While You Are Abroad

Even while you’re abroad, we’re still here to help you in any way we can! Feel free to contact our office any time via phone, fax or e-mail.  We are also on SKYPE, which might be an easier way to have a conversation, E-mail gbeaudin@rollins.edu or dwharram@rollins.edu to set up a SKYPE appointment.

And the following resources and reminders might help, too:

Emergencies:

Campus Security 24/7 at 407-646-2999

  • This line should be used only for true emergences that occur when students are away from campus: serious illness, injury or accident, missing student, sexual or violent assault, criminal arrest of a student, natural disaster, flu pandemic, political unrest or terrorist attack

Off-Hours Assistance

407-646-2439 (forwards to an IP staff cell phone)

  • Only outside of regular business hours
  • Only for situations requiring immediate assistance
  • IF YOU NEED IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE IT IS USUALLY BETTER TO CONTACT SOMEONE ON-SITE: YOUR PROGRAM DIRECTOR, ADMINISTRATOR, FACULTY MEMBER, ETC.
  • If the line is not picked up, leave a message with your contact information
  • If your situation requires immediate assistance, IP staff will follow-up with you within 90 minutes
  • If your situation does not require immediate assistance, your request will be addressed during regular office hours
  • Examples of situations that may require immediate assistance from IP:
    • Flight cancellation or delay
    • Parent/guardian needing to reach a student abroad due to an emergency at home

Rollins Email

Make sure to continue checking your Rollins email account while you are away—otherwise you might miss important deadlines and information.

Communicating with Home

Registering for Classes

  • Depending on the particular Rollins or Rollins Affiliate program, you may be registered for 12 placeholder study-abroad credits, rather than being registered for the exact number of credits you are earning while abroad.  Don’t worry—when your grades arrive from your study abroad program, the exact grades and credits will replace the 12 placeholder credits.
  • You will still be able to pre-register for the following semester while you are abroad.  We will send you an email with instructions for pre-registration during the middle of the semester—again, make sure to check your Rollins email account.

Course Approvals

On many programs, you won’t know the exact courses you are taking until you arrive.  You can get courses approved from afar by taking the following steps:

  • Use the Permission to Take Courses Outside Arts and Sciences form—fill out the electronic version
  • Make sure to fill in the names of your major and minor advisors on the form!
  • Email the completed form with course description and syllabus (if available) to your academic advisor.
  • Direct your advisor to review the courses and, if approved, send the form and additional course information to International Programs.
  • Our office will coordinate with your major and minor advisors to obtain their signatures as needed and will then send the form on to Student Records.

Financial Aid and Credits

  • If you receive aid from Florida Bright Futures, you must notify us of  your final course selections and exact number of credits since the number of credits you are taking determines your award amount.  If you report your course and credit load incorrectly, you may not receive as much funding as you should, or you may end up owing money back at the end of the semester.
  • In addition, students who have received aid from Florida Bright Futures must finish all their courses successfully or they will owe money back at the end of the semester.  In other words, you must earn all the credits you are registered to earn!

On Campus Housing

You can live on campus at Rollins when you return from abroad, but you need to be sure to check your Rollins email account so that you can participate in the housing process and the housing lottery from afar.  We will send you an email with instructions for coordinating housing from afar during the middle of the semester.

Traveling While Abroad

Most students take some time to travel while they are abroad.  Your program may offer group excursions and activities, or you may choose to travel independently.  Either way, here are some tips for traveling abroad:

  • Bring your passport, even if you are traveling within the country!  Hotels and hostels may need to make a copy of it and you don’t want to be caught without it if you encounter any problems.  Once you get to your destination, you can determine if your passport is safer left in your room (in a secure, hidden place) or kept on your body.
  • Check State Department and Centers for Disease Control websites to make sure you understand the health and safety risks for any planned destinations—we have all the pertinent links on our Health and Safety page.
  • Research visa requirements: to do this, google the embassy of the country you want to visit—the embassy located in your country of citizenship.  For example, if you are a US citizen and want to travel to Austria, google the Austrian embassy in the US and look for links to visa and passport information.  In some cases, you may not be able to obtain a visa from your host country, so make sure to do this well ahead of time.
  • Look for student discounts (or any discounts)!  Here are some good sites to get you started.
    • Student Travel Agency
    • ISIC
    • Student Universe
    • Travel Zoo
    • Kayak
  • Use guidebooks, especially those that are aimed towards budget travelers, we like:
    • Lonely Planet
    • Let’s Go
  • Use discount airlines—many are popping up around the world—and discount airline websites:
    • UK and Europe: Ryan Air and Easy Jet
    • Asia: Cathay Pacific
    • Expedia, Cheapflights, Orbitz
  • Stay at hostels—by far the cheapest way to travel!—but remember:
    • To read online reviews
    • Consider location: hostels farther out of cities are cheaper, but can be less safe to return to at night and will add transportation costs
    • Consider security: dorm-style hostels are not very secure for personal items.  Some hostels offer safes; others have private rooms, etc.
    • You can book online ahead of time these days, but make sure you know the cancellation policy.
    • Websites to get you started:
      • Hostelworld
      • Hostelbookers
  • Travel light—just like in the US, you may have extra fees for checked baggage!