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While You're Away

General information.All students approved for off-campus study receive a copy of Bowdoin's predeparture information booklet at one of the required meetings that are held in April or November of the semester before departure. A booklet is also mailed to the parent who receives billing from Bowdoin. It covers most of the frequently asked questions about credit, communication, billing, financial aid, etc. If you are away from Bowdoin and have mislaid your copy, or if you want to make an early start on planning, you can download the latest version of the predeparture booklet [pdf] from this site. You can also get copies of course notification and address notification forms, if it is easier for you to use a paper form rather than send us the information by email. Don't forget to look through the Links section of this site, which includes all the sites mentioned in the predeparture booklet, some useful Bowdoin addresses, and a number of resources of more specialized interest.

Executive Assistance Program

Executive Assistance Program for Bowdoin Students and Faculty Traveling Abroad (PDF). Page 2 of this PDF is a card that can be printed for carrying in a wallet.

Health and safety.As well as reading the general advice on health and safety in the predeparture booklet, you should review the safety precautions issued to you by your program for information and recommendations specific to that region and country. Pay more than one visit to the websites of the U.S. State Department, Centers for Disease Control, and World Health Organization, in case conditions have changed.

If you are covered under the Bowdoin insurance plan through Koster, you may download a claim form for medical and prescription drug expenses here.

Reflecting on your experience. There are many ways in which we hope you can reflect on your experience and articulate it for your own and others' benefit. While away, many students keep a journal, or the electronic version, a blog. If you are blogging about your OCS experience, we would be happy to put a link to your URL here. (All such blogs are personal to the individual who posts them, and not controlled or regularly monitored by Bowdoin's OCS office, but the normal expectations of decency in content apply.) Currently maintained blogs include the following: