|
|
|
Kenyan Applicant Frequently Asked Questions
How many Kenyan students are there at St. Lawrence?
- During the 2010-2011 academic year, St. Lawrence is home to 7 Kenyan students and more than 136 international students from the following 48 countries (one student from each country unless indicated otherwise in parenthesis; also includes dual citizens):
- Afghanistan, Bosnia & Herzegovina (5), Botswana (2), Brazil (2), Bulgaria (3), Cambodia, Canada (60), China (2), Croatia (2), Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India (3), Jamaica (2), Kosovo, Lebanon, Macedonia (2), Malawi (2), Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Nepal (2), New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan (2), Palestine (2), Paraguay, Poland, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, South Africa (4), Spain, Sri Lanka, Swaziland (2), Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey (3), Uganda, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia (2), Zimbabwe (4).
What is St. Lawrence’s connection with Kenya?
- St. Lawrence students first began studying in Kenya in 1969. In 1974, we established what is now one of the oldest U.S. college or university study abroad programs in Kenya.
- Several generations of St. Lawrence students have now spent a semester or summer in Kenya, learning about the history, politics, environment, and cultures of the Kenyan people.
- St. Lawrence has established the Kenya Scholarship Program as an expression of gratitude to the people of Kenya for their support of our students and faculty over these many years.
How “international” is St. Lawrence?
- 50% of our students study abroad or complete international research each year.
- Over 50% of the faculty have significant international training and expertise.
- St. Lawrence is unique among US colleges and universities as being the liberal arts college closest to another nation’s capital (Ottawa, Canada), and we take advantage of our proximity to Canada through formal courses and co- and extra-curricular programs.
- In addition to academic programs like Global Studies and modern languages, faculty across the campus routinely incorporate global perspectives in their courses.
- Outside the class room, clubs and organizations such as International House, Amnesty International, Global Awareness Club, and the SLU Model United Nations Club allow students to explore their global interests in other venues.
Is St. Lawrence a religious school?
- No. St. Lawrence is named in honor of the St. Lawrence River Valley. The St. Lawrence River flows about 1,207 km (750 miles) from Lake Ontario, along the Ontario-New York border and through southern Québec, to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
- The river was first sighted by Jacques Cartier, a French explorer, on the Feast Day of St. Lawrence in 1534. The St. Lawrence River today is a major shipping route and a destination for boating, fishing, and vacationing on both sides of the river.
Famous alumni?
- While we like to think that all of our alumni are accomplished, a number have achieved a high degree of recognition. Among St. Lawrence's distinguished alumni are:
- industrialist and diplomat Owen D. Young (1894), for whom the Young Plan for World War I reparations was named
- Olympia Brown (1863), the first woman in U.S. history to be ordained a minister
- author Lorrie Moore (’78)
- United States Senator from the state of Maine, Susan Collins (’75)
- actors Kirk Douglas (’39) and Viggo Mortensen (’80)
- members of parliament, Kenya, Joseph Lekuton, (’91, M’94) and Chachu Ganya (’96)and
- University President William L. Fox (’75).
What is a liberal arts and sciences education?
- St. Lawrence University is firmly committed to undergraduate liberal arts and sciences education for women and men, an education that requires breadth, depth and integration in learning.
- Breadth: St. Lawrence students must complete a set of distribution requirements that expose them to a number of disciplines beyond their intended major(s).
- Distribution requirements should be seen not as a checklist of courses to complete but rather as an invitation to explore, indeed, to cultivate wisdom.
- Students often find that they discover or develop life-long interests through carefully selected courses that satisfy their distribution requirements.
- All students must complete one course in arts/expression; humanities; social science; mathematics or foreign language; two courses in natural science and science studies, one of which must be a laboratory course; two courses from two different departments that engage participants in the critical study of sameness and difference; and the First Year Program (First Year Course and First Year Seminar.)
- Depth: Students are also required to complete a concentrated field of study, or major. Students may choose a major or majors from a number of traditional, combined or interdisciplinary majors and programs.
- Integration: Through a liberal arts education students not only learn and develop specific information and skills, but also learn how to learn, adapt, and integrate diverse material; communicate appropriately; and utilize effectively what has been learned.
How will a liberal arts and sciences education help in my career search?
- A liberal arts and sciences education provides for a large number of options in the choice of a career.
- 93.5% of the Class of 2009 either had a job within six months of graduation or enrolled in graduate school.
- 20.2% enrolled in graduate programs
- 73.3% were employed.
- Typically, more than 40% of our alumni enroll in graduate programs within five years of graduation.
- The Office of Career Services is committed to empowering students and graduates to discover their passion, explore their career options, develop their personal career plan, and attain their goals as part of their lifelong educational philosophy.
