Sample Application Questions

Below are key questions from the off-campus study application for Fall/Spring semester programs. We encourage you to review these questions as you consider which program(s) you wish to apply. These will closely resemble the questions on the Studio Abroad applications. It may be helpful to write your responses to these questions in a Word Document and copy/paste them into your application. 

After opening the application in Studio Abroad, you will also have access to the Recommendation Request tool. There will be a number of other key items to read and review before your application is ready to submit.

Note: Applications are evaluated on the strength of your academic/personal rationale and the depth/specificity/correctness of the knowledge you demonstrate of your chosen program. Using Generative AI will not provide the level of specificity needed to answer these questions, ex. specific details about your program structure, excursions, course information, etc.

SLU Part I

This portion of the application is focused on the “how” of off-campus study, i.e. your academic planning, competition of pre-requisites, etc. It will be helpful to review your program's website and speak with your academic advisor to answer these questions.

1. It is not required, but strongly recommended that students applying for off-campus study attend an Off-Campus Study 101 information session. These information sessions are held regularly throughout the fall and spring semesters leading up to the application deadline. Did you attend one of these sessions? If so, please date of the session you attended. 
2. This program has pre-requisites. Please detail how you have fulfilled or plan to fulfill these pre-requisites.
   You will find more information on your program's pre-requisites at the link: Review Each Program's Pre-Requisite Requirements.
3. Please list the courses/requirements you still must take in your major.
4. Please list the distribution requirements you still need to complete.
5. Please share a semester-by-semester plan detailing the courses you plan to take when you return to campus until graduation. If you are applying for the Spring semester, include your plan for your Fall courses on-campus prior to departure.
   
   For Example:
   
   Fall Semester 20XX:
   
   HIS200 - Elective for Major
   GOVT300 - Elective for Major
   [General Elective]
   [General Elective]
   
   Off-Campus Study Semester
   
   Fall Semester 20XX:
   
   HIS200 - Elective for Major
   GOVT 489 - SYE Independent Study
   SWAH102 - Intermediate Swahili
   [General Elective]
   
   Spring Semester 20XX:
   
   GOVT300 - Elective for Major
   HIST477 - SYE in Comparative History
   [General Elective]
   [General Elective]
6. If your academic transcript is weak in any respect, please provide information about specific low grades and patterns of strength which support this application.
   
   If you currently have any incomplete grades or if you have withdrawn from a course, please provide information on the circumstances occasioning these grades.
7. Do you have a passport? If yes, what is the date of expiration? (A passport must be valid at least six months beyond your stay with the program.) If no, on what date did you apply for a passport?
8. Have you been written up for a violation(s) of the Student Code of Responsibility? If yes please explain, including the outcome. Are you currently on probation or have you been on probation for a judicial matter(s)?
9. If you will be a second-semester senior while studying off-campus (i.e. your off-campus semester is the semester immediately before graduation), you must complete the form below and attach it to this question item. (Link to Document Included in the Application.)

 

SLU Part II

The portion of this application is focused on the “why” of off-campus. Please reflect on the questions below and write 1-2 strong paragraphs per question including specific information about your program, program components, coursework, and host country/host culture.

It will be helpful to carefully review your program website (both the CIIS website and any linked websites), review local news sources, meet with CIIS staff, speak with faculty and off-campus study returnees, and visit ODY library to gather additional information to answer these questions in full. 

1. Why have you chosen to apply to this program and how does it further your academic interests? Describe relevant coursework that supports your participation in this program.
2. Describe the teaching and learning styles of the program to which you are applying. Please be sure to address the structure of your program (direct enrollment into a university, studying with SLU students, working with a study abroad provider program, etc.) and what your academic experience will be like. Consider where the learning will take place (in a classroom, field, community, site-visits), and how this might enhance your academic goals for off-campus study. Explain how you will address the differences between the teaching and learning styles of your off-campus study program and those of your home campus.
3. What are you most interested in learning from the host community and culture? What intercultural experiences (ex. domestically or internationally, within your home community or outside of your home community) have prepared you for this off-campus experience? What other resources can you utilize to prepare for your off-campus experience?
4. Discussions about personal/cultural identity, privilege, discrimination and many other cultural issues can vary widely around the world. Off-campus study often challenges our perceptions of ourselves, of those around us, and the ways we are seen by others. What differences do you anticipate between the culture to which you are accustomed and the culture in which you will be studying? How do you plan to adapt to these differences?
5. How do you plan to integrate your off-campus study experiences into your future coursework, career and other aspects of your life?