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EDITORIAL: Poor choices for study abroad
Changes are for the worse
Editorial | 1/20/09
Posted online at 9:28 PM EST on 1/19/09
On Jan. 16, the Division of Students and Enrollment sent an eyebrow-raising e-mail to students featuring a host of inconvenient changes to the study-abroad system for the 2009 to 2010 academic year.
One change is the University's retraction of its word that merit scholarships will be applicable toward study abroad programs. Given our budget deficit, it's logical, if unfortunate, that the University should cut merit programs to save money, but we're not certain that halting these scholarships for studiers-abroad will save the school enough to justify the negative effects on merit scholars.
The way things work now, studiers-abroad pay full Brandeis tuition, and Brandeis in turn pays the study abroad institution. Tuition at these institutions is usually lower than what Brandeis charges, netting a profit for the University.
With its new merit scholarship policy, the school is banking on not having to pay for students to study abroad, but what if its new policy sways merit scholarship students to stay in Waltham? Then the University would have to pay to educate these students at Brandeis. Between different study abroad tuitions and variations in the costs of educating Brandeisians, the University can't be secure enough in the money it will save to make it worth cutting the scholarships.
Another change announced in the e-mail was that students who might want to study abroad 2009 to 2010 will have to complete a "Preliminary Study Abroad Application" indicating interest by Feb. 15. Ostensibly, the University will use this form to tally up students studying abroad, allowing it to make estimates on how much money it would save by not honoring merit scholarships.
But this preliminary form is an absolute requirement for studying abroad, and it's nonbinding. The sensible thing for anyone even considering studying abroad to do is to fill out the form now and decide later whether or not to go abroad. Therefore, fewer students will study abroad than will fill out the form, throwing off Brandeis' estimates of how much money it would save if it cut merit scholarships.
One change is the University's retraction of its word that merit scholarships will be applicable toward study abroad programs. Given our budget deficit, it's logical, if unfortunate, that the University should cut merit programs to save money, but we're not certain that halting these scholarships for studiers-abroad will save the school enough to justify the negative effects on merit scholars.
The way things work now, studiers-abroad pay full Brandeis tuition, and Brandeis in turn pays the study abroad institution. Tuition at these institutions is usually lower than what Brandeis charges, netting a profit for the University.
With its new merit scholarship policy, the school is banking on not having to pay for students to study abroad, but what if its new policy sways merit scholarship students to stay in Waltham? Then the University would have to pay to educate these students at Brandeis. Between different study abroad tuitions and variations in the costs of educating Brandeisians, the University can't be secure enough in the money it will save to make it worth cutting the scholarships.
Another change announced in the e-mail was that students who might want to study abroad 2009 to 2010 will have to complete a "Preliminary Study Abroad Application" indicating interest by Feb. 15. Ostensibly, the University will use this form to tally up students studying abroad, allowing it to make estimates on how much money it would save by not honoring merit scholarships.
But this preliminary form is an absolute requirement for studying abroad, and it's nonbinding. The sensible thing for anyone even considering studying abroad to do is to fill out the form now and decide later whether or not to go abroad. Therefore, fewer students will study abroad than will fill out the form, throwing off Brandeis' estimates of how much money it would save if it cut merit scholarships.
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 5
traviss
Travis
posted 1/20/09 @ 3:52 PM EST
When was the last time the university made changes to study abroad policies that *didn't* involve students paying more and/or increases in pure profits for the university?
If a student deserves a merit scholarship to study at Brandeis, then they deserve a scholarship to go abroad as well. (Continued…)
Alexandra Perloe, class of '06
posted 1/20/09 @ 8:42 PM EST
I graduated from Brandeis in 2006. I received a merit scholarship that covered almost the entire tuition. This was a huge factor in my decision to attend Brandeis -- as I believe is the intention of Brandeis' generous merit scholarship program -- and also allowed me to study abroad in Spain. (Continued…)
Tamara
posted 1/20/09 @ 9:58 PM EST
I graduated in 2000. While I did not go on study abroad I find the best part of the this proposal to be the housing idea. Every year there are open rooms in suites left by friends who are studying abroad. (Continued…)
Daniel Ortner
posted 1/21/09 @ 7:57 AM EST
The big problem here is that what the university is doing might possibly be illegal. Scholarship letters explicitly stating that scholarships can be used abroad can likely be viewed as a legally binding document. (Continued…)
kartikey shukla
posted 5/24/09 @ 3:15 AM EST
it is good for poor student
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