Important Information
Please note that the new UK entry clearance system is now in effect. Students who are coming to the UK for one semester and do not plan to be in the UK for more than six months do not need to apply for entry clearance prior to arrival in the UK but they must make sure that they have their admission letter with them and any other documentation to show that they will be in the UK for less than six months. All others must apply for entry clearance through a UK Embassy or Consulate before they depart their own country. More information is available at: http://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/. Students coming for less than six months may choose to apply for entry certificate before they leave their home country in any case.
For more travel info, visit our Travel Information page.
Prospective Students
The Benefits of Studying Abroad
The benefits to study abroad both professionally and personally are immeasurable. You will learn more about your country, your home, your prior education, and yourself than you have ever learned in a semester. You will have the opportunity to meet students from around the world, learn about human values through integration into another culture, increase your foreign language skills (perhaps), have the opportunity to study at one of the world's most prestigious universities, become more sophisticated and more self-reflective.
Study abroad increases your flexibility and openness to new ideas, allows you to enjoy academic and experiential learning, and deepens cross-cultural understanding while it encourages independent thinking. Your intellectual maturity and self-confidence will rise along with your career prospects. All in all, you will become better prepared for your life and work in our increasingly globally interdependent world. And this is just to name a few of the benefits!
Accepted Students
Course Selection
Almost all of the universities overseas have useful and user-friendly web sites on which to check course availability, course descriptions and even syllabi in some cases.
To obtain course information from the university at which you will be studying, go to our homepage at www.brockport.edu/studyabroad and follow these steps:
1. Click on the country where the university/program is located,
2. Click on the name of the university/program,
3. From there, click on the "Course" button on the left hand sidebar or scroll down to "Courses,"
4. Finally, click on the link that is listed under 'courses' which should direct you to a list of the courses and/or subjects available at that university.
If you are having trouble finding the courses you need, feel free to contact Brockport's Office of International Education at 1-800-298-SUNY for assistance. The International Office does carry a copy of the most recent course catalog given to us by the university overseas to use as reference for course descriptions.
If the information you have found is insufficient, we can contact the International Office at the university overseas for more details to ensure that you obtain the right course approvals prior to your departure.
Current Students
Culture Shock
As participants arrive at their overseas destination, initial feelings of excitement can be overwhelming; this is referred to as the honeymoon stage- full of adventure! Soon, however, you might start to have feelings of depression where minor predicaments become major ones and you start to feel like a foreigner in a strange land. Culture Shock happens to a lot of study abroad participants, even experienced travelers feel its impact whenever they arrive in a new place. With a bit of effort, participants will begin to find themselves making adjustments that will allow them to adapt to their new environment. They will turn their feelings of "Culture Shock" into yet another learning experience as a result of their time overseas.
In order to fully enjoy your time overseas, we have these suggestions:
1. Realize that everyone has a unique experience, which can enrich your life and thought. Be prepared every day to take the initiative and meet fellow students. Don't rely on class contact - get involved in student activities.
2. Accept that no experience is perfect: enjoy the things you like, and tolerate (maybe even laugh about) the things that aren't so good. The grim things will make great stories when you go home.
3. Never forget that this is your own experience: you don't need to have other people's approval of your choices of what is worth doing. Guidebooks are better on information than evaluation: they can tell you what is available but not what you will enjoy.
4. Recognize that university teaching at your overseas university is NOT the same as university teaching at your home campus. To get the most out of the course you have to read more widely than what you will be tested on.
5. Find out exactly what your written workload consists of, and when the deadlines are, as soon as possible. Plan your semester, and stick to your own schedule.
6. Try to avoid making negative judgments about the country or city you are in until you have given yourself time to experience the broader context. And even then share them reluctantly.
Returning Students
Transcripts
After the conclusion of the program in which you are a participant, the program's resident director will prepare a report of your grades. The Office of International Education at Brockport prepares transcript supplements on the basis of this report. One copy of the transcript supplement will be sent to you; the original is placed in your file in the Office of the Registrar at your home campus with your regular transcript.
If you are a SUNY student and you need additional copies of the transcript supplement, you should request them from the Office of the Registrar at your home campus.
