2008 Woodie Awards
Apps up for Fall study abroad
Push to balance numbers per semester may have proved effective as 129 students apply to study abroad during the coming fall semester
By: Amy Lieberman, Managing Editor
Issue date: 3/24/06 Section: News
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The administration's recent attempts to balance study abroad numbers, capping the program at 115 students per semester, appear to have workedâ?"at least for now. According to Provost Diane Michelfelder, 129 studentsâ?"123 new applicants and 6 deferred from last semesterâ?"have submitted applications to study abroad this coming fallâ?"a substantial increase from the 74 that studied away last semester.
The rise of fall study abroad applications could ease pressure on sophomores who are planning to apply for spring semester, when more Macalester students traditionally study away. This spring, 176 students studied away-a record-high number that contributed to a loss of $200,000 in vacant on-campus housing.
The college also exceeded its study abroad budget by approximately $500,000 this year, as it had originally allocated funds for 220 students, not for the final 250.With the 115 per-semester cap, sophomores have been forced to think twice about their plans and the probability of acceptance for the traditionally more popular spring semester. In February, Michelfelder sent an e-mail to all sophomores alerting them to the policy switch. She also encouraged sophomores who intend on studying in Spring â?TM07 to sign a form indicating their intent to study away in an effort to provide an estimate of spring numbers. Signing the form does not increase individual studentsâ?TM chances of admission, nor does it decrease those of students who do not sign according to the Provost.
One hundred thirty sophomores have either signed the form or expressed interest with Study Abroad coordinator Katherine Yngve. The number holds promise for anxious sophomores, as the college may allow a few extra students in over the cap, Michelfelder said. But it is difficult to assess the number of sophomores who plan to study abroad Spring â?TM07 and have yet to sign the form.
Other uncertainties remain at this stage in the game, as the Study Abroad Review Committee (SARC) has just begun looking at applications.
The rise of fall study abroad applications could ease pressure on sophomores who are planning to apply for spring semester, when more Macalester students traditionally study away. This spring, 176 students studied away-a record-high number that contributed to a loss of $200,000 in vacant on-campus housing.
The college also exceeded its study abroad budget by approximately $500,000 this year, as it had originally allocated funds for 220 students, not for the final 250.With the 115 per-semester cap, sophomores have been forced to think twice about their plans and the probability of acceptance for the traditionally more popular spring semester. In February, Michelfelder sent an e-mail to all sophomores alerting them to the policy switch. She also encouraged sophomores who intend on studying in Spring â?TM07 to sign a form indicating their intent to study away in an effort to provide an estimate of spring numbers. Signing the form does not increase individual studentsâ?TM chances of admission, nor does it decrease those of students who do not sign according to the Provost.
One hundred thirty sophomores have either signed the form or expressed interest with Study Abroad coordinator Katherine Yngve. The number holds promise for anxious sophomores, as the college may allow a few extra students in over the cap, Michelfelder said. But it is difficult to assess the number of sophomores who plan to study abroad Spring â?TM07 and have yet to sign the form.
Other uncertainties remain at this stage in the game, as the Study Abroad Review Committee (SARC) has just begun looking at applications.
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