Study Abroad Scribe Position Guidelines
Benefits
• A platform to easily share your experience abroad with family and friends
• Professional writing and work experience, add “Official W&J Study Abroad Scribe” to your resume!
• Represent W&J abroad
• $100/semester in Amazon gift cards, to be provided at the semester’s conclusion.
General Expectations:
• Create a blog page (blogger or wordpress are good options) specifically and solely for the Study Abroad Scribe
position; share this link with the Director of Study Abroad
• Write as frequently as possible, a minimum of one post per week. Commit for the full semester.
• Posts should be 500-750 words and include a title
• Each post should be accompanied by at least one photo. All photos should be original (taken by you).
• Use correct grammar, punctuation and spelling. Proofread your post carefully to avoid typos.
• Cite any outside sources, quotes, etc.
• All posts should be written specifically for your Study Abroad Scribes blog page. You may not reuse school
assignments, scholarship fulfillment requirements, etc.
• Send each post (should be a polished and complete version) to the Director of Study Abroad for approval
before posting. The Office of Study Abroad reserves the right to ask you to edit your posts before making them
live.
• Agree that your materials can be used and shared by W&J and the Office of Study Abroad and are publicly
visible
• Complete the Study Abroad Scribes Application and Agreement
Posting Guidelines:
• Your first post should include an introduction - where are you from, why you chose your host location, your
major, your goals for the experience, etc.
• Write about what you accomplished and experienced, not just what you saw.
• Keep it personal - engage your readers with posts that are unique to you and what you are learning - not a
generic overview
• Use a mix of topics. In the beginning it is nice to “set the scene” and post photos of your living arrangements,
city, school, food, public transportation. You should also use some of the topics that require you to dig deeper.
• Write candidly and openly, but emphasize the positive. Any experience has highs and lows - maybe you got
food poisoning from street food, made an error using public transportation or the local language, etc. but
these missteps do not define your time in your host country and could discourage readers from studying
abroad if presented without context. Frame these learning experiences (that’s what they are!) with a
takeaway lesson or realization.
o Negative example of post about challenging situation: Oh, man, this past weekend was rough! I
decided to go out alone exploring my new city and forgot my map. I wandered around the tiny streets,
totally enchanted by the quaint shops, picturesque squares and cozy restaurants. I got some amazing
photos and found an affordable cafe for lunch, successfully ordering in German! As I realized that it
was time to head home, I also realized that I was lost. It was terrifying!! I began to panic. It was
getting dark and I didn’t want to be alone out at night. To make matters worse, it was Sunday, and
business were closing early and the streets were quiet. There was almost no one to ask for help. I did
make it home on the subway, though.”
o
Positive example of post about challenging situation: “This Sunday I decided to go out alone exploring
my new city and forgot my map. I wandered around the tiny streets, totally enchanted by the quaint
shops, picturesque squares and cozy restaurants. I got some amazing photos and found an affordable
cafe for lunch, successfully ordering in German! As night was falling and I realized that it was time to
head home, I also realized that I was lost. To make matters worse, it was Sunday, and business were
closing early so the streets were quiet. There was almost no one to ask for help. After some initial
worried thoughts, I realized that if I could only find the subway, I could easily take it back to the stop
near my host family’s home. Looking around, I spotted the spires of a cathedral over the tops of the
other buildings. Since it is such an attraction, I knew there had to be a subway station near it. I walked
that direction, and sure enough, I soon saw a sign pointing me to the nearest subway entrance. I
looked at the subway map posted on the wall of the station and found a route to get home. I did
experience a scary few moments, but I feel proud that I was able to navigate home on my own using
common sense. I know I can use the same strategy should I need to. I will, however, pay a bit more
attention to where I’m walking, double check that I’ve packed my map just in case, and go with a
friend if I think I might be out late again.”
Suggested Topics:
• Why did you want to study abroad (related to major, future career, curiosity for a new culture)
• What are your goals for the experience?
• What essential items did you pack? Would you do things differently next time around?
• What can you do while studying abroad that you cannot do on W&J’s campus?
• What new perspectives are you gaining about your host country’s culture?
• Advice you would give to students considering study abroad
• What do you hope off - campus study will do for you personally, professionally, academically, etc.?
• What are you learning outside of the classroom? (how to be more independent, more self-reliant, cultural
growth, etc.)
• Talk about learning a language or improving your skills (if applicable)
• A typical day in your life
• What it was like to arrive in your host country
• A description of your host family
• What customs, values, or traditions intrigue you most about your host country?
• How will your host program or experience abroad further your academic progress?
• Meaningful moments (when you made a cultural or language breakthrough, made your first native friend, etc.)
• How study abroad has changed you and led to your personal growth
• A moment or accomplishment you feel proud of
• How are academics and school different/similar than those at W&J
• Name and describe a stereotype you heard about the culture/people/location where you are that has been
broken
• Describe a person/place/object that has become meaningful to you and why it is so
• Describe a time when you felt foreign/local
• Describe how something (women, men, money, house/home, culture, health, safety, family, school) is
different/similar to how it is/is viewed at home
• Describe a common phrase or gesture from your host location so that someone at home would understand it.
• Who inspired you to go abroad and who helped you along the way?
• Other topics that interest you
Inappropriate topics include but are not limited to:
• Alcohol, drugs or controlled substance use
• Sexual content
• Personal information about anyone else
• Profanity
• Derogatory remarks about W&J, the Office of Study Abroad, your host school or any faculty, staff or student.
• Remember that your audience will include students, staff, faculty, parents and family members. If you have
questions about whether something is appropriate to write about, please ask.