By Dorian Young//
Hood College’s director of Study Abroad is advising students to apply to programs next spring instead of this coming fall, due to the ongoing pandemic.
The director, Scott Pincikowski, said that students applying to study abroad in the fall need to understand that although fall study is possible, the situation is a fluid one.
Pincikowski said study abroad will depend on when it’s safe to travel. Pincikowski cautioned students to be flexible and have backup plans in case fall study abroad is cancelled.
Hood doesn’t actually have its own study abroad program, according to Pincikowski.
“The college has agreements with study abroad providers who offer a variety of programs that allow students with different interests and academic needs to go abroad,” Pincikowski said.
“Although study abroad programs will be running in the fall, which is why students are able to apply, it doesn’t mean that Hood will allow students to go abroad,” Pincikowski said.
Permission will depend on CDC guidelines and whether or not COVID-19 levels are below a level two, which is moderate, in study-abroad countries.
“Some countries and study abroad programs are requiring student travelers to be vaccinated before going abroad,” Pincikowski said.
He also said that the spring semester is more likely to be when students are able to study abroad as in previous years.
Although no Hood students have studied abroad through Hood or its partnering programs since last spring, Pincikowski said, that doesn’t mean that students weren’t traveling independently.
Last spring when the shutdowns began happening, Hood reached out to students abroad fairly quickly to inform them of the ongoing situation, Pincikowski said. He added that Hood gave students the option of returning to the U.S. or staying abroad for the remainder of the semester.
Pincikowski said that Hood made sure students understood that it was recommended they return to the U.S. However, while some students returned, others stayed abroad depending on the CDC guidelines of the countries they were in.
Those who stayed abroad had to sign a waiver having to do with continuing their study abroad during the global pandemic, Pincikowski said. He added that those students were either learning remotely or in lockdown throughout the spring.
“I feel bad for Hood students and what they have had to go through in regard to the pandemic but I proud of how resilient students have been, and I have high hopes for study abroad next academic year,” Pincikowski said.
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