My D21 is drawn to small LAC’s. She is looking for a traditional campus with small classes and professors who make it a point to get to know and mentor undergrads.
We have visited a couple of these, and they clearly thought their study abroad programs (which sound wonderful) were a big selling point. D21 has actually done a lot of world traveling because her parents love it ;), and we have family living abroad. She is not a big fan. She would prefer a school she loves so much that she doesn’t want to leave.
Her worry is that she will find her people freshman year, and then everyone will scatter around the globe, leaving her on a relatively isolated campus “alone”. I’m not sure how to address this (I am aware that it is the definition of a first world problem). D21 is relatively introverted, and her close friends are enormously important to her happiness.
Has anyone had a child with this issue? I know the numbers for study abroad have grown a lot since I was in school. Are there certain LAC’s where a higher percentage of students stay on campus? Thank in advance!
My daughter did not do a study abroad. Many at her college did, and their study abroad programs were well mentioned when we visited the college. It wasn’t even a very big school, and she still had plenty of friends who were not abroad.
IIRC, there are some colleges where just about every junior studies abroad…the school actually counts on this to have enough housing…maybe Pepperdine? I think that was the case when we toured there in 2005. I doubt it still is required.
Just check. The %age of kids in each class doing study abroad is not 100% at most colleges.
What we found is that the study abroad numbers can be misleading because there are so many different options from quick 1 week trips to the whole year and they all count in the stats for % of students who go abroad. I would ask specific questions about % that study abroad for the whole semester.
That said, kids come and go all the time from college campuses. Study abroad, co-ops/internships, illness. There is no guarantee that your daughter’s friends will not be away for part of the year at any school. Make sure she gets involved in clubs and activities where her social circle can be a bit looser.
At most colleges the number of people who actually study abroad during regular semesters (not just on some summer trip) is far far lower than those who intend to do it. Life or major requirements get in the way.
My daughter went to a school that has a big study abroad component for junior year (though not required). She even got a partial scholarship to go on one if she wanted. But, she grew up overseas, being in the US full time was her own study abroad experience so to speak. She didn’t want to study abroad. She wanted to stay on campus and participate in her music activities, and also take a couple high level classes junior year that are only offered on alternating years. Her friends didn’t all go overseas at the same time. Their time away was temporary. They all came back.
My D went to a LAC (Lafayette College) and it was no issue. She did not want to miss a semester on campus so only did a shorter summer abroad program. While she did have friends who went abroad for a semester it was never an issue. I think the reasons were:
–For various reasons not everyone takes a semester abroad.
–Different friends chose to do their semester abroad during different semesters (ranging from second semester sophomore year through first semester senior year) so not everyone is abroad at the same time.
–She had some friends a year above and below her at college.
Every single college we toured bragged about their study abroad program. Really, I think this is just like the flag pin that all politicians wear on their lapels. It’s just a thing they think they have to do.
Both of my kids went to LACs with braggy study abroad programs. My daughter did two of them and was away for twelve months. My son had no interest. Both were fine.
Yes, many kids do go abroad to study their junior year, but the majority don’t. While I don’t think that travel abroad with a family or other group is quite the same thing as living in a home in another country for an extended period, it’s not something every kid has to experience.
Look into how many students actually study abroad and for how long. For all the publicity, I think my D’s school had a few hundred studying an entire semester out of 20k+ undergrads. There are many Spring Break, Winter Break, May, etc. programs that have much higher numbers but wouldn’t cause the problems mentioned.
My daughter’s school does require that everyone study abroad. They will make a few exceptions, but those kids are still expected to study at a different school in the US.
It’s not a big deal. Some kids go as sophomores, others go as juniors. It’s not like everyone abandons you at once!
I will say that my D’s semester in Italy was amazing. She has traveled extensively overseas with family, also, but this was different. As a photography/art history major, she loved going on field trips to Rome and many other places. All expenses were covered by the program. She also met Americans she’s kept in touch with since her return.
I have no idea how you pick a college based on their study abroad programs or not… My daughters at a Lac and I swear we visited like every Lac from Chicago to the east coast ?. They all bragged about their great opportunities for study abroad. Even the larger schools that my son saw.
Your daughters life experience are unique. But you might have a lost opportunity here. First off she might meet kids that she wants to travel with. She has the skills already to get around a new country and use to different cultures I am assuming. If she goes to a country she is familiar with( kids get to go off a bit on their own with other kids) great time for her to take the lead here. She will have more confidence most likely then her peers. Where to go. What to eat etc
As stated kids go abroad on programs that work for them. So students are on and off campus all the time. Hopefully your daughter will have joined clubs /activities to fill her time. But again, I really wouldn’t rule out her going abroad with friends/peers from her school. Much different then going with her parents. She will also mature between now and like sophomore summer. My son had no interest going abroad freshman year summer. End of Sophomore year summer… He had the time of his life. Kids change. College changes them. Keep an open mind.
