They now walked on in silence; each of them deep in thought. Elizabeth was not comfortable; that was impossible; but she was flattered and pleased. . . . He then asked her to walk into the house--but she declared herself not tired, and they stood together on the lawn. At such a time, much might have been said, and silence was very awkward. She wanted to talk, but there seemed an embargo on every subject. At last she recollected that she had been travelling . . .

Over the years many Smith English majors have spent all or part of their junior years abroad.  Most, predictably, have attended universities in England, Scotland, or Ireland, but some have chosen Smith's own programs in Paris, Hamburg, Florence, or Geneva, and a few hardy travelers have ventured as far as Australia.  Coming back to Northampton, English majors have almost invariably reported favorably on their experiences—and they have been able to apply credits earned abroad to the English Department requirements with relative ease (see below). 

How do you choose where to go? Smith's list of approved institutions currently lists twenty-four in England, six in Scotland, one in Wales, five in the Republic of Ireland, one in Northern Ireland, eight in Australia, and three in New Zealand. Even if we disregard a few of these as being unlikely destinations for English majors (the London School of Economics, the Laban Dance Centre), there are still many possibilities. At present, the English Department publishes no officially recommended list of its own—though perhaps in the fullness of time it will; we are interested in making sure that our majors have the best possible educational experiences abroad, and we hope to begin evaluating (in a modest way) the various universities' programs. 

For now, the first step in choosing is to consult your own interests and preferences, beginning with the basic question of how long you'd like to be abroad.  At some universities, it's possible to study for a semester or for a year, at others only for a full year. Do you want to study only English or English with some other subject or subjects? Again, universities differ in what they will allow about this.  Are you interested in highly traditional institutions like Oxford or St. Andrews or in highly nontraditional ones like East Anglia and Sussex?  Remember to think carefully about where you want to be.  Is it important to you to reside in London or close to it?  In a big city elsewhere like Edinburgh or Dublin or Sydney?  Would you rather be in the countryside, on an American-style campus, as at York, for example?  What about accommodation: university dorm? shared flat? 

Knowing something about what you want is an essential preliminary to research about the universities, which can be done best on the Internet.  Nowadays nearly all foreign universities have elaborate websites, sometimes with detailed information about actual courses, but always with an informative page or pages for potential students from abroad. The best place to reach these websites is from Smith's own study abroad site-- --which has short descriptions of universities, plus all the links you will need. Always go to a university's own website to check its regulations, which may vary from department to department, and which may not exactly tally with those given in the short descriptions on Smith's website. Be sure to go beyond a university's general home page to its English Department website.  There you will find not only information about programs and offerings but often the name of an English Department faculty member who may be consulted by e-mail. 

A trip to the Office for International Study is also strongly recommended. There they have published brochures, reference books, folders with reports from returned Smith students, and above all professional staff to consult. 

Finally, talk to the English Department's advisor for study abroad; in 2007-08 this will be Cornelia Pearsall (Seelye 305; ext 3346, cpearsal@smith.edu).  She will be able to give general advice and (in some cases) more specific information about British and Irish universities. 

Once you've decided on a place or places to apply, fill out the requisite forms (they are available from the Office for International Study), then discuss your plans with your regular departmental advisor and get his or her approval and signature, as well as that of the department’s study abroad advisor. These forms will require you to put down course choices for abroad, and you should give careful consideration to this task--think about courses that might fulfill major requirements, that build on coursework you've already done, that might lead to further coursework on your return, and that take advantage of the particular strengths of a foreign university. If your course selections change while you're abroad--they frequently do--it's a good idea to consult with your departmental advisor by e-mail. As for application deadlines, these are posted at www.smith.edu/studyabroad; be sure to follow them. 

What happens when you come home? In general, as long as our majors have planned their work in advance and used common sense, they do not have problems transferring credit.  If a literature course taken somewhere abroad is reasonably close to a Smith course in its coverage, its assignments, and its methods of assessment, the Department will be happy to count it toward departmental requirements. The approval process is simple: see your major advisor on your return. 
Good luck! 

This document was written by Professor Jefferson Hunter of the English Department.