What are your thoughts about your kid's study abroad program?
 

My son wants to study abroad next fall quarter. The course is relevant to his major and won't cost much more than regular tuition and board. He's going to pay for the difference. My dilemma is he'll be so far away (France or Italy) so I can't keep tabs on him. Also, I didn't study abroad and don't feel I missed out on anything as far being prepared for work life.

What are your thoughts about sending a kid abroad to study? Did you allow your child to go? Did the experience enrich them in any meaningful way?

It would depend on the maturity of the child.

But to be completely honest if he was mine I wouldn't let him go... Unless he'll be living with family. Even then it depends in a big way on his maturity.
To much can go wrong to quickly. Drugs, The Wrong crowd... Who knows? And I wouldn't want to find out.

Think about how he may be perceived by the locals... Rich American to be taken advantage of???

Even sending him to a College in the US has it's issues but at least they do their best to look after the students. (I hope they do anyway)

France. = Maybe. :(

Forget Italy... Awash with drugs and criminals.

Two of my kids either went on exchange programme or are currenly on one - studying abroad for 12 months. Daughter is still there (Denmark) and the other went to the USA - upstate NY. Attended school and gained an international insight you will never get by staying at home. They were both only just turned 18 yrs when they went.

The Rotary Exchange programme they are on is well organised - strict rules and a support network in place. They stay with families who have been vetted to a high standard. It works - they have about 3,500 students on exchange world wide at any given time.

My son came back so much the better for the experience - a maturity grown out of being responible for ones actions and a much higher sense of independance. I have no doubt my daughter will come back in a similar way.

At some stage we all have to cut the strings and say - "I trust you". It's not easy when they are half a world away and you can only offer guidance.

Tim

In 1972 I finished my senior year of high school in Belgium. An exchange program, I was on my own. I realize it was almost 40 years ago and things were different, but it made a huge impact on the way I looked at the world for the rest of my life. Let him go.

I think that traveling is a fantastic experience that everyone should have. A semester abroad will be what he makes of it.

Your son is in college, correct?

I always regretted not studying abroad, and for my wife (who spent her junior year abroad in France) it was pretty much her favorite experience from college. I would strongly recommend you let your son study abroad at some point. The world is getting smaller every day...

I went to college to study abroad.

Well, several, actually.

I didn't study abroad, but traveled all across Europe for a year at 20. Assuming your kid has the right mindset and has a good sense of street smarts, travelling is an experience that should not be missed. You really do gain a different view of life.

I turned 17 and 21 in Germany, junior years in high school and college abroad. Best thing I ever did. Can't imagine my life without those experiences. I'll be going to my class's 20th reunion there in June and still regularly keep in touch with a lot of friends and their parents from that first trip. I've been back about 20 times since.

I didn't study abroad in college but Dad was in the Navy so I spent some elementary and middle school time in Italy and Spain.

I feel like even at that young age it opened my eyes to the size, scope and diversity of our planet.

I wish I had gone when I was in college but i got to focused on local schools and local girls.

So i guess what I am saying is make him go even he doesn't want to. :)

He will thank you later.

He can study broads all he wants, he still aint gonna figure them out ........... ;)

You know your child better than anyone.
If he is inclined to do bad stuff he's no more likely to do it in Europe than in the US. It's not about where he is, it's about him.
It sounds like the perfect situation. The trip is relevant to his studies, not too expensive, and living in a different culture is a fantastic educational experience.

+1

I would jump all over something like this, but my degree path is very focused, and it would do nothing but set me back a semester... :(

When I went to Germany at the age of 16, my host family kicked me out of the house two weeks before I was to return home. I won't go into the whole story, but suffice it to say, it was the first real crisis I had faced in my life, it was all in a foreign language (which I had not mastered by then), Mom and Dad were not there to help and......it was the best thing that ever happened to me. The next family I landed with had escaped from E. Germany and had friends from E. Germany visiting them when I got there. This was all before the Wall came down. Those friends inivited me to come stay with them on my next trip and got permission from the police to make it all possible. So the next summer I got to stay in a village in the middle of nowhere in E. Germany, which was an unforgettable experience. I still keep in touch with all those folks and saw them on my last visit in September.