If you are a non-SUNY student, you should request additional copies of the transcript supplement from the Office of International Education at Brockport (for further information you can refer to our Policies and Procedures Handbook).
Parent Information
In a world becoming more globally interdependent every year, the value of your son or daughter spending some portion of their undergraduate careers overseas in no longer really debatable. Students who leave college without having the experience of studying in a foreign country may appear to employers as not fully educated for the globally interdependent world they are entering. There are numerous benefits to studying abroad (see info for prospective students, above). Students who have recently returned from studying abroad have positive memories of their time overseas, even the challenging times are seen as learning experiences.
Parents are welcome to call the Office of International Education at Brockport with their questions. We also encourage you to read the orientation handbook that is sent to your son or daughter with Memo #1 and to obtain a copy of our Policies and Procedures Handbook (pdf) from our website. Both will help explain about study abroad and what your son or daughter needs to do to prepare for their time overseas.
The Office of International Education office will send you a copy of, "Study Abroad: A Parent's Guide" by William Hoffa. If you would like to have a copy sent to you, please contact us at 1-800-298-SUNY. The guide is an excellent source of information for parents of college and university students contemplating a study abroad experience.
For some on-line sources, please go to: http://www.globaled.us/
This website contains advice for parents and some frequently asked questions.
View the Safety and Security (pdf) handbook to help answer some of the questions you might have relating to the safety and security of Brockport's study abroad programs and study abroad in general.
Information about Staff and Advisors
The Executive Director of International Education and Experiential Learning is Dr. Ralph Trecartin.
The Assistant Director is Ms. Patricia Coates.
The Recruiter is Ms. Lindsay Stephany
The Senior Staff Associate is Mr. Terry Hooper
The Secretary to the Executive Director is Ms. Lori Cornell.
The Assistant to the Executive Director for Records is Ms. Patricia Delavak.
The Assistant to the Executive Director for Finance is Ms. Kim Dunaway.
*To contact our office for any questions or concerns, please call (800) 298-7869 toll-free, or (585) 395-2119, or email us at overseas@brockport.edu.
Brockport's London Programs:
- Brunel University
- City University
- King's College
- Middlesex University
- Queen Mary, University of London
- Roehampton University
- University College London
- University of Westminster
The Resident Director of Brockport's London area programs is Dr. John Halsey. Dr. Halsey is a member of Brockport's Department of Sociology.
The Assistant Director of the London-area programs is Mrs. Val Halsey.
The Oxford University Program
The Resident Director of the Brockport Oxford University Program is Mr. Deepak Mukhi. Mr. Mukhi is the Director of the Oxford Program for Undergraduate Studies (OPUS).
The Cuernavaca, Mexico Program
The Resident Director of the Brockport Mexico program is Ms. Norma Lazcano. Ms. Lazcano has instructed at Universidad Internacional and is frequently an instructor in Brockport's Department of Foreign Language and Literature during the summer semesters.
The Jamaica Program
The Program Representative of the Brockport Jamaica Program is Ms. Nicoleen DeGrasse.
The Ghana Program
The Resident Director of the Brockport Ghana program is Ms. Mercy Haizel Ashia. Ms. Haizel Ashia is a member of the staff at the University of Ghana.
The Tours, France Program
The Resident Director of the Brockport Tours, France program is Ms. Gladys Lissoir.
In Vietnam
The Resident Director in Vietnam is My Hoa at the Project House in Vietnam.
In the United Kingdom
The Resident Director of Brockport's Internship Program in the United Kingdom is Dr. John Halsey while at Brunel University, and placements are overseen by EUSA.
In Costa Rica
The Resident Director of Brockport's Internship Program in Costa Rica is Dr. Eugenio Borel and Ms. Norma Lazcano as our US coordinator for the Costa Rica Escuela De Idiomas program .
In Mexico
The Resident Director of Brockport's Internship Program in Mexico is a member of the staff at Universidad Internacional in Cuernavaca, Mexico and overseen by Ms. Norma Lazcano.
In Russia
The Resident Director of Brockport's Internship Program in Russia is Ms. Liza Steffen. Ms. Steffen is an instructor in the Department of Foreign Language and Literature at Brockport.
