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Fall Away > Advantages to Fall

There are some great reasons students might want to consider going away for the Fall semester.  Click on the links below to read more:

Financial Incentives

In conjunction with some of the major study abroad programs on our approved list, several special Brandeis travel grants/ scholarships are available to students studying abroad in the fall semester. (Note: This information is only viewable on the Brandeis campus.)

Global Citizens Thematic Learning Community

Thematic Learning Communities (TLCs) provide a venue for students to merge their intellectual growth and interpersonal connections.  The Global Citizens TLC is especially appropriate Juniors and Seniors returning to Brandeis after spending Fall semester participating in a study abroad program.  The TLC will ensure participating students have guaranteed, pre-assigned housing when they return to campus in the spring.  These students will have the opportunity to reflect on the abroad experience and to further develop their intercultural communication skills through programmatic venues.  Additionally, participants will gain leadership skills through working with the Study Abroad office in providing information to perspective students and helping to design and deliver the pre-departure orientations for students leaving to go abroad.

The application deadline for all TLCs is TBA.  If you want to study abroad in the Fall and become part of the Global Citizens TLC in the Spring, we encourage you to apply for approval to study abroad from Brandeis by the end of January.

For more details on the TLC and how to apply please visit the Department of Residence Life website.

Reasons to Study Abroad in the FALL

  1. Go Away with More
    • Going in the Fall means you’ll have more time to prepare for your sojourn –the more you know before you go, the more you get out of the experience!
    • Take advantage of extra time over the summer to read up on your host country’s history and culture, and to brush up your language skills.

  2. Size Matters
    • Fewer people on your program and in your classes means better integration and more personal attention from instructors and administrators.
    • Nationally, more people study abroad in the Spring than the Fall – buck the trend and beat the crowds!

  3. Increase your Chances of Getting Into a Unique Experience
    • Fall programs tend to fill less quickly and often have less strict GPA and pre-requisite requirements.
    • Have your heart set on a selective or popular program?  Fall is usually your best bet for getting in.

  4. Minimize Internship Stress
    • Fewer people in your host location in the Fall means less competition for the best internship/ research and field placements.
    • Be back at Brandeis in the Spring so you can apply and interview for summer internships.

  5. Beat the Cold
    • As we're entering the cold winter season here in North America, Spring is transitioning to Summer in the Southern hemisphere – enjoy the “winter” break in 80 degree weather.
    • Fall is also a great time to visit the U.K.  In the words of one returned student who spent a year in Ireland, “Spring term is colder, rainier and gloomier” (There are new Fall options in the U.K.).

  6. Experience Different Holiday Traditions
    • Discover new holidays and new interpretations of the holidays you thought you knew 
    • Share your own holiday traditions with new friends and family

  7. Be on Campus for Spring Student Life
    • Be back on campus to participate in Culture X and other student life events.
    • It may be important to be on campus in the spring for some leadership opportunities such as CA, Club leadership, and Roosevelt Fellow selection.

International Symposium

In order to provide a venue for returning students present their findings and observations from study abroad research, internships, field work, or other experiential endeavors, we will hold an International Symposium in the Spring.  The Symposium will allow those who were abroad in the Fall to further develop the work they did abroad and to draw attention to their learning from the study abroad experience.