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Advice for Parents
1
Encourage your son or daughter to
discuss their study abroad plans with you.
2
Encourage your student to apply early for his or her
passport or passport renewal, if
necessary. Check to ensure that the passport will be valid
during the entire time he or she will be outside the U.S.
3
Collect documents required for a student visa, if necessary. In
order to obtain a visa, visit
travel.state.gov.
4
Make all flight arrangements as soon as possible. For more
information, visit
STA Travel.
5
Plan a study abroad budget with your son or daughter. Be sure
that he or she has access to an emergency fund (minimum $250).
6
Consider purchasing insurance for personal liability, property
loss, trip cancellation, etc.
7
Arrange for power of attorney.
8
Buy an international calling card. Additional calling cards can
usually be purchased cheaper in the host country.
9
Be informed of health and safety issues in the country abroad,
and discuss them with your son or daughter.
10
Be certain that your son or daughter has all medications,
prescriptions, saline solutions, etc. for the entire duration
away.
11
Encourage your son or daughter to have a physical, dental
checkup, eye examination, etc. Make sure he or she receives all
appropriate inoculations if necessary. For more information,
visit the
Center for Disease Control.
12
Be sure that one parent holds a valid U.S. passport in case of
an emergency.
13
Keep photocopies of your son or daughter's important documents
and contact information, including social security card,
passport, and foreign address.
14
Be sure that your student has signed a
Release of Information
Form so that our office can give you information about your
student while he or she is abroad.
15
Be prepared to deal with the culture shock and reverse culture
shock that your son or daughter may face.
16
If your son or daughter is on financial aid of any type,
encourage him or her to talk to the
Financial Aid Office (540-231-5179) about
a preliminary loan. Financial aid is not released
until the student is in the host country, so a preliminary loan
can help reduce up front costs. |
