#52: The Benefits and Challenges of a Study Abroad Semester or Year

My guest on this episode of the College Faith podcast is my colleague Dr. Stephen Garrett, Vice-President of Curriculum at Global Scholars. Steve is uniquely qualified to help us understand the benefits and challenges of students taking a semester or year to study abroad, having taught in Lithuania as a “receiving” professor of study abroad students and being a “sending” parent of a son who studied abroad. In this podcast we discuss: Steve's perspective as a "sending" parent: How Steve and his wife first began considering with his son the possibility of studying abroad The value of studying abroad How much parents should be involved in the process The importance of realizing that every school offers different study-abroad programs  Three different models or ways to study abroad  Benefits and cautions about third-party study abroad companies  Who might studying abroad not be for Other considerations such as the language of the host university and country, the status of the host university, the weather, etc. What he wishes he knew as a parent before sending his son off to study abroad Allaying parent’s fears of security and safety for students studying abroad The importance of registering with the US Embassy in the host country Concerns about connecting and making friends in the host country The value of the inevitable “failures” while studying abroad Steve’s perspective as a “receiving” professor: What helps students have a good study abroad experience The role understanding different cultures plays in a good experience What will ensure the student has a very bad study abroad experience Resources mentioned during our conversation: Your university’s Study Abroad Office (or similar title) US State Department’s website The Red Cross T. S. Eliot, Christianity and Culture: Essays The Culture Company’s Country Comparison Tool Andy Crouch, Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling