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Frequently Asked Questions
1. How do I get started? Back to Top Your first step is to register on the Register tab above by entering your email, name, password you will use to log in, age group, institution, and status. You will then be directed to the courses. After registering, you can log back into the courses using the Login tab above. 2. Can I do these courses on my own or do I need to be enrolled in a class? Back to Top You can independently use the uStudy.us Online Courses or complete them through you home institution, study abroad provider, or another group. 3. How do I use the courses? Back to Top You can also use these courses independently or they can be used as part of a formal class or orientation program through your institution or study abroad provider. There are three different courses: Before You Leave, While You're Abroad, and Once You Return. You will choose the course depending on where you are in your study abroad process. While the courses are designed for you to work through each module, you are free to explore the modules which are of most relevance to you. Please see the User Guide for more information. 4. Which course should I do? Back to Top There are three separate courses, designed for students at all stages of the uStudy.us process. Please read the course descriptions to determine which course you should begin with. 5. What is a uStudy.us Student? Back to Top A uStudy.us Student is a college or university student who studies in the U.S. for academic credit, completes the first two uStudy.us Online Courses, including the Info Log assignments and outreach presentations in the U.S. A second uStudy.us Certificate can be earned if a student completes the third course which includes info logs and outreach presentations in their home country. 6. I have been asked to sign a student's uStudy.us Certificate. Should I? What do I need to check for before doing so? Back to Top College or university students who have studied abroad for academic credit and completed the first two uStudy.us Online Courses earn a uStudy.us Study U.S. Certificate. A student who further completes the third uStudy.us Course: Once You Return will earn the uStudy.us Certificate. To be considered official, the Certificate must be signed by the designated people whose signatures confirm completion of the different components of the courses. Please see our Approving Signatures Explanation Sheet for details. 7. How do I find a university, college, or program? Back to Top One of the main reasons students give for not studying in the U.S. is that they start the planning process too late and miss the opportunity. The earlier you start researching universities, colleges, and programs, the better chance you will have to study in the U.S., to include your overseas coursework in your home campus degree program, and to graduate on time. Finding a quality study abroad program that matches your needs and interests is a key part of the pre-departure process for studying abroad. We encourage students to take the Before Your Leave course which walks them through the steps of this important process as well as training them in other areas like money management overseas, dealing with culture shock, language preparation, and health and safety. Specifically the tasks Find the Right University and University Information in the Find a U.S. University module of the course provide a guide to useful resources for finding a program (websites, reference books, and the home campus Study Abroad Office/Resource Center), as well as a list of issues to consider and questions to ask when looking for an appropriate study abroad program like types of programs, cost, class dynamics, and transfer credit. 8. How do I find others who are interested in studying in the U.S.? Back to Top You are not alone in your journey! There are many other students who are also planning to study in the U.S., are in the U.S. now, or are returning from an experience abroad, as well as administrators and others who can also share their own experiences. The best place to begin is to visit the Study Abroad Office on your home campus. Other suggestions for finding others who are interested in studying in the U.S. are listed in the third action Explore Options for Interactions of the first task Create Your Info Log of the first module Intro to Course 1: Steps to Study in the U.S. You can also visit StudyUS.org and connect with other interested students through the community message board and find out tips about studying in the U.S. 9. How do I see which of my students are taking the courses and how do I monitor their progress? Back to Top You can create a group for your students to monitor their progress. As the Group Administrator, you can see who is in the group and what steps of the courses each student has completed. 10. How do I get added to a group? Back to Top If your group leader gives you your login and password, they have already added you to their group. You can confirm this by logging in and clicking the Profile link or tab. The groups you are in will be listed there under My Groups. Remember to change your password after you log in! If you created your own registration and password, you can only be added to a group by invitation from your group leader. After your group leader invites you to the group, after logging in, you will be prompted to accept or decline the group invitation. By clicking Accept, you will be added to the group. You can confirm this by clicking the Profile link or tab. The groups you are in will be listed there under My Groups.11. How do I change my password? Back to Top After you log in, click the Profile link or tab, click Change Password, and follow the instructions. 12. The text size of the content is too small. How do I enlarge it? Back to Top If you are using Internet Explorer or Firefox as your web browser, you can control the text size by going to View, Text Size, and then increasing or decreasing it accordingly. In Internet Explorer 7 (or above) and Firefox, you can also increase or decrease the text size in your browser by holding down the Control key while pressing the + or - key respectively. 13. What is an Info Log? Back to Top An info log is a tool to record your thoughts, feelings, opinions and research as you experience study abroad throughout the entire process. 14. What are the different formats of an Info Log? Back to Top Traditional Written Format
Independent Online Tools
Community Forums
School Campus or Travel Provider
Hybrid: Part Personal – Part Structured
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