Where to Start - Family and Supporters
We appreciate supporters and how they can make a student’s experience better, and there’s a way for you to be involved with the study abroad process as well.
First and foremost, your support and encouragement are necessary to empower the student to finish their pre-departure tasks and prepare for the road ahead. It is completely natural for protective instincts to kick in at times during this process and consider taking on their duties, but the student must carry the full weight of their responsibility to study abroad. As a higher education institution, we do not want to rob a student of a crucial growth opportunity — and we know their families and supporters don’t want to, either.
Though it may seem minor, treating the student as a responsible party in this process helps them take accountability for this life-changing experience and garner the self-sufficiency, independence, and professionalism needed to be successful onsite and upon their return.
Please create an open dialog to discuss how the student is doing during this process. Ask how they plan to stay on track, complete all the steps in the process, and maintain their other academic goals and commitments.
- Empower the student’s sense of independence and accountability.
- Build the student’s confidence to live and learn abroad.
- Support student goals.
- Discuss the student’s goals, plans, and needs.
- Discuss financial planning.
- Set a schedule to review pre-departure needs.
- Plan extracurricular trips, outings, and adventures.
- Shop and pack for traveling and living overseas.
- Create a communication plan for keeping in touch while abroad.
- Maintain awareness of study abroad experiences.
- Collaborate on major health emergencies.
- Let the student lead the communication.
- Anticipate challenges and solutions to culture shock.
- Have a successful study abroad experience!
First steps
The student will receive a lot of emails and requests for information in this process. Depending on the timeline, sometimes the most critical parts may happen early in the application process, but it all depends on the program.
They will also be working with several subject matter experts from different departments. For example, they will have a program advisor to discuss intercultural nuances, but all billing questions will be handled by someone in the accounting department. When a student receives their login credentials after their initial application is accepted, there will be a “Contacts” tab that outlines all the personnel who are assigned to help the student.
Most importantly, they will get one-on-one attention when they ask for it from the person they’re working with.
It’s normal to want to help the student through this process but it’s important to know when to allow them to stand on their own. Below are a few examples to help draw those lines.
- Foster an open conversation with the student about the excitement, anxiety, and other feelings that come with study abroad.
- Help the student understand the responsibility they are undertaking through this process and allow them to grow through it.
- Offer guidance, but be careful not to do things for them.
- Join in on the student’s Program Advisor appointments after they have applied if the student requests your presence.
- Plan travel after the program ends.
- Log in to the student’s account on their behalf.
- Complete student applications, pre-departure materials, or other forms.
- Request to meet with the USAC Program Advisor separate from the student.
- Plan travel before the program starts, drop your student off at the program, or plan travel during the semester.
Their application
Everything will go into motion once a student completes an application. They will receive an email with credentials to log in to their own personal USAC Gateway account, which is the portal used for sending students important documents, guides, and instructions.
How can you help? Please keep them on task and focused.
- Ask them about dates and deadlines. Students receive instructions by email or in their personal USAC Gateway account.
- If they begin to panic, ask them who their point of contact is for the stage they are in. There is someone tasked to help the student at all stages.
- Talk to them about what they are looking forward to the most abroad. You can help with packing decisions, trying new foods, and planning trips or excursions after classes.
Their financial planning
When it comes to financial assistance, there may be more opportunities available than they think.
- USAC-specific scholarships: USAC has award amounts that range from $500 to $10,000, which are determined on merit and financial need. Finding out how much they could earn is part of the second step of the application process. Once the student completes the initial USAC program application, they will be able to log in to our site and access the scholarship application. USAC’s single scholarship application places them in the running for more than 20 scholarships associated with our programs.
- External Scholarships: Encourage students to stack up as many scholarship opportunities as they can. For example, the U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program awards nearly 3,000 students with an extra $5,000 to put toward their international education. Deadlines may be sooner than you think.
- Financial aid: Ask the student to talk to their home university’s bursar’s office about the possibility of using financial aid to go abroad. Depending on their situation, the funding may be used to pay for courses overseas.
- Program Fees & Billing: This page offers details on what is included in the program fees and if there are other costs. It also lists the billing schedule, payment plans, and financial agreement policies.
Their health and safety
Health and safety pages include detailed information about USAC health insurance, including bringing medications abroad, responding to an incident and receiving treatment, and more.