{"id":30737,"date":"2019-09-23T10:31:36","date_gmt":"2019-09-23T14:31:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.studyabroad101.com\/?p=30737"},"modified":"2022-06-21T10:27:33","modified_gmt":"2022-06-21T14:27:33","slug":"abroad101-fall-2019-news-for-education-abroad-advisors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.studyabroad101.com\/blog\/2019\/09\/abroad101-fall-2019-news-for-education-abroad-advisors\/","title":{"rendered":"Abroad101 Fall 2019 News for Education Abroad Advisors"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Thank you\u00a0for taking a few minutes to catch up with Abroad101, the study abroad review website.\u00a0 Around this time 13 years ago, the founder of Abroad101 started on his study abroad experience. Like so many, his story is a powerful tribute to the impact of Education Abroad experience, and like so many, that experience unlocks something that nobody could have predicted at the time. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today a company carries on the founding vision of providing students a platform on which to share their story.\u00a0As an advisor, you call it a program evaluation, a parent considers it as review and the student will hopefully think of it as a capstone.\u00a0Abroad101 is a company that does just one thing, deliver a platform to advance study abroad.\u00a0At Abroad101, we have found a way to do this free of charge for the users, drawing support from program providers and host universities in the form of advertising and sponsorship. Here are some ways in which you can support us and the greater study abroad community:<\/span><\/p>\n

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

Each day Abroad101.com<\/span> receives dozens of program evaluations from students that have been invited by either their home university, their provider or their host institution. We publish each review as a complete web page and tally them in listings by program, provider and host institution and also in portals for each home school.\u00a0As of today, 37,608 student reviews are active on Abroad101 making it the largest source of study abroad stories.\u00a0Visit the site, 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<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The target audience for Abroad101 is American college students looking for a semester, summer or short-term abroad. We list third-party, exchanges and faculty-led programs.\u00a0Parents of prospective study abroad students are a big portion of our traffic.\u00a0Based 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. 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.\u00a0Reading reviews will help parents become more comfortable with study abroad and to help them set expectations on what lies ahead. We hope you\u2019ll mention\u00a0Abroad101 Reviews in your parent communication and you could also add a link\u00a0of your\u00a0Abroad101\u00a0\u00a0\u201cHomepage\u201d on your own\u00a0website to better prepare all. ( https:\/\/www.studyabroad101.com\/university_widget<\/span>\u00a0)<\/span><\/p>\n

How to Get Students to Write Reviews?<\/b><\/span><\/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. 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 and a place for students to showcase their story and the process allows them to\u00a0talk about themselves.<\/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. