SBCC Study Abroad strives to make applications accessible online and make them available to SBCC students, students from other universities and colleges or high schools. Our online applications are accessible via a secure platform and easy to navigate.
The Study Abroad Program Advisor is available via email or phone and you can set up appointments for support in person as well. Utilize these opportunities if you have any questions about the process rather than "winging it."
Below are some of the most common mistakes we see on the Study Abroad Program applications and how to avoid them:
Not reading the instructions prior to starting the application process.
The Study Abroad website as well as the online application platform list step-by-step instructions on how to complete the application, and a list of which additional required materials are needed. During the open application window, the required documents need to be submitted with the electronic application via the secure platform that the application lives on. That means that you need to download the document templates and get them completed by the appropriate person prior to starting the online application process.
Not submitting your required documents with the online application or submitting incomplete documents.
Not submitting the necessary documents, or submitting incomplete documents will delay the application process, increase the chance of documents getting lost, and adds additional steps to the process for you and the office staff. If you submit your application just a few days prior, on the day off, or after the application deadline, but don't have all the necessary documents yet, you can reach out to the advisor and request to submit your documents via a secure platform after submitting the application form. Any documents with identifying information (such as your name in combination with your phone number, birthdate, address, K# etc.) must be uploaded via a secure platform and should not be emailed. The advisor can provide you with the link to the secure platform when you request to submit documents late. Do not submit your application without the documents without letting the advisor know that you will do so. Therefore: plan ahead. Remember that this is an application and you should put your best effort forward to make a good impression.
Your application is often the first impression the Program Advisor has of you, make it a good one! Reading and following the instructions will show the advisor that you are a mature and diligent applicant who will most likely strive abroad academically and personally. Submitting an incomplete application can make the impression that you didn't put much thought into your application, even if that's not true. Make sure your first impression communicates your strong interest in your program participation by submitting completed documents with your application.
Submitting a copy of your passport with the application instead of a photo
The application instructions specifically state not to submit a copy of your passport with your application. Passports carry important, confidential, and identifying information. To protect students from identity fraud, only upload documentation with identifying information via a secure portal, and never email them. The application asks you to submit a "Passport Photo" not a copy of your passport. The term "Passport Photo" simply refers to a 2"x2" headshot, the same type of photo you would need to take for a passport or drivers license.
Submitting inappropriate photos with your application
You are applying for an academic college program. While things in California can be somewhat casual, submitting a photo of you in a bikini or swimming trunks, kissing your favorite pet or partner, you at a party holding a red plastic cup, or wearing a statement shirt with an offensive slogan is inappropriate. The photo you submit with your application should be a close-up of your face, your hair not covered (unless for religious reasons), and not wearing sun-glasses. The clothing you wear in the photo should also be appropriate, which means not overly revealing clothing or inappropriate logos. As a college program applicant, you should present yourself in a professional manner in the photo. No need to dust off your best Sunday suit, but don't be too casual either. When in doubt, decide on the less casual option.
You can take the photo yourself on your phone as long as you follow the general guidelines of a "Passport Photo" which are:
- 2" x 2" size
- Must be in color and taken with a plain white or off-white background
- No Filters
- No sun glasses
- No hats
- Recent photos only
- No posing
- No uniform or costum
- No headphones or bluetooth devides
Relax, you can smile in the photo :-)
Not listing the correct or specific program on your documents
The semester program applications require two recommendation forms. One should be completed by a former or current professor and the second recommendation can be from another professor, manager, counselor, or supervisor. Both short and semester programs require a completed Student Conduct Form. These documents ask you to identify the program you are applying for. Listing just "SBCC Study Abroad" would not suffice to identify the program you are applying for. SBCC often offers approximately five or more programs at any given time. Not identifying the specific program i.e. Japan Summer 2022 or London Fall 2022 Program is problematic, especially if the documents are sent separately by a professor or a school official. It makes it harder for the advisor to match the documents with your application and therefore, will delay the process. Sometimes we receive the document before we receive your program application, and we have no way of knowing what to do with the document. Unless you received a copy of the documents to upload with your online application, this may at the least delay the application process and send the Program Advisor on a time consuming investigation and at worst will require you to request the documents again. Remember that participants will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. If someone else submits their completed application with all required documents before we can locate or match missing documents with the rest of your application, they may get the final spot on the program and send you to the waiting list.
