IV. Program Leadership: First Steps

Understand the role of the Overseas & Off-Campus Programs Office

Oversight and administration of all programs is handled by the Overseas & Off-Campus Programs office. We work to inform and support you as fully as possible so that you may lead a successful program. Our office handles most administrative duties related to the program, including student applications, travel arrangements and agreements with and payment to in-country coordinators and staff.

Promote your program and recruit potential student participants

Once you have been designated as the leader for a program, we encourage you to inform potential program participants about the program and the application process. You will be expected to offer a Program Information Session to represent your program. You are encouraged to also mention your upcoming program in classes or create a mailing list or forum for potential applicants.

On occasion, leaders with large student groups may need an assistant leader. Decisions about the assignment of an assistant leader are tailored to each specific program year. In some cases, the Department of Overseas and Off-Campus Programs determines that a program assistant is required. In other cases, decisions about assistants are made in consultation with program leaders who may submit a request after meeting with the Director of Overseas and Off-Campus programs.

Program leader training

All accepted program leaders will be required to attend a leader orientation session with the Overseas Programs office before you begin your orientation with students. This session is meant to give you the tools and knowledge to lead an effective orientation for your group. You will also be expected to meet with staff in the Overseas Programs office periodically during the semester prior to the start of the program for planning purposes.

Understand the student application process

The Overseas & Off-Campus Programs office has application information and materials. The application process consists of the following steps:

1. Meet with advisor - Students need to meet with their academic advisors regarding how program participation will contribute to and otherwise affect their current programs of study.
2. Application for Admission form
3. Academic reference form #1
4. Academic reference form #2
5. Essay form
6. Digital copy of a passport photo - submitted via email to the Overseas & Off-Campus Programs office
7. Transcript screenshot - submitted via email to the Overseas & Off-Campus Programs office

Interviewing student applicants

Just like you, students have to evaluate the feasibility of their participation in an Overseas or Off Campus program by looking at different academic, personal and logistical issues. The interview process allows you to guide students through this process, thereby helping both you and the student understand whether or not the student should be accepted into the program and, if so, what issues may require attention before the program begins.

Interview question possibilities

Using the student’s application as a starting point, ask each student several questions so that you both can envision their participation in the program as clearly as possible. Here are a few sample questions that can be modified based upon your knowledge regarding your program and the student interviewee:

• If you have traveled, was it alone, with family, with friends? What did you gain from that experience?
• What are your interests? How do you plan to pursue these activities during your time overseas?
• How do you handle delays, changes, disappointments?
• How do you react to the unexpected and unforeseen?
• Describe a difficult situation in which you have found yourself and describe what you actively did to get yourself out of it.
• Describe a time in which you believed that you had made an unfavorable first impression with someone. How did you work to move beyond that first impression?
• What do you know about the host country?
• What are your expectations of this program? Personal and academic?
• How will you contribute to the group dynamics of the program?

Sometimes students will ask about scholarship opportunities in the interview process. The Overseas & Off-Campus Programs office maintains a webpage dedicated to internal and external scholarship for study abroad.