December, 2015

Dear Parents and Families,

With the winter break approaching, many sophomores will be returning home with ideas for study abroad. About 40% of Tufts students study abroad for one or both semesters of the junior year. The deadline date for most Tufts study-abroad programs (full-year 2016-17, fall 2016 or spring 2017) is February 1, 2016, so now is the time for sophomores to narrow down their choices and prepare to apply.

Tufts maintains its own full-year or semester-long study-abroad programs in London, Oxford, Paris, Madrid, Tübingen (Germany), Ghana, Chile, Japan, China, and Hong Kong. For full information, see our website at The programs are as different as their locations, but they do have some elements in common. In keeping with our philosophy of cultural and linguistic immersion, students take most or all of their courses in a local host university, alongside students of the host country, in the language of the host country. (The only exceptions are Japan and China, where intensive language study is offered to students who have basic knowledge, along with a selection of culture courses taught in English.) Students live in dorms with local and/or other international students, or with host families. In all locations,a Resident Director who is a citizen of the host country serves as academic advisor, cultural informant, liaison between Tufts and the host university,and all-around troubleshooter for our students. Some of our Resident Directors have been with Tufts for a decade or more. All of them are dedicated professionals, and their contributions to our programs are invaluable.

Resident Directors are expert sources of information on health and safety on-site, and they are our front-line contacts in case of emergencies. They maintain close contact with students and are able to communicate with them quickly when needed. Before leaving Tufts, students receive briefings from us on general principles of health, safety, and cultural adaptation. Once they arrive in-country, Resident Directors provide country-specific information and continue to update it on an ongoing basis. In fact, the immersive experience students are encouraged to have on a Tufts program -- living with people of the host country, studying at a local university, and speaking the language at all times -- is not only the best way to get to know the host country, it is also the best way to be safe. Blending in with locals and getting to know their way of life keeps students from standing out as foreigners and helps them learn savvy behavior appropriate to their new setting.

Another Tufts option for study abroad is the six-week summer program in beautiful Talloires, France, in the French Alps, where Tufts owns an eleventh-century priory and students take courses taught by Tufts faculty in English or in French. For more information, see

Aboutone-third of Tufts students who study abroad choose a Tufts program. Others take a leave of absence for a semester or a year to take advantage of a wide array of non-Tufts study-abroad options available for transfer credit. A list of recommended non-Tufts programs, reviewed and updated regularly by a faculty committee, includes some 200 study-abroad options in some 50 countries from Argentina to Vietnam. A full-time Foreign Study Advisor in the Programs Abroad office assists students in choosing, applying to, and transferring credit from non-Tufts programs. The list of recommended programs on our website includes links to those programs with details on their prerequisites, characteristics, and offerings.

Why would your son or daughter want to take a semester or year away from Tufts to study in another country? For many students, the opportunity to super-charge their language ability in setting that compels them to use the language all day, every day is an important draw. Others see value in spending an extended time in a part of the world they will probably never get to explore otherwise, such as Ghana or Hong Kong. Some are attracted by the academic reputations of prestigious partner universities that offer courses in the subjects of students’ major disciplines, taught from a distinct perspective, using the teaching methods of the host country. Regardless of the initial motivation for studying abroad, nearly all students come away with more than they expected: more challenges, more experiences, more friends, more knowledge, and more personal growth. Indeed, it is possible that 20-year-olds, emerging from adolescence into adulthood, can benefit more than anyone from the positive shock of encountering and coming to terms with a completely new environment. Year after year, when we ask students in evaluations what they gained, the word we read most often is “independence” and the sentence we read most often is “It was the best year (or semester) of my life.”

Later, the experience of crossing cultures to live and study in another country gives students the confidence and flexibility to move after graduation into the work world or further education. Study abroad sets them apart from other candidates for positions and opportunities, giving them a rich background to draw on and sustain them as they launch into the next phase of their lives.

We look forward to hearing from your daughter or son and helping them take advantage of this valuable and unique experience.

Sincerely,

Sheila Bayne

Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education

Director, Tufts Programs Abroad