Benefits of studying “abroad” without a passport

By: Patricia Reis
Posted In: News

Record numbers of students are studying abroad in countries like France, Germany and Australia. But thanks to the National Student Exchange, which is offered at two universities right here in Rhode Island, the less-adventurous can test new waters by studying “abroad” in another state.

According to the New York Times, New York University (NYU) has jumped at the opportunity to give American college students a taste of the city life for just a semester-long visit.

A program that began as an attempt to fill the empty slots of students who took the plunge overseas to study abroad, has given students studying in the fields ranging from NYU’s College of the Arts and Science, the Tisch School of the Arts and the Stern School of Business, an opportunity to become New-Yorkers; temporarily, at the least.

NYU is not the only school benefiting from such a program. In Rhode Island, the opportunity is available to local students attending either Rhode Island College (RIC) or the University of Rhode Island (URI) through the National Student Exchange (NSE). This program allows students of state schools to study for up to an entire academic year at another NSE college or university across the nation.

The requirements of the NSE are clearly stated on URI’s official website, as well as the NSE’s official website. Each student applying is expected to have a minimum 2.5 grade point average (G.P.A.) on a 4.0 scale; they must have completed 30 or more college level credits and be

currently enrolled at URI at the time of their application.

Students must also provide written recommendations from the faculty, as well as a written statement of their expectations for achievement in the program. There is also an interview process they are expected to go through before they are officially selected into the program.

Donna J.K. Figueroa, assistant director of international education and the NSE coordinator at URI said, “Every year, the program as a whole sends more than 4,500 students to explore the college of their choice, out of the 177 fellow universities that take part in the program. The program itself has been going since 1968, and continues through, stronger than ever, 36 year later.”

The program’s official website says that its main focus is to not only help college students to widen their perspectives on life, but also to expand their imaginations and further expand the confines that a university’s education can offer.

Though many students apply for the program, it is a selective process and not everyone who applies is given the opportunity to participate. A URI sophemore, Tarah E. Doyle, sophomore, who has been accepted into the program, was more than excited to hear the news of her acceptance into the NSE program.

“I guess everyone gets in a bit of a rut sometimes in college,” Doyle said, who will attend California State University Los Angeles through NSE. “I’ve lived in New England for all my life…it’s time for a little change.”

Doyle will begin her exchange next fall and will be staying for her entire junior year of college. She later plans to go on to graduate school to pursue a career in the field of human development and family counseling.

A Salve Regina University (SRU) sophomore, Caitlin M. Bushway, feels that perhaps SRU, too, could benefit from a program that incorporates a national exchange. After being on campus for two years, she has noticed a significant amount of her peers who have transferred out of the university.

“We’ve got a small school, and over the time I’ve been here, I have to be able to name you a good fifteen people who’ve left Salve for one reason or another. Maybe this school switching program could make them realize how good we have it here,” said Bushway.

SRU was Bushway’s top choice of schools among her college applications and she was overjoyed to have the chance to attend a school in Newport, Rhode Island. As with many students who attend SRU, she considers not only the learning community, but also the location of the university, a major aspect of life at college.

As Figueroa recaps, “As says our mission statement, ‘We introduce students to the university culture and its resources so that students will become engaged in the activities that will prepare them to be successful during and after college.’ If taking that step provides that a student needs to experience another university for a semester, so be it. This program welcomes them back to URI with nothing but open arms.”