Neither of my kids studied abroad. One was an athlete and was a science major and a semester abroad meant too many lab classes during other semesters. The other kid didn’t want to miss time on campus.
My D is at an LAC (Bates) with popular study abroad programs. Remember, they do these programs as juniors. Your D is going to mature a lot by that time. My D is an introvert and had similar concerns. By the time junior year came, yes, the majority of her friends went on study abroad in their first semester, and D went second semester. Only one or two of her good friends were left on campus.
It was GREAT! She formed stronger friendships with people she hadn’t been so close to before her junior year. She now has twice as many friends as she did before she studied abroad. In addition, a girl she knew casually went to the same location during the same semester for study abroad, and they are now very close. She kept in touch with her other friends while they were abroad, and they have all just reunited for the start of Senior year. She would now say she’s glad it happened that way.
She didn’t see some of her best college friends for well over a year, and they’ve just picked up where they left off. Your D’s concerns are real to her, but they aren’t likely to play out the way she fears. I think a college with a strong commitment to study abroad programs fosters a lot of independence in the kids who are there. They all have to evaluate their programs, and all kids read the reviews before they choose. They know that their predecessors enjoyed it, and that gives them confidence. Best thing that ever happened to my D.
@3SailAway , I should also mention that my family has travelled the world extensively. Both of my kids were born overseas. My D would happily travel for the rest of her life, whereas my son has zero interest in study abroad and will not do it. D has a few friends who either had no interest or who couldn’t fit it in with their majors. Some of her friends had never been overseas, others had plenty of travel experience. For my D, the first consideration was if the program offered what she wanted to study. Her boyfriend went to a location that very few students choose because it offered something he specifically wanted to study. Some of her friends went to very popular places in Europe. Other friends took only short, month-long trips abroad during the May short term.
My point is that some kids will study abroad, and others won’t. Your D won’t have any control over it, and plenty of kids study abroad even at colleges that don’t have high participation rates. She shouldn’t base her decision on study abroad.
One of the things to remember about study abroad programs is that kids take them at different times. Kids that do fall sports go in spring and vice versa. Some kids go during sophomore year. Some don’t go at all, some go for a whole year. And usually by the time it happens, everyone is happy for the social reshuffling it creates. This probably shouldn’t be a concern for your D.
I didn’t think of the fact that study abroad percentages could be misleading because there are many ways to participate. That should have occurred to me because I did a summer abroad program in college to work on a new language. As the daughter of a diplomat, I grew up mostly overseas like @NorthernMom61 's D and I wasn’t willing to forgo a whole semester of the American college experience.
My D and I were also picturing that everyone would go abroad junior year, leaving a ghost town for class of '25, but now I realize that it would be staggered and varied. I like the suggestion for D21 to make sure she gets involved in activities, clubs or teams so that her social circle will be wider, and she will know students in the years above and below her.
Two other things you all got me thinking about are:
D21 may change her mind. She may be drawn to study something best experienced in person (she loves Ancient Rome and Art History). And, she could even end up studying abroad with one or more of her friends.
D21 will need to leave her comfort zone in order to grow, and study abroad could be a good way to do that.
I agree that this study abroad thing shouldn’t be a factor in D21’s choices––after all, people do return from abroad. Plus, it sounds like both those who go and those who stay end up adding new friends, but not losing old. I do understand where D21’s fear is coming from, though, and I’ll be careful not to minimize it. At this point, to a girl from a small home town with a close family and a circle of friends since elementary school, leaving home for college is a big enough adventure.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, and I’d love to hear any more that are out there.
There are some important differences, if it’s important to go abroad.
Does the school run its own program(s) or use others?
Will tuition/living expenses be cheaper, more expensive or the same during the abroad semester/year?
Are the academic departments good at evaluating courses taken abroad for credit, are they thinking in terms of students going abroad in their “road map” to finish the major on time?
Is there a dedicated study abroad person or office?
Are reviews from previous students available for review?
Does everyone go abroad or half or just a handful?
@3SailAway… So likes Ancient Rome and Art History… I don’t know but maybe Rome /Italy would be a nice study abroad. Great food, Art, History and Gelato! Sounds like a plan to me ?.