Study Abroad

Greetings from the Study Abroad Advisor!

This message is for all students interested in studying abroad during the 2009-2010 school year. My office hours are 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Please stop by or make an appointment to see me if you are interested in any study abroad options.

Tacoma Community College works with the Washington Community College Consortium for Study Abroad to offer several exciting opportunities. All study abroad programs require a minimum of a 2.5 GPA. Additionally, successful completion of English 101 is a prerequisite for all study abroad programs offered next year. Please submit a completed WCCCSA application to the international office before applying to a specific program. Download the application here. Much more information about these programs is available at www.wcccsa.com.

The following programs are 15 credits each and accepted for credit by Tacoma Community College. Please check with your academic advisor to ensure these classes will meet your specific degree requirements. Running Start students please see your advisor for your high school graduation requirements.

Winter 2010: Alajuela, Costa Rica

Study Spanish in Costa Rica, land of many natural wonders: Caribbean and Pacific coastlines, luscious rainforests, abundant animal and plant life, and volcanoes. Students live and study in beautiful Alajuela, located just 30 minutes from the capital, San Jose. Alajuela is a small town surrounded by coffee and sugar plantations. Courses are held at the Instituto de Cultura y Lengua Costarricense (ICLC), Costa Rica's premier language institute. ICLC language school is set on a hillside surrounded with tropical flowers and fruits in the outskirts of Alajuela.

WCCCSA applications must be handed in to the TCC Study Abroad Coordinator no later than October 30, 2009 for approval before students submit application and deposit to AIFS.

The CAPA application is due on November 15, 2009.

Program dates:

Departure from Sea-Tac - January 2, 2010

Return from Alajuela - March 13, 2010

Winter 2010: Australia and New Zealand

TCC students are welcome to take part in this Green River Community College program to Australia and New Zealand. Spend your winter studying the cultural, historical, biological and geological characteristics of Australia and New Zealand and learn what makes these lands so unique. The program fee includes airfare!

WCCCSA applications must be handed in to the TCC Study Abroad Coordinator no later than October 12, 2009 for approval before students submit application and deposit to AIFS.

The GRCC application is due on October 27, 2009.

Program dates:

Departure from Sea-Tac - January 5, 2010

Return from Alajuela - March 13, 2010

Spring 2010: Florence, Italy

Tuscany is renowned throughout the world for its art, history and beautiful landscape. Florence lies like a jewel in the heart of Tuscany, compact and teeming with piazzas, palaces, churches, museums and markets. Here, in the center of Italy, you will walk in the footsteps of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Donatello, Botticelli, Brunelleschi, Petrarch and Dante.

As you walk the narrow and hand-hewn streets, absorb the magnificence of the medieval and renaissance architecture and the beauty of the sculptures that adorn walls and stand in the loggias of their grand piazzas.

Learn the way of Italian living from the lively and intellectual Florentines as you rub elbows with them in small "caffe" bars while enjoying the local cappuccino and panini. Your Italian ‘Life and Culture’ instructor will help set the stage and serve as your ‘cultural informant’.

WCCCSA applications must be handed in to the TCC Study Abroad Coordinator no later than January 15, 2010 for approval before students submit application and deposit to AIFS.

The AIFS application is due on February 1, 2010.

Program dates:

Departure from Sea-Tac - March 24, 2010

Return from Florence - June 4, 2010

Financial Aid may be used to cover the cost of tuition, and scholarships are available. I encourage looking into study abroad resources sooner rather than later as many scholarship deadlines for 2009-2010 are during the summer months. (The Writing & Tutoring Center in Building 7 is more than happy to provide assistance in proofing scholarship essays. Remember to plan ahead: please don't wait until the scholarship or program deadline to make an appointment.) Please remember that scholarships do not necessarily need to state study abroad as their purpose in order to benefit this goal.

For scholarships offered by Tacoma Community College, check out our website:

http://www.tacomacc.edu/foundation/scholarshipsandgrants.aspx

For other scholarship leads, please see:

http://www.wcccsa.com/Scholarships/index_scholarships.htm

As always, brochures and applications, as well as scholarship information, are available in the International Student Services and Programs Office. Please contact me if you have any questions. I am more than happy to help students learn how to research other opportunities as well.

Thank you for your interest in study abroad!

Ann Park
Retention Specialist/Study Abroad Advisor

International Student Services and Programs
Tacoma Community College
6501 South 19^th Street Building 11
Tacoma, WA 98466-6100
Telephone: 253.566.6013
apark@tacomacc.edu