By Brooke Vallier ’25

Coming into Pace, I always knew I wanted to study abroad for a semester. I think many people have the same experience. Studying abroad is an important experience that I think everyone should take part in. Taking a risk by moving to a foreign country by yourself or five to six months pushes personal growth, which is an important part of the college experience.  

Unfortunately, studying abroad at Pace can seem extremely intimidating. Like many other things, the Study Abroad process is extremely confusing for a first-timer, especially if they don’t have any outside influence from someone who has been through the process. In this article, I will explain how to apply to study abroad.  

First, you will visit a Study Abroad fair, which are usually held at the beginning of both the Spring and Fall semesters. Although this is not mandatory, it is recommended. At this fair, there will be around 30 visiting schools and programs with representatives ready to tell you about their location, academics, and experiences. You will not choose which school you will attend at this fair, but you will narrow your list.  

Next, you will visit https://pace-paid.terradotta.com, which is the website where information about Pace study abroad programs is located. There are two types of programs: Partner and Exchange. The difference between the two comes down to financial aid. In an exchange program, the student can keep all their financial aid, whereas a Partner program only allows $12,500 of your financial aid to be kept. This includes all endowed scholarships and FASFA aid. For this reason, it is essential that the student applying for a school makes sure they are budgeting throughout the entire process.  

While in Terra Dotta, the student will look up the schools they listed in the search engine. Once the school and program timing (spring, fall, or winter/summer intersessions) is found, the student will click on the link and be directed to all the information Pace has about the program. On this page, the student will be able to find information about courses offered, a budget sheet, location information, essential experiences, and more. The most important tab that a student will need to look at is the “Academics” tab. This tab lists all the “Pre-Approved Courses” that the host school and Pace have. The reason this is extremely important is that students need to make sure that they are going to receive credit for the courses they are taking abroad. If there is a course offered at the host school that a student from Pace has already taken and received credit for, it will be located under this tab. If there is a course offered on the host school’s syllabus that is NOT approved by Pace, the student will need to reach out to the department head at Pace to get approval for credit BEFORE leaving for the semester abroad. But this entire process comes after the student picks a school. 

I mention looking at Academics because it is important that there are many options for credit at the school the student is applying to. For example, if a junior like myself is going abroad in their second semester, it is likely that they won’t have a ton of elective credits left to fill. So, they need to base their school decision on how much credit they can receive toward their major. Of course, the Study Abroad office at Pace has more information on which classes you can and cannot take abroad, and they are always there to help you through that process. Some schools also have a GPA and major requirement, so make sure to look out for that.  

After looking at Academics, it is now time to apply to study abroad through Pace. On the host school page on Terra Dotta, there is an “Application” tab. Under this tab are required things that need to be completed for Pace to accept the student to study abroad. You are required to attend an “Abroad 101” session hosted by the Study Abroad office. There will be a quiz about this session on the application, so be sure to attend. Some other requirements include an outline of potential academics that the student can take at the host school (so Pace knows they are on track to graduate), personal information, financial information, and more. Once you are approved by Pace, you will then apply to your host institution. This can either be done on the host institute’s website, or you will receive an email with information about how to do so. Once you are accepted by both Pace and the host institution, and you commit to going, you are officially a Study Abroad student.  

But the process does not end there. Once you commit, you must make sure that you have all the required documents for studying abroad. These include applying for housing, applying for a student visa (which is the worst, by the way), figuring out when you can move in and booking your flight (because no, Pace doesn’t help with that), attending an “Abroad 102” session, a pre-departure session, updating your information on the host institutions site, completing Course Equivalency forms (the forms which your advisor/ your advisor and department heads complete to allow you to take courses abroad), registering for classes through the host institution, budgeting, and finally, preparing yourself for the journey of a lifetime.  

The worst part of the entire process is applying for a student visa. If you’ve ever been to the DMV, that’s the vibe. You need so many different documents, and they continue to get more difficult to acquire. For example, the Italian Consulate requires you to have a bank statement from your savings account with the amount of $50 per day for the time that you will be there. So, if you’re there for 150 days (about 5 months), you need $7500 to show in your savings account. The bank statement also must have only your name on it, which poses an issue for those who have joint accounts with their parents from their pre-college years. Also, if you need to get up to that balance before your next statement date, but the date that you need to go to the consulate is too close to your next statement date, and you won’t make/get a loan for enough, you need your parents or someone else to loan you the money so the statement reflects the correct amount. You can also open a credit card if that is not possible, but you usually need to have the credit card for at least a month before they give you a statement.  

You also need things like a money order, a new passport photo for the actual visa document, and copies of every personal document you own (Pace ID, license, insurance, etc.). You also need a document from your host school saying that you got in, which they will only give you once you pay a housing deposit (usually about $1000). So yeah, visa application is the worst part of the process.  

Depending on the school you choose, this process might be easier or harder for you. But it is possible to complete. Once you start completing tasks, it becomes easier and less intimidating. I wish Pace made it more known that the process is not actually that confusing, and that anyone is welcome to apply for a semester abroad.