Hope you are enjoying your time abroad! This page is intended for ISEP students who are currently abroad. See the drop down boxes below to answer questions you may have!
- At this stage, most of your questions should be directed to ISEP or your host university coordinator. They are the point of contact for any host university-related inquiries such as housing, courses offered, etc.
- Find their contact info in the ISEP portal in the “Your Contacts” tab under “Help at Your Host University”.
- If you have questions that are CMU-related please email [email protected]
- Read thorough the following ISEP pages
- Make sure you are checking both your CMU email and host university email while abroad, we may be contacting you with important information
- You are enrolled in a placeholder course at CMU for this semester. DO NOT drop this course.
- Once your courses are finalized, update the Credit Agreement Form and email to your academic advisor and the Registrar’s Office ([email protected]) for approval. Please include course descriptions/syllabi for each course you are taking if you want a course to fulfill a specific course at CMU.
- For fall and full-year students, be sure you have registered for the equivalent of a minimum full-time load at the host university! That is 12 credits at CMU. If you take less than the equivalent full-time load, it may affect your financial aid award/eligibility the following year.
- Remember that if you are studying abroad on exchange, you are paying CMU for 15 credit hours’ worth of tuition/fees so you are able to take the equivalent at the host university.
- Remember that classes you take abroad will appear on your CMU transcript with a grade. The grades you earn while abroad will be used to calculate your overall GPA.
- Our Registrar’s Office will make the grade conversions and apply them to your CMU transcript once the transcript from your institution is received. This generally happens several months after your return from your semester/year abroad.
- If you have questions about how grades are converted to U.S. grades and how credit hours are converted, email [email protected]. The Registrar’s Office uses an ISEP transfer guide for each country to make these decisions.
- For those of you returning after your semester abroad, please continue checking your CMU email and pay attention to the upcoming registration dates as well as any holds you have on your account that would prevent you from registering on time.
- You are responsible for resolving any issues and registering on time.
- Share your favorite photos with us! We are always welcoming photos of your time abroad. We use them for posters, presentations, and other promotional items.
- Email us at [email protected] with your favorite pictures of your time abroad
- Once a month, a study abroad student can do a Snapchat Takeover! You will send in snapchats about your life abroad and they will be posed to CMU's official Snapchat story.
- Contact [email protected] if you are interested. This is a great way to show students at CMU how great studying abroad really is!
- Add “coloradomesau” on Snapchat to see other students’ takeovers
- Enter your in-country emergency contact information under the “Provide Your Contact Information” section of your dashboard in the ISEP Portal
- Print a copy of your Insurance ID cards from the “Insurance” section of your dashboard and familiarize yourself with the coverage offered by the ISEP Student Insurance and how to go about receiving treatment and filing a claim were you to need medical care while abroad.
- Print a copy of your emergency contact card from the “Health and Safety” section of your ISEP dashboard and program emergency phone numbers in your phone.
- Host coordinator and/or host university emergency contact
- Local Emergency Services
- ISEP 24-hour emergency phone: +1 301-681-2388
- Register for critical updates:
- Contact your home country’s embassy in your host country and sign up for embassy alerts as applicable (ex: STEP alerts for U.S. citizens abroad)
- Find out the best way to get updates from your host coordinator/host institution, and how they will communicate with students in the event of a large-scale emergency.
- Promptly report any health or safety issues to:
- ISEP Host University Coordinator (at your foreign university)
- ISEP 24-hour Emergency Phone if urgent/after office hours
- ISEP Home University Coordinator (at CMU)
- In the event of an emergency:
- Please be attentive for and reply immediately to ISEP emergency communications!
- Other tips:
- Register with the U. S. Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)
- Know the laws and cultural norms for your destination
- Avoid high risk activities and behaviors
- Ask for help when you need it – living and studying in a new environment can result in physical health and/or mental health crises. Seek help and possible resources with the ISEP coordinator in a non-emergency situation and be in touch with CMU.
- The CMU Code of Conduct still applies while abroad. Inappropriate or dangerous behavior can result in program expulsion and/or consequences at CMU.