Study Away @ Olin

Student-Designed Program

What is a Student-Designed Program?

Under this study away model, a student attends a program sponsored by another institution that is not currently on Olin's pre-approved list, enrolls directly in another institution that does not have a direct exchange agreement with Olin, or crafts an alternative study plan with his or her adviser. Students are required to submit a detailed proposal to the Away Committee, which will evaluate the proposal based on the criteria listed on the application. Students assume all costs including tuition, travel, room and board, insurance, passport and visa fees, application fees, and any other incidental expenses.

Specific Guidelines for Student-Designed Programs

To avoid wasted effort, students interested in developing a student-designed away proposal should meet with Carol Kelley and their adviser EARLY in the process to make sure that their proposed plan has sufficient potential to pursue.
Student-designed programs require greater need for educational/academic justification and rationale than either direct exchange or pre-approved programs and will likely require more student input and effort to design and plan; the rewards, however, can be enormous and well worth the time invested in planning.
The student will be responsible for all aspects of designing, planning and funding the proposed student-designed program.

Criteria for Full-Time Study Away

Your application will more likely be approved if you can demonstrate satisfactorily that:

the academic institution to which you are applying has courses that meet Olin's rigorous academic standards and are at a level equal to those of Olin's pre-approved study away programs;
the proposed course of study meets the curricular needs of your overall Olin education and will allow you to graduate on time; and that
your academic record at Olin demonstrates that you are likely to succeed at this program and that you have the prerequisite courses and skills needed for the proposed course of study.

Criteria for Non-Traditional Away

Your proposal will be evaluated on the following criteria.

Proposal: how clearly you explain your plans and how realistic they appear to be; how well organized and coordinated your plans are; how well you demonstrate how this experience will complement your undergraduate education at Olin; how well-conceived are your plans for supervision and evaluation of your activities.
Your academic record.
Other factors: this includes, but is not limited to, proficiency in the local language (as needed) and depth of knowledge of the proposed project plans.