Professors and students alike generally praise Dartmouth's off-campus programs for their convenience, fun and ready accessibility -- but administrators at other schools feel their programs provide a depth Dartmouth's programs lack.
Unlike most other schools, the College directs programs exclusively for Dartmouth students that are always staffed by Dartmouth professors. This unique approach makes study abroad programs very approachable, but critics say it limits Dartmouth students' immersion in the culture of host countries.
Most of Dartmouth's peers allow students to enroll directly in foreign universities that these colleges have already approved. This system can give students a greater variety of choices in location and, according to some, offers a richer immersion experience.
While Dartmouth students can petition to receive transfer credit from any foreign university, few choose this route, possibly due to the rigors of the petition process.
A major difference in Dartmouth foreign study programs is the presence of a Dartmouth professor, who can provide added guidance and ensure a more smoothly-run program.
Professor Rassias, chair of the French and Italian department, believes the presence of Dartmouth professors is important because they know the participating students well and can effectively monitor their progress.
"Dartmouth is not just buildings," he added. "It's where we are."
Dartmouth students agreed. Chloe Mulderig '05 felt said that the Dartmouth professor on her Anthropology FSP in Morocco provided integral support that helped students get through the stress of being in a Muslim country during the Iraq war.
Brittany Pheiffer '06 pointed out that the professor on her Russian LSA was important in keeping students "academically accountable" as well as taking care of organization and paperwork on the trip.
But some critics disagree how Dartmouth's choices about their FSPs. Harvard Director of International Programs Jane Edwards advocates foreign-directed programs because they allow students "to experience a different pedagogical system as well as be part of the culture."
Edwards added that a Harvard professor is not necessary to monitor students' work because "students are more than capable of being responsible for themselves."
The presence of fellow students is also a feature unique to Dartmouth programs. This provides a social support group, but adds temptation for participants to spend their time with fellow Dartmouth students, thus hampering their immersion in the native culture and language, some students admitted. Brittany Pheiffer '06 called this tradeoff "a double-edged sword."
Brandon Morris '05, who participated in the Uruguay FSP, disagreed, saying the group of Dartmouth students he traveled with did not impede cultural immersion because all participants lived with separate host families.
Professor Cone, who has taught several LSAs in France, feels that students who go abroad in different programs "by themselves" do not necessarily experience fuller immersion. "When you're alone, you're not really alone. You latch onto other English-speaking people."
Most of Dartmouth's programs, including all foreign-language studies, involve a homestay component that provides an inside view of the host country's culture that can not be obtained by staying in a college dormitories, which is the norm at many of the programs offered at other schools.
The Dartmouth Plan dictates the length of Dartmouth's comparatively short, ten-week programs. The length of Dartmouth's LSAs and FSPs may contribute to the high rates of participation here: nearly half of Dartmouth undergraduates study abroad while only about thirty percent do so at Penn and Brown.
Participating in Dartmouth-directed programs can also be easier and more convenient than seeking out independently-directed programs. This was an important factor in Mulderig's decision to travel to Morocco with a Dartmouth program.
"It's very difficult to study in the Muslim world on your own," she said. "It's safer to do it through a program that an American institution sets up."
While some universities allow students to pay tuition directly to the foreign program or institution, others like Dartmouth, Penn and Columbia require students to pay their normal tuition directly to their home school, resulting in a much more costly program.
Dartmouth charges normal tuition for LSAs and FSPs as well as for any independent study abroad programs a student may participate in. After comparing the cost of her LSA with the cost of other programs in Russia, Pheiffer concluded, "Dartmouth was ripping me off."
Despite the distinctly different experiences offered by different types of programs, participants and directors of all seemed to agree that the immersion experience is largely dependent on what an individual makes of it.
Dartmouth's Professor Rassias said that one of the most important things students can do while studying abroad is "push out to get to know people their age so they will come back fully aware of the culture and language."
Regardless of the details of the program, student initiative can accomplish what Rassias said is a central goal of studying abroad: "Making the world your classroom."
