International Engineering Program

Preparing for Your Year Abroad: Chinese IEP

Preparing for the year abroad in a stress-free way takes months of planning before you depart. Most students leave for the year abroad in September and return twelve months later. The preparation process includes individual and group meetings and orientations to discuss a range of topics such as the application process, academics, internships, accommodation, course selection, registration with the university, culture and cultural differences, visa advising and health, safety and security abroad to offer the maximum support to our students. We will also connect you to fifth year students who just returned from their year abroad, to exchange students from our partner universities whenever possible and to other helpful resources. 

Follow the timeline below and also check out the Chinese IEP Study Abroad Guides to help prepare you for the year abroad. Follow the timeline below and also check out the Chinese IEP Study Abroad Guides to help prepare you for the year abroad. Information about the Tunghai Huayu BEST Mandarin Programs can also be found below.          

Chinese IEP Abroad Timeline

September – December

  1. Attend First Informational Session: Early October, exact date TBA. Please schedule a meeting with Dr. Berka to review all requirements for the year abroad and to assure you meet all requirements for the dual degree. Speak with Dr. Berka about ways to improve your proficiency such as additional tutoring or language exchange partners.
  2. Budget: View the Program Budget Sheet in URI Abroad for estimated program expenses. 
  3. Passport Application or Renewal: If you have a passport, make sure it will be valid 6 months past the date of your anticipated return. If you do not have a passport, or if you need to renew your passport, go to your nearest post office (which for URI is in Wakefield); you MUST schedule an appointment.
  4. Obtaining a Visa: While URI offers students guidance on how to apply for a visa, it is ultimately the student’s responsibility to apply for and obtain the appropriate visa needed to support their studies. In early spring of the year you are planning to go abroad, Jamie Loredo, Education Abroad Advisor, jamie.loredo@uri.edu, will set up a group meeting to advise you on how to apply. You then need to start compiling a substantial list of documents to bring to the consulate for your visa appointment in the spring.
  5. Financial Aid: Each year, Dr. Berka will send a list of IEP students who are planning to study abroad for the year to Enrollment Services so they know that this year is a required part of the IEP. Students receiving a merit-based scholarship will roll over this scholarship at a prorated rate for the fall semester. The merit scholarship will pause during the spring/summer when you’ll be in your internship and not pay URI instate tuition (as you do for the fall). If you return to URI for your 5th and final year, your merit scholarship will resume. Please address any other questions with a financial aid advisor in Green Hall.
  6. Meet with Advisors to Discuss Academic Plan for Fifth Year: Make sure to work on a graduation worksheet with your advisors, so that you know which classes you have to take for graduation. Since you will have to register for fall courses from abroad, let us know immediately if there is a conflict between a Chinese course and courses required for engineering in your 5th year. Review your IEP program curriculum sheet.
  7. Scholarships: Start working on scholarship applications. In particular: Start working on scholarship applications for scholarship opportunities with December or January deadlines, such as the Beatrice Demers Scholarship, and the Gilman scholarship, Freeman-Asia Scholarship (due early April), the Boren Scholarships and Fellowships and the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program (due end of November). For additional grants and deadlines, check out IEP Scholarship & Fellowships.
    Note: The URI Academic Works scholarship portal opens on April 1 and the deadline for URI scholarships is June 30th (some scholarships do have different application cycle dates). Please register for it on April 1st to be matched as a candidate for URI internal scholarships you are eligible for! Pay special attention to the Flynn scholarship for which you can apply when going abroad.

January

  1. URI Office of International Education – Step 1: Attend an optional General Information Session on how to apply to study abroad in the URI Abroad Application System: TBA
    • All students who plan to study abroad are required to obtain permission from URI and therefore must complete the URI Abroad Application. In general, IEP students should apply using the Fall Semester application for their program – not the Academic Year.
  1. Contact Jamie Loredo, Education Abroad Advisor, jamie.loredo@uri.edu if you have any questions about the URI Abroad Application or about the study abroad process.
  2. Medical Clearance for Visa Application: In order to apply for a Taiwanese visa, you will need to get medical clearance including a full physical, lab work, EEC, and chest X-ray. Note: It may take time to fit in all these medical appointments so make them as soon as you can. Make an appointment with your primary care physician (between now and March) so that you can get your physical examination form completed and signed by the time you apply to Tunghai University. 

February

  1. Attend Career/International Cultural Preparation Meeting.
  2. URI Office of International Education – Step 1: Complete Phase 1: Pre-Decision of your URI Application for IEP Study Abroad. Deadline: March 1st
  3. Attend Chinese IEP Preparation Meeting: TBA
  4. Chinese IEP Partner University Application: Complete Tunghai University’s Application for exchange students by Feb. 20th (at a preparation meeting or consult with Dr. Berka individually).

