FAQ

Students accepted to participate in HECUA programs have the option to defer their enrollment in a program up to one year. In order to defer enrollment, students must meet the following criteria:

• Students send HECUA their signed Participation Agreement forms and either pay their required deposits or have their schools guarantee payment of their deposits within the deadlines originally set for participation in the program to which they were accepted.
• Students receive, and send to HECUA, approval from their institutions to defer to a future term of a HECUA program.
• Students agree to abide by the withdrawal/refund policy outlined on page 2 of their Participation Agreement forms as if they were participating in the program term to which they were accepted. This means that if they chose to withdraw, the amount HECUA would bill to them directly or their school would follow the schedule based on the program term to which they were accepted, NOT the program term to which they deferred.

This policy ensures that students have discussed the decision to defer with all appropriate personnel, as well as protects HECUA from financial loss in the event that a deferred student holds a spot on a program from which other eligible students may be turned away due to enrollment caps.

For students enrolled at one of HECUA's member schools, details pertaining to application deadlines, eligibility, campus allies, etc. can be found on the campus-specific information page. Also, each consortium-member campus has its own recruiter (or student advisor) available to answer any questions, provide assistance or direct you to the appropriate offices.

For students from other schools, please call HECUA at 651-287-3300 to be connected with a HECUA Recruitment Associate who can work through each question directly with you.

Taking extra courses is a possibility if you are participating in a HECUA program based in Minneapolis / St. Paul and you attend a college in the Twin Cities, but we strongly discourage this idea. HECUA programs are intense and very time consuming. It’s a full-time commitment— class work and an internship combined have students busy five days a week. Students often find that with the heavy workload, it is extremely difficult to take additional classes outside of HECUA. Even so, certain students have successfully taken a night or weekend class in addition to their HECUA coursework.

Beginning Spring 2014, HECUA is offering part-time programs that will allow students in the Twin Cities to continue to take courses on their home campuses AND have an immersive, community-based learning experience. See the program pages for Making Media, Making Change and Agriculture and Justice.

Yes, it would be unrealistic to assume that students would not work during the semester, but bear in mind HECUA courses are vey time consuming. If students do work during the week, scheduling conflicts cannot arise between HECUA classes and a work schedule. In addition to balancing two days of class, homework, and other commitments, students spend approximately 15-20 hours at their internship site per week. Also, certain programs may occasionally require events in the evening, presenting scheduling conflicts for students. In a week, not including hours necessary for homework, we ask that students commit around 36 hours to the HECUA experience. However, all course components are detailed extensively in your syllabus prior to the semester. If you take a few moments to review possible conflicts and plan accordingly, you should easily be able to undertake both ventures.

Everyone deals with transition differently. While on any HECUA program, students may experience culture shock. Being aware of the many conflicting feelings and emotions students experience while abroad can help you understand the cultural adjustment process. Culture shock is real. It can display itself in both psychological and physiological ways.

International
Travelers often start with feelings of excitement and euphoria; these feelings eventually wear off and feelings of depression and anxiety may arise. Eventually the severity of the emotional roller coaster ride evens out and students learn how to adapt and live in a new setting.

There is not a “one size fits all” approach to dealing with culture shock. To cope with transitions abroad, we suggest: keep a sense of humor, write in a journal, communicate with loved ones (but don’t overcommunicate), or talk to the program director and classmates—chances are high that others are also struggling with adapting to a new culture.

Domestic (Twin Cities, Minnesota)
Depending on the individual, students can also experience high levels of emotional conflict while on our domestic programs. Even though a student may be living at home, these feelings of shock can stem from intense community immersions and experiences that leave the heart and senses stunned. If these feelings should arise in students we encourage them to be openly communicative with fellow students and HECUA teaching faculty.

HECUA programs take place both in and out of the traditional classroom.

U.S. (Twin Cities, Minnesota and Jackson, Mississippi)
For our domestic programs, the Twin Cities quite literally serve as the HECUA classroom. All semester-long U.S. programs meet at organizations in St. Paul or Minneapolis, on main public transportation lines. Other local sites for our domestic semester-long programs include Dreamland Arts (Hamline Ave. in Saint Paul), TheTextile Center (University Avenue in Minneapolis), and the Institute on Agriculture and Trade Policy (just off Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis). Although HECUA classrooms are central gathering places for the programs twice a week, much of the students’ time will be spent in field study, visiting community partners, and working at internship sites. The Race in America summer program is based at Jackson State University in Jackson, MS, and travels to sites in Alabama, Tennessee, and Louisiana.

International
For our international programs, classes can and do take place at our partner organizations and universities: Independent University, Bangladesh; Institute of Ecuadorian Studies – Ecuador; University of Oslo – Norway; University of Ulster – Northern Ireland. As with domestic programs, it’s common to have classes convene at local community organizations. The HECUA program model is the same across the board whereby students meet in and out of the classroom. Visiting local sites, meeting with community members, and working at an internship placement make up the majority of the week.

If you’re a student from a HECUA member institution, your grade report will be sent directly to your school. Grades from your grade report will be transferred and applied to your official academic transcript according to your institution’s policies. Depending on which office makes such determinations, further questions should be directed either to the off-campus studies office or the Registrar’s office at your school.

If you’re a student from a school outside HECUA’s consortium, your grade report will be sent to Hamline University. Hamline acts as HECUA’s school of record for non-consortium students, temporarily granting institutional credit for your HECUA program so that credits can be easily transferred from Hamline to your school. Further questions regarding credit transfers or grade policies should be directed either to the off-campus studies office or the Registrar’s office at your school.