Most Cal State Long Beach students know week three of the semester as the last to drop a class without a withdrawal. But with most class schedules already set, many students may not be able to tell you the last day that you can add a class.
But for study abroad students at CSULB, the last day to add classes looms, with many who are forced to crash courses to register for classes.
Study abroad students are advised by CSULB to come with “realistic expectations.” Christopher Mefford, director of Study Abroad @ the Beach, said in an email that study abroad students know the risk they take when coming here.
“It is the nature of the gamble in such a program,” Mefford wrote.
For foreign students who want to study at CSULB, three options are available: apply as an international student, apply for the study abroad program or check to see if the university they attend has an exchange agreement with CSULB.
An exchange student pays tuition to his or her home university and is only responsible for airfare, living expenses and course related materials.
A study abroad student, however, is required to pay a $200 application fee and a $6,200.00 to $6,400.00 tuition fee, in addition to travel, living and course expenses, according to the study abroad website.
Even though study abroad students pay extra to attend CSULB, there’s no promise that they will get classes they need.
Vincent Lee, a 22 year-old Mechanical Engineering student from Germany, said he chose to study abroad to improve his English. He chose CSULB because he wanted to live in California and be close to the beach.
Like most study abroad students, Lee stepped on campus the first day of the semester without being enrolled in any classes. While navigating an unfamiliar school, Lee had to crash all the classes he wished to take.
Eventually, he was able to add five physical education classes and one major-related course.
When it comes to registering for classes, CSULB students are given priority, then exchange students and finally, study abroad students.
CSULB does allow study abroad students to reserve a seat in a select few classes. However, for the majority of classes, a student must go and get the instructor’s written permission to join the class.
Even then, some classes and programs are off-limits to study abroad and exchange students.
Erika Rahmqeist, a 22 year-old student from Sweden, is spending her year abroad taking general education classes. As a business major in her home country, she is not allowed to take business classes at CSULB because the school doesn’t offer it in the study abroad program.
Although she’s not taking classes for her degree, Rahmqeist said she’s enjoying the classes she has and loves the location of the school.
Mefford said that the program is seeking to improve the class registration process by moving it online for foreign students crashing classes. Once CSULB students have registered, study abroad students would be able to see what classes are still open and sign up for them online.
In the meantime, Mefford believes study abroad students are still receiving a valuable education experience.
“They are getting the academic and life experience of studying at a top-quality university in the USA without the exchange relationship,” Mefford said in an email. “Without a program like this, they would not be able to access this unique time at ‘The Beach.’”