As an undergrad studying public affairs at Seattle University, Chinese national Yilan Gao wanted to complete her program’s internship requirement at an international nonprofit. So she met with her academic adviser, who recommended the school’s International Development Internship Program, and chose to use her vacation quarter to intern abroad.
“I interned in New Delhi, India, with Udayan Care during winter quarter 2018,” says Gao, referring to an organization that serves disadvantaged women and children.
The option of a vacation quarter can be a consideration for prospective international students when selecting U.S. universities. A vacation quarter is a term when students are not registered full time and choose to go home or abroad, stay in the U.S., enroll part time or decide not to take any classes.
The option is available at some universities that follow the quarter system, such as Drexel University in Pennsylvania, the University of Washington and the University of California–Davis. It’s called an annual vacation semester at other schools like King’s College in Pennsylvania, Brigham Young University–Provo in Utah and Chadron State College in Nebraska.
Academic or personal issues can arise where international students may need to use this option to take a break from their full-time studies. Here’s what they need to know.
[Read: What’s the Difference Between College and University in the U.S.?]
Eligibility. Experts say international students planning a vacation term should research eligibility requirements as they can vary among schools that use different academic calendars.
“International students are allowed one term of vacation after they complete one complete year of study,” says Dana Brolley, director of international recruitment at Seattle University.
Brolley says a year of study, governed by immigration regulations, is clarified differently depending on if a school uses the semester or quarter academic calendar, and each school may have additional institutional rules that students must follow to maintain their visa status.
At Brigham Young University, students are allowed one vacation period each academic year following two semesters of schooling, says Sam Brown, director of the school’s international services. While most students take their vacation term in the summer, he says they have the option of winter or spring “as long as the student has completed the academic year prior to the request for a vacation.”
Students must study full time for three consecutive quarters before taking a vacation quarter at Portland State University, says Christina Luther, director of the school’s Office of International Student and Scholar Services.
“If a student is enrolled for a full course of study in summer term, June to August, they may take an alternate vacation term during one of the subsequent academic terms,” Luther says.
Experts say students should be aware that two vacation terms cannot be taken in one academic year as unused time doesn’t accumulate or roll over.
[Read: How International Students Can Create U.S. College Majors.]
Procedures. International students planning non-summer vacation terms are required to contact their school’s international student services office.
Students at the University of Denver, for example, would complete a form and submit it to the International Student & Scholar Services office. “Students are always welcome to come to the office during advising hours to discuss the process with an international student adviser before making their request,” says Tom King, the school’s SEVIS manager. SEVIS refers to the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, which is used by the U.S. government to maintain information on international students.
King says international students have used winter vacation quarters in different ways. For example, a master’s student in DU’s graduate taxation program did an internship to get practical experience with a corporate tax firm during peak tax season, and another student went overseas to celebrate the Lunar New Year holiday with family.
Experts say international students must plan to register full time after their vacation quarter.
“For example, a student who takes their annual vacation in the winter quarter must plan to enroll full time for the spring, summer and fall terms,” King says.
Krista Garg, lead international student adviser at the University of Washington– Bothell’s Center for International Education, says in cases where a student needs to go home and doesn’t qualify for a vacation quarter, “our office works with the student through a Leave of Absence process for immigration purposes.”
[Read: International Students: What to Know About U.S. University Spring Admission.]
Timing and preparation. When planning a vacation term, international students need to weigh the timing and amount of preparation needed.
As with schools on the quarter system, Brigham Young “won’t allow a vacation period during the final semester as the student is expected to enroll in school following a vacation period,” Brown says.
King says while an F-1 visa student at the University of Denver may be eligible to take a non-summer vacation quarter, on-campus housing, school health insurance and public transportation passes might be affected if the students are not enrolled at least part time during one of the traditional academic quarters.
“DU also has a much smaller number of class offerings during the summer quarter, so a student would need to carefully plan their class schedule to make sure there are sufficient course offerings to be full time in the summer,” King says.
Gao says it’s important that students decide early whether to take a vacation quarter and talk to their academic adviser to plan out classes to make sure the time fits into their schedule.
Also, she says in her experience at Seattle University, finding the right internship program and applying for a visa to go abroad can take a long time.
“The sooner you make this decision, the more flexibility you have with your academic schedule,” Gao says.
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What to Know About a Vacation Quarter at U.S. Universities originally appeared on usnews.com
