Augustana Parent Resources
Reasons why your son or daughter should study abroad
- Experience first hand different cultures and values
- Increase personal self-confidence
- Improve communication skills
- Looks good on a resume
- Learn a new language or improve current level
- Gain a new outlook on the United States
- Assists students to be aware of the ever-increasingly globalized business world
How you can help your son/daughter prepare
- Packing! Check out the lists provided and other information given under International Study Resources
- Get to know the country they will be visiting
- Learn about the country's culture
- Read about current events
- Be aware of health and safety issues - visit the Center for Disease Control.
- Attend a Parent's Meeting
- Help remind students to turn in all required forms - with signatures
Students' responsibility
- Attend all Seminar meetings (held the term before they depart)
- Routine program matters - packing, program schedule, syllabi
- Turn in application, transcript, required travel forms and deposits on time
- Logistical issues
Travel preparations
- Let your student contact program provider or travel agency, if a non-Augustana program.
- Program providers will provide packing lists - think birthday and holiday presents.
- Track flight progress at www.flightarrivals.com.
Keep in touch
- E-mail - Don't expect daily replies!
- Snail mail - May take awhile to arrive. Packages may be subject to customs inspections and fees.
- Cell phones - Check with your provider for international rates.
Visiting your student
You may want to visit your student while they are overseas. If you do, remember these points:
- Be sensitive to your student's academic schedule. It may not be a good idea to visit during the first or last week or during important exams. Y
- You might want to consider visiting your student immediately after the program concludes. They will be much more familiar with the host country and have a more flexible schedule.
- Remember that while this may be a vacation for you, your student is on an academic study program.
- Do not expect to be able to stay in student housing, sit in on classes, travel on field trips, or participate on special programs that your student will be attending. These are usually paid for in advance and additional numbers can complicate plans. There are also liability issues whenever an unregistered non-participant (guest) joins a student travel group.
- If you travel with your student after the term, be prepared to switch roles with them and allow your student to show you points of interest or act as an interpreter for you.
Challenging times
- Encourage student to use in-country resources and on-site directors and faculty.
- Remember that students tend to reach out to family more often during challenging times and not when everything is going well.
Re-entry (coming home) - Areas where students may need time to adjust
- Relationships with family and friends, including boyfriends or girlfriends
- Expectations of family and friends
- Readjustment to school
- Readjustment to lifestyle in the United States
- Incorporating personal growth and changes into life at home and at Augustana
- Learning to communicate the experience to others
- The desire not to let the study abroad experience fade from memory
Patience
- Readjustment is an individual process
- Plan a light schedule for their first few days
- Students may be more critical of their surroundings - including home
Listen
- Some students will want to talk nonstop!
- Others need time to adjust before sharing stories
- Some find it difficult to put the experience into words
Parents write:
"Thank you and everyone in your office for planning such an incredible study abroad program at Augustana. Your thoroughness and attention to detail is to be admired. Our son, Mark, had the experience of a lifetime. Thanks to your planning, parent meetings and meetings with the students everyone was well informed and prepared. Every parent should hope to have their child have such a wonderful, safe, educational experience as Mark did." Dennis & Jan Beck, son Mark participated on Fall 2008 Europe Term
