Study Abroad: Krakow Information for Admitted Students

Before you go

Be sure to have the following important documents with you when you travel:

1. Passport and visa
2. Round-trip Ticket
3. Brown student ID card (or your institution’s student ID card)
4. Copies of important documents – passport, visa, credit cards, etc. (Leave copies at home. Bring another set with you and store them separately from the originals.)
5. Insurance policy # and company name
6. Personal items including license, credit card/debit card (check with your bank to ensure that your pin # will work on the Euro system if you plan to use a debit card)
7. Emergency personal contact information
8. International Student ID card (ISIC) – available at STA.com; qualifies you for student discounted entrance rates at museums, concert halls & historical sites (optional)

Packing Checklist:

1. Required course materials/textbooks
2. Prescription medication (we recommend bringing medication in their original packaging to avoid any delays at airport security)
3. Personal/bathroom amenities
4. Contact lens fluid (if applicable)
5. Hat & sunscreen
6. Daypack / portable waterbottle
7. Camera
8. Journal / address book

Travel

You should plan to arrive in Krakow on the first day of the program. For most travelers, you will have to depart on the day prior to arrive the following morning. Please schedule your flights accordingly. Students are responsible for their own travel to and from Poland.

STATravel.com offers discounted student airfares. In addition, they can issue the International Student ID Card and Eurail rail passes if you are traveling within Europe before or after the program.

Once your flight itinerary is finalized, please send a copy to summerabroad@brown.edu.

When you arrive

The staff of the Jagiellonian/DIPS will meet you at the airport and manage your transfer to the hotel.  Once you arrive at your hotel, program orientation information will be available and staff will help you to set up your cell phones.  Please give your cell numbers to Brown faculty so we can share with Brown Public Safety.  You are expected to carry your phone with you so that we can communicate with you in the event of an emergency. 

Your academic program will begin on the following day, and will include a welcoming reception to inaugurate the program.

More detailed information will be communicated closer to the program departure date.

Program Orientations

Students are required to attend the mandatory orientation sessions. By submitting your application and your non-refundable deposit, you are agreeing to attend these orientations and to submit the required visa documentation and University forms by the deadlines posted. Failure to meet these obligations may result in the forfeiture of your deposit and enrollment in the program. Please visit the Study Abroad destination home page for updated information on Program Orientation dates and times.

Non-Brown students who cannot attend the Program Orientations will be forwarded information covered in the meetings and are required to review the online orientation materials.

Student Rights And Responsibilities

All students enrolled in Brown University’s summer programs are subject to the Student Rights and Responsibilities defined by the campus and the Office of Student Life.

Students should be advised that while abroad, they are additionally subject to the laws of the host country. Staff abroad is not qualified to offer legal counsel or intercede with local authorities on behalf of a student. Any offense committed while abroad may be reviewed by the University judicial system.

Students should carefully consider their decision to study abroad on a Brown University program. These programs are academically rigorous and students must be prepared to meet their academic obligations while adjusting to a foreign language, culture and climate. These intensive programs are challenging emotionally and physically – yet rewarding in personal and academic ways.

Health Insurance

You must verify that your health provider will cover you while outside the US. It is Brown University's policy that all enrolled students must have health insurance coverage. To participate in one of Brown's summer study abroad programs, you must provide proof of health insurance coverage.

Current Brown Undergraduates

As a current Brown undergraduate for the 09-10 academic year, you have already made a decision with regards to your insurance coverage through August 15, 2010. You either waived the University's student insurance plan in favor of a private insurance policy, or you are currently insured under Brown's plan. The decision you made will remain in effect for the duration of the summer study abroad program, unless you contact the Insurance Office by May 15, 2010 to make a change. Students can choose to enroll in the University's plan for the summer term (coverage effective 6/1/10 - 8/15/10) if they learn that their private plan does not provide coverage to them while overseas. The summer insurance fee of $528.00 will be charged to your student account along with the other summer study abroad fees.

Please contact the Insurance Office at 401-863-9481 or by e-mail at Cheryl_Moan@brown.edu. Be sure to identify yourself as a current Brown undergraduate who waived out of the University's plan for the 09-10 academic year, but who will need to be enrolled in the plan for the summer term while participating in a study abroad program. Please be advised that students may elect to enroll in Brown's insurance plan for the summer term, but cannot waive out of the plan for the summer period.

Copies of the Brown University student health insurance plan brochure will be available at the orientation sessions. Students who are insured through the University's plan should bring this brochure with them overseas, along with their health insurance ID card and some claim forms. Claim forms and the plan brochure are available on the Insurance Office web site.

If you have questions about the benefits of the Brown University insurance plan, you may contact the Insurance Office at 401-863-9481.

Important note: If you will be enrolled at Brown University for the 2009-10 academic year, you will receive an additional student health insurance packet in May and you will be charged a student health insurance fee on your July billing statement. This fee is for coverage effective August 15, 2009 - August 15, 2010. If you plan on waiving the University's SHIP for the 2009-10 academic year, be sure to submit your annual waiver by the deadline of June 1, 2010.

Non-Brown Undergraduates

Non-Brown students who will participate in a Brown-sponsored summer study abroad program will be automatically enrolled in Brown University's student health insurance plan for the summer term (coverage effective 6/1/10 - 8/15/10). The summer insurance fee of $528.00 will be charged to your student account along with the other summer study abroad fees. You may view information about Brown's student Health Insurance Plan.

1. If you have questions about the benefits of the Brown University insurance plan, you may contact the Insurance Office at 401-863-9481.
2. If you have health insurance coverage through a private plan, you may waive enrollment in Brown's insurance plan. If you do not need Brown's insurance coverage, you must complete and return the summer term health insurance waiver form to Brown's Insurance Office by the deadline of May 15, 2010.
3. All students insured through a private plan should check on the following:

1) Will my insurance plan provide benefits to me while outside of the U.S.?
If so, you should be familiar with how to use the benefits and, if applicable, how to get reimbursed for expenses paid out of pocket while abroad. You should bring any insurance materials with you to help facilitate the process of receiving medical care abroad (i.e. health insurance ID card, summary of benefits, claim forms, etc.)

2) Will my insurance plan cover me for the duration of my study abroad program?

Letter From The Director – Safety & Security For Students Abroad