Thinking about sending your kid abroad for college? Here are 6 tips from college advisors and students for a successful move.

24.09.2024 - 04:13 / insider.com

If you've considered sending your kidabroad for college, you're not alone.

Amid soaring tuition fees and a desire to carve out niche college experiences, college advisors Business Insider spoke to have observed that more students and their parents are looking into opportunities to move abroad for college.

Greg Kaplan, the founder of Kaplan Educational Group and author of "Earning Admission: Real Strategies for Getting Into Highly Selective Colleges," told BI thathe has seen interest increase "tenfold."

Although students choosing to spend a semester abroad is nothing new, completing a full degree overseas has been less common in the past, he said. But when they factor in the cost and the fact that you can stillget a job in the US with an international diploma, it becomes "extremely attractive," he continued.

Here are some tips from college advisors and students who have made the move.

To want to go abroad for school is one thing — to decide which college to go to is a whole other story.

"It's really important to home in on the type of environment you want," Kaplan said. For example, students can ask themselves if they would prefer living in a college town or a city college.

Additionally, students should think about what industry they want exposure to, Kaplan said. The school's location can be a gateway to certain industries. London, for example, is great for students interested in finance, while Stockholm is ideal for students interested in the tech industry, he added.

"There are thousands of universities in Europe, but when we start focusing on what we want out of that education, that really does allow us to narrow that list to make something more manageable," he said.

When applying for college abroad, it's key to take note of the different requirements for your application.

"In some countries, the education system is much more centralized. They tend to go by some pretty hard metrics. So testing is a lot more important," said Robert Harry, an associate director of college counseling at Kent School,a boarding school in Connecticut.

Additionally, Harry advised students to make sure that the degrees are American-accredited, especially if they are interested in pursuing careers in law or medicine.

"If your goal is to then come back to America, you have to be very careful with the degrees and the qualifications some of them might not transfer when you come back," he said.

After securing test scores, the next priority would be determining and developing an academic passion, Kaplan said.

"The more experiences a person has within their field of interest, the stronger their application will be. That can be achieved through forward planning," he said.

Harry agreed. Unlike in the US, where you might be applying