Chatham Summer 2021 Field Experiences

shows students on a Chatham field experience
Field experience students in Greece, 2019

Chatham Summer 2021 Field Experiences are now open for application! Program options are:

Costa RicaEducation and Social Work for Sustainability, Dr. Bell and Dr. Cunningham

CyprusExploring Environmental Extremes, Dr. Carrillo

CyprusSpecial Topics – Politics of Cyprus, Dr. Rossbach

TaiwanFulbright Taiwan Tunghai Program, Dr. Kingsbury and Dr. Tippen

Please click on the above links for program and application information. The application deadline is 12/2/2020.

Important Notes:

  1. At this time, Summer 2021 field experiences are conditionally approved and will only run if health and safety conditions, including visa and entry restrictions, US Dept. of State Travel Advisory and CDC Travel Health Notice for each location, permit. Chatham does not approve study abroad to US Dept. of State locations with a Level 3 or Level 4 Travel Advisory; or to locations with a CDC Travel Health Notice of Level 3. Restrictions on entry, including quarantine and testing requirements, and other travel conditions may also affect Chatham’s ability to offer these field experiences.
  2. Chatham will announce a decision on if summer 2021 study abroad will be permitted in January 2021. There is no risk or cost to students in applying for a summer field experience. Deposits for students participating in these field experiences would not be due until after the January 2021 announcement.
  3. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, conditions may require changes to field experience programs, including program dates, cost, facilities, activities, transportation, and itinerary. Students considering participating in these field experiences will need to be flexible, understand the risks of participation, and will be required to agree to health and safety protocols and any restrictions put in place by Chatham, in-country partners, and country, regional and local agencies. Chatham is monitoring travel conditions and is working closely with in-country partners for updates on current protocols, restrictions and health and safety information. Chatham is committed to transparency in communicating information that may affect these field experience programs.
  4. Students may apply their $1,200 study abroad voucher toward any of these field experiences. This one-time voucher is available to each undergraduate student who has 30+ credits, at least 15 of which have been completed at Chatham. Students do not need to apply for the study abroad voucher; it is applied to your Chatham account for the term in which you study abroad, reducing the amount you pay by $1,200. For the Cyprus and Taiwan field experiences, students completing an International Studies Certificate may apply their $1,800 certificate funding toward the program cost. For more information the International Studies Certificates, please see the Certificate checklists at https://my.chatham.edu/tools/_departments/advising/checklists/
  5. Students may apply for Chatham experiential learning scholarships which offer summer funding (application deadline is 2/28/21). These awards are competitive as funding is limited. Please see https://chatham.edu/academics/international-programs/scholarships-and-vouchers.html
  6. Students who receive Federal Pell grants may be eligible to use Pell funding toward summer programs of 6 or more credits (please contact Office of Financial Aid for details of your award) and should consider applying for a Gilman Scholarship for additional funding (there are two application deadlines -10/6/20 and early March 2021 for summer 2021 study abroad).

Join the Zoom Q&A on Summer 2021 Chatham Field Experiences on Friday October 9, 12:30-1:30 pm. See https://my.chatham.edu/happenings/details.cfm?EventID=28393 to register for this Zoom meeting.

Questions? Please reach out to field experience faculty leaders and/ or internationalaffairs@chatham.edu

Virtual Study Abroad Fair

Our study abroad fair is virtual this year! Learn about in-person and virtual study, internship and research programs, and plan for your international experience.

Drop in at your convenience to learn more about opportunities abroad through Chatham, partner institutions, and providers.

Find out more information about upcoming summer abroad opportunities and scholarships

 

Free to attend! Fair open times are: Sept 21-24 (11-4 pm) | Oct 19-22 (11-4 pm) | Nov 16-19 (11-4 pm)

Register at https://lunafairs.com/study-abroad/virtual-fair/?university=Chatham%20University

Questions? Reach out to internationalaffairs@chatham.edu

An Unforgettable Experience with Chatham English Language Program

By Bich Ta, English Language Program Graduate

My best classmate Miku

My name is Bich Ta from Hanoi, Vietnam. I received a scholarship to study English virtually with the English Language Program at Chatham University in the Summer 2020 semester. I am now planning to do a Master’s Degree in Sustainability in Europe.

The 2020 Summer ELP semester at Chatham University truly expanded my horizon for many reasons. Firstly, I studied with two most enthusiastic teachers: Dr. Linh Phung and Prof. Sylvia Shipp.  They were excellent in pedagogical skills, and always supportive whenever I and my classmates needed help. Besides, I had a one-of-a-kind opportunity to make friends with people from different parts of the world namely Japan, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia. During the semester, they were friendly and helpful to me. Even now, we still keep in touch to talk and study together.

