INTERNATIONAL STUDENT HANDBOOK

GREENCASTLE, INDIANA
Greencastle, Indiana, founded early in the 1800's, is an historic and active town located 40 miles west of Indianapolis in the west central part of Indiana. The average yearly rainfall is 44 inches (12 cm).

Greencastle, with a population of 10,000, has four banks, one hospital, 20 local churches and a city park with a swimming pool. These facilities as well as pharmacies, a few clothing stores and restaurants are within walking or biking distance of the DePauw campus. Being a small community, Greencastle does not have local bus service. Some students purchase a bicycle to use during their stay at DePauw.

The local banks recommend that you bring your funds in international cashier’s check or travelers checks. Many students also use Visa/ATM cards such as Citibank. A local or personal check can take weeks to clear the bank, leaving the student without available funds.

ACADEMIC MATTERS
The academic year at DePauw is divided into a fall semester, Winter Term (required for degree candidates) and a spring semester. With the help of your academic advisor, who will be assigned to you in the summer, you will select new courses each semester that satisfy your degree requirements and academic interests. As an F-1 visa holder, you are required to enroll in a minimum of 3 courses each semester. Most students take 4.

Study Habits
Students are generally in classes no more than 16 hours per week (e.g., 8-11 a.m. Monday through Friday), and often professors do not give daily homework assignments. However, professors expect students to study one or two hours at home for each hour spent in the classroom. Unless students get into a study routine early, much valuable time will be wasted in the first weeks that cannot be reclaimed later. A great deal of reading is required. Plan to read about 100 pages per week for a heavy reading class. Keep in mind that even sports class require reading and tests.

Classes and Course Format
One of the advantages of attending a small university such as DePauw is that classroom size is limited and full-time faculty members teach the courses. There are exceptions to this general rule, but DePauw's largest lecture classes of 100 students are still far smaller than the 400 or more you would find at a large state university in the U.S. Typically, a classroom never exceeds 25 students.

The format is determined by the nature of the course materials, style of the professor and number of students in the class. The most common types are lectures, discussion and seminars. You can expect frequent quizzes and tests, mid-term and final examinations, and much writing. We will talk about these in greater depth during your orientation.

Knowing Your Professors
The relationship between students and professors is generally informal in the U.S. You are encouraged to ask questions of professors both in and out of the classroom. You need not hesitate to ask questions about things you don't understand or comment on things with which you disagree. In many small classes the professor expects DISCUSSION and questions from everyone in the class. If you are having difficulty with a class you should meet with the professor during office hours or make an appointment to discuss the problem. The professors expect this and are in their offices at set times for this purpose.
One unique feature of a small campus is that you will get to know your professors well. Do not be surprised if your entire class is invited to the home of your professor at some point during the semester.

Learning Beyond the Classroom
You will find that DePauw University will provide you with a variety of learning activities to participate in besides classes and studying. There are many organizations on campus in which you may wish to become involved (e.g., International Students Association, athletic teams, musical and theatrical groups, religious organizations, political organizations). These groups all offer important additions to the traditional learning experience and an excellent way to get to know Americans. You will have an opportunity to find out more about this during orientation. To spark you interest, listed below is an idea of some of the groups and organizations in which you might be interested:

» Radio Show
» TV Show
» Campus Newspaper
» Band, Orchestra, Choir, Gospel Choir, Jazz Band, private music lessons
» Athletics: including tennis, bowling, golf, baseball, football, soccer, rugby, squash, basketball, etc.
» International Student Association (ISA)
» Acting, set building
» Eye on the World - student magazine
» Community Service and Volunteer Work
» United DePauw: gay, lesbian, bi, trans group
» Association of African-American Students (AAAS)
» Cheerleading
» Committee for Latino Concerns (CLC)
» Coalition for Women's Concerns (CWC)
» College Mentors for Kids
» DePauw Christian Fellowship (DCF)
» Men of Excellence in Cross Cultural Alliance (MECCA)