Submitting semester program recommendations from your parent, sibling, boy/girl friend, or bestie
Semester programs require two recommendation forms. One needs to be completed by a current or previous professor. The second form can be completed by another professor, mentor, manager, counselor, coach, or supervisor. While we accept a second recommendation from a long standing family friend as a last option and as long as they can honestly rate and respond to the questions on the forms, your parents, siblings, best friends or spouse can not complete the form for you.
Not entering your full, legal name
Again, this is an academic program application. It is also a document in which you provide information to travel internationally. You should list your full, legal name as it is shown on your passport (or driver's license if you don't have a passport yet) Susie P. Muffler, instead of Susanne Patricia Muffler is not appropriate on your program application and will cause more follow-up work by the office staff. Feel free to add your prefered name in an email to the Program Advisor so that we know how you would like us to adress you in our communiation, but please list your legal name on the application itself.
Not reading what you are signing
The applications have a few areas where you initial a paragraph or sign. This is a legally binding signature. While there is no hidden sentence where you promise to gift us your puppy, you are initialing your acknowledgement of some of your responsibilities and you are signing your intention and responsibility to completing and submitting legal documents prior to the program start, paying the non-refundable application fee, and more. Do not sign or initial documents without reading and understanding them. If there is any area that you don't understand or need clarification on, please call or email the study abroad office with your question before signing and submitting the application (or documents.)
Submitting applications on weekends or at night and expecting an answer immediately
We may be surrounded by Autobots, and automatic e-mail replies and we know that "instant gratification syndrome" is a real thing, but these applications are still processed by real people during their office hours. This means, applications will not be processed during the night or over weekends or holidays. Submitting your application on a Friday night at 10pm, following up with an email because you haven't heard back on Saturday by noon and sending a complaint by Monday morning because you feel ignored is not reasonable.
The Study Abroad office is open from Monday - Friday 8am to 4pm PST. Office staff work hard processing applications, responding to emails, and answering questions and phone calls among other tasks, and will always process applications in a timely manner. Following up on an application is great and encouraged, but please consider official office hours and allow for reasonable processing time before doing so.
Not following up on your application or not reading your emails after submitting it
As mentioned above, following up on your application is encouraged. It's a responsible and professional thing to do as long as you give staff a few days to process it. Emailing or calling is the primary way of communication and after reviewing your application, the Program Advisor usually emails an acknowledgment of the receipt and notification that your application has been passed on to the program director to review and set up the interview. Staff also emails you if you have any missing or incomplete documents. Be sure you address missing items. While we can move forward in the application process to the interview with the program director/s, applicants can not be officially accepted into the program until all required documents have been received. The official acceptance notification (e-mail) comes from the Study Abroad office. Even if the program director has expressed his or her support of your acceptance into the program, you are not officially accepted and your spot is not held until the application process is successfully completed and you have received the official acceptance email.
Submitting your documents separately via secure online platform without naming your documents and including your name
You may need to submit some of your required documents at a later date via our secure online platform by requesting the secure upload link from the office staff. Any documents that have identifying information such as your name in combination with your K#, address, or birth date should be submitted via our secure upload link to protect your identity. When you submit a document that way, your file will go into a general inbox on that platform. It will sit there among many other documents from other applicants from all our programs. Be sure to save the file with your name prior to uploading it to help staff identify your documents faster. Especially if you are submitting a document that's holding up your acceptance into a program that's nearly full, it can make the difference between you having a spot on the program, or being placed on the waiting list. The easier it is for us to identify your documents, the faster they can be matched with the rest of your application and processed. If a lot of documents get submitted at the same time, your file may be at the bottom of the inbox. To help staff quickly match your file with the rest of your application include at the least your name in the file name as long as the program is identified on the document you are submitting. If you are sending a transcript you should also identify the specific program since that is not identified on the document itself. Some examples of naming your file in a helpful way are "S. Muffler Transcript Japan Program," "Recommendation London S. Muffler," "Susanne Muffler Student Conduct Form"
Remember that office staff is available during office hours and happy to help you. Help us get you an answer quickly by asking questions or asking for help ahead of time. Complete applications are usually processed the same day (during office hours) while incomplete applications that require follow up can take several days.
We are excited to help you on your study abroad journey.