STUDIES PROGRAM IN NICARAGUA (SPIN)

Application

Note: your application will not be processed until the $50.00 (U.S.) application fee is sent to the address below. Please email a digital photo or send two passport-sized photos with your application fee.

Mailing Address:
Linda Van Wyk
Coordinator of International Students and Off-Campus Programs
Dordt College
498 Fourth Ave NE
Sioux Center, Iowa 51250-1606
Phone: 712.722.6273
Fax: 712.722.6035
Email: lvanwyk@dordt.edu

Current Classification:
FR SO JR SR
Name:
Personal Email Address:

College Information

Name of College:
Address:
Phone:
City:
State/Province:
Zip/PC:
College Email:

Personal Information

Permanent Address:
Phone:
City:
State/Province:
Zip/PC:
Date and Place of Birth:
Citizenship:
Sex:
Major:
Minor:
Cumulative GPA:

Although Spanish language skills are not required for acceptance in SPIN, it is helpful to know if you have any competency in Spanish. Are you able to understand and speak (read/write) Spanish? If so, how did you acquire this knowledge?

Health: Have you had within the last three years any physical, mental, or emotional condition that has interrupted your studies or employment for more than a month or that has required hospitalization or professional care?

Yes No

If yes, please explain below:

Health Insurance: Have you confirmed that your health insurance policy will adequately cover you while you are in a foreign country?

Yes No

Health Insurance Company:

Application Essay Questions

Thinking about the whole program, why would you like to be a SPIN participant? (200-250 words)

What is the relationship between SPIN and your vocational and personal goals?

Thinking about the courses, which of the tracks would you like to follow?

Nicaraguan Area Studies
Spanish Language Studies
Agriculture

What are your reasons for choosing this track (100-150 words)?

Thinking about the courses, do you think you might want to do an Individual Study related to your major? If so, what might be the topic or focus of your Individual Study?

As part of their witness to others, Evangelical Christians in Latin America do not smoke or drink alcohol. SPIN participants are expected to follow this lifestyle during the program. Will this be a problem for you?

You will live with host families in Leon. Their homes are very modest and their diet is very simple. How do you think you will adjust to living this way?

Have you had any previous experience in a developing country? If so, when and where did you go? What did you do there?

Transcript:
Please send an official transcript and list of the courses you are taking at the present time. If in digital form, the transcript can be sent to lvanwyk@dordt.edu.

Recommendations:
Have two faculty members, your pastor, and one student services member who know you well write letters of recommendation and have them sent directly to the address at the top of this form. Click here for recommendation forms or request them from Linda Van Wyk at: lvanwyk@dordt.edu.

Application Fee Information
A $50.00 (U.S.) non-refundable application fee must be sent to the address at the top before this application will be processed. Once an applicant has been accepted to the program, a non-refundable $350.00 (U.S.) deposit will be required to confirm your place in the program.

Statement Of Faith:
Dordt College (Sioux Center, Iowa) and the Nehemiah Center (Managua, Nicaragua) acknowledge, in harmony with the Reformed confessions, that the Scriptures are the Word of God. As God's infallibly and authoritatively inspired revelation, the Bible makes known the way of salvation in Jesus Christ, requires a life of obedience to the Lord, and provides the key to understanding, interpreting, and finding purpose in life.

Both Dordt College and the Nehemiah Center aim to establish in SPIN an environment that is conducive to the academic and spiritual development and welfare of its participants. SPIN seeks as students men and women who are committed to biblical, Christian principles.

The faculty and students of SPIN constitute a Christian community in which all must seek to speak the truth in love as brothers and sisters in the Lord. Christ calls upon both faculty and students to encourage one another to lives of faithful obedience to Him. It is expected that students will strive to obey the Lord's teaching in every area of their lives. Students who do not share this Christian commitment may not be in a position to appreciate SPIN's educational and cultural experiences. Students who come to SPIN should be fully prepared to abide by Christian standards and the policies of the program as expressed in the student handbook.

I have read the above statement, and as a future member of the SPIN community, I agree to live within the expectations and policies of the program.

Yes No