{"id":2455,"date":"2017-10-04T19:50:04","date_gmt":"2017-10-04T23:50:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hoodcomstudies.com\/theblueandgrey\/?p=2455"},"modified":"2017-10-04T19:50:04","modified_gmt":"2017-10-04T23:50:04","slug":"letter-to-the-editor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theblueandgrey.com\/index.php\/2017\/10\/04\/letter-to-the-editor\/","title":{"rendered":"Letter to the Editor"},"content":{"rendered":"

From the\u00a0New Director of Study Abroad\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Studying abroad can be one of the most rewarding experiences\u00a0of your academic career. In addition to fun and exciting travel, you will learn about other cultures, perhaps obtain proficiency in another language,\u00a0gain invaluable\u00a0experience\u00a0in your field of study, develop confidence and self-sufficiency in\u00a0the\u00a0face of everyday challenges abroad, and broaden your perspectives on both the world and the United States.\u00a0As someone who studied abroad twice as an undergraduate, I can attest to the transformative power of living in another country.\u00a0It is one of the main reasons I became a German professor\u00a0and why I\u00a0facilitate student travel\u00a0to Germany.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But study abroad isn\u2019t\u00a0always easy. There are bureaucratic and financial hurdles\u00a0to\u00a0overcome. As the new Director of Study Abroad, I promise\u00a0to assist you in navigating these hurdles.\u00a0But as your fellow classmate\u00a0Nailah\u00a0Russell put it in her article, \u201cA Girl Abroad: Off to Australia,\u201d it\u2019s your academic experience, so it\u2019s your responsibility to be on top of requirements and deadlines.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So\u00a0what do you\u00a0need\u00a0to know\u00a0to study abroad?\u00a0First, every\u00a0Hood student\u00a0regardless of\u00a0major\u00a0can study abroad, but\u00a0most programs\u00a0do\u00a0have a minimum GPA-requirement, ranging between a 2.5 and a\u00a03.0.\u00a0Some programs require proficiency in the language of the country, but there are many programs that don\u2019t.\u00a0For most\u00a0students, the spring semester of their junior year is the optimal time to study abroad.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What about financial aid?\u00a0If you apply\u00a0to a\u00a0Hood-affiliated program, any financial aid you\u00a0receive\u00a0from Hood can be\u00a0applied to tuition and fees,\u00a0but not\u00a0to\u00a0other costs\u00a0such as travel and room and board.\u00a0If you receive\u00a0federal or state aid,\u00a0you can use these funds\u00a0for room and board and miscellaneous expenses.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Where can you study abroad?\u00a0Just about anywhere.\u00a0Can you picture yourself studying a language in Argentina, France, Spain, or Germany? Can you see yourself studying business in London, Sydney, or Shanghai? Can you imagine travelling to Dublin or Morocco to study political science and international relations? These are just a few of the exciting possibilities you can explore through Hood\u2019s affiliated programs.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Will your credits transfer? Yes,\u00a0if you\u00a0participate in a Hood-affiliated\u00a0program. And yes, if you participate in a non-Hood-affiliated program and earn at least a C- or higher.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When are the deadlines?\u00a0Make sure you start the application process early so you can research scholarship opportunities and gather necessary documents.\u00a0Most\u00a0of our affiliated\u00a0programs have application deadlines in\u00a0early\u00a0to mid-October.\u00a0Scholarship deadlines vary. The Shirley Conner\u00a0Hardinge\u00a0scholarship, which is coordinated through my office, is due October 30 this fall for spring programs and February 28 for summer and fall 2018 programs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Who do you need to meet with? First, meet with me to identify the best program\u00a0and\u00a0to get\u00a0started on the application process. Next, meet with your adviser to discuss your plans. Then\u00a0go to\u00a0the Registrar and pick up a Petition to Study Away\/Study Abroad form.\u00a0Set up a\u00a0meeting with Susan\u00a0Erb\u00a0in the Financial Aid Office to discuss your financial aid options. Fill out the Petition to Study Away in consultation with your academic\u00a0adviser and\u00a0obtain the necessary signatures from the Registrar, Financial Aid, appropriate departmental chairs, and the Director of Study Abroad.\u00a0Return the completed Petition to the Registrar\u2019s Office.\u00a0If\u00a0you plan to do an internship abroad, you need to meet with Dr. Lisa Littlefield in the Career Center.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I am excited\u00a0to be the new Director of Study Abroad at Hood\u00a0College. I welcome all\u00a0students\u00a0interested in study abroad\u00a0to meet\u00a0with me\u00a0in\u00a0my office in\u00a0Tatem\u00a0220 to talk about\u00a0short-term or longer\u00a0study abroad opportunities.\u00a0Just send me an email at\u00a0pincikowski@hood.edu<\/a>\u00a0or call me at extension #3475, and we can set up a meeting.\u00a0After we talk, who knows what adventures abroad\u00a0await you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Scott Pincikowski\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From the\u00a0New Director of Study Abroad\u00a0 Studying abroad can be one of the most rewarding experiences\u00a0of your academic career. In addition to fun and exciting travel, you will learn about other cultures, perhaps obtain proficiency […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"cc_featured_image_caption":{"caption_text":false,"source_text":false,"source_url":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblueandgrey.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblueandgrey.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblueandgrey.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblueandgrey.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblueandgrey.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2455"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/theblueandgrey.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2455\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2456,"href":"https:\/\/theblueandgrey.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2455\/revisions\/2456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblueandgrey.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblueandgrey.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblueandgrey.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}