Changes to how students apply to study abroad
In this Issue:
- Follow up on Wake Alert re: nitrogen leak
- Changes to how students apply to study abroad
I had scheduled PTO for today, but wanted to share these two news items.
Follow up on Wake Alert re: nitrogen leak
Last night, our students, faculty and staff received some Wake Alert messages regarding a nitrogen leak (as well as families who have downloaded the WakeSafe app). If you did not see the final message because it was issued early this morning, here it is:
“University Police issued a Wake Alert emergency notification about a nitrogen leak on campus after receiving reports about a leaking tank in Olin. Wake Forest staff inspected the tank and contacted the fire department, which examined it and determined it was nearly empty and operating as designed. Police and fire are no longer on scene, and there is no longer a threat to campus.”
Families, if you are not receiving campus safety alerts but want to, you can follow these instructions to get tapped into WakeSafe, which is how families can be notified.
Changes to how students apply to study abroad
Today, students received an email about a new process for applying to semester-long study abroad programs. The BLUF (Bottom Line, Up Front) is that students will submit the Single Application in December for semester study abroad programs the following academic year (fall or spring), either as individual or cohort applications, ranking up to five programs. GPS will evaluate applications using a standard rubric and place students in programs, prioritizing their top choice.
This process was created after extensive analysis by students, faculty, staff, and administrators in 2025-26. The new process will: allow students who wish to apply with friends to do so in a group application (up to 4 person groups for fall semester programs; up to 10 people groups for spring semester programs); make the process easier for students to apply (e.g., eliminating multiple applications, eliminating waitlists, etc.); create a more balanced distribution of students studying abroad in the fall and spring semesters; and have incentives for students who choose spring semester abroad programs: Residence Life & Housing is developing options for students who commit to spring abroad programs to select among highly desirable housing locations for the fall semester preceding the spring semester of study abroad; more information will be available later this fall.
You can read more about the process at the following links:
I was part of this committee as it neared the end of its work, and I can tell you that great care went into developing a process to help students apply more easily. Many of our students tell us they want to go abroad with friends, so I was really excited about the idea of group applications.
And I want to put a plug in for spring study abroad: going abroad for the spring semester allows you to take advantage of some key benefits. You can go abroad with a group of up to 10 friends, while getting to choose with whom and where you live in the fall. So do urge your Deacs to consider spring abroad.