The perfect study abroad parent, is one who will be trusting of their son or daughter’s independence, and understand that the students live and study in a safe program and environment.
The program will be proactive in its work to provide your loved one with a safety net and look after them during their time abroad. Cell phone, internet access and free calling time to the US are some of the means that the program will offer to your loved one so they can communicate with you.
The best feeling in life is when your child is born, and the worst feeling is when they leave home. It was very tough on us as parents. We still went ahead an let our 17 year old study abroad for one year. Says a parent of an EUS student.
Way back in the past American youth were asked to go west and grow with the country. In today's globalised world, that call would be "go abroad young man and grow with the globe".
A parent said jokingly "If my daughter could go abroad in my house and grow next me, I would not mind". Letting go is not easy, but you really have to when you have to let your child grow.
As a rule, when students register with EUS, we make it a point to be there for them to address any questions or concerns. This is extremely important to us here, since most students who travel with EUS go abroad for the first time. For us, looking after our students, helping and assisting them when they need it, is our number one priority. By being around them and having an open door policy, we seek to provide them with a safety net for them to fall back to, should there be a need for it. Each one of our students receives a cell phone for the duration of their program to facilitate contact with their parents and friends back home. The French families who host our students, the dorms, and the university dorms are all part of this "invisible safety net”. They are also selected on their ability to provide good safety standards to the students.
One of our official policies for American students, is that they are all registered at the American consulate, making it easier for the State Department to account for them through the embassy and the consulate. This procedure is the same for all the other students as we register them with their embassy or consulate. This is our base level of security for students, and acts as a reassurance more than anything else.
We think it is a plus if parents can work with their loved one in preparing for the trip. Giving guidance is a good idea but in the end, leaving the ultimate decision to student is best for all concerned. Living abroad is good practice for making decisions that matter in their daily life, and by doing this it shows both you the parent and the student themself their decision making processes.
Work with your son or daughter in preparing for the financial resources. They will see clearly that finances could set the limits for some of the decisions they may have to make, and could provide a valuable dose of real world economics.
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