Global Business Exchange Programs

Parent's Guide

Overview

Your child is about to embark on an experience that will likely be a milestone in their life.  By taking the time to learn about the study abroad experience, culture shock, and country and culture that your child will be engaged with, you may be better able to understand and appreciate their growth, help them articulate their experience to friends and potential employers, and in turn strengthen the bond between you.

Reasons to study abroad

During students' undergraduate careers, they have the unique opportunity to explore an area of the world in some detail. The Center for Global Business encourages all students to take advantage of study abroad opportunities. Students and parents alike often wonder what the advantages and effects of studying abroad might be.  Will the young adult be able to successfully navigate a new environment?  What will the impact of time away from friends be?  What will the return on investment of time and money be?

The study abroad experience at its best is a powerful combination of academic and experiential learning, and we encourage students to participate to the fullest on both fronts.  There will be classes at the host university that are unavailable at the Smith School.  Even classes that appear to have the same content will provide for the American student a perspective that will conflict with or compliment that of the Smith School, thereby encouraging thought and learning.  Some students take cooking classes, volunteer, find internships, or engage in other independent study while abroad, but these activities are far from necessary for a full and meaningful experience abroad.

The student will have a lasting advantage in a competitive job market

In today's global economy, a study abroad experience can be an achievement supplementing the student's undergraduate degree. Many companies look for leaders with proven flexibility and ability to work with diversity.  While these characteristics are difficult for employers to assess, any student who can talk about successfully living abroad and functioning outside of comfortable environments can indicate that he or she possesses those qualities.  The distinction of having studied in a foreign country for a session, semester, or year can be a great asset each time your child has to prove to the world that they are capable and understand a world outside their own.

Understanding of foreign relations and perceptions

Time abroad leads to an understanding of the U.S. role in world politics and policies, of the intricacies of cross-cultural understanding and respect, and of how one’s own culture might translate to another culture’s sensibilities.  Your young adult will better understand the international linkages among companies and organizations, global labor markets, competitive advantages that arise from location, etc.

Foreign language fluency

While most of the programs that the Center for Global Business has agreements with teach classes in English, your child will have the opportunity to improve their language skills, even in other English speaking countries.   If the student is going to a non-English speaking country, he or she will have a chance to take a language class and will have ample opportunities to test their skills.  In some locations, students may study the native language at a beginner level.  The ability to speak a foreign language fluently remains an important and requested skill in many careers, and having lived abroad is a good way to show some proficiency.

Independence

During the students' time overseas, they will encounter unexpected situations; the more times students navigate such situations successfully, the more confident they will become in themselves. Along with daily living in a different culture, opportunities to take weekend trips and traveling before or after the program will offer opportunities to grow.

By the end of the program, most families notice a change in how independent and responsible their student is.  It is almost guaranteed that your young adult will say, and continue to say, that studying abroad was one of the best decisions he or she ever made.  The challenges, personal growth, and self-knowledge will provide a sense of pride and self-confidence that will persist.  We hope you are proud of your student’s choices to study abroad during their undergraduate careers.

Help Students Help Themselves

One of the best things you can do as a parent to support your student to boost them in their initial confidence is to let them handle the details involved in applying for and engaging in the study abroad experience.  On our end, we expect students to take on these responsibilities.

Choosing a location

The Center for Global Business does not sustain a great many exchange partnerships.  We have rigorous requirements and universities must have similar overall strategies as well.  We constantly observe and monitor relationships to ensure that partner universities are qualified, and we monitor other possibilities.  Current exchange relationships are posted on the web, with information about each site.  Students will decide on location based on course offerings, and interest, comfort-level and applicability of location (if any) to their career path.

All programs are of the exchange relationship model, which is to say that the partner universities send us the same number of students as we send to them over a period of years.  This will provide a source for ongoing interactions with people from that culture and host school.  If your child chooses to attend a university other than one the Smith School has an arrangement with, then all financial and other arrangements are made directly with that university.  The Center for Global Business will facilitate where applicable, but we cannot guarantee anything about the university or how the student will be integrated once at the foreign university.

ALL CORRESPONDENCE TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO:

Lisa Barnard
Associate Director
2416D Van Munching Hall
Phone: 301-405-9575
lbarnard@rhsmith.umd.edu 

Mailing Address:
Robert H. Smith School of Business
University of Maryland
Van Munching Hall
College Park, MD 20742