Students highly interested in this course and trip should consider the following details:
- You may enroll for the course online once your registration period opens on or after November 14, 2011. To secure your spot in course after enrollment, you must then immediately pay the $400 deposit to the Avila business office in person at Blasco Hall (Monday-Friday, 8 AM-5 PM).
- The total cost for the course trip (i.e. lab fee) is $1800. Again, please note that the $400 deposit must be paid to secure your registration and thus may not be paid using your Spring 2011 financial aid. The balance of the lab fee (i.e., $1400) is due on April 6th, 2012, unless students who would like to take advantage of the Avila payment plan. For more information about the Avila payment plan, see here or contact the Business Office in advance (t: 816.501.3700).
- The course limit is capped at 16 students and this limit cannot be exceeded so please register as soon as possible. That said, students may waitlist for the course in the event that a student enrolled in the course drops (and thus forfeits his or her $400 deposit) in the time between registration and April 6th, 2012. All waitlisted students must pay the $400 deposit to be waitlisted and a total of 7 students will be allowed on the waitlist. Waitlisted students who are not admitted to the class list are eligible for a refund of the deposit. No refunds will be issued once students have moved off the waitlist and are admitted into the class.
- Once you have registered, take a deep breath and bask in the thought that you are about to embark on an incredibly exciting adventure!
- If you are a U.S. citizen and do not have a passport, immediately apply for a passport here. If you already possess a U.S. passport, be sure the expiration date is after May 28, 2012. If you are not a U.S. citizen, check with your country of origin to determine how to obtain a visa to travel to Guatemala. Students without the proper documentation cannot travel to Guatemala (i.e., a valid passport and (for non-US citizens) a visa).
- Visit with your physician and determine what vaccinations they recommend that you receive. Follow her/his advice and counsel first but let me make you aware of this – we will be above 1,500ft elevation the entire time and thus we are not in the zones where malaria may be a problem. In fact, when we traveled previously to Guatemala, neither of us took malaria pills as we weren’t advised to and didn’t feel at risk in being infected. But again, talk to your doctor and make your own decision on any needed vaccinations and medications.
