SOURCE
Vol. 15
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No. 3
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5
August 2018
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Affinity From Afar: Connecting iCharleston Students to the College of Charleston
Olivia Ghiz
The percentage of first-year college students studying abroad is generally on the rise, with this group comprising about 4% of the U.S. study abroad population (Institute of International Education, 2017). Data from focus groups conducted at the College of Charleston (CofC) have shown that studying abroad helps first-year students gain maturity and independence and enriches the classroom experience on their home campus. After seeing a drop in retention rates for first-year students who studied abroad in their fall semester, CofC staff homed in on the issue of student affinity (i.e., a connection or feeling of belonging to the physical institution) as a possible contributing factor and developed the iCharleston international bridge program in response.
Carly Harward
ICharleston provides enrollment opportunities to candidates whom CofC cannot accommodate in the fall semester because of the competitiveness of the college’s applicant pool. To date, more than 200 students have matriculated through iCharleston, which is finishing its fourth year. Incorporating these student cohorts into the campus community is important to their success once they return from studying abroad (Hausmann, Schofield, & Woods, 2007). To try to reverse the drop in retention, iCharleston has implemented affinity-building techniques to strengthen students’ connection to the home campus.
Program Overview The iCharleston program offer goes out to a select group of CofC first-year applicants who have indicated previous study abroad experience, shown an interest in international work, or chosen an internationally focused major. Before a student receives an offer, their application undergoes a double review by the Office of Admissions and iCharleston staff to ensure their success abroad and at CofC. The goals of the program are to • give students an enriching first-year international experience while earning academic credit toward their CofC undergraduate degree, • provide a supportive environment that encourages development of self-awareness and enhanced cultural sensitivity, and • build CofC affinity and orient students to the college’s culture. Three components of iCharleston are intended to bolster this connection to the campus: (a) site directors who serve as student mentors, (b) a campus-specific first-year seminar course abroad, and (c) staff members from CofC who visit the study abroad sites. Students who complete iCharleston with at least a 2.6 GPA and 12 earned credits are granted spring admission into CofC.
Site Director
iCharleston (London), College of Charleston Site Director
iCharleston (Dublin), College of Charleston
Katherine Scott Site Director
iCharleston (Kelowna), College of Charleston
“As former CofC undergraduates, site directors could impart personal experience to the iCharleston students and draw comparisons between the abroad site and life
”
on campus.
Primary Contact Site directors are staff members who are recent CofC graduates, have worked with firstyear students, and have study abroad experience. During the study abroad semester, site Return to Front Page Copyright © 2018 National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience® and Students in Transition, University of South Carolina