- Over 450 St. Lawrence alumni are presidents or chief executive officers of their organizations.
Can I study Engineering at St. Lawrence?
- St. Lawrence offers a 3+2 Engineering program in which students spend three years at St. Lawrence and two years at a cooperating engineering school (Clarkson University, Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University of Rochester, University of Southern California) and graduate with a bachelor's degree from each institution.
- This option allows students to receive three years of a broad-based, well-rounded liberal arts education before specializing in an engineering field. It also allows students the freedom to change their major plans from engineering to another field without changing schools.
- Please note that international students who require and/or receive financial assistance to attend St. Lawrence may not find this the best option. Because financial aid for international students is limited, and institutional policies vary, it is not possible to predict the level of financial assistance a student will receive from the engineering school. It would be necessary for students to apply for scholarships and other financial assistance directly from the engineering school.
Can I study Business at St. Lawrence?
- Majors from any discipline may complete the pre-management program at St. Lawrence, which combines an individually tailored course of study with career building programs and leadership skills development.
- A certificate is awarded to students successfully completing the Pre-Management Program. Participants should work closely with the Pre-Management Program coordinator and with career services and leadership education.
- 4+1 MBA Program. St. Lawrence University has 4+1 MBA agreements with the graduate schools at Clarkson University, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Union College that allow students to plan their undergraduate program to include courses that serve as foundation courses for graduate study.
- Students must complete a regular undergraduate major and meet prescribed admission standards in addition to the foundation courses. Those who are admitted can expect to complete the requirements for the MBA degree in one year rather than the usual two or more.
- In addition, applicants with outstanding academic records will receive a prompt decision concerning admission and financial aid. Preliminary inquiries concerning these programs may be made by consulting with the pre-management coordinator.
Can I study medicine at St. Lawrence?
- Medical education in the U.S. takes place after earning a bachelor’s degree. Students at St Lawrence who want to go to medical school are participate in our pre-medical program and are advised by the faculty members of the Health Careers Committee.
- International admission to medical school for student is extremely difficult. International students face major challenges in gaining admission to and paying for medical school in the U.S. For more information, please read International Students and Medical Education:Options and Obstacles, published by the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions, Inc.
Who is eligible to apply for a Kenya Scholarship?
- Applicants for the Kenya Scholarship must:
- be citizens of Kenya,
- have completed their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), or an equivalent terminal secondary school credential, with a mean score of B or better, or the equivalent if completing another secondary school credential,
- have completed their KCSE or equivalent no more than two years prior to the admission term for which they are applying, e.g., applicants for fall (August) 2011 admission must have completed their KCSE in either November 2010 or 2009,
- submit all required application materials by the application deadline, February 1.
- Students who have enrolled as degree candidates at tertiary-level, post-secondary (post-high school) institutions of higher education may not apply for first year admission and are NOT eligible for the Kenya Scholarship. St. Lawrence no longer provides financial aid to international transfer students.
What are the admissions criteria?
- St. Lawrence seeks to enroll students who are intellectually curious, self-motivated and who have a clear sense of purpose.
- St. Lawrence students should be poised to embrace the mission of a residential, community-based liberal arts university and appreciate the value of learning in, and about, a diverse community and world.
- Because the University maintains a focus on personal as well as academic development, our students should also be prepared to assume leadership positions and have the ability to balance a variety of academic and extracurricular commitments.
- We also seek students who will increase the racial, ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of our student body.
- Applications for admission are evaluated with a holistic approach, weighting heavily the rigor of secondary school curriculum, trend of achievement, final or predicted final examination results if available, and what we learn about students from letters of recommendation as well as the information they provide in their applications and personal statements.
When can I apply?
- Due to our limited international student financial aid, Kenyan applicants who are also applying for financial aid may only apply for admission to the fall (August) semester. Applications received for spring (January) admission from students in this category will be converted to fall (August) applications.
- Kenyan applicants not applying for or requiring need-based financial aid may apply for fall (August) or spring (January) admission.
What is the application deadline?
- The Regular Decision application deadline is February 1 and applicants are notified of their decisions by the end of March. Applicants applying from outside the U.S. are strongly encouraged to submit their application and supporting materials well in advance of the application deadlines.
Can I apply Early Decision?
- Please note that, due to our limited international student financial aid, applicants applying for international student financial aid may NOT apply for Early Decision admission.
- Kenyan applicants not applying for financial aid and who have selected St. Lawrence as their first choice may apply under the Early Decision Program.
- Applicants accepted under this program are obligated to attend St. Lawrence and must withdraw any applications submitted to other institutions.
- The Early Decision priority application deadline is November 1st, with notification in early December.
