EXPENSES & DEADLINES FOR STUDENTS
Applicants are strongly encouraged to research and apply for grants and scholarships made available through unaffiliated organizations and/or their home institutions as soon as possible. A limited amount of partial student scholarships are available from the program and its partners, though these are primarily held for returning participants (there is no separate application; funding possibilities are discussed during telephone interviews).
Standard Student Residency Fee – 2750 USD – due by May 4, 2012
Includes single-occupancy three-star hotel accommodations in Smolyan, Bulgaria for 22 nights with breakfast daily and multiple-occupancy accommodations in Plovdiv, Bulgaria for 2 nights, multiple locations in Greece and Turkey for 8 nights, and Kardzhali, Bulgaria for 1 night; chartered ground transportation in Greece, Bulgaria, and Turkey as scheduled for the program; transportation and admissions for scheduled excursions and tours; and scheduled receptions, dinners, and group events. Alternative accommodations – such as double-occupancy hotel accommodations in Smolyan (recommended only for participants attending with friends/partners), single-occupancy rooms with private bathrooms within the Smolyan theatre complex, offsite facilities (for returning participants), and larger facilities for families – are arranged upon request and will alter the fee accordingly. Theatre educators and professionals should contact us at info@rhodopi.net for variances to the costs of participation, e.g., standard residency fee with the addition of single-occupancy accommodations in Plovdiv, Kardzhali, Greece, and Turkey increases total to 3050 USD.
Student Workshop Fee – 1350 USD – due by June 1, 2012
Travel & Personal
With the notice of acceptance, suggestions for acquiring discounted airfares to Sofia will be offered, as well as for varying levels of affordable accommodations in Sofia (for the minimum nights of July 11 and August 14). Although individual needs vary, each participant should plan on having access to approximately 525 USD for personal expenses, additional meals (there are seven group dinners included in the residency/schedule of the RITL), and accommodations for the two additional nights in Sofia (please see schedule), plus funds for discretionary spending. The cost of living in Smolyan is relatively inexpensive, but has been steadily rising. (ATMs are widely available throughout Bulgaria, Turkey, and Greece and are recommended for currency conversion.)
University Credit
Please contact the office of Intercultural Learning at studyabroad@southwestern.edu for information about direct transfer credits. Non-theatre students interested in interdisciplinary investigation, please visit www.ibidentity.com for information about a parallel program, the Institute for Balkan Identity.
