For Parents & Family
The Office of International Programs and Services at Purchase College, SUNY is pleased to be able to send your son or daughter abroad. Studying abroad is a unique opportunity to experience another culture and obtain global perspective.
Studying abroad in college is perhaps the most important adventure your son/ daughter will experience. As parents, your support is important throughout the entire process. Ultimately, the responsibility of studying abroad rests on the student, and we expect students to manage the entire process on their own to get the most out of the experience.
Bills and Financial Aid
There is a deposit due once your student has been accepted by a study abroad program. Your student will receive a bill for the program fee. The deposit amount, when paid will lower the total due on the date indicated for final payment. For many programs the program fee to covers the cost of the program, housing, board and sometime excursions. Bills from the program provider ought to delineate what the costs cover. For additional information about the expense of study abroad, please look at the Financing Study Abroad page of this website.
If your student receives any financial aid (loans, wavers, scholarships), they must speak with someone from Financial Aid to learn how their aid can be used to study abroad. Once any required paperwork is handed in to the Financial Aid Office and a student's aid package is determined, financial aid can be used to pay for studying abroad. Most financial aid received by your son or daughter may be applied to this bill, but not all awards will travel on all programs.
Safety
SUNY and approved study abroad programs are very proactive in making sure your student will be safe while studying abroad. For more information, see the Health and Safety page of this website. In the unlikely event of an emergency, please contact Purchase College Office of International Programs and Services (914) 251-6032 .
Insurance
SUNY requires that all students maintain some form of primary medical insurance coverage valid in both the U.S. and host country before, during and after the education abroad period.
Additionally, all SUNY programs (and a number of third party providers) offer international travel insurance packages which provide coverage and services to students participating in SUNY sponsored and approved international study abroad programs. For more detailed information on health insurance, please read through the Health & Safety page of this site.
Orientation
Your son or daughter will participate in an orientation session at Purchase College before his or her departure, which is conducted by our staff. We will discuss many aspects of practical planning and adjustment and will go over the procedures and information they have been receiving from program providers and institutions abroad. In light of current world conditions, we will emphasize the need for careful consideration when making travel plans, the importance of clear and regular communication with family and sensible tips on safety - all of which have long been a regular part of our orientations. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Length of Stay and Examination Policy
Students must take all examinations as scheduled by their host university/college. Special assessment arrangements for visiting students are not acceptable on a routine basis. Semester students are expected to stay through the maximum period possible (i.e. to the end of exam period in May, June or July) and take all exams offered to less than full year students.
Culture Shock
Nearly every participant in a study abroad program undergoes some form of culture shock, with vastly different manifestations. Whether your son or daughter is a letter-writer or uses email or the phone, you will undoubtedly notice traces of it in his/her communications. Everything is rosy and wonderful, or everything is just awful for the first several months. It is only after real adjustments have been made that the student becomes able to assess things in perspective, seeing both the good and the bad aspects of life in a foreign country.
Some students use their parents as sounding boards for new ideas during the year, and actually feel that the semester away brings them closer. In any case, contact with you is apt to be very important to your child while s/he is away. For more information about what your student may experience while he or she is overseas please read some of the following articles:
There are many articles online addressing the subject of homesickness:
If at any time you feel that s/he is in a genuinely bad situation, please notify us as soon as possible so that we can take steps that may be available to us to alleviate the situation.
