Defending the Value Proposition of Education Abroad? Get Realistic

I’ve had the good fortune to work in the education abroad profession for decades, and over the years I’ve received countless calls from parents asking one question or another. Yet I was surprised somewhat by a recent call, which went something like this:

“Dr. Ogden, I am a single mother of three and my oldest daughter is majoring in business at Michigan State. My daughter wants to study in Paris along with her friends. She’s dreamed of going to France since she was a little girl. I really want to support her, but the program is very expensive. I simply don’t have that kind of money and would have to take a loan. I am also very worried about her safety in Paris and what issues she might encounter as an American abroad. What do you think? Is it all worth it?”

Once upon a time, I would have spoken to this parent about the value of education abroad; that is, I would have discussed the importance of learning a foreign language, engaging her daughter in the world now as she begins to shape her future career path, and how we do all we can to ensure the safety and security of our students. I would have suggested that she invest time in researching scholarships. I might have gone on to explain other things, such as leveraging academic credit, but that final question set this call apart.

Given her very real concerns, it seems like a worthy question: Is it