How To Convince Your Parents To Let You Study Abroad

By Elana Goodwin on August 12, 2016

Many college students over the course of their years in undergrad are able to spend a semester, year, or some other length of time studying abroad.

Besides being a fun experience, having the chance to study abroad has other benefits as well; so if you need to convince your parents to let you study abroad, here are some arguments to present and things to consider in order to win them over.

The Colosseum, Rome, Italy
Photo Credit: Elana Goodwin

1. Know Your Stuff. The first thing you’ll need to be armed with when trying to convince your parents to let you study abroad is information. Where do you want to study abroad, what university will you attend, what classes do you plan to take there, where will you live while you’re there, how will this affect your graduating on time, and more, are all questions you’ll need to fully be able to answer.

Are you studying or planning to study the language of your intended study abroad country? If not, what’s the benefit of you going to one country over another? What does that country or university have to offer you that will make it advantageous for you to study there?

The more information you have to present to your parents, the better off you’ll be. Come prepared with brochures and handouts from the Study Abroad Offices and be willing to calmly and rationally discuss this opportunity with your parents to show you’re serious about and responsible enough to handle this experience.

2. Lay Out Your Reasoning. Great, you’ve given your parents lots of information about the study abroad experience you wish to pursue — but now it’s time to fully flesh out your reasons for wanting to study abroad and why it will be a worthwhile experience.

What are you hoping to get out of studying abroad? How will this help you or give you an edge over staying at your university for all four years? Are there specific academic benefits, career benefits, or other benefits of studying abroad? Are you hoping to explore new subjects not available at your college?

Whatever your reasoning, make sure you’re trying to study abroad for the right reasons. This shouldn’t just be an excuse to party or travel — there are real long-term benefits you can get from studying abroad, including independence, flexibility, and more, so those should be part of your motivation for pursuing an educational experience abroad.

3. Understand the Financials. Studying abroad is pretty much never free. It may end up costing less than a semester at your school, depending on where you’re traveling to and the college you attend, but overall, the experience will cost some dough.

When you’re convincing your parents to let you study abroad, it’s important you show you understand that it’s not a free or even necessary thing; being able to study abroad is a privilege. You need to know how much studying abroad will cost, from your plane tickets to your tuition abroad to room and board to fees you have to pay your school stateside, and more.

Do your research and figure out a budget for the experience; how much will you need to have to live on each month abroad, and what’s the lump sum you’ll need to pay upfront to do this. If you think you’re going to be studying abroad, there are a lot of scholarships and grants you can look into and apply for to help fund your expedition, and trying to be awarded these monies and going after them yourself will go a long way to showing your parents how much you want this.

4. Show Them You’re Committed. If you’re really serious about studying abroad, prove it to your parents. One way to do so is to get a part-time job while you’re at school and start putting that money aside to help pay for or completely cover your study abroad experience. If you know studying abroad is something you’ll want to do while at college, you can start planning and saving right when you land on campus, if not earlier.

Even if your parents are willing to pay for you to study abroad or pitch in, you should consider or plan to contribute some of your own money to the effort as well so you convey your commitment and determination to study abroad. When you start your discussion about studying abroad, make sure they know you’re willing to put your money where your mouth is and that you’re so passionate about this opportunity that you’re ready to help pay for it.

5. Give Them Guarantees. Once you’ve got your parents on the hook and are finishing up your arguments, give them some guarantees. Tell them how you’ll stay safe and statistics about the safety of whatever country you’re going to study in, how you’ll keep in touch, and that you’re doing this in order to broaden your education and experiences.

If you come prepared to calmly discuss studying abroad with your parents and to show how much you want to pursue this experience and what you’re willing to do to attain it, you’ll most likely be able to go ahead and study abroad with your parents’ blessing and support. Good luck and bon voyage!

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