UPON THE resumption of international mobility programs for the Loyola Schools (LS) in AY 2023–2024, the Junior Term Abroad (JTA) program successfully sent 118 students to 40 partner universities including those in Australia, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Since the resumption of these programs, International Outbound Coordinator Joanna Ortega announced the surplus of available slots for the JTA program. “[The] OIR [was] able to acquire more slots than the actual number of applicants, which gives students enough options,” she said.

Adjusted calendars

In line with the lifted regulations, the Office of International Relations (OIR) Director Karen Sunico began calling students to apply for the JTA Spring 2023 Program in April 2022.

However, the months-long delay in releasing the provisional list of host universities caused an extension in the projected application timeline.

After the OIR’s nomination letter, a document sent to the students’ respective schools illustrating Ateneo’s recommendation, the applicants completed the rest of the process individually as what was done throughout the prior years.

JTA student Jannah Meriño shared that the list of universities was only released last September 2022. This is in contrast from the published calendar for JTA Spring 2023 Application which mentions that the provisional list of schools should have been published by May 2022, while more universities would have been added by August. 

Meriño also shared that following the delay in the release of host universities, the Ateneo’s provided infosessions were unable to give an accurate list of requirements early, thus making the process confusing.

Instead, students like Meriño were only informed about the application requirements by a third party named Campus France, a French government agency that handles all the exchange students for France. Campus France only announced the additional requirements around October or November, thus leaving JTA students rattled as they had no prior briefing about this despite the information sessions held by the Ateneo.

Furthermore, Meriño had problems crediting subjects to be taken abroad since JTA applicants still had to check the availability of programs that were aligned with her curriculum.

With regard to additional aid given by the University on the visa application, Meriño shared that the applicants had to “do everything on their own.” Although Ateneo does provide some guidance in the initial steps of the application, Meriño believed that the students could benefit from additional aid in the latter portion. 

Students’ health and safety

Despite the aforementioned delays, the Ateneo still ensured the JTA students’ preparedness for travel through administering orientations like country briefings, university briefings, cultural sensitivity sessions, and stress management and physical health consultations.

A novel addition, an orientation on COVID-19 guidelines and other health hazards was also facilitated this year. JTA students were further required to purchase travel or health insurance in their host country.

Besides these guidelines from the Ateneo, other health and safety requirements regarding COVID-19 medications or testing were dependent on what the partner universities may have asked for.

Ortega shared that the JTA students’ health and safety are ensured through closely working with the partner universities in terms of addressing the needs of students. “Services and assistance are provided and the universities ensure that student needs, including health and safety requirements, are met,” Ortega expounded.

Despite these reassurances, Meriño particularly wished to see other initiatives that would help JTA students better adjust to a new environment.

For instance, Meriño expressed her dismay at the guidance session as she expected that it would brief her on other salient issues such as homesickness and what she could do about it. Moving forward, she mentioned conducting check-up sessions while the students were abroad to ensure that the University could express their support and care.

Possibilities and uncertainties

While the turnout of the JTA Spring 2023 displays the successful return of the program, the OIR acknowledges that difficulties still abounded.

The OIR assured that they are continually working to improve students’ experiences with the current application process. For instance, they have begun closely coordinating with the necessary embassies. They also expressed that they are improving their information sessions to better disseminate new pertinent requirements.

In improving the overall JTA experience, the OIR said that they are expanding the list of host universities by participating in international conferences where they find partners that align with Ateneo’s values and academic standards.

Such initiatives to resume and refine the outbound mobility programs are consistent with the Ateneo’s Lux-in-Domino Strategic Plan, which ultimately seeks to strengthen the University’s mission and identity.