{"id":16148,"date":"2017-08-29T11:02:20","date_gmt":"2017-08-29T15:02:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.studyabroad101.com\/?p=16148"},"modified":"2022-08-12T09:26:35","modified_gmt":"2022-08-12T13:26:35","slug":"abroad101s-advisor-newsletter-fall-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.studyabroad101.com\/blog\/2017\/08\/abroad101s-advisor-newsletter-fall-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Abroad101’s Advisor Newsletter Fall 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"We know you\u2019re heading into a busy time of year, so we thank you for taking a few minutes to think about broader issues\u00a0like using reviews to advance study abroad on your campus.\u00a0 As we celebrate 10 years of serving American college study abroad, Abroad101 and our study abroad reviews are as popular as ever.\u00a0 The best news is that Abroad101 is still free for schools and going strong.<\/span><\/p>\n

Have You Seen Your Students\u2019 Study Abroad Reviews Lately?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Each day Abroad101 receives dozens of program evaluations from students that have been invited by either their home university, their provider or their host institution.\u00a0 We publish each review as a complete web page and tally them in listings by program, provider,\u00a0host institution and also in portals for each home school.\u00a0 As of today, 31,963 student reviews are on Abroad101 making it the largest source of study abroad stories. \u00a0Visit the site<\/span>, enter your school name in the search box in the top menu bar and see what your students have to say!<\/span><\/p>\n

Moms & Dads Use Abroad101<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The target audience for Abroad101 is American college students looking for a semester, summer or short-term abroad.\u00a0 We list third-party, exchanges and faculty-led programs.\u00a0 Parents of prospective study abroad students are a big portion of our traffic.\u00a0 Based on Google Analytics data, we estimate that 20-25% of the visitors to Abroad101 are parents, searching on the keyword \u201creviews\u201d and trying to learn more about the options their children are considering.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As an advisor, you will find that your recommendations are validated when prospective students and parents read reviews.\u00a0 Providers will often use reviews in their discussion with students and parents as they find a well-informed student makes for a more successful student.\u00a0 Reading reviews will help parents become more comfortable with study abroad and to help them set expectations on what lies ahead.\u00a0 We hope you\u2019ll mention Abroad101 Reviews in your parent communication and put a link to Abroad101 on your website to better prepare all.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to Get Students to Write Reviews?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

So often we hear that it is hard to get students to do anything, let alone spend 20-30 minutes on a review.\u00a0 This is especially true when students feel that the activity has no benefit for them.\u00a0 However, they are inclined to share their stories if the exercise gives them a chance to tell their story, and that is exactly what they do on social media for hours a day! Think of a review as social media for study abroad<\/span><\/a> and a place for students to showcase their story and\u00a0talk about themselves. \u00a0Our time-test review questions<\/span><\/a> will do the rest.<\/span><\/p>\n

If the student believes the review is good for them, they will generally participate.\u00a0 That takes some groundwork before they go abroad and as they prepare to return.\u00a0 One idea to get more engagement is to incorporate a review in your re-entry programming and use the review process as a step toward preparing the students to share their experience with others.\u00a0 Just like career counselors who tell students to prepare a good resume for a job search, we hope that study abroad advisors will help their students prepare for their return home by guiding them to submitting a thorough and candid review.<\/span><\/p>\n

Using Abroad101 as Free Program Review Software:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

A number of schools use Abroad101 as their official program evaluation software<\/span>\u00a0because\u00a0it is\u00a0designed to draw an insightful student account of their time abroad. \u00a0These evaluations are also great for future advising and orientations.\u00a0 The service is offered free to American colleges and universities, supported by advertising from program providers and foreign universities. The software offers:<\/span><\/p>\n