Bryn Mawr College

Study Abroad

Approximately one third of each class studies abroad during one semester of the junior year. The Office of International Programs has a complete guide to planning, applying for, and carrying out a Study Abroad program.

 

It is important that students place their plans for study abroad in the context of their larger academic programs. For students majoring in some fields, especially foreign languages, but also such fields as History of Art, Growth and Structure of Cities, and Classical and Near Eastern Archeology, study abroad represents an unparalleled opportunity to study materials with a directness and immediacy not possible at Bryn Mawr. For other majors in the humanities and social sciences, study abroad offers significant benefits, but also imposes some limitations. While such students should be able to find study abroad programs where they will be able to take courses in their major subjects, these courses are likely to be very large and may not offer as much opportunity for intensive research and analysis as courses at Bryn Mawr. Finally, for science majors and students pursuing premedical coursework, it may be very difficult to find programs where they will be able to take the courses they need.

 

With advance planning and the possible inclusion of summer courses, students may be able to spend a semester studying abroad even if the courses they take will not be counted towards their major. Even in these cases, a student must have some academic rationale for study abroad, such as contributing to a minor or a concentration or otherwise advancing some other academic goal.

 

Your major adviser must approve any plan for foreign study. Therefore, bear in mind that study abroad will often necessitate making decisions about when to take certain courses in your major long before the formal deadline for declaring a major in the spring of your sophomore year.

Assistant Dean and Director of International Programs Li-Chen Chin will hold informational meetings in late September for anyone considering studying abroad.  Materials and guidebooks for the approved programs are located in The Study Abroad Library Room in Canwyll House. 

For more information, consult the Guide to Study Abroad and the list of approved courses. The Office of International Programs also offers a downloadable handbook for study abroad (See Study Abroad, General Information document).  Contact Dean Li-Chen Chin for more information.