INTERNATIONAL STUDENT HANDBOOK

TRANSFER OF UNIVERSITY CREDIT

Four-Year Degree Students: If you are planning to get a degree from DePauw, you should bring with you any syllabi, course descriptions, catalogues or other relevant materials related to any previous university education. Of course, these should be originals or certified copies and be officially translated as well. The evaluation of these materials is necessary if you hope to obtain university level credit for studies in your country.

Exchange Students: If you are a university student at home, participating in an official exchange program between your school and DePauw, you must go to the Office of the Registrar in the spring, before finishing your studies at DePauw, and request that a transcript of your course work for the year be sent home to your own university or school. The Registrar has a form that you must sign in order to release your transcript to anyone but yourself. This is to protect you and your privacy.

Audit Students: If you are an audit student, you do not receive usable credit, but you can obtain an official transcript bearing an "X" instead of a grade by the name of each course you audited. You can personally request evaluations from the individual professors on forms the International Student Advisor will provide.

INSURANCE
DePauw operates a University Health Service Center which provides routine health care and health information to students who have paid the student health fee. The treatment available at the Health Service is limited and the cost of treatment for any major injury or illness must be paid by the student; therefore medical insurance is essential.

Medical costs in America are high and continuing to rise. DePauw offers full and good medical insurance to international students at a cost of $696 a year, protecting you over vacations as well. It also provides medical evacuation and repatriation. This insurance will be automatically charged to your account at the beginning of each semester.
Students on exchange programs are usually covered by family insurance at home or by insurance gotten through their home school or program sponsor. Please check to see if you can be covered in some way by your own family health insurance.
• When you are ill first go to the campus Health Service Center if possible. Service from the DePauw Health Service Center is free with very few exceptions
• If you cannot go to the Health Service Center, please call Ann Rambo

Any loss of personal items must be covered by your own insurance at home unless it is loss due to fire, storm or water in a university building.

ACADEMIC ISSUES




You may find that American teaching methods differ from those used in your own country. Here are some characteristics of academic life on an American campus:

• Regular class attendance, daily lesson preparation, participation in class discussions, and frequent exams during the semester are normal. Therefore, the basic formula for success is:
-Go to all of your classes
-Take good notes
-Participate in class discussions
-Do your assignments thoroughly and on time

• Pay special attention at the beginning of the course when the professor gives instructions about how he or she will conduct the class and determine grades

• For each class, expect to receive a syllabus. The syllabus often contains all the important information about the course, including the objectives for the course, dates for examinations, due dates for assignments, and texts to buy or obtain from the library

• Your teacher will specify due dates for various assignments. These dates are firm and you must hand in your work by that date to receive full credit. If you know you cannot meet a deadline for an important reason, discuss this with your teacher ahead of time

• It is important to come to class on time and let the professor know in advance if you will be absent

• Student/faculty relationships are generally casual and informal. Some professors may surprise you with their informal approach to teaching. For example, some professors sit on the table in front of the class. Other professors are much more formal in the classroom, but really enjoy talking to students outside of the class time

• Students are very informal in the classroom. Some students eat, drink, put their feet up on the desks, or even fall asleep during class. Often the professor does not like this behavior, but will not say anything to the student during class

• Questions during class and class discussion are encouraged. Do not hesitate to ask a question about something you do not understand

• Be sure to participate in the discussions because the grade for the course may be based in part on your contributions to class discussions. However, keep in mind that it is important to disagree politely and to respect the knowledge and opinions of the professor and the other students in the class

• Your professors are genuinely interested in helping you. Feel free to go see them anytime during their office hours or make an appointment to see them outside of their regular office hours

• Text Book Costs are different for every class. Students buy their own books for each course. One book may cost between $18-$100 and some courses require that you buy more than one book. Plan to spend about $300 on books each semester. Why do books cost so much? They are usually compilations of many writers’ thoughts and ideas. They provide the foundation for the courses and will be great resources for you to own. At the end of each semester, you will have the option of selling your books back to the bookstore. If you choose this option, do not expect a full refund. In fact, the amount you receive may be only a fraction of the original price. Keep in mind that hard cover books will be more expensive than paperback books. And used books are much less expensive as well. Buy your books as soon as you can if you’d like to be able to select the least expensive materials.