Pre-departure Information & Meetings

**All participants are responsible for reviewing the items below and acting on any necessary document prior to departure.**

PRE-DEPARTURE MEETINGS

I. Seminar specific:

  • Sunday, September 27, 7pm, Boliou 104
    Meeting with Malian musicians on campus
  • Monday, October 5, 4:30-5:30, LDC 330
    Logistical meeting. Bring all of your visa documents - see Visa information at bottom of page.
  • Friday, October 23, Time and Place TBD
    Evening social gathering/reception on campus with Hanna Koenker, Mali program alum from the inaugural program in 2000, former Peace Corps Volunteer, now employed by Johns Hopkins University.
  • Saturday, October 24, Time and Place TBD
    Retreat with Hannah Koenker and other returned students, approximately 9-2 on campus.

II. OCS Health & Safety meeting. MANDATORY.

You must choose one of the three times to attend:

  1. Thursday, October 15, 12-1, Boliou 104
  2. Tuesday, October 27, 12-1, Boliou 104
  3. Wednesday, November 4, 4:30-5:30, Boliou 104

PRE-DEPARTURE INFORMATION

FORMS DUE BY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2:

1. Health Assessment form

Have your health care provider or Travel Clinic at home during summer break complete your Health Assessment Form (provided in your OCS acceptance packet but also available on the OCS website as a “Related Document:” http://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/ocs/forms/) and receive all the necessary immunizations. If you don't make the necessary arrangements during break, you will be directed to *Northfield Hospital Family Health Clinic, Northfield Alina Clinic, Mayo Clinic, or Park Nicollet in the Cities.

Act on and/or follow-up on any items required (e.g. immunizations, other appointments…)

*If you go to the Northfield Hospital Family Health Clinic you MUST bring

  1. Vaccination Records.
  2. Itinerary of your trip, including places you will stay, and length of stay.


NB: you must have health insurance which covers you at the program site. If you do not know whether you are covered, contact your insurance company. If you are not covered in any way, or in a way which does not meet your needs, you can look into the insurance provided through Carleton (go to Student Health and Counseling) or you can look at insurance provided by a company such as CISI (culturalinsurance.com)

2. Copies of passport
check to see that it is 1) valid for six months beyond the time you expect to return to the U.S., and 2) you have signed your passport.

Then, scan your passport and send it to lvanderw@carleton.edu. If you are unable to scan your passport for whatever reason, make two (2) copies of your passport and bring them into the OCS office, Leighton 119.

3. Pre-departure Information Sheet
Click on the link below, log in, then complete the form providing your flight info and parent and emergency contact info.

http://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/ocs/forms/


OTHER IMPORTANT PRE-DEPARTURE INFORMATION

Visas - We will submit visa applications as a group. Bring all items below to the October 5th meeting:

  1. A valid passport. Be sure you have signed it.
  2. Two (2) recent passport size photographs (Please glue them on the application forms)
  3. Two (2) completed application forms (attached)
  4. A copy of the yellow fever certificate
  5. The appropriate fee ($131 check made out to Carleton College; we will combine them into one cashier's check to mail to the Embassy)

Vaccinations - OCS strongly encourages students to obtain vaccinations for the flu as well as the H1N1 flu when available. For more information on the flu click here.


Carleton Policies, etc. - You are responsible for reading this web page and the “Related Documents” on the right hand side of it:

http://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/ocs/planning/confirmedstudents/


Airline tickets

The group flight can be reserved at: http://www.studentuniverse.com/study/carleton.

If you want to find your own flight, you can use a travel agent, or you can go online and order your tickets from sites such as these: