TAMPA – The University of Tampa’s top incoming freshman will begin their first chapter of their college experience at Roehampton University in London.
Less than four percent of college students across the country have the opportunity to start their college education studying overseas.
Thirty-two of UT’s incoming freshmen have this opportunity.
The invitation to attend Roehampton University in Southwest London was offered to the top 20 percent of UT’s accepted incoming freshman. Students were accepted to the new UT Freshmen Abroad Program after an in-person or phone interview.
UTFA students will take the same classes at Roehampton that they would be taking at UT as a first year student.
Tuition is almost the same as it would be if they were studying at UT.Included in the cost of tuition, students will receive round-trip airfare/ground transportation, an international cell phone, a london subway pass, two one-day guided excursions within Britain and, of course, a guide book of Great Britain.
Students will live in an American-style dormitory at Roehampton in single rooms, with a shared common area and kitchen.
After their semester abroad, the students will continue their studies at UT.
The University of Tampa’s Freshman Abroad (UTFA) students will attend orientation at UT September 12-14 before leaving for London on the 15th.
During this pre-departure orientation, UTFA students will learn how to be successful abroad and also meet and get to know their advisors and mentors for the program.
Brad Randel, associate director of international admissions, will be traveling with the students to London for their international orientation. The students will start their orientation at Roehampton when they arrive in London.
During the orientation, they’ll learn about British culture, health and safety issues and a tour of Roehampton and the surrounding area.
UTFA students will be assigned one of 15 mentors and two advisors for the program.
The advisors are Kevin Beach, associate dean of the baccalaureate experience, and Gary Luter, director of UT’s Honors Program and professor of speech, theater and dance.
The advisors will visiting the students in London half way through the semester to make sure everything is going smoothly and help with things like choosing class schedules for spring semester.
They will also be assigned a Roehampton advisor and peer tutor.
Beach said that completing study abroad freshman year is sometimes easier than completing in later in your studies.
“Students get involved in a routine, they get involved in athletics, they get in clubs and organizations or they put it off for so long that they can’t fit it into their curriculum,” said Beach.
Roehampton University has an excellent academic reputation, a distinguished history dating back to the 1840s and it is one of the few campus-based institutions in London. Luter said there are many benefits of studying abroad in London.
“Roehampton offers our Honors students opportunities they could not have in Tampa, such as a renowned historic sites and world-class museums, galleries, theaters and more,” said Luter.
Students will take an online version of one of UT’s freshman first-year transition programs, either Gateways or Pathways to Honors for students enrolled in the Honors Program.
They will stay connected to UT through their mentors, who they will keep in touch with through email and Facebook.
Most of the mentors for the program are students who have studied abroad themselves and have had a similar experience.
Two UTFA students will be blogging about their experience, which anyone can follow directly online. One student will be filming and interviewing other UTFA students.
“Next year we’ll have actual footage to show future UTFA students what a program like this is all about,” said Randel.
“The program instills a lifelong appetite for intercultural experiences,” said Beach.
Cara Fetzer can be reached at cmfetzer@spartans.ut.edu.