Office of Education Abroad

Parent testimonial

“Study abroad is an important and worthwhile investment in the undergraduate education of your child. It gives them a cultural literacy that is essential in our global community. When Eli returned from studying abroad, he had a newfound understanding of himself as a citizen of the world and valued his entire undergraduate education so much more. Having to think critically and understand his new surroundings caused him to draw on all the subjects he had already studied at NKU and put that knowledge into good use. He began to see education as a process, and not just a product. If parents want to maximize the breadth of their child’s education, study abroad has a wonderful return on the investment.”

Jean Reynolds, mother of NKU student Eli Reynolds who participated in the CCSA London Winter Program

Parent Information

Study abroad can be one of the most enriching and rewarding experiences of your student’s college career.  While study abroad can offer your student the commonly anticipated benefits of receiving academic credit towards his or her major or General Education requirements, having the opportunity to travel to another country and experience its culture, and boosting the student’s résumé upon return, there are many other unexpected advantages. 

For example:

  • Many parents notice that their student gains a great deal of self-confidence and maturity as a result of studying abroad. 
  • Because study abroad, by its very nature, places your student in unfamiliar surroundings where he or she is challenged to adapt and learn quickly, many students return from their study abroad program with a stronger sense of self-reliance.

But before reaping the numerous rewards of study abroad, many students first look to their parents for assistance in navigating the process of selecting, applying, and preparing for their chosen program.  Below are some recommendations for parents who would like to be a resource to the student considering study abroad.

Know what is offered

  • Review the information under the “Getting Started” section on the Office of Education Abroad (OEA) home page.
  • Familiarize yourself with the many different types of study abroad programs available to NKU students.
  • Allow your student to take the lead at each step in the study abroad process. This can be difficult to do at times; however, the best preparation for the study abroad experience involves letting your student take primary responsibility for all aspects of the planning.
  • Ask questions when things are unclear. If your student is unable to provide you will full answers to your questions after he or she has contacted the Office of Education Abroad, then feel free to make an appointment with our office so that you and your student can meet with one of our staff members and discuss your questions in detail.

Know what you can reasonably expect

  • Understand what you as a parent can reasonably expect from a good study abroad program. NAFSA: Association of International Educators counsels parents to expect “well-organized mechanics and smooth coordination between the host institution and providers, a timely and courteous response to questions when things go wrong, or when there are unexpected delays in the process, [and] effective and timely communication between students, parents, home and host institutions, and/or third-party providers.” 
  • NAFSA, however, cautions parents that it is unreasonable to expect “that students can walk into a study abroad office and be quickly told what an ‘ideal’ experience will be [as] the process of selection is a complicated and highly individualized one.” 
  • NAFSA also reminds parents that programs cannot give an “absolute guarantee of your child’s safety while abroad” and that it is unreasonable to expect an “instant response to routine, non-emergency questions from program advisers or providers.”

Be prepared

  • Read and review with your student the information under the Before You Go section on the OEA homepage.
  • Discuss with your student how regularly you expect to communicate with him or her while abroad. 
    • Take into consideration that phone and Internet will likely be less accessible and that you will want your student to spend as much time as possible immersing him or herself in the study abroad experience.
  • Understand that it is normal for most students to experience some amount of culture shock and/or homesickness. 
    • If your student contacts you and is having trouble acclimating to the new country or is talking about coming home, encourage that student to give everything some time. 
    • Many of the emotional ups and downs of a student’s arrival to a new country are part of the natural process of adjusting to new and different surroundings. 
    • If your student brings up problems he or she is experiencing, encourage your student to contact the on-site program director for advice. 
    • While it is important for students to have a sympathetic ear in their parents, occasionally it is helpful for parents to remind students that study abroad is inherently about experiencing and learning in a different culture and that this, by nature, can sometimes be uncomfortable.
  • Review the information under the When You Return section on the OEA homepage.

For additional study abroad information geared towards parents, visit StudyAbroad.com’s Parent Guide.