Students at Kentucky’s Centre College get an extra perk this year: the school, which strongly encourages students to study overseas, is paying for their passports, according to the Lexington Herald Leader.
Already, 85% of the student body spends at least one semester studying abroad. The college would like that number to reach 100%. To encourage as many students as possible to spend time overseas, the school runs a number of low-cost overseas study programs in various foreign cities.
In the Lexington Herald-Leader, Milton Reigelman, director of Centre’s Center for Global Citizenship, explained why the school believes so strongly in the value of studying abroad that they are willing to pay for students’ passport services: “It kind of focuses their attention … that to be educated in today’s world, you have to do more than just read about other places, you have to live there.”
No matter where you go to school, there are plenty 0f options for studying abroad-and it really does broaden your horizons to be immersed in another culture. However, before you can study abroad, you must have a valid US passport.
It is also important to apply for passport services well in advance of when you plan to leave. Currently, the US Department of State is processing regular passport applications in approximately 6 weeks, and expedited passport applications in about 3 weeks. However, you should apply well before these deadlines-delays can and do happen, and an accidental mistake on your application can mean you have to start over from scratch.
Requesting passport services from a private passport expediting company like RushMy’Passport.com makes the process much easier and faster. You’ll work with a trained passport professional and get simple, easy-to-understand instructions that help you avoid common mistakes. Then, we’ll deliver your application by hand to the Department of State for the fastest possible passport services-often as quick as 24 hours!