Teamwork with my classmates

In addition, every course in the summer semester was immensely intriguing and useful, which helped me lay a solid foundation for studying academic subjects of my upcoming Master’s course. To be more specific, not only did I gain a deeper insight into American culture, but I was also guided to make appealing presentations, analyze scientific research, and do group projects. One thing I am extremely grateful for is that we studied together about the science of happiness. We all know that the emergence of Covid-19 has changed our lives enormously. And it’s so thoughtful that our teachers gave us the opportunity to find out how to improve our well-being, and learnt the fallacies of the human mind.

Let’s Talk Friday in my eyes

Last but not least, the Office of International Affairs at Chatham University provided us with a wide range of activities outside classes like Let’s talk Friday, Conversation Partner Program, and Kahoot Games. I joined most of the activities, and that was why I felt more confident to communicate with others in English. I’d also like to share good news that I recently achieved an IELTS score of 7.0, an improvement from my previous score after the summer program with Chatham.

Looking back at the whole summer semester, I have no regrets to invest time in studying with Chatham since I learnt many things both for my English skills and social knowledge. If I have a chance, I would definitely love to visit Chatham University one day as I was impressed about the beauty of the green and sustainable Campuses.

Flowers and a rabbit on Chatham campus – Photo taken by my friend Miku

I’m happy to make friends. So, if you want me to share more about my experience with Chatham, please feel free to connect me by email at Bich.Ta@Chatham.edu.

Meet the Study Abroad Ambassadors 2020-2021: Hanna

Meet our Study Abroad Ambassadors for 2020-2021. These students are study abroad returnees who are available to answer questions and share their experience with interested students!

Hanna Theile

Major: Political Science

Program: Spain

“The classes that I took in Spain had a heavy focus on the European Union and foreign policy. It was so powerful to see how a different form of government worked and to be living there at the same time.
When I returned to the US, I began to speak more Spanish to the Latinx community in my hometown. Also, I felt that I really saw globally how the world was coming together from COVID-19. “

Students can reach out to Hanna via email at:

hanna.theile@chatham.edu

Meet the Study Abroad Ambassadors 2020-2021: Rachel

Meet our Study Abroad Ambassadors for 2020-2021. These students are study abroad returnees who are available to answer questions and share their experience with interested students!

Rachel Larson

Major: History major, Creative Writing minor

Program: South Korea

“All of the classes I took were regionally based, but that was from my own choosing. At Korea University, you register for classes right before the semester so that itself was an interesting experience. I took a language class and a history and culture course relevant to Korea, as well as other international affairs and history courses. Although I tailored mine to fit my major, there was a lot of variety in the classes available for international students.

I was lucky to be able to travel outside of the city I studied in, but even if I hadn’t there was always so much to do in Seoul! In a typical day, I would have one or two classes and in the time not spent studying with friends or in one of the many cafes, I would go out and explore the city! The most important thing I learned while studying abroad was to take chances and get comfortable going places by myself. South Korea was a great place to exercise my adventurous side since most places I traveled were easily accessible by train and affordable on a student budget.

Although I had been living away from my family for some time, my study abroad experiences definitely built up my independence. When living in another country across the world, the only person I had to rely on completely was myself. While this could be scary, it taught me to be more confident in my decisions and be more easy on my mistakes. In addition to learning a lot about Korean language, culture, and history, these lessons in independence were definitely worthwhile.

Students can reach out to Rachel via email at:

Rachel.Larson@Chatham.edu

Scholarship opportunities for international experiences!

Image from Pixabay

Looking for a funded experience abroad or for funding towards an international experience? Check out these opportunities with deadlines approaching!

Gilman International Scholarship, deadline October 6, 11:59 PM, PT. The Gilman International Scholarship is a program of the US Department of State for US citizens who are Federal Pell Grant recipients to enable them to study or intern abroad. The program provides awards of up to $5,000 for participation in in-person or virtual international programs. This cycle is for in person or virtual programs that are at least 21 days in length, with a start date between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021.

Vira I. Heinz (VIH) Program for Women in Global Leadership, deadline November 1 at 4:00 PM ET . The VIH program prepares scholars for tomorrow’s global challenges by offering a unique opportunity for international experiences, leadership development, and community service. Three first-time woman travelers from each member institution, including Chatham, are admitted into the program and receive a scholarship of at least $5,000 to put toward the cost of an international experience of their choosing.

Critical Language Scholarship (CLS), deadline November 17, 8:00 PM ET. CLS, a program of the US Department of State, is an intensive overseas language and cultural immersion program for American students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities. Students spend eight to ten weeks abroad studying one of 15 critical languages. The program is fully funded and includes intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences designed to promote rapid language gains.

If you have any questions, or need support with your application, please reach out to internationalaffairs@chatham.edu.