases there may be limitations on the amount of medications that may be prescribed for you before you go or on their availability abroad. Ask your physician to prescribe a supply of medication that will last the length of your stay, or make arrangements to purchase your medications abroad. Carry a copy of your prescription and keep medications in the labeled containers in which they were dispensed.

Inform yourself about conditions in the country where you are planning to study. The U.S. State Department issues consular information sheets summarizing entry requirements and health and safety issues for every country. If you have concerns, your study abroad program can explain their safety policies and procedures. Very occasionally, safety concerns will cause a program to suspend operations. In most cases, however, the decision to go or not go is yours.

See Cost for details about health insurance.

Whether you will be away for a semester or a year, in a culture similar to or very different from your own, you are likely to experience some adjustment difficulties. The excitement of your first few days can be followed by frustration as you realize that the assumptions and rules by which the host culture operates are quite different from those that you are used to in such matters as conformity and individualism, privacy, social structure, formality, gender roles, and punctuality, as well as in more obvious areas such as food and dress. A simple business or social contact can leave you feeling helpless or awkward. Such feelings show that you are coming to grips with a new culture.

Explore and analyze the unfamiliar with an open mind, and avoid the temptation to retreat into the company of other U.S. students. And just as you would resent being regarded as the sole representative of your own culture, don’t generalize too quickly about your host culture based on your early experiences in the country. As you adjust to this new culture, you will find that you see yourself and your own culture differently. Also be prepared for another difficult phase: returning to Smith and your own home community.

The following books provide insight into coping with the challenges of adjusting to another culture.If you are looking for reading material during your break before you study abroad, you may wish to access these online if available or through the Five College library system.

• S. T. Duke, Preparing to Study Abroad: Learning to Cross Cultures (2014)

• N. Hadjicostis, Destination Earth: A New Philosophy of Travel by a World-Traveler (2014)

• J. Lantis and J. Duplaga, The Global Classroom: An Essential Guide to Study Abroad (2010)

• R. Slimbach, Becoming Worldwise: A Guide to Global Learning (2010)

• S. Story, Prepare for Departure: A Guide to Making the Most of Your Study Abroad Experience (2016)

• W. Williamson, Study Abroad 101, 3rd Edition (2016)

Your program or Smith professors may also suggest additional resources, both fiction and non-fiction, that  will  help  you  understand  the  culture  in  which  you  will  be  living  and  studying.  Many  foreign newspapers and magazines are available on the Web, at Neilson Library, and in the Lewis Global Studies Center. Additional resources  are available in the Lewis Global Studies Center Resource Room.