Continuing Education Classes

As the spouse of a student, you may not initially plan for yourself, yet it is important to consider how you will find support and fulfillment in your own educational and professional goals while living in the South Bend-Mishawaka community.

Whether you intend to study at the undergraduate or graduate level, or just focus on single classes to improve your understanding of a particular subject, the South Bend-Mishawaka community provides a great many opportunities suited to both your interests and your financial resources.

Since requirements for admission differ from school to school, you should consult with each individually to determine which documents, test scores and recommendation letters you must submit. If possible, it is a good idea to make contact with prospective institutions before you leave your home country so that you can bring with you any documents that may be submitted informally and arrange for other official documentation to be forwarded. Also if you will only be here for a year or two and plan to continue your studies after your departure from the United States, it is important to discover whether the school you plan to attend subsequently will accept the work for credit that you have done here in the United States.

Area Colleges and Universities:

Full-time Undergraduate and Graduate Studies Toward a Degree

English Language Skills and the TOEFL

If you are mainly interested in improving your conversational English, please see the ESL section of this site for a list of programs. Following, however, you will find resources to help you prepare for the TOEFL, or Test of English as a Foreign Language, which offer a focus on developing the language skills particular to this examination and to your academic work.

For general information about the TOEFL, please consult the official website. This will help you in obtaining test preparation materials and locating test sites with schedules in your home country and in the United States.
http://www.toefl.org/

Each school has varied resources for preparation and different requirements and methods for evaluating your English language skills. You should consult with each school individually about their requirements.

Note, for example:

University of Notre Dame

If applying as an undergraduate your scores must be submitted prior to January of the year for which you plan to enroll. The university does not offer TOEFL test preparation courses, although IUSB does.

For graduate program TOEFL requirements consult with Graduate Admissions and the individual departments to which you intend to apply.

Indiana University South Bend:
http://www.iusb.edu/

The South Bend campus of Indiana University seeks an “English Report” establishing your language competency, or TOEFL results for both undergraduate and graduate admission. You may, however, prepare for a TOEFL exam through courses offered on campus.

IUSB first administers an ESL placement test to determine which courses would be of benefit to you for developing your language skills or for TOEFL preparation, but this exam also determines whether you could be admitted to a degree program at IUSB without further language qualification.
http://www.iusb.edu/

South Bend English Institute:
Located on the IUSB campus, the South Bend English Institute offers intensive TOEFL preparation courses in four-week blocks. For more information:
http://www.thelanguagecompany.com/sbei.html

Graduate School Entrance Exams
Many American graduate school programs require at least one of the following exams:
In the area or subject required by your academic department:

GRE Graduate Record Exam
http://www.gre.org/

For Business Schools:
GMAT Graduate Management Admission Test
http://www.gmac.com/gmac/thegmat/

Law School:
LSAT Law School Admission Test
http://www.lsac.org/

Medical School:
MCAT Medical College Admission Test
http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/start.htm

As with the TOEFL, information about these exams is available in your home country usually through embassies, consulates and U.S. Information Services. Or see the official websites above. Each school will indicate as part of the admission process which test scores are required.

Test Preparation

If you have not prepared for these tests before your arrival, you may choose to study on your own. Local libraries and bookstores carry study guides, practice tests, etc and there are some on-line resources, as well. There are also courses offered through private agencies.

Kaplan Educational Centers:
http://www.kaptest.com/

Financial Arrangements

Most schools offer financial aid packages to outstanding undergraduate candidates that may include grants, scholarships and loans. Graduate schools frequently grant tuition waivers and some departments will offer grants and stipends, these often in exchange for your work as a research or teaching assistant. Keep in mind that private school tuition will always be higher than at schools supported through local or state government. At any rate, remember that as an international student you will still need to provide proof of your financial status and will be expected to have adequate funds for your living arrangements.

You can and should look into the many grants, scholarships and loans available to students who will attend an accredited American college or university. Begin by inquiring with the school you hope to attend, but follow up with your own research using references from libraries, bookstores and on-line. In addition to grants and scholarships offered through educational institutions and agencies, many American corporations and private organizations offer smaller awards to qualifying individuals!

Changes to Non-immigration Status

If enrolling full-time in a course of study means a change to your non-immigration status, you should work with the international advisors at the school to which you are admitted.

Part-time Study:

Individual Courses

Most schools offer you the chance to take only one or two courses a semester. You must, however, qualify for admission to that school and significant financial aid would probably not be available to you. In addition, you must consider those immigration regulations affecting your choice of classes. Spouses in F-2 status may not take courses part-time toward a degree, but rather must apply for a change to F-1 status in order to work towrds the completion of a degree and enroll in course work on a full-time basis. Please consult with the Immigration Services office for more information.

Note to spouses of post-doctoral students:

It may be possible for you to register for one class here at the University of Notre Dame, tuition-free. Check with your spouse!