Better yet, I patched things up with the first family on my next visit there a year later and we're all still great friends to this day. Again, it was the best thing I ever did. Can't recommend it highly enough.

I did a junior year abroad in college, still finished in four years, going part time my last semester. But I started with a lot of AP credits and took a lot of credits my first two years.

Pharmacy at this school is a very different ball game. If I was to go to even another school in this state most of the credits wouldn't transfer. I start(hopefully) in the DpH program in August. From there I have 4yrs of 18-20hr semesters....

One of the daughters spent 6 months in China. Part of the International Studies program at the University of Denver. Stayed with a family in Beijing. Skype was great, phone bills sucked.

I was very anxious, but she worked everything out. Learned things that no one could ever teach you. (Good and Bad). Over all it was a very good opportunity, the fact that she was da*n near fluent in Chinese didn't hurt any either.

Hard to see her go, great to see how everything worked out. Glad she went.

Graduated in the 4 years, still working for D.U. and getting her MBA (at D.U)

Karl
88 Targa

Two of my kids did their last year of high school overseas.

I consider it money well spent towards their education.

Studied abroad in Quebec City in 2006. One of the best times of my life thus far!

My best friend did his in Italy in 2007 and he feels the same way.

Of course, it did help that we understood the language...Then again, there were students who didn't and they had the time of their lives as well.

I say let him do it. It's an awesome experience. You learn a lot about yourself when you're on your own in a new country.

My daughter is currently in Argentina having a phenomenal experience. She's been saving since she was 17 for this trip and is junior in college. She'll do a semester there and then travel until school starts in the fall. I was a wreck a few months ago as she has put this whole thing together herself. She moved over there alone into a rooming house she found on Craigslist but now has an apt. with a few friends. It is working out great so far. Her independence and sense of accomplishment is at an all time high. She's made friends from all over the world in just a month. She'll take all of her classes in spanish and should come home fluent.

A recent email from her:

Hey Dad,

Just wanted to check in. Im heading back to Buenos Aires from Calafate tomorrow but won{t be home until midnight, so hopefully we can skype Saturday before the Shakira concert. This trip has been absolutely incredible! Monday we went to the Perito Moreno glacier on a mini-trek and hiked on it for a few hours followed by whiskey with glacier ice in it. Tuesday and Wednesday I hiked a total of 24 miles! We went to a bunch of different viewpoints for a couple of other glaciers, definitely the most beautiful scenery Ive ever seen. Today we went on a horseback ride and saw a herd of wild horses! I can{t wait to tell you the rest when I get back and send you some pictures. Give everyone my love and I hope all is well : )

Cait

Her blog: Buenos Aires!

Our daughter graduated when she was 17 and we let her (with her best friend) go to Hawaii for seven months. They did the WOOF program (work on organic farms). They traveled from farm to farm in the rural areas outside of Kona. They had cell phones with them, but they only worked when they went to town which was about once per week.

When they got back, they stayed here for a month and then went to Denali, Alaska for work for five months. They have meet people fom all over the world and all walks of life. I could not have paid for so rich an education.

Yes, there are risks. No question about that. But if your child is a good deciscion maker, they will make good decisions wherever they go. If they aren't, well... I think we all know the problems that leads to. Let him go or not? If he's a good kid, help him pick a good neighborhood, get contact information and let him go.

angela

My boy is starting college next year and will go, nothing beats experience for a real education.

+1,

I don't think you'll be sorry. Up tight, nervous and maybe scared, (I was) sure, but you won't be sorry. :)

Karl
88 Targa

I grew up "abroad" and can tell you that 95% of the US students that showed up were underage (in the US) binge drinkers that didn't get much else out of it. Everyone speaks English just fine, so they never learned the language and also generally liked to keep to themselves. Academically it appeared there wasn't anything to be accomplished in those 6 month stints. Nothing anyone tested for or got credits for anyway. There were practically none of these guys in the science programs.

I would encourage getting a bachelors degree in the US and then send them abroad to do a masters program at a very good university - they will be older and they will have to achieve something. People I met that were there to get a degree (not on an exchange program) did very well, many of them staying for their first job or graduate school.

George