SUNY Oswego was the first among the SUNY system to restart its study abroad activities in January 2022 and continues to actively promote the program, Dr. Joshua McKeown, the associate provost for international education and programs, said.

After the past few years of isolation and lockdown following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of International Education and Programs (OIEP) has started to ramp up programs and students are traveling again. As of right now there are still restrictions on some places where students used to travel to, but for the most part, many of the programs have been reopened. SUNY Oswego is once again offering full semester abroad, summers, faculty-led, internships and other experiential programs, McKeown said. 

To make itself more accessible to the students, the OIEP has set up a table in Marano Campus Center to provide information and answer questions students may have.

The tabling events run most Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 to 2 p.m. and on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. They are run mostly by Study Abroad Mentors (SAMs) who are students who have studied abroad and returned to Oswego.

At the tablings, students can learn how they can pay for their trip, how studying abroad functions within the SUNY system as a whole as well as gain important contact information to those who run certain programs. 

There are quite a few options and strategies when it comes to paying for an abroad experience. Lizette Alvarado says one of the most important things to do is, “Plan, plan, and more planning.” 

Financial aid that a student receives can be used towards studying abroad. “Some programs cost just as much as it cost to study at SUNY Oswego and there are some programs that may cost less than a semester at Oswego,” Alvarado said.  “There are also programs that are higher in cost than studying at Oswego for a semester.  As we have a variety of programs, with a variety of costs, when we meet with an interested student we explain all the options.” 

Apart from financial aid, there are also many study abroad specific scholarships that students can apply for. Oswego offers some scholarships and the U.S. Department of State also offers a few scholarships through the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program. Alvarado also encourages students to work and save up for their trips and said that some students in the past have even set up GoFundMe campaigns to help with the cost.

Currently OIEP has programs going to Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, England, France, Germany, Brazil, Mexico and many other countries. These countries are split into four regional categories, each headed by different directors and coordinators. At the tablings, students can speak with different SAMs who have been to different countries. The SAMs can describe each program and provide further information about who to contact if students are interested, according to current SAM Miles Weber. 

For those students who do not see their desired country offered through the OIEP, they can turn to the SUNY system as a whole. 

“One of the strengths of the SUNY system is that students can easily register for and pay for a program administered by another SUNY campus,” McKeown said. “So if one campus doesn’t have the exact program that you’re looking for then another one probably will.” 

Students studying abroad through other SUNY systems can have their class credits transferred back to Oswego and even have their financial aid go with them. 

When asked about study abroad opportunities, Weber said that it broadens one’s perspective and  “everyone should do it, it was so much fun and I wish I could still be abroad right now if I could.”  McKeown described studying abroad as “a safe, fun, affordable and irreplaceable aspect of your university education and experience,” and that “studying abroad is typically a once in a lifetime experience that has a huge impact on students.” 

Alvarado said that “… all students should give themselves that opportunity to study abroad at least once during their college career,” and added that “the coordinators at the OIEP are ready to assist and prepare students for their study abroad studies and what to expect when abroad. Our SAMs are also ready to provide peer to peer guidance.”

If you would like to learn more about OIEP’s tabling sessions, or about studying abroad as a whole, please visit the office’s website at oswego.edu/international.