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Frequently Asked Questions
for Stony Brook Students
Q: What are the basic requirements
to be eligible for NSE?
A:You must be a full time matriculated undergraduate student
at Stony Brook for at least two consecutive semesters and have
a
cumulative grade point average of 2.5. You must complete the application,
which includes personal information, two references, academic
advising
forms, and a personal statement about why you want to go on exchange.
A meeting with the coordinator is mandatory. There is a placement
fee that will be expected once you have been accepted into the
program. Currently, it is $135.
You must be either a citizen or permanent resident of
the United States. International students at Stony
Brook are not eligible to participate in the program.
You must be a student in good academic, social, and financial
standing at the University (that is, not under any investigation
or sanctions either in the student judiciary or the residence halls
and not owe Stony Brook any money).
Successful applicants must demonstrate adaptability and motivation
and be a good representative of Stony Brook University.
It is important that you attend one of the information sessions
to find out more details about the program from the coordinator.
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Q: What is the deadline
for the application?
A: The application deadline is generally mid-February
for exchange in the following fall and/or spring semester. This
deadline
gives
you
the
greatest options for placement at the annual March conference.
See the actual application for the specific date for any given
year.
Any applications after the placement conference in March will be
considered a late placement and severely decreases the NSE schools
that you might be able to exchange to because many schools close
for placement at the conference.
Late placement deadlines are also noted on the application.
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Q: What if I miss the application
deadline?
A: If you miss the deadline for conference placement, you will
have to wait until after the conference to speak to the coordinator about
a late placement for the following Fall and/or Spring. Take note:
more than half the schools close at the conference and are not
open for late placement. The coordinator can tell you which schools
are available on which plans.
If you want to submit a late application for next Fall or the next
full academic year, the coordinator can be contacted after April
15.
If you want to submit a late application for Spring, the coordinator
can be contacted April 15 - October 15.
The longer you wait, the less chance there will be for late placement.
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Q: What are Plans A and
B all about?
A: These plans refer to which school you pay your tuition and
fees. Plan A means you pay the AWAY school (the host school,
the one you are going to) tuition and fees AT THEIR IN-STATE
COST (just like you were a resident of that state). Plan B means
you pay Stony Brook your tuition and fees (as if you were taking
classes here).
Room and board and any other direct costs to attend school are paid
to your host school.
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Q: What about financial
aid?
A: All federal aid programs are available on both Plans A and
B. That is, if you are eligible for Pell, SEOG, federal loans, etc.
you can receive them on Plan A or B. You will not be eligible for
college work study while on exchange. However, you can still work
at a non-work study job.
New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) is available on
Plan B only, if you are deemed eligible for TAP. That is because
you would be paying a NYS school (in this case Stony Brook). It
would also be available if you exchanged to another NSE school in
New York State on Plan A (again, you would be paying a NYS school).
Stony Brook students apply as usual for financial aid through our
financial aid office. You do not apply to the host school for financial
aid. We have a liaison counselor in the financial aid office who
deals with NSE students on a personal basis. This saves you the
extra administrative and bureaucratic work involved in dealing with
another financial aid office.
If you are a recipient of a Stony Brook University scholarship,
in all likelihood you may use it towards Plan B exchange. However,
it is best to check with the Director of Scholarships to make sure
this is the case.
If you are a recipient of a private scholarship or any other outside
funding source, you will have to check with that agency to find
out their requirements for its use.
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Q: What happens to the
credits that I take while on exchange?
A: All credits that you take while on exchange are treated like
any transfer credits. With appropriate evaluation and approval,
they may be counted towards DEC, electives, upper division and/or
major or minor credits.
The courses that you take on exchange will not appear on your
Stony Brook transcript nor will the g.p.a. that you earn with those
courses
effect your Stony Brook g.p.a. HOWEVER, your official transcript
from your host school will be an important and integral part of
your educational record and WILL COUNT when you apply to graduate
or professional school or if you are asked for all your transcripts
for a job or other reason. Your Stony Brook transcript will record
that you went on NSE and from which school your credits are being
transferred.