Professional and Technical Courses

You will have noticed in exploring the educational options listed above that many area schools offer courses that are of interest mainly to those whose professions are outside of academia. Ivy Tech State College, for example, offers a number of courses in nursing practice, electronics, hotel management, etc and these courses may not be accepted as part of a professional training program in your home country. Nevertheless, you may find taking a technical or professional development course offers you fresh insight and a chance to meet people who may one day be a colleague.

Continuing Education Programs

Some area schools and organizations also offer courses through Continuing Education Programs, which do not require the same admission procedures, change in visa status or high tuition. These courses are mainly for professional development, exam and licensing preparation or sometimes simply for personal enrichment.

IUSB:
http://www.iusb.edu/

Holy Cross College Community Education:
http://www.hcc-nd.edu/CommEd/

Ivy Tech:
http://www.ivytech.edu/southbend/business_employers/
corp_comm/corp_commsb.htm

American Business Women’s Association:
http://members.tripod.com/

Distance Learning

Several universities and colleges throughout the United States offer courses “by correspondence”. Once admitted to a program of distance learning, you receive textbooks, videos and other supplemental learning materials by mail and then return your completed coursework by mail or as an attachment to an email. Often you may contact your instructor by phone and by email, and can, in some instances, hear and view their lectures by remote at a location closer to your home.

It is important they you have good information about any course of distance learning you enter into as not all distant learning programs are reputable or accredited. Courses offered through state-funded colleges and universities are some of your best options.

Purdue University:
The first site is a powerpoint presentation that defines and details the process and benefits of Distance Learning:
http://www.edci.purdue.edu/lehman/edci591z/disteduc.ppt

Indiana University:
http://scs.indiana.edu/

United States Distant Learning Association:
http://www.usdla.org/

Auditing Classes

In order to audit a class, that is, to attend lectures without completing coursework for credit, you must consult with the instructor of the course. In some cases, a school will require that you register and pay tuition to audit, but on occasion — as an extraordinary courtesy — an instructor will allow you to audit a course without formal notice. It is at the discretion of the instructor as to whether you will be allowed to fully participate in discussion, oral drills, or take exams and submit written assignments.

Seminars, Lectures, Conferences:

Many conferences and seminars feature open sessions to which the public is invited without fee. And of course, there are lectures throughout the year here on campus and around the area open to the public. Check campus and city publications for dates and times. You can also have your name added to list-serves and mailing lists, such as for the Kroc and Kellogg Institutes, Keough Institute for Irish Studies, Institute for Educational Initiatives, etc., in order to receive timely notice of upcoming events.
In addition to offerings at area universities, remember that libraries, hospitals, museums, churches, businesses and other public and private organizations also offer classes and feature speakers. Some are free and open to the public while others require registration and fees.

Purchasing Books

Usually, you must purchase textbooks at a cost additional to your tuition. Besides purchasing directly from the college or university bookstore, you might consider used bookstores or bookstores where you are entitled to a student discount (Border’s, for example, offers a twenty percent student discount). You may also be able to purchase certain textbooks on-line at a reduced cost. Be sure to consult with your instructor, however, about substituting certain editions of a particular text.

Access to Area Libraries

Even if you are not enrolled as a student here at the university, spouses of graduate students may apply for Special Borrowing privileges at the Circulation Desk of the Hesburgh Library.

Of course, if you are living within the city of South Bend, you may also apply for a library card from the St. Joseph County Library. In order to apply for this card, you must bring to the library a photo ID and proof of your current address (a utility bill, Driver’s License, etc). The card is then sent to you by mail. If you live outside the city of South Bend, you can apply to your local library system, or purchase a “PLACard”, Public Library Access Card, which allows you to borrow from any Indiana public library.

On-the-Job Training

Remember that another way to gain valuable new insights, knowledge and skills are through volunteer positions. “Job shadowing”, where you spend working days with someone in your chosen profession or field of interest might be another option, or for those with most of their Bachelor’s Degree completed, an internship.

Local Internships:*
http://careercenter.nd.edu/

Classes and workshops for Hobbies, Recreation and other interests:

If you are interested in learning about new gardening techniques, personal computer programs, handcrafts, popular literature and book discussion groups, sporting skills, etc., or how to serve effectively in various volunteer positions such as art docent, check with area schools, agencies, libraries, bookstores and businesses about class and lecture schedules.

Some ideas:
Community-based Learning:
http://www.nd.edu/fwriting/cbl/resources.shtml

Snite Museum of Art
http://www.nd.edu/~sniteart/

St. Joseph Public Library:
http://sjcpl.lib.in.us/

South Bend Regional Museum of Art:
http://www.sbrma.org/

University of Notre Dame RecSports:
http://www.nd.edu/athletics/rec.shtml

St. Joseph County Parks:
http://www.sjcparks.org/calendar.html

South Bend Parks and Recreation:
http://www.sbpark.org/

Fernwood Botanical Gardens:
http://www.fernwoodbotanical.org/

South Bend Civic Theatre:
http://www.sbct.org/

Music Lessons:
http://jmetelli.spinweb.net/

Barnes and Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

Border’s Bookstore:
http://www.bordersstores.com/stores/store_pg.jsp?storeID=195