CIEE visits New College

February 25, 2015 / Volume XXXVII / Issue 2

“The world is our classroom. Join us,” reads Molly Leighton’s business card. Leighton is the institutional relations manager for the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), a nonprofit organization that has been helping students study abroad since 1947.

On Thursday, Feb. 19, Leighton visited New College of Florida to provide 197 alternative study abroad programs that expand to 43 countries and 61 cities. These programs are not limited to just colleges or universities, but also teach abroad, high school study and gap year programs; international faculty development seminars; summer work and travel exchanges; internships; professional training programs; and volunteer opportunities, according to the CIEE website.

CIEE works with member schools that come from all over the United States totaling in around 350 member schools that send students through this program.

“The cohort of students will come from many different schools,” Leighton said. “Out of our about 200 programs, Cape Town, South Africa is our largest study center, followed pretty closely by Seville in Spain.”

The program opens up a variety of opportunities for those interested in studying abroad, especially those eager to study abroad as early as fall of 2015. CIEE provides both language immersion and English language programs.

“If you are wanting to go fall of 2015, application deadlines tend to be around April,” Leighton said. “So if you are thinking about going for fall, you still have plenty of time for that.”

As for students’ financial aid, the money would transfer over with CIEE as well as some scholarships awarded by New College of Florida. Furthermore, CIEE offers more than $3 million in scholarships and grants.

“One of the main reasons students don’t get awards from us is because they don’t apply,” Leighton said. “A lot of our awards are merit-based, then there’s a big pool for need-based.”

For more information or applications, visit www.ciee.org.

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