- We will review Early Decision applicants on a continual basis until February 1st. Notification is roughly 3 weeks after applications date of completion.
Should I apply for first-year or transfer admission?
- Students who have enrolled as a degree candidates at tertiary-level, post-secondary (high school) institutions of higher education will not be considered for first-year admission.
- Please note that we do not provide financial aid to international transfer applicants unless they are citizens of Canada.
Where do I send my completed application and other required application materials?
- Kenyan applicants living in Kenya who are completing the paper version of the application should submit their application and all supporting documentation by February1 to the St Lawrence University Kenya Semester Program Office:
- St. Lawrence University Kenya Semester Programme
PO Box 1128, #91 Miotoni Road
00502 – Karen
Nairobi
Telephone: 254-20-388-4509/11, 0722-201-975, 0734-333-038, 020-265-1901.
Email: sluksp@stlawu.edu
- Kenyan applicants living in Kenya who are completing the on line version of the application should submit their supporting documentation by February 1 to the St Lawrence University Kenya Semester Program Office.
- Kenyan citizens living outside Kenya should submit their application and supporting documentation by February 1 to the St Lawrence University Admissions Office in Canton, NY:
- Office of Admissions
St. Lawrence University
23 Romoda Drive
Canton, NY 13617 USA
Fax: 1-315-229-5818
Email: admissions@stlawu.edu
What are the application requirements?
- Application. All applicants for admission must submit the Common Application with the required St. Lawrence Supplement.
- They may submit the Common Application online or by downloading and mailing it to the St Lawrence University Kenya Semester Program Office in Nairobi or the Office of Admissions.
- They may also submit the St. Lawrence Common Application Supplement online or by downloading and mailing it to the St Lawrence University Kenya Semester Program Office or the Office of Admissions.
- Application Fee. The US$60.00 application fee is waived for all Kenyan applicants.
- Transcripts. We require that applicants submit a 3-year secondary school transcript (a record of courses taken and marks received in their classes from the 2007-2008, 2008-2009, and 2009-2010 academic years) as well as a record of the courses they are taking during their final year of secondary school (2010-2011).
- Applicants who have completed secondary school should provide a transcript of their secondary school courses and grades as well as their their KCSE results.
- We recommend that you ask your school counselor to complete and submit the International Supplement in addition to the Common Application School Report Form.
- An official, notarized translation of any credentials not in English is required.
- It is important to note that we require both the official secondary education credentials not in English as well as the official notarized translation of these credentials.
- Standardized Testing. Although we are a Test Optional institution, international applicants and particularly those applying for international student financial aid are encouraged to submit SAT Reasoning if English is their first language and SAT Reasoning and TOEFL scores if English is not their first language.
- All standardized testing should be completed by the end of December 2009. Candidates for the SAT Reasoning Test can obtain information from either their guidance office or the College Board, Box 592, Princeton, NJ 08540, www.collegeboard.com. Candidates for the TOEFL (paper-based, inter-active) can obtain information at www.ets.org.
- Applicants should also be consistent with the spelling and sequence of their family/surname and given names when registering for standardized exams and completing the application. We recommend that on all application and testing materials applicants provide their name as printed on their passport. Differences in the spelling or sequence of names may delay the receipt of test scores and the review of applications.
- Recommendations. Applicants are required to submit a recommendation from a university or guidance counselor. If there is no guidance counselor at their school, applicants should have the principal, headmaster, head tutor or other school official who has been closely supervising or monitoring their secondary school studies write a recommendation.
- Two letters of recommendation from teachers with whom the applicants have studied in an academic subject in their final two years of secondary school are also required.
- If the guidance counselor or teacher recommendations are not written in English, a certified translation must be provided.
- Financial Aid. Applicants for the Kenya Scholarship are NOT required to submit the International Student Financial Aid Application.
- Miscellaneous materials. The Admissions Committee does not require and does not review in their decision making art works; portfolios; photographs; or music, dance, theatre, or athletic CD’s or tapes. Applicants are encouraged, however, to submit the Common Application Arts Supplement or Common Application Athletic Supplement.
- Applicants are also encouraged to provide a listing of certificates or other honors they have earned rather than sending photocopies of these certificates.
What is the English proficiency requirement?
- St. Lawrence strongly recommends that international applicants whose first language is other than English take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Applicants whose first language is other than English who do not provide official results of the TOEFL may be at a competitive disadvantage for admissions and financial aid consideration.
- The following are the recommended minimum scores for each version of the TOEFL:
- Paper-based TOEFL: 600, with no subscore below 50
- iBT/Interactive TOEFL: 82 with no subscore below 20 (19 for speaking)
- Please note that these are not required minimum scores but recommended scores.
