DESCRIPTION

‘Parents should identify if the student is keen to study abroad‘

Studying abroad has incredible benefits from shaping up your child’s personality to offering stronger employability prospects. You might aspire your child to avail of the advantages of an overseas education, however, you are unsure whether your ward is cut out for this great shift. Here are some signs that you should look out for to identify if your child is keen to study abroad:

Are you a proud parent of a child who is not only academically inclined, but a talented artist or a spirited athlete? Furthermore, he/she loves to take initiative and is quite a little entrepreneur in day to day activities. Rather than you, your young one prefers to plan, decide and manage on his/her own be it school projects or shopping clothes. Your child sometimes surprises you at how beautifully he/she manages her time between academics and activities outside of the classroom, and has a passion to get involved in extra-curriculars. Rest assured, your child has a holistic personality and has great potential to be highly successful during their time abroad.

Passion to explore academic interests:

Your child is not only curious about a million things but takes the initiative to explore and learn about them. He/she outperforms others by going the extra mile to gather in-depth knowledge about the field of interest. Project based activities excite your little one and he/she would leave no stone un turned to gather the rock specimen by scouring the entire neighbourhood. You often catch him/her pondering about the architecture of the Tibetan pagoda that they have been taught in social studies or browsing the internet to know the exact location of Mount Fuji in Japan. If you find that your child is inclined to go beyond the books for topics that he/she is introduced to in class, you know that he/she’ll do well in study abroad. Children who are passionate about academics and love to pursue their field of interest through research and self-learning will thrive on an international platform.

Interest in 2 streams:

As your child grows to understand and becomes aware of his/her academic choice, you might find him/her in a dilemma about his/her favourite subject. If your youngster consistently achieves outstanding grades in more than one subjects, besides their passion for those domains, study abroad will help them realise their dreams of discovering the desired areas. For example, US universities allow students the opportunity to explore their academic interests in the first two years of undergraduate studies, and then choose to double major or major in one subject and minor in another.

Embraces cultural diversity when travelling abroad:

Does your child readily blend in any environment, and eagerly observe and emulate foreign ways, dressing style, food habits or artforms when you are vacationing abroad? If your little one has this amazing trait to feel at home in any part of the world and lives by the motto ‘in Rome be like the Romans’, he/she is the right fit for study abroad. He/she will be keen to go abroad for their love for diversity and varied experiences. Don’t panic, your child with this inherent capacity to absorb differences will not only thoroughly enjoy his/her educational trip in a foreign land but thrive in this environment.

Has a diverse network of friends:

Find out if your child has a wide network of international friends from school or on social networking sites. It could also be that the youngster makes the first move towards friendship when a foreign student joins his/her class or school. If he/she is empathetic, non-discriminating and keen to know about people belonging to an unfamiliar culture or demography,your child will have a smooth journey during study abroad. He/she will also be excited at the prospect of studying abroad and making new friends from across the world.

Gathers knowledge about foreign universities:

Does your child gather information about foreign institutions, or follow a specific university? Do they talk to you about pursuing a summer school option abroad? Do they love speaking to friends and cousins who have experienced colleges abroad?Build on these signs and have an open conversation with your child to understand what he/she knows or likes about an international education or institutions. It’ll not only give you an insight about your child’s educational preference but also help clear any misconceptions, make his/her objectives clear and allow you to start preparing early for this journey.

Look out for these signs to gauge your child’s interest, aptitude and preparedness towards study abroad. It’ll be an enriching and enjoyable experience for your child and provide you great satisfaction to set your child on to pursue their dreams.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

ReachIvy is a premium education and career advisory that helps aspiring students get accepted into top tier educational institutions globally. We have successful admits at MIT, Columbia, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, London School of Economics, University of Michigan, Oxford, University of Chicago amongst others.

Vibha Kagzi, Founder and CEO, ReachIvy, holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a Bachelor of Science from Carnegie Mellon University. She has also pursued courses at the University of California, Berkeley, the London School of Economics and the Indian School of Business.

Our global team of counsellors have also acquired their degrees from premier institutes and are passionate about sharing their experiences with students worldwide.