For Parents

Dear Parent(s),

We are excited about the adventures that await your student as they embark on their Study Abroad experience and trust that you are too.   During this cross-cultural study time your student will have the opportunity to engage first-hand with an ever-changing global society.   Your support and encouragement during this Study Abroad program will help your student prepare to meet the world that awaits them.   Included in this website you will find links to resources and information to help prepare your student to have the best experience possible.

While living abroad your student will be presented with countless opportunities for intellectual, emotional, and spiritual growth.   Students participating in the off-campus programs are encouraged to engage the culture by studying the history of the country/culture, by interacting with the people of the community, engaging in conversation at the local cafés, participating in local customs, and traveling.

The Crossroads office wants the experience to be enjoyable and safe for all the participants.   To that end, Geneva students are expected to conduct themselves according to the policies and disciplines outlined in the college′s Student Handbook just as though they were living on campus.

Along with all of the excitement, anticipation, and wonder of living in and engaging with a new culture, there is bound to be some anxiety and maybe even a little fear in leaving what is familiar.   There is one point of reference that is constant and unchanging, and that is our Lord Jesus Christ.   And even in the times when everything feels different, Christ remains the same.

While your son or daughter is away, you may also feel some anxiety and fear.  Please know that this is normal. If you need to talk to someone about this please contact me or Peggy Duguid in the Crossroads Office.   As one student responded to his mom′s anxiety about his plans to travel to Central America for a semester, “Mom, if we are doing God′s will is there any better place?”  

Sincerely,

Jeffrey S. Cole, Ph.D.

Crossroads:   Geneva′s Center for Enriched Learning


For some helpful information, visit these websites: