International students great effort to study abroad

International Studies major Honza Cervenka '13 hopes to study abroad next year, as 60 percent of Macalester students do. But he likely won't be able to afford it, or use his financial aid, without a change in policy.The problem: he's from the Czech Republic.Cervenka is in a situation in which many international students who wish to study abroad find themselves: unable to take advantage of study away opportunities because of how the International Center decides to use its limited study abroad budget.Students can also get a lot of exposure while studying in such universities and different course Computational Engineering,Economics and Management (BiGSEM), and Global Production Engineering.International students like Cervenka and members of MCSG's Academic Affairs Commission are lobbying to change the current policy. But those who run the study abroad program say they cannot balance their budget without more resources if the policy changes.Domestic students can use their financial aid to pay for their off-campus study program, but international students cannot, unless they major in one of the nine departments that require a semester abroad.

This is part of the reason 60 percent of domestic students study abroad for full semesters, while only 20 percent of international students do.And while International Studies requires a semester abroad, for international students, their time at Macalester qualifies-meaning International Studies majors like Cervenka cannot get financial aid for a semester abroad.While Cervenka says he could patch together his United World College scholarship and loans to help finance a semester abroad, there is still a $2,300 gap he can't pay without Macalester financial aid.The worst thing for me was hitting the wall,Cervenka said.People were like, I hope it works out for you to go, but there's nothing I can do. This is how it's always been.The idea was that 60 percent of students study abroad, it's so easy,he added.No one tells us the little footnote that you would have to pay for study abroad.Many international students and members of student government's Academic Affairs commission call the policy unfair and discriminatory toward international students.