Study Abroad Madness.

Hey everyone!

So, this week's definitely been a busy one, but getting a couple of my midterms out of the way has really helped my workload (only one left in Business Law!)

October can be a really stressful time around Saint Michael's, with everything like midterms, class registration, and, if you're a junior like me and you're looking to explore the world for a semester, then study abroad paperwork also starts to dominate your life. This week is the week that almost everything is due for my trip to Leeds, England next semester, from class registration forms to passport paperwork to program down payments.

My plan is to take a media-heavy course load at the University of Leeds through the API program to explore the British view of media and communication with classes like Digital Cultures and Motion Graphics while knocking out a class or two for my LSE requirements. I wanted to take a couple of business courses as well, but the school wasn't offering any courses that I needed for my major for next semester, and since I'm a double major and a minor, I have NO wiggle room whatsoever (which is a bummer!)

So one of the components of my application that was due this weekend was a passport photo to use for my school IDs over in England. Passport photos can be done at places like Walmart or Walgreens for a fee, or you could save a bit of money (every penny counts in college!) and take your own. This is actually pretty simple and feasible to do with a camera, a sunny room, and a white or off-white background to work with!

I made this my project for the weekend, and here's how it came out:

I could've done a little better with getting the shadow out in the background (the less shadow, the better), but here are some basic guidelines for submitting a good photo to use for your passport:

1. The photo must be 2 inches by 2 inches, preferably 300 dpi.
2. It can only include your head and shoulders.
3. A white or off-white background must be used.
4. Make sure it is taken in a well-lit room to diminish shadows.

I haven't heard back from my program yet about whether or not they accepted this photo, but I'd say it's a pretty good attempt! Traveling is a huge part of the college experience, and for those of you who are interested in study abroad, the Saint Michael's page on it is located here. Also, my program provider has been really flexible (since I had to do much of the paperwork while I was away in military training), offers good variety of programs and locations, and they representatives are super awesome and great at getting back to you quickly and efficiently. You can check out API here.

Hope this helps for all of you looking into traveling in your undergraduate career, and here's hoping my passport photo attempt was a good one!