- St. Lawrence waives the TOEFL requirement for applicants who have completed or are expected to complete International Baccalaureate Higher Level English A1 (mother tongue) or A2 (bilingual) exams with scores of 5, 6, or 7. Students taking International Baccalaureate Standard Level English may request a waiver on a case-by-case basis by contacting the Director of International Admissions.
- St. Lawrence also waives the TOEFL requirement for applicants who have earned a score of 600 or higher on the Critical Reading section of the SAT Reasoning Test.
How do I send the results of my SAT Reasoning, SAT Subject Test, or TOEFL exams to St. Lawrence?
- There are several ways to submit test scores.
- Applicants should indicate St. Lawrence as a recipient institution for their scores when they register for the exams. Our institutional code number is 2805 for SAT Reasoning, SAT Subject Test, and TOEFL scores.
- University or guidance counselors may include the exam results on the Common Application Secondary School Report Form.
- University or guidance counselors may send us attested or certified copies of the test results.
- Applicants should also be consistent with the spelling and sequence of their family/surname and given names when registering for standardized exams and completing the application. We recommend that on all application and testing materials applicants provide their name as printed on their passport. Differences in the spelling or sequence of names may delay the receipt of test scores and the review of applications.
Are the SAT’s the most important criteria the Admissions Committee uses to make its decisions?
- No. We do not require SAT’s. And if applicants do submit SAT scores, our decisions are based on many factors. We use a holistic approach when reviewing applications and consider all the information – secondary school courses, level of difficulty of the academic program, trend in achievement, recommendations, personal statements, and extracurricular activities.
Can I receive advanced placement or credit for coursework I complete while in secondary school?
- St. Lawrence University awards advanced placement and credit toward graduation for entering first-year students through the College Board Advanced Placement program.
- Generally, advanced placement and credit toward graduation are granted to students who achieve a rating of 4 or 5 on Advanced Placement Examinations.
- Advanced placement and credit may also be earned by completion of International Baccalaureate Higher Level examinations with scores of 5, 6, or 7.
- The effect of advanced credit upon the department major requirements is at the discretion of each department chair. Each department chair will review the requested credit and make a recommendation to the registrar.
How much does it cost to attend St. Lawrence?
| 2010-2011 (August - May) Costs: |
|
|
| Tuition: |
$ |
40,905 |
| Fees: |
$ |
250 |
| Room: |
$ |
5,715* |
| Board: |
$ |
4,900** |
| Insurance: |
$ |
1,565 |
| Books: |
$ |
750*** |
| Personal Expenses: |
$ |
900*** |
| TOTAL: |
$ |
54,985 |
| * double room; single room is $7,015 |
| ** full flex plan (selected by most students); full 21-meal plan is $5,050 |
| *** estimated |
| **** unbilled expenses: these are estimated out-of-pocket costs that
do not appear on the semester bills but which students must have available
to them |
The annual student budget increase is approximately 4-6% each year. The expected annual student budget for the 2011-2012 academic year will be approximately $56,568. The actual cost will be determined in February 2011. This figure also does not include transportation costs to and from St. Lawrence. |
Do you offer financial aid for Kenyan students?
- St Lawrence awards two Kenya Scholarships, one to a male and one to a female, each year. The Kenya Scholarship is a full scholarship and pays for tuition, fees, room and meals, insurance, books, and miscellaneous expenses.
- For the 2010-2011 academic year, Kenya Scholarship recipients received a US$54,985 scholarship. The Kenya Scholarship includes some combination of grants, merit scholarships, and campus employment.
- Competition for the Kenya Scholarships is very keen. There were 42 applicants for the two Kenya Scholarships awarded to new first-year students enrolling at St. Lawrence for the 2010-2011 academic year.
- Applicants for the Kenya Scholarship are not required to submit the International Student Financial Aid Application
Does St. Lawrence provide athletic scholarships?
- St. Lawrence is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). NCAA regulations do not allow us to provide athletic scholarships for student participating in our 30 Division III sports programs.
- We are, however, allowed to provide athletic scholarships for members of our Division I men’s ice hockey and women’s ice hockey teams. Prospective applicants interested in the ice hockey programs should contact the appropriate coach as early as possible.
Other Links:
St. Lawrence home page
About St. Lawrence
Admissions web page
Applying to St. Lawrence
Financial Aid for Undergraduate International Students,
from NAFSA:Association of International Educators
Academic Majors and Programs
Student Research and Fellowships
First Year Program
Academic Achievement
University Catalog
Environmentalism at St. Lawrence
Residence Life
Dining Services
Clubs and Organizations
Community Service
Athletics
Study Abroad/Off Campus Study
Calendar of Events
On Line Campus Tour
Where is Canton?
Canton
Regional Information
Weather
PDF Version of this page
|
