Overseas options offered

Twenty students lounged around on couches waiting for the meeting to start. None of them really knew that by the end they would have all the information they needed to be almost anywhere in the world this time next year.\nKatmandu, Nepal, for example.\nThat's where Adam Ploshay, a student representative and a veteran of IU's Overseas Study Program, spent a semester. \nPloshay shared his experiences Tuesday night in Read Center's Landes formal lounge at one of a series of informational meetings to educate students about IU's study abroad options.\nThe Overseas Study Program, which now includes more than 70 programs in 33 countries, is trying to spread the message that studying abroad is easier than ever before. \nAnd an interest in studying in a more exotic location, even one which isn't offered by IU, isn't something to worry about, Ploshay said. \n"The goal of the office is to find a match for what you are looking for," Ploshay said.\nPloshay, a senior studying cognitive sciences, spent two semesters and a summer studying abroad. He is proud to say he is still going to graduate in four years. \nHe also suggested students look into less traditional programs because more scholarship money is available. He spent the first semester of his junior year in Katmandu, Nepal.\nIU's Overseas Study Program's wide variety of choices for studying abroad, more than half of which are for English speakers, have established it as one of the most reputable programs in the United States. IU strongly encourages students to participate in the program by accommodating them every step of the way. \nEach year almost 1,200 students from all different schools on campus study abroad, according to the Overseas Studies Program. This means about 14 percent of every graduating class studies overseas at some point. \nStudents participating in study abroad programs through IU retain their status as full-time students, which allows them to keep scholarships and receive full IU credit for the courses they take while abroad. Programs hosted directly by IU also provide tuition breaks for in-state students, according IU's Guide to Overseas Study Programs.\nThe price of studying abroad varies greatly between programs, but in many cases ends up costing almost the same amount as tuition. Often, students receive more scholarship money for studying abroad.\nGenerally, direct IU programs require a 3.0 GPA and co-sponsored programs through another university require a 2.75 GPA. In addition, faculty recommendations are an important part of the application process, Ploshay said.\nStudents become eligible to study abroad junior year, except for summer programs which students can attend after completing their freshman year.\nThe Overseas Study Program recommends students begin considering their options a year before they plan to study abroad.\n"We won't send you abroad unless you are going to have a productive semester," Ploshay said. It takes careful planning to make sure the time spent abroad will not adversely affect a student's academic future, Ploshay said.\nThe only time IU will not sponsor a student is when the program is in a country the U.S. Department of State has designated a danger zone, such as Israel, Colombia or Algeria. \nA full list of these countries can be found at http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html.\nIU's Overseas Study Program's message is that studying abroad is realistic and affordable.\nFor more information students can attend Study Abroad 101 meetings at 4 p.m. on Wednesdays in Franklin Hall Room 303, or access the Overseas Study Program's Web site at www.indiana.edu/~overseas/.