When Students Are Abroad
Supporting your student
Studying abroad will certainly be a defining period in your student’s life but we understand that you may have conflicting feelings about the upcoming experience. You and your student are excited at the opportunities that lie ahead but at the same time, there is some hesitation about being an ocean apart.
There are some things you can do as the parent of a student going abroad to help maximize your son or daughter’s experience and promote further independence.
- Encourage & Enable: Your son or daughter may need and/or ask for help in preparing for their experience abroad. Instead of offering to do something for them (fill out paperwork, call our office, etc.), make sure they have the tools they need to complete the task themselves.
- Encouraging independence before your student goes abroad will make it much easier for them to flourish in a new country. Before your son or daughter leaves for Copenhagen, encourage them to take advantage of our on-site staff for questions, concerns, problems they may encounter.
- If your son or daughter contacts you from abroad and is upset, unhappy, etc. it will make you worry as you feel there isn’t much you can do to help them. Direct them to our office in Copenhagen, as we have staff focusing on all areas of the student experience (academics, housing, etc.) and our staff is used to speaking to students that may be having a difficult time adapting. Questions, concerns and problems will be handled and addressed much more quickly if the student goes straight to our on-site staff. If your son or daughter does contact you, you will probably contact the North American Office (NAO) and then the NAO will contact the office in Copenhagen. This process can take a couple of days due to the time difference; therefore we recommend that students go straight to the Copenhagen office.
- Distance: Though it is difficult, we recommend that students only speak to their parents once every week or two. More frequent communication can actually be harmful, as it can cause the student to become homesick and keep them from trying to solve problems on their own. Your conversations should be about what your son or daughter is doing and learning, and not about what they are missing out on in the US. Distance will encourage greater independence, which is trait all study abroad students need to be successful.
- Expect a difference: When you pick your son or daughter up at the airport after a semester abroad you might be surprised. Sure, they may have a new hairstyle and new clothes and hopefully no new tattoos, but they may have some more profound changes in store for you. A semester abroad should be an eye opening experience and some of these experiences may have influenced your son or daughter. Students may return with different values and new interests. They may also experience reverse culture shock, where they will start to compare the US to Denmark. This usually only lasts a short time. Use this time to learn from your son or daughter’s experience. Allow them to make these comparisons and go through this readjustment. They will need your support, interest and understanding.
Calling Denmark
To place a call from the U.S. to Denmark:
* Dial 011
* Dial 45 (Denmark’s country code)
* Dial the 8-digit Danish telephone number
Sending mail to Denmark
If you plan to mail a package or letter to Denmark, it should be sent to the DIS main address:
(student’s name)
c/o DIS, Danish Institute for Study Abroad
Vestergade 7
DK- 1456 Copenhagen K
Denmark
For most items, list the contents of a package as “used personal belongings” (e.g.; clothing, textbooks, etc.) so that it can be cleared through customs. The sender should declare a $0 dollar value for the package to avoid customs duty charges; however, if they open the package and estimate a higher value, your son or daughter will be charged customs!
If you need to insure a package that is more valuable, you’ll be required to declare a higher dollar value. This will affect the customs duty charges in Denmark, which can vary greatly but may be as high as 30-40% of the value of the package. It is the receiver’s responsibility to pay this before the package can be released, so your student may receive a hefty bill from the Danish authorities along with the laptop or iPod you sent for a birthday. For the most up-to-date information, contact the International Trade Commission at 1-800-872-8723. Always explore different options for mailing packages (e.g., through the post office, UPS, FEDEX, etc.) but please be aware that FedEx and UPS will only ship new goods. If you plan to ship used clothes, etc., you must use the US postal service. In most cases, it is actually easier and cheaper to use the US postal service.
DIS contact information
DIS, Danish Institute for Study Abroad, Copenhagen
Vestergade 5-7
DK-1456 Copenhagen K, Denmark
Phone: (+45) 33 11 01 44
Fax: (+45) 33 93 26 24
E-mail: frontdesk@dis.dk
DIS, Danish Institute for Study Abroad, North American Office
1313 Fifth Street SE, Suite 113
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Phone: 1 800 247 3477 or 612 627 0140
Fax: 612 627 0141
E-mail: dis@umn.edu
In case of emergency
In the case of a serious health or safety emergency regarding your student currently at DIS, you may contact our US staff at 651 323 7316 or 612 670 1379.
To contact Denmark: (45) 4096 9894.
