Like many other NU students this week, Olya Leptoukh, a Communications sophomore, just picked up a study abroad application and is beginning to feel the pressure of completing it by the end of this month.

“It seems like it might be a little stressful, and I should have started a little earlier,” says Leptoukh.

Leptoukh can’t be the only one on campus stressing about their application. The growing popularity of study abroad has made acceptance into programs more competitive.

Study abroad is a fast-growing trend among NU students. Whereas in 2000 only 9 percent of NU students who graduated had studied abroad, 28 percent had by 2006. More than 700 students are expected to study abroad in the 2008-2009 school year.

The task of turning in a thoroughly prepared and exceptional application in a month’s time may be daunting, but Northwestern study abroad associate director Bernhard Streitwieser says that the application process is set up to assist students.

“We’re not trying to put road blocks up for students to go abroad,” says Streitwieser. “Every step [of the application process] has been thought out as a way to help students get the most out of the program.”

The application requires an official transcript, teacher recommendation, meetings with advisers and an essay.

Streitwieser and study abroad student adviser Michelle Gere both recommend giving considerable effort to the essay. Essays require three academic sources and are reviewed as an academic paper.

“The point of the essay is to get a sense if students really know about the country,” says Streitwieser.

Gere advises applicants to show a broader view of their study abroad experience in their essays.

She says that “a lot of students say ‘this is what they expect to get out of the country’” but application reviewers look for statements such as “this is what I expect to give back.”

Other aspects of the application that are heavily considered are the student’s GPA and disciplinary record, says Streitweiser.

One last tip: Students should know the study abroad office is there to help in the application process, says Gere.

Now that you’ve got the inside scoop, get cracking on that application!