Photo courtesy of Mary Brooks
Thanksgiving break is right around the corner, and that is a perfect time to bring up the potential of studying abroad with your parents. Try these tips before you make your pitch!
Make sure you have all the information and facts & figures. Spend some time on the Global Education website (LINK) to make sure you have a good idea of what program you may want to do as well as details about the program. Our website provides general program information as well as information regarding credit hours, scholarships, application deadlines, and more. The more you know, the more convincing you will be!
Have physical info to give them. Often, parents respond better to having a piece of paper in front of them to look at. Each program page has a link to a PDF version of the program flier.
Make sure you know WHY you want to go. There are tons of reasons to want to go abroad, from academic enrichment, to personal development, to professional experience. Put some thought to why you think study abroad will be a valuable experience for you and your studies or career goals, and be ready to talk about it.
Have a financial plan. Often, one of the biggest considerations for parents when sending their children to study abroad is financing. Make sure you are knowledgeable about how much your program is going to cost, how much spending money you will need, what is included in that cost (meals, airfare, etc.), and the scholarships available. Depending on what program you are interested in, there may even be airfare scholarships. Some programs include meals, some don’t. Know how the program you are interested in works money-wise.
Talk it out before you talk it up. Before “talking up” a program to your parents, it is a good idea to speak with someone who is knowledgeable about the program or just study abroad in general. This may be an academic advisor, the Peer Advisors here at GEO, a student who has already been abroad (and even better, who has been on the program of interest), or you could even talk to the faculty leaders of a program. This way, you can get information first-hand, ask any preliminary questions you may have, and have someone to refer your parents to if they would like to speak with someone for more information.
We hope these tips help you to successfully speak with your parents about studying abroad over the upcoming break!
Programs with upcoming deadlines:
Wintermester in Costa Rica - deadline December 1.
Summer Session 1 in Ghana - deadline December 9.
