Academic Programs Abroad
Parent Testimonials
Dear Parents:
Our daughter approached us during the first semester of her sophomore year to study abroad in Costa Rica. Our first reaction was absolutely not. We were very apprehensive, but said she could present her case to us and we would look into it and give her our decision. At that time we started researching Costa Rica on the Internet and gathering any other information we could find. This proved to be helpful.
Then the three of us met with Janis Halpern from ISU and discussed the cost, safety, the credits our daughter would earn, her accommodations in Costa Rica, and the benefits of her studying abroad. After this meeting we felt a little better, but then Janis held a parent predeparture orientation meeting and presented us with much information and many materials that helped to ease our apprehension very much. At this meeting we got to meet a student that had studied abroad and we met with other students getting ready to study abroad and their parents.
With all of the technology today it is easy to let your child study abroad, because you can stay in touch with them so easily. In Costa Rica, our daughter can use her computer with a very inexpensive camera and microphone and talk to us and we are able to see her and hear her and she can see and hear us. It costs her about a dollar an hour to do this. We also communicate by email daily.
As I am writing this as we are here in Costa Rica visiting her. What a surprise we received when we got here. Her Spanish has improved immensely. Since we do not speak Spanish she has been our interpreter this week. It has been amazing to see what she has learned. Janis told us for our daughter to really grasp the language she needed to live in a Spanish speaking country and this is absolutely the truth. Also, the maturity and independence that our daughter has gained is invaluable, not to mention the friends she has made. She also has learned to accept people whom are different than she is very readily. This has been an amazing experience for her. The family she is staying with are wonderful. I cannot express how loving they are to her....she truly has become one of their family. They also have been very gracious to us this week and made us feel like their family.
It was a very hard decision to make, but we can say it was definitely, without any hesitation, the right decision.
I hope our experience can be of some help to others contemplating studying abroad.
Sincerely,
Dear Parents:
When April first interviewed for the Networks scholarship, she said she was not interested in studying abroad. As her parents, we too had concerns of our daughter traveling abroad...namely for her safety during travels with all the news concerning terrorism in our world. However, she accepted the challenge to this opportunity. It probably helped us when, in the previous year, she traveled to France. For the following year, in traveling abroad, she chose to study in Switzerland. It was also a comfort that she traveled abroad with a cousin.
Her experiences were memorable for us. She emailed some beautiful pictures of her travels. Of course, we prayed for her daily while she was there. The most fearful experience was when she lost her passport. It was fortunate that the contacts were nearby which allowed her to make connections to get a temporary passport.
We were glad to see here again, when she arrived back in Chicago. The souvenir, especially the Swiss chocolate, was worth the memories.
Dear Parnets,
My son, Tyler Musgrave, just began his last semester at ISU. He will graduate in May with a degree in Operations Management.
I was just sitting here remembering that a year ago he was just a few days into a semester studying overseas in Finland, of all places! One
of the hardest things I've done in my life was see him off at the airport; little else even comes close.
But I got through it and he did, too! Tyler enjoyed so many aspects of the time in Finland and I'm sure he's talked to you about it. I just
wanted to let you know how much I appreciated all you did for him to make this experience productive, safe and memorable. A Southern
Indiana boy has a whole new perspective on just how big the world really is! He's made friends he still talks to routinely.
I'd encourage more students to take advantage of the opportunity to study abroad. The cost was reasonable and really would have been more
so had we planned ahead far enough in advance to avoid a lease commitment in Terre Haute during that same semester. My husband and I
took advantage of the chance to visit Tyler while he was there. The trip was expensive (foreign exchange) and exhausting (all the walking)
and worth every dime! We took our younger son with us and our older son went later to visit also. Never in my life would I have imagined
that I would visit Finland and Sweden. Seeing Tyler was the highpoint, obviously, but seeing all the things he wanted to show us and tell us
about was priceless. Tyler's semester abroad turned out to be an educational experience for the entire family.
Best wishes to you and your program.
Sincerely,
Mary Jo Musgrave
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