5 Questions Parents Should Ask About Study Abroad

Topics: High School ,; College

(Credit: CBS)

By CINDY LA ROSA

A study program abroad is far different from a family vacation when you were always on hand to take care of the details and ensure your child' s safety.

On the other hand, some students welcome the opportnity to be completely independent and their parents encourage it.

In assessing whether your child should study abroad, here are five questions you should ask:

1. Where is the destination and how long is the program?

By addressing location, you can begin to look at deeper issues like language and cultural difference, security issues, stability of the country, and how much it is likely to cost. If your child hasn't been away from home very often, you might consider a short winter- or sunmer- progrram. A child who goes to boarding school or to camp every summer might be able to handle a term or a year of study abroad.

2. How safe is the country where the student will study?

Determining the stability of the city and country where your child will study should be a top priority. Prgrams in less developed countries offer some amazing experiences but few guarantees of safety. The U.S. Department of State can be a great resource in your research.

3. Will your child's university or college give credit for the program you choose?

Many universities or colleges limit credit for study abroad or offer it only for their own partnership programs. Each school has its own set of criteria. These can also affect the cost of a program. Some programs will cost far more than a semester's tuition at the student's home school.

4.What goals does the student have for his time abroad?

Before a student travels abroad, he or she should have a list of goals he hopes to achieve during his stay. Learning the language, creating new adventures, and getting to know the locals are some common goals. This often will lead to reflection on some of the experiences likely to be encountered and highlight potential problems or anxieties. In any case, students still should be open to new and unexpected adventure.

5. Is the student willing to fully immerse himself in a new culture?

If the answer to this questioon is no, please don't consider a program abaroad. If your child isn't willing to become part of something new, he will have a very miserable time. Home sickness happens even under the best of conditions, so it is important that a student be willing to laccept new customs in every aspect of daily life.. Learning the language in advance is olne way to minimikze this discomfort.

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by SCook62 December 19, 2010 10:14 AM EST: mmcgeeDA, you make a good point about safety abroad and the overly simple nature of this article. Thank you.

The answer to #5 is overly simplistic to the point of being incorrect. Indeed the student should ask him or herself if he or she willing to go outside of his or her comfort zone, and how far. For those students who are ready and willing for an immersive experience, there are of course programs that can facilitate this. For those students who may be more reticent, there are other options that can enable the student to have an experience abroad while still providing a cultural lifeline and more hand-holding. Many institutions have short-term programs led by their own faculty, and third-party providers offer many programs in which students will be with other US students and which have extensive support networks. Students should not give up on study abroad simply because they don't feel ready for an immersive experience. They should seek out their institution's Study Abroad Advisor(s) to discuss their options. In fact, advisors are happy to answer any and all of these questions; that's our job.; Reply to this comment


by eeberle2010 August 3, 2010 7:43 PM EDT: This is a great article! Another question that parents should ask is, "What kind of support will my child receive throughout this experience?"

You won't be able to (nor should you!) directly help your child through every little hiccup while they're abroad. After all, there's not a lot that you'll be able to do from another continent and time zone! However, you can prepare in advance by selecting a study abroad program that will prepare your child for the experience and provide local in-country support.

The best student exchange programs will help students during all phases of the exchange: preparing them before they leave through in-depth orientations focusing on safety, cultural differences, and reasonable expectations; providing on-the-ground assistance with cultural adaptation and challenges; and providing advice and tips for reintegrating and internalizing their experience once they have returned home.

To get a first-person perspective, read some student blogs! AYUSA, a leading non-profit organization promoting global learning and leadership through foreign exchange programs and study abroad opportunities, features a number of student bloggers on their website. These students have shared their stories at http://www.ayusa.org/students/study-abroad/blogs.; Reply to this comment


by mmcgeeDA August 3, 2010 1:28 PM EDT: This is a great start for parent's who are interested in understanding the experience of students preparing to study abroad. However, this article may over-simplify the process somewhat, while leading parents to believe that if their child doesn't meet certain criteria, then study abroad is not for them. For example, the fact that a student grew up or currently attends boarding school or summer camp may help with an anxiety about separation for parent's, but it has little to do with measuring the success of the experience for the student. Furthermore, while parent's should visit as many resources as possible to determine the current conditions in-country, the central determinant of how safe a student will be abroad has to do with the student's actions and decisions while abroad. The student, and parents, should understand that developed or not, living in an unfamiliar environment comes with certain risks that should be accounted for in their academic, travel and social decisions. Diversity Abroad discusses these and other relevant issues for parents.

For more information and resources for parents, visit: http://www.diversityabroad.com/parents; Reply to this comment