Many students want to study abroad. Perhaps, some of your friends, siblings, or classmates think about doing a high school study abroad program. If you’ve been thinking about such an opportunity for a long time, the chances are that now you know exactly what to do, where you want to study, and what area of study will be the best choice for you. However, not everything depends on you. You still have to get your parents’ approval, money, or other kind of support.
Studying abroad can be a good decision and a very smart investment in your career. However, this decision can also be a reason why you’ll spend a lot of time in a foreign country, far from home, with your parents being unable to participate in your life. Therefore, convincing your parents to let you study abroad can be a difficult task. To persuade your parents to take your side, try to look at this issue from their perspective: studying abroad implies certain challenges.
For instance, you might need to learn another language and to adapt to a completely different environment. If you’re prepared for this, here are some arguments that will help you persuade your parents.
Start With Subtle Hints
Everybody knows that teenagers are not the most reasonable people so if you come up with your decision to study abroad out of the blue, your parents likely won’t take it seriously. Therefore, we recommend that you prepare properly. Do your research and learn as much as you can about the country, universities, admission requirements, programs, and costs.
Michael Brook, an international student, and writer at LegitWritingServices.com suggest the following: “If you don’t know where you want to study yet, you can consider the most popular destinations, such as Canada, the U.K., the U.S., Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark. Once you’ve chosen a country and university or program, start to learn the language, watch movies about that country, etc. Your parents will see that you’re really interested in it so your decision to study there will look logical.”
Present Your Choice in the Right Way
If you want to persuade your parents to let you study abroad, you should be able to explain your decision in the right way. Make sure to present it as an informed decision that you’ve taken after analyzing numerous factors. There’s no need to prepare a presentation with a slideshow, but you should have in place some solid reasons.
Explain how studying abroad will help you improve your knowledge and describe its positive impact on your professional and personal development. You should also be ready to answer any questions about the country, university, and discipline.
Prepare Financially
Studying abroad is often associated with additional expenses. Even if you find a free-tuition university or get a scholarship, you might need extra money, and that’s one of the first things your parents will think about after you tell them about your plans. Therefore, you should be able to prove that you’re responsible and financially savvy. Make sure to prepare by saving some money so that your parents won’t need to worry about it. You can find a part-time job and take care of your finances in advance.
Focus on Professional Growth
Obviously, the main thing you should talk about is the professional advantages of studying abroad. International experience gives students a significant advantage when looking for jobs or internships. Besides, if you know other languages, it can make you stand out as a candidate in many industries.
In some areas, bilingual people have higher salaries or are more likely to get management roles. Spending a semester or a year abroad also enables you to refocus on your education, improving your academic performance. Obviously, living abroad will also make you more independent, helping your personal growth.
Tell Them That You Will Stay in Touch
First of all, your parents will worry about you because you will be far away and they won’t be able to help you if something bad happens. Therefore, it makes sense to explain that you will be safe and your school will take care of transfers, insurance, etc. However, your safety isn’t the only concern. Your parents will also miss you!
You should convince them that you’re not going to forget about them after leaving the country. Thanks to the high-speed internet, people can stay in touch almost constantly, no matter where they live. If your parents don’t use any social media, create accounts for them, and explain how everything works. If your parents understand that you will stay in touch with them, it will be much easier for them to let you go.
Offer Them a Little Break From Parenting
Being a parent is a full-time job with no vacations. Therefore, you should also present your journey as an opportunity for your parents to get some time off. First of all, their child will learn another language and another culture while also building a strong foundation for their future career. Secondly, they will be able to take a little break from parenting and just live for themselves. Everyone deserves a vacation, and your decision to study abroad can give your parents a break that they’ve wanted for a long time.
Be Persistent
Even if your parents don’t want to listen to you and none of your arguments persuade them, don’t give up. Sometimes, achieving what you want takes some time so you should be persistent and patient. Keep talking about your awesome idea to study abroad and help them understand that you’re not going to change your mind. Let them choose between helping their child and destroying good relationships with you. If your parents see that you’re dead serious about studying in another country, they will eventually give up and agree with you.
We hope that some of these tips will help you convince your parents to let you study abroad. If you put yourself in your parents’ shoes, you will understand that it’s a difficult decision. Therefore, you should make sure to present some solid arguments and explain why your decision is the best option for you as a student.
