With the transition from trimesters to semesters quickly approaching, it is important for North Central students to learn the effects the change will have on their study abroad options.
While some may fear that this change will limit their options to study abroad, Kimberly Larsson, director of study abroad at North Central, believes that the change will make “studying abroad more accessible to a larger group of students.”
She explained that many of the institutions around the world that North Central students have studied at are already on a semester calendar so “it’s going to be a nice transition because I feel like we’re going to open up the spring semester in a way that it hasn’t been accessible to students before.”
Because North Central is currently on a trimester schedule, students have fewer opportunities to study abroad in the spring. Larsson explained that if students enroll in a semester school abroad for their spring term, they would have to miss two trimesters at NCC.
Because of this, the students wouldn’t get enough credits to be considered a full-time student for both terms and it may affect their financial aid package. North Central’s transition to semesters should allow students to easily study abroad in the spring term without worrying about getting enough credits.
In addition, Larsson said opening up the spring term for studying abroad will enhance students’ experiences overseas. “At many universities, spring is a more popular time,” she said. The weather is usually better in the spring and students will have the option to stay abroad for the beginning of the summer to travel on their own. She explained that it is harder to do this in the fall or over D-Term because students want to be home in time for the holidays.
While the shift from trimesters to semesters may improve students’ opportunities to study abroad during fall and spring semesters, Alyssa Klemm, a student at North Central fears that it may be more difficult to study abroad for a shorter period of time such as over D-Term.
Klemm recently studied abroad in Greece and Italy this past December and was unsure if D-Term will be an option for students once the calendar changes.
Larsson is assuring that shorter trips abroad will still be available, they will just be offered during a May term once the spring term at North Central has ended.
When informed of the new May term that NCC will be offering to students, Klemm was relieved. “I’m excited that I will still have the opportunity to go on a shorter, three-week study abroad trip,” she said.
