The study abroad application process at Boston College is overly complicated and should be streamlined, student senator Alessandra Veveiros said at the UGBC Senate meeting Tuesday night.
“The school study abroad process needs a whole override,” said Veveiros, MCAS ’27. “I’ve had the worst experience with it, and I think a lot of people have.”
To study abroad, students must complete an application through the Office of Global Education (OGE). The application consists of eight steps, and each step must be completed consecutively to be eligible, according to OGE’s website. OGE requires students to meet with one of its five advisors, each specializing in a different region, to apply to certain programs.
Veveiros said she hopes to collaborate with OGE advisors to find ways to simplify the process.
“It doesn’t need to be as complicated as I think they’ve made it,” Veveiros said. “I want to work on streamlining that process and making it better, and making it so that it’s a process that every student can actually feel confident going into and going through.”
OGE encourages students to begin planning their study abroad experience as early as possible, but this can be challenging because meetings with advisors fill up quickly, according to Katie Garrigan, UGBC vice president and MCAS ’25.
“You can’t even get meetings with the people [specializing in the regions] that you’re even just thinking about applying to,” Garrigan said. “How can you make a decision if you can’t get a meeting to even think about it?”
Danny Wise, student life committee chair and MCAS ’25, emphasized the importance of continuing the Senate’s work on seemingly small initiatives like adding more study spaces on Newton Campus and improving campus Wi-Fi.
“Focusing on these smaller projects to impact people’s lives in little ways is probably the move going forward,” Wise said.
Delphine Gareau, academic affairs committee chair and MCAS ’26, shared that the Senate is working with the Academic Advising Center to improve the academic advising experience, especially for students who have not yet declared a major.
“One [idea] is potentially a form that a pre-major student could use to request a certain advisor or potentially match with a major advisor to make that process a little bit more streamlined.”
Alexis Thomas, Montserrat student representative and MCAS ’25, said she is conducting a survey to identify which academic departments are facing the most issues with textbook affordability. Although the survey results are not yet finalized, the Senate plans to organize a textbook drive at the end of both semesters, Thomas added.
Garrigan commended the Senate for its work this semester, emphasizing the strides student senators have made on initiatives across all three committees.
“The amount of progress we have made is insane,” Garrigan said “I’m really impressed with the work we’ve done.”
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