<p>Is anyone familiar with the extent of Tulane's offerings for study abroad? D and I have started perusing the webpages but, frankly, the pages appear old and a little circular. To the extent we have found information, Tulane's offerings appear very limited, especially in comparison to those offered her friends by Duke and SMU. Just a cursory look at those schools show lots of "Duke in Berlin, Duke in Vienna, Duke in..... or SMU in Paris, SMU in London..." along with at least 200 approved but non-Duke administered offerings around the world. </p>
<p>In contrast Tulane appears to offer nothing along the lines of "Tulane in Madrid", and has what appears to be a complex procedure to petition for credit for study done other than through the few, listed options. It also appears that students not studying languages have even fewer options as the majority of the offerings for study in Europe require study in the language of that country (-yes, I can see the sense of that, but there are benefits to living abroad that could be gained by, say, engineering students without having to take advanced classes in a foreign language).</p>
<p>I actually think Tulane’s programs are wonderful. The “Duke in Madrid” etc is deceiving. When I went to the United Kingdom last year Tulane just kind of said, “Go away” and I went away and had a ball. They literally never bothered me once. I could choose ANY university in the UK or Ireland. I selected the one I wanted based on location and class offerings and it was great. I took classes with English students and put up with their essay system and came back with a slight accent. </p>
<p>On the other hand, my friend went to a similar “Duke in London” program and was miserable. There was no cultural integration because you are learning alongside Americans. You also don’t get to taste the different grading system. And you don’t come back with a sexy accent. </p>
<p>Tulane, from what I understand, isn’t like this. You can study at several REAL universities in Germany. World class. Ones you probably wouldn’t normally get accepted into as a foreigner. (I could have easily went to Oxford.) Same with tons of other counties. You want to study in Ghana? They have a program for that. </p>
<p>The site is poorly constructed. The study abroad office used to be horrible, but it’s looking up now. They’ve hired new staff. My suggestion for study abroad: don’t select a country based on how exotic it looks. Select it based on your major. If you are a general major (psychology, whatever) I’d suggest English speaking countries. Language majors are very obvious. Once you narrow down a country start looking at schools. Try to blend prestige with location and class offerings. If you have a little of all three your study abroad experience will be amazing.</p>
<p>I just read the rest of your post:</p>
<p>You do need to study a language to study at a university in that country. Can you imagine being thrown into the middle of the Czech Republic to study engineering without knowing Czech? I mean, it’d probably be really funny, but not for the student. </p>
<p>To be perfectly honest, study abroad isn’t always for science majors. If you’re a science major and want to study abroad I STRONGLY encourage checking out English speaking countries. Why would you go to France/Germany/Spain for that, unless you’re a masochist?</p>
<p>Thanks tulanechild. It’s always good to hear the voice of experience.</p>
<p>Were you in England the whole of your junior year? If so, did you manage to pick up enough credits to stay on track with your major? - How is the English curriculum calibrated with Tulane’s.</p>
<p>Actually, I guess D will work most of this out as she visits the study abroad office. But we were left a little perplexed by the website. As you state, it is poorly constructed. </p>
<p>I stayed in the England the entire year. Don’t go for half a semester. It just isn’t worth it. You need that full year. </p>
<p>I’d completed my English major before I went. That’s not the point, however. I took six English classes in the most amazing topics ever–everything from Woolf to Old Medieval Texts–and two theology, and will receive 500 level credit in special topics. It’s the way it works. Four of those classes count toward my major, or theoretically could if I hadn’t finished it. </p>
<p>One thing to keep in mind is that European classes are different in general. There’s not as much class time, no homework, lots of reading, and typically a test or paper that determines your entire grade. Typically final year students are already producing graduate level work. (This is why you really need a handle on the language.)</p>
<p>My daughter is now a sophomore and wants to study abroad next year. She had heard it is a difficult process to apply for this and that there are fewer students able to go each year.
Can you tell me about the process?</p>
<p>It really isn’t difficult to apply for, but I suspect that refers to the fact that the study abroad office was understaffed and therefore it made it more difficult than it should have been. As far as fewer able to go, I don’t think that is a Tulane thing, it is probably more related to the economy. But maybe someone else knows something I don’t regarding this.</p>
<p>I agree with tulanechild that 2 semesters abroad is better if you can do it. The time goes so fast, and if a foreign language is involved, you will just be feeling immersed when you have to come back if you only go for one semester. The flip side, as tc says, is that you might have trouble finishing in 4 years IF you don’t have a lot of AP credits coming in AND you cannot get a lot of credits from what you take at the foreign university. Like tc, my D doesn’t really need the credits from her year in China to stay on track, but of course they still would be nice to have. Otherwise, it is CRUCIAL that you get credits preapproved if at all possible so you know where you stand.</p>
<p>what do you guys think about summer study abroad programs? i’m pre-med and really involved on campus, so going during the year isn’t an option for me.</p>
<p>My D, pre-med at another school, did summer study abroad in Spain and she thought it was perfect! The program was designed to expose them to as much as possible in the two months they were there. She lived with a family who did not speak English (as in not at all) which gave her the greatest possible benefit in terms of her language skills for such a short stay. She loved being able to concentrate on Spanish without the usual pressures of the hard core sciences. Under the right circumstances, I think summer is the best alternative for pre-meds.</p>
<p>I should have also mentioned that, like kreativekat’s D, my S lived with a family. It probably does maximize the experience during the relatively short stay.</p>