This year, Syracuse University offered a new way for international students to transition into American college life.

This fall marked the pilot year for the Syracuse Gap Year Semester, which is offered at the SU Abroad center in London, according to the program’s official brochure. The gap year program offers a twist on the traditional full-year break many European students take before beginning higher education.

As officials continue to evaluate the pilot semester, plans are in the works to continue and expand the program, said Meredith Hyde, director of the SU London Program, in an email.  Currently, there are preliminary plans to create a gap year semester in Madrid that will be designed similarly to the gap year semester in London, she said.

SU Abroad and the SU Office of Admissions collaborated on this pilot program to focus on recruitment from Europe, Hyde said.

The gap year semester in London is directed toward European or international students who typically take a gap year after high school, but are curious about college life in the United States, she said.

“The benefit for SU is that it allows the university to become better known in Europe,” Hyde said, “and to attract high-caliber students who might not be ready to live in the United States.”

This program will give students the opportunity to decide whether the liberal arts education system in an American college is the correct course of education for them, Hyde said.

“I think the SU Gap Year Semester sounds interesting,” said Sara McNamara, a freshman anthropology major. “It would have more of a global experience and make transitioning to America easier for those students.”

The program allows participating students to take nine U.S.-accredited courses at the university’s center in London. The credits are transferable to most U.S. schools, according to the program’s brochure.

Curriculum for the nine credits includes two required, three-credit foundational courses and one three-credit elective. Electives include courses in communications, business, art history and the performing arts, according to the brochure.

The number of students who partake in the program will vary each semester depending on the courses offered and the space available, Hyde said.

“It also brings European students into the classroom with our own students, providing new perspectives and participants,” she said.

Fees for the fall 2012 gap year semester included a $6,111 tuition fee and a $300 program free, according to the brochure.

“This is the first pilot year, so it is too soon to say where the students will end up,” Hyde said. “But going to study in the U.S. seems to be one of the top reasons people apply.”

Choosing to take a gap year is an individual choice and depends on each person’s educational course, Hyde said.

Said Hyde: “Not automatically rolling into freshman year as if it is 13th grade is a fantastic opportunity.”

Published on March 27, 2013 at 2:10 am

Contact Jen: jbundy@syr.edu