During a cold winter day at Binghamton University, you pulled out a map, found your dream location across the globe and got all ready to pack your bags for the following spring semester. Only one problem — how do you convince your parents to let you replace BU’s classrooms with those of a University halfway around the world?
Having the opportunity to study abroad is an important part of your experience as an undergraduate student, but parents don’t always feel the same.
The main concerns parents have about letting their student travel abroad are cost and safety, but if you take a walk in their shoes … do you really blame them?
As a student at BU, you are enrolled at one of the best-valued universities in the nation, according to The Princeton Review. You are at the “premier public” university in the Northeast according to Fiske Guide, and Binghamton’s New York State University Police are only a blue light away.
Now that we viewed the situation from your parent’s point of view, let us discuss the basic ways to have them see it from yours.
The best approach to planning a semester abroad is flexibility, according to Giselda Beaudin, assistant director for the study abroad office at BU.
“Students have to be flexible about where they are going. There are programs that are less than tuition at Binghamton,” she said. “To be a savvy shopper, it’s all about compromise and flexibility.”
One University at Buffalo junior, Brenda Stone, is all too familiar with compromise when it comes to planning a semester abroad.
Stone, a speech pathology major, has been planning a semester in Australia since her freshman year. She chose the university she would attend and the program through which she would enroll. Yet only weeks before the applications were due, her parents decided that the program was just too expensive, and she would no longer be able to go.
“I planned Australia with my parents and out of nowhere they changed their minds on me,” Stone said. “I found a list of all the programs available through my school and asked them what programs they considered reasonable for me to go on. We found a program outside of London that was the same price as my normal semester’s tuition so I agreed to go there instead.”
Beaudin recommended that students interested in studying abroad speak to study abroad advisers for help finding a program at a reasonable cost.
According to Beaudin, students can use financial aid toward the program depending on the package they are receiving. Financial aid will also help the student find outside loans if necessary.
Scholarships are also available, but mostly for programs in countries where English is not the dominant language, Beaudin said.
Another concern of parents is the safety of their child while in a foreign country. A parent likes to know that their child is safe and taken care of, and at BU they know that the University police department is a phone call away and the administration and faculty are very supportive. But, with their children overseas they cannot predict situations that could arise.
“I discussed safety with my parents, but never in a sit-down way,” said Sarah Wenig, a senior human development major who spent the spring 2009 semester in Barcelona. “My dad told me to stay with a group at all times. Safety was always an issue, but my parents do trust me to know what’s right and wrong.”
One way to prove to your parents that studying abroad is a safe option is to have them speak with an adviser or counselor from the program.
“Usually when a parent speaks to an adviser, that goes a long way for comfort,” Beaudin said. “If parents are still afraid, there are programs with a lot of student support.”
The Semester-in-London program, for instance, is a supportive program where the students and faculty from BU fly to London as a group.
Showing responsibility during the application process is also another way to prove to your parents that you can take care of yourself.
According to Beaudin, study abroad applications usually consist of a standard application, an essay, two reference letters and an official transcript. Students typically apply during the middle of a semester before they plan to go abroad.
A final and often most effective way to convince your parents to let you study abroad is to point out the benefits of the experience.
If the student goes through BU or another SUNY school, the credits received while abroad can be applied to their transcript, Beaudin said. Students going abroad will not need to spend an extra semester at BU in order to graduate.
“I had to show my dad that I would be getting credits while in Barcelona, and it would not just be a waste of a semester,” Wenig said. “I had to speak with the dean of human development and make sure I would get a full semester’s worth of credit.”
There are also benefits that come from studying abroad, such as networking and building a resume for jobs.
“Employees often look for cross-cultural experience,” Beaudin said. “You can play this up on your resume. Also, students study at prestigious universities overseas. This looks great on your transcript.”
Networking through professors while studying abroad is also beneficial when it comes to receiving recommendations, Beaudin added. Not many students applying for the same job as you will have a recommendation from a professor in China.