Preparing Students to Go Abroad
Our goal is for all participants to have a healthy experience abroad. In nearly ALL cases, with prior preparation, disclosures, and expectation setting, CIS Abroad can work with you and your home university to make that a reality.
There are many factors involved in ensuring a safe and successful program abroad. Key among these are the mental and emotional well being of our participants.
The stress of adjusting to an unfamiliar culture, different time zones, a change of academic environment, being far from friends and family, and/or adjusting to a new system of support services (and perhaps one that is not as robust as you might find at home) can bring about a variety of unexpected and potentially overwhelming reactions.
Below is an outline for how we begin to navigate these moments —
During the application process
Our advisors and program coordinators will do their best to make sure studying or interning abroad is the best choice for you. What can you expect from CIS Abroad?
- Be a safe sounding board for you to discuss any known/disclosed medical conditions or concerns about race, ethnicity, gender, ability, gender identity/expression, or sexual orientation
- Encourage you to speak to trusted advisors, counselors, or medical professionals about traveling abroad and how the experience might affect your mental and emotional well-being
- Inform you of available resources and support organizations abroad
- Make every effort to have you attend the program and be adequately supported
- Always keep your best interests at heart. If we perceive conditions to be a concern to your health and safety or our ability to provide a quality overseas experience, we’ll talk to you about it.
Once you're on site
If you’re overseas and are struggling emotionally or mentally, we can deploy the following resources to assist you:
- Talking with our trained, local Site Directors about the issues you’re experiencing. Culture shock affects everyone at some point in time, and an overwhelming majority of emotional issues can be worked through with our staff.
- Referral to a trained professional, either at the host institution or through a private contracted service.
Our goal is for all participants to have a healthy experience abroad. In nearly ALL cases, with prior preparation, disclosures and expectation setting, CIS Abroad can work with both you and your home university to make that a reality.