What do parents say about CISabroad?

Studying abroad is not only a major decision for students but also for families. Many of the top questions we receive about our study abroad programs are; "is it safe? Is it affordable?"

For this reason, we reached out to Gretchen, mother of Maggie G. Maggie is a senior public relations major at West Virginia University. She took part in The Barcelona Semester, where she studied for a semester in Spain.  Maggie writes "I chose CISabroad because of how helpful they were answering the questions I had even before I started the application process. I was most interested in all of the excursions and extras that were included in this affordable program." CISabroad proved to be an ideal option for not only Maggie but for her mother as well. 

We connected with Gretchen for a short interview regarding her experience as a CISabroad parent.

Maggie loving life on a camel ride during the Morocco excursion. A 4-day excursion included in The Barcelona Semester Program.

When your son or daughter told you they wanted to study abroad what was your first reaction? I was concerned about her safety abroad while studying there.

What was your first impression of CISabroad? I didn't have any knowledge of the program so I just wondered how it differed from the other abroad programs offered.
What were your top concerns and how were they answered? (Did we ease any fears or dispel any myths?) My biggest concern was her safety there. Also, I was concerned with her placement in an apartment with other study abroad students. I was also concerned with the courses offered there and whether or not she would be able to understand the instructors of the courses and benefit from them. Lastly, I was concerned about her travel to and from other countries while she was there. All of these fears were eased.

From the time your son/daughter left for study abroad and now that he/she is back, what changes have you witnessed? She has grown as a person tremendously. She is more confident in her capabilities of handling all types of situations. She is even more outgoing-with all types of people and comfortable in all types of surroundings-whatever they might be. She is assured she can handle situations on her own and solve problems on her own. Lastly, she has a strong desire for more travel and wants to visit as many different countries as she can. I think she visited at least 9 different countries while she was there and this experience inspired her to take advantage of a last minute opportunity for a mission trip to Peru this past summer.

What advice would you give other parents? To gain as much knowledge about the opportunities and travel that CISAbroad offers while your student is studying abroad.

Would you recommend CISabroad and why? Absolutely, it was a life-changing experience for her and a positive and safe experience.

Anything else you would like to add about studying abroad, CISabroad, and your student? This was a great opportunity for her to take advantage of--especially since she could obtain credits while doing so. Also the opportunities provided to travel to landmarks and attractions in her country and other countries was awesome. She took full advantage of this and traveled to numerous countries on the weekends.