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Q: Can I go anywhere I
want to?
A: Currently, Stony Brook does not participate in the Canadian
Partners exchange or in the Study Abroad opportunities available
through NSE.
Otherwise, any of the schools in the program (with the above exceptions)
are open to you. However, the coordinator will discuss your choices
with you in order to optimize your placement into your first or
second choice school.
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Q: How long can I exchange
for?
A: You may go on exchange for a semester or an academic year.
Some schools (very few) allow a summer exchange when it is attached
to a preceding spring or a following fall.
Some schools specify year long exchanges only. You may go to a quarter
system school for either the full academic year or for the equivalent
of our spring semester (i.e., winter and spring quarters at the
host school). You may not go to a quarter system school for just
the fall quarter.
You can even go to one school for the fall and another for the spring!
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Q: When is the best time
for me to exchange?
A: Although you may go on NSE any time after your first full
time year at Stony Brook, there are advantages to waiting till at
least your second semester sophomore year, or your junior or senior
year. As a first year student, you will have only just begun to
adjust to your new environment. If you then go on NSE, you'll have
to do that all over again in a new place; and, then return to Stony
Brook and reconnect. If you wait a while, you will have more experiences
and wider networking here to return to and you will probably have
an easier time adapting to another new environment away.
If you are in a highly structured program (e.g., an engineering
program), it might be to your academic benefit to go out earlier
rather than later, when the course schedules are less rigid in your
major.
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Q: Can I go on exchange
with a friend?
A: We call these "linked exchanges." Linked exchanges are accepted
or denied by the host school as if they were one student. Thus,
if another school for some reason (e.g., housing issues) can't take
the two of you, neither is accepted.
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Q: Where have Stony Brook
students gone on NSE?
A: Oh! The places you'll go! Among the schools that Stony Brook
students have chosen include: the two universities in Hawaii (Manoa
and Hilo), Alaska, Minnesota, Florida International, California
(Humboldt, CSUN, CSULA, Sonoma, Chico, San Bernardino), UMass, Amherst
and Boston, Rutgers, Northern Arizona, Towson, Alabama State, Western
Washington, Grambling, Hunter, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras,
Idaho State, LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee, UNLV, New Mexico, Virginia
Tech, Winthrop University, Northern Colorado.
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Q: When do I find out
if I have been placed at one of my choices?
A: As soon as the coordinator returns from the placement conference
in early March, you will be called and told what school you were
placed in. A meeting will be held and certain important paperwork
will have to be completed in order to complete the placement process.
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Q: Do I have to enroll
as a full time student at my host school?
A: Yes! You must be a full time student while on exchange.
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Q: How do I register for
classes at my host school?
A: After conference placement you will be given a form to sign
indicating your acceptance or declination of your placement. Material
will be sent to each student from your host campus that will explain
all the details of enrollment, registration, housing, etc. There
are no general rules that cover all campuses. Some schools have
you register on the web, some by phone, some by the coordinator,
some have you register when you arrive on their campus.
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Q: Does this program allow
me to establish residency at the host school?
A: No. Students participating in NSE are considered visiting
students and cannot establish residency at the host school. If you
decide to transfer to the school, you are no longer given the benefit
of paying in-state tuition and will be charged as an out of state
student. If you do decide to transfer, then you are subject to all
the requirements of that school and may lose credits, etc. The NSE
program is NOT a transfer program. You will lose all benefits of
being a Stony Brook student.
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Q: Are there student discount airfares available?
A: Here are a few websites that might be useful when you are searching for lower airfare rates for your trip to your host campus.
www.studentuniverse.com
www.orbitz.com
www.expedia.com
www.hotwire.com
www.priceline.com
www.cheaptickets.com
www.travelocity.com
www.mobissimo.com
www.travelzoo.com
www.sidestep.com
www.statravel.com
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