For students planning to study abroad next semester, the preparation process has not been entirely smooth sailing.

One of the issues that arose for College of Engineering sophomore Meghan Hamilton was applying for a visa for John Cabot University in Rome.

According to Hamilton, the Italian consulate in Chicago was difficult to work with and the items she needed to obtain a visa were not listed on its Web site.

"Marquette doesn't tell you what you need," she said. "Dr. (Jamshid) Hosseini told us our only responsibility was getting a visa … but it's probably the most difficult part of the process."

Hosseini, director of international business and study abroad in the College of Business Administration, said the visa process for more than 20 study abroad countries was too complicated for the university to be responsible for, as "embassies change their rules too often."

In the past, the study abroad program has provided students with online packets for visas, but the information is often out-dated, Hosseini said.

Students preparing to study abroad said the university did not provide them with enough guidance to complete the visa process.

College of Arts & Sciences junior Jackie Prideaux, who is studying in Lille, France, next semester, said no one gave her a deadline to get a visa and she felt she had to do a lot on her own.

College of Arts & Sciences junior Jessica Michael agreed. As a result, she said, she is currently without a visa to study next semester at John Cabot University in Rome.

"There was no one to help us through the process and tell us what to do," she said. "Basically, there are only two people helping everyone out and they tell us to go to the Web site and figure it out."

Prideaux said she also has had problems meeting with the study abroad offices.

"It takes forever to meet with the coordinators," she said. "I know they care, but I feel like they don't have time to meet with every student."

The lack of resources in the study abroad program is a concern to Kristen Michelson, study abroad coordinator in the College of Arts & Sciences.

"I feel badly when students have to wait weeks on end to get answers to their questions," she said. "Two people are not enough to cover the entire campus."

According to Hosseini, the study abroad program grows about 30 percent every year, though the "resources haven't changed."

"To run an operation of this size, the study abroad program could be considered extremely understaffed," he said.

A university strategic planning group is currently looking at the issue of global education. One of the group's solutions has been the creation of a study abroad program Web site in September, Hosseini said.

Students can use the Web site to get information about studying abroad from one source, Michelson said.

The Web site was created to help alleviate the number of questions prospective students have about the program, according to Hosseini. By using the site, students can complete about half the work necessary for studying abroad without having to speak with program coordinators, he said.

Even with the Web site, Prideaux said she would like to see more people available to speak to directly because the process can be complicated.

"It's the nature of this beast" for students to be concerned and confused about the study abroad process, Hosseini said.