study abroad at macalester college

Study abroad at Macalester College means both high academic performance and an acute awareness of diversity that is uniquely fostered by international experience. It enhances education in the liberal arts by engaging well prepared students in rigorous and stimulating learning experiences in a variety of countries outside the United States. Study abroad enables students to encounter foreign cultures through contact with faculty, students and the general public of the host country, and, in societies where the native language is not English, provides them with a useful and consciousness-expanding proficiency in a second language.

Since 1999, Macalester has sent students to more than 70 countries, using over 110 programs, and to approximately 8 domestic study away sites within the US. Using the national statistical methodology recommended by the Institute of International Education (IIE) for comparative purposes in determining level of off-campus study across U.S. colleges and universities, Macalester sends over 60% of its students on off-campus study, depending somewhat on how many students elect summer and January study programs. Over 80% of our study away participants are off-campus for at least one full semester.

Through study abroad and, upon returning home, through participation in international courses and out-of-class forums, Macalester students are expected to reflect on and evaluate their learning about foreign countries. They are encouraged to develop a sense of global citizenship and to gain the knowledge required for transnational understanding and leadership.

Learn more about macalester and study abroad

Find out where Macalester students studied abroad in Spring 2009. Read about popular destinations, Independent Study Projects, and more here.

Read published student research completed while studying abroad through Macalester Abroad, the online journal for undergraduate, international research.

The International Center, located on the 1st floor of Markim Hall, has a qualified and professional staff ready to help. Click here to read about International Center staff members.

**Study Abroad news**

• Students who will complete an Independent Study Project abroad in Spring 2010 are encouraged to apply for the Paul Gerdes Scholarship.

  In memory of Paul Gerdes, a Macalester College student who had studied abroad in Brazil, the Gerdes family, in collaboration with Macalester, has established a unique scholarship for Macalester students. The Paul Gerdes Study Abroad Scholarship supports a one-month extension of independent study, immediately following an approved semester abroad in a developing country, on a topic concerning social justice.

  The full scholarship description and application may be downloaded here. The application deadline is Monday, November 30.

• Pre-Departure Orientation sessions will be held on the dates listed below. Please make sure to attend the session you indicated on the RSVP form.

  Thursday, November 19 (7:00 pm) - Markim Hall, Davis Court (1st floor) or

  Saturday, November 21 (12:00 pm) - Markim Hall, Davis Court (1st floor) for countries:

  Australia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Northern Ireland, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, and Turkey.

  Tuesday, November 24 (7:00 pm) - Olin Rice 100 or

  Tuesday, December 1 (7:00 pm) - Markim Hall, Davis Court (1st floor) for countries:

  Argentina, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, India, Jordan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Thailand.

• An alert about Room and Board Costs for certain study away programs!

• There are many scholarships available for Macalester students to apply toward their studies abroad. Take a look at the Scholarship section of our website for application deadlines and information.

• The next deadline for proposals to study away in Fall 2010 will be March 5th, 2010 at 4:30pm.
  

Learn more about the Macalester Program in South Africa!

Thinking of Studying Abroad at a British University?

Thinking of doing a homestay during Study Abroad?

Our International Center mission statement asserts that study abroad "enhances education in the liberal arts . . . ." In the Educational Goals essay that all students who want to study abroad must write, we ask them to describe how their proposed off-campus study will enhance their liberal arts education. The student confronted with this requirement may well wonder what, precisely, we mean by "education in the liberal arts," as there is plenty of room for discussion and disagreement on the subject. As a place to begin, we recommend Professor William Cronon's 1999 essay, published in The American Scholar, "'Only Connect . . .' The Goals of a Liberal Education." This piece -- short, clear, persuasive -- offers everyone interested in the subject a full chest of tools to use in thinking about how study abroad and liberal learning may complement one another.

** Study Abroad Interactive Quiz