Getting Credit for Your Classes

In order to receive credit for the classes you took during your time off-campus, you must complete two steps:

1) Fill out a program evaluation online. Evaluations will be used (with your permission) to aid future students in finding and preparing for off-campus studies programs.

2) Have your transcript sent to Josh Moore at the OIE for conversion into Beloit College credits.

Once you complete these steps, your off-campus studies credits will be added to your official transcript. If you studied abroad, the grades you received abroad will show up on your transcript, but they will not affect your GPA (unless they have Beloit College course codes, such as IDST Cities in Transition). If you studied off-campus domestically, your grades will be calculated into your GPA.

Opportunities to Reflect and Share

As you return to campus, you probably feel like you are bursting to share, but it may be hard to find the appropriate time to unpack your thoughts to a captive audience.  Here is a list of ways that you can both deepen your own learning and, simultaneously, greatly enrich Beloit College by sharing your stories, experiences, thoughts, and ideas. 

Attend the Welcome (Back) Reception

Start off the semester by mixing and mingling with other returnees and with the new international students on campus.  Come to WAC South Lounge for cookies, coffee, tea, and good conversation. 

Enroll in IDST 201 Study Abroad Reflection & Integration

This course, taught by Betsy Brewer and Josh Moore, helps students to reflect upon their academic and intercultural experiences abroad and to integrate those experiences into their perspectives and endeavors. Some students will have studied abroad outside the U.S., while others will have come to the U.S. as international students. Collaborative work among students who have studied in different locales enables them to understand their individual experiences in a broader international context. Course participants examine the ways in which their study abroad has expanded their angles of vision as learners and actors, undertake a project to convey some of their learning to an audience outside the classroom, and take up topics they may not have explored yet in relation to their home and "second" host countries.

Become a Program Ambassador

Study Abroad Program Ambassadors are the lead spokespersons and advocates for the Beloit College study abroad programs in which they participated. This is a paid, year-long position at the OIE. Ambassadors will be expected to spend roughly 30 hours throughout the year sharing their experiences and promoting their programs, including staffing the program table at the Off-Campus Studies Fair, participating in program orientations, organizing recruiting sessions, and attending monthly meetings with OIE staff to provide input about student outreach.

Lead a BeAbroad Discussion Session

Every Wednesday during the common hour (12:30-1:20), the OIE hosts student-led BeAbroad discussion sessions in Weeks Lounge. The goal of these sessions is to bring returned and prospective students together in an informal setting to discuss off-campus studies. Every week, two to four returned students (grouped by region, academic theme, or program provider) lead a discussion and answer questions from interested students. These sessions are opportunities for you to share your stories about your experience, help first- and second-year students imagine and plan for what they will do off-campus, and inspire the campus. You can share photos, make a presentation or film, or just show up and talk.

Enter the Off-Campus Studies Photo Contest

The Off-Campus Studies Photo Contest is held every fall in conjunction with the Off-Campus Studies Fair. The focus of this contest is very broad: any photos from an off-campus study experience are eligible, whether they are tied to academic work or personal travel. Submissions are limited to one photo per person, but students may participate in multiple years. Winning photos will be displayed at the OIE and used in promotional materials, and will be entered in the annual ACM Off-Campus Study Photo Contest in the spring. Previous entries can be viewed online on the OIE Facebook page and Beloit College Digital Collections.

Volunteer at the Off-Campus Studies Fair

Volunteer to share your time and experience helping fellow students who are thinking about studying off-campus. Staff your program’s table at the Off-Campus Studies Fair and answer general questions about choosing a program and what it was like to study off-campus.

Share Your Advice at Study Abroad Orientations (October, April)

Pass on your wisdom to the next out-going group of students heading to your host country or program. Be a resource about the local culture in particular, and about adjusting to a new environment in general. 

Present at the International Symposium 

Held every November during International Education Week, the International Symposium provides a forum to share the academic, personal, and professional growth that you achieved during your off-campus study experience with the rest of campus. Presentations focus on intercultural and experiential learning, including examples of observation and reflection, field research, volunteering, and internships. Symposium presentations are developed with the help of an advisor and last approximately 15 minutes, with five minutes provided at the end for questions. Starting fall of 2012, there will also be a poster session in addition to the presentations. You must be nominated by a professor in order to participate.

Talk about Off-Campus Studies Opportunities at Admissions Events (Autumn Visit Days, Presidential Scholars Weekends, Senior Open House)

Share stories with prospective students and their parents about your off-campus experience and its impact on your education.