The following Web page is designed to assist students who are currently studying abroad.

Receiving Information

The IE office will send messages and information via e-mail to students’ SMCM accounts.

Secure access to e-mail, personal calendars, and group scheduling is provided by Microsoft Outlook Web Access.  To utilize O.W.A., students should go to http://studentowa.smcm.edu.  Then enter your username, password, and SMCM as the domain.  If using a computer with an XP operating system, students should type the entire e-mail address (username@smcm.edu) into the username field.  If there is no field for the domain (for instance, with Netscape) students should type smcm/username in the username field.  For additional information regarding Outlook, click here. 

If students are concerned about accessing their SMCM accounts while abroad, they may also provide the IE office with another e-mail address (yahoo, hotmail) to be used in addition to, or instead of, their SMCM account. 

Course Approvals

Students who need to get courses approved once they are already abroad must fill out a pre-approval form and send course descriptions of the course(s).  These documents should be sent to the IE office via mail, fax, or e-mail.  Once course descriptions are received, the IE office, registrar, and department chairs will work together to decide how credit should be assigned. 

Registering for Next Semester’s Classes at SMCM

With online registration, students who have access to a computer while abroad can gain clearance from their academic advisers and register themselves as usual.  However, all students must also designate a registration proxy before leaving St. Mary’s.  The proxy is someone at St. Mary’s who is given permission to register on the student’s behalf.  Students are responsible for providing their proxies with their desired schedules.  The proxy will then register the student via SmartNet or take the information to the registrar and register the student.

SMCM Housing

Students also designate a housing proxy before leaving SMCM.  Students are expected to be in contact with their proxies about their desired housing so that the proxy can fill out the housing form appropriately.  Students who study abroad should also be sure to pay their housing deposit for next year before they leave St. Mary’s, in order to ensure they get housing.  If students fail to pay the housing deposit prior to departure, they will have to designate a proxy to pay the deposit on their behalf.  Housing deposits cannot be paid with a credit card. 

Grades Earned Abroad

Students should be aware that generally grades earned abroad WILL appear on SMCM transcripts, but WILL NOT be counted into the student's GPA. 

Transcripts

Students are responsible for obtaining official transcripts from their study-abroad institution.  The SMCM registrar will post coursework from study abroad upon receipt of official transcripts only.  Timing is important for such events as registration, housing selection, and graduation audits. 

Emergencies

Every program should have a resident director or coordinator whom you may contact in the event of an emergency.  Make sure to find out what the emergency protocol is for your program and keep the information readily available.  In addition, you may always contact the St. Mary’s Office of International Education with any questions or concerns.

Travel Tips and Links

Travel Tips - tips compiled by returning SMCM study-abroad students

Calling Overseas - information on using international telephones

International Dialing Codes - telephone dialing codes for various countries and regions

Health Tips for travelers - CDC traveler's health information

Culture Shock - article by Kalervo Oberg outlining the symptoms, phases, and ways to deal with culture shock while abroad