March

  1. Attend Chinese IEP Cultural Preparation Meeting: TBA
  2. URI Office of International Education – Step 2: Complete Phase 2: Post-Decision of your URI Application for IEP Study Abroad. This includes your Pre-Approval Form. Deadline: May 1st
  3. Internship Documents and Placement: Set up an appointment with Prof. Berka to discuss company or research lab choices no later than the first or second week of April. With Dr. Berka’s help, you will gain access to our internship portal where you can learn more about the different Chinese companies that have internships and view projects from past Chinese IEP program participants to help you determine the company you would like to intern for. Begin preparing a Chinese resume. Don’t be afraid to ask professors and/or tutors for help.
  4. Prior Approval Forms: Dr. Berka will help you fill out the prior approval form so you can transfer credits back to URI. She will discuss course equivalencies URI – Tunghai University. She will sign off on language and Gen Ed outcome courses, but you need to get a signature from your engineering departmental chair for your desired engineering courses. Once you obtain those signatures, submit the form to coe-forms-group@uri.edu since it requires the final signature from Assistant Dean Kathleen Maher. Remember to add in a couple (2-3) more classes than desired, in case of class unavailability or of any changes while taking courses in Taiwan. Students will then need to upload the finalized Prior Approval Form to URI Abroad in the post-decision phase of URI Abroad application.
  5. Optional Intensive Summer Language Program: Consider enrolling in an intensive Summer Chinese language program. Consult Dr. Berka for more information. If you enroll in a Summer Program that is NOT a part of the IEP program, you must meet with OIE Education Abroad Advisor, Jamie Loredo, to discuss the transfer of credits and to register the program through URI Abroad as a non-affiliated summer program. 

April

  1. URI Office of International Education – Attend Pre-Departure Meeting: TBA
  2. Health Insurance: In addition to URI Health Insurance or other private insurance, all URI Students are covered by CISI Insurance. Students confirmed to study abroad will automatically be registered and emailed proof of insurance.

May

  1. URI Office of International Education – Step 2: If you have not already done so, complete Phase 2: Post-Decision of your URI Application for IEP Study Abroad. This includes your Pre-Approval Form. Deadline: May 1st 
  2. Attend Pre-departure Meeting: TBA. This meeting will serve as a final overview of the plans for the year abroad.
  3. Start Visa Application: Fill out the online visa application form in a group session organized by OIE. 

June – July

  1. Travel Arrangements: Students are responsible for their own travel. Many students like to make arrangements together so that you travel with some URI friends, so plan early. Make sure you contact the university to ask when the best time is to arrive. Book flight to Taiwan to arrive for September.
    Note:     You should only plan to arrive a couple of days before the start of the semester for Tunghai University since you will get housing in the international dorm. The beginning of the semester varies from year to year and is based on the dates of the Chinese New Year. 

While in Taiwan

June – August

  1. Coursework: Begin your language immersion program (if applicable).

September

  1. Begin Semester Program.
  2. Scholarship Aid/Financial Aid: Applies as usual

December – January

  1. Prepare for Internship:
    • Location/assignment to be worked out with Dr. Berka
    • Working Papers Required – The Tunghai International University Office will help you with visa extensions/police district registration.
    • Fill out the Required IEP Internship Application in URI Abroad by the Spring Course Registration Deadline (Jamie Loredo from OIE will email this to you). You MUST fill this out so that OIE can enroll you in the 12 credits you need to maintain your student status.
  2. Getting Courses Transferred and Intent to Graduate (if applicable):
    • Upon completion of the exchange program, you will need to have your program’s institution send an official transcript to OIE so that your transfer credit can be evaluated. Please refer to OIE’s Transfer Credit policy for more information.
    • If you will be graduating in August (after your internship), you will need to fill out the College of Arts and Sciences Intent to Graduate Form for your Chinese B.A. and submit it by the Feb. 1st deadline.
    • Fill out the College of Engineering Intent to Graduate form for your engineering B.S.
  3. Housing: If applicable, begin looking for housing around your internship area using the social media pages for your city or other online platforms.
  4. Winter Break: You can use some of this time for housing interviews or researching your internship company/location!

Late February – Late August

  1. Take Exams (if not already completed).
  2. Begin Internship: Usually from February – August.
  3. Courses: Work on online Spring Semester course work.
  4. Advising: Check-in with your advisor and get your advising hold and any other hold lifted so that you can register for Fall semester courses.
  5. Register for Fall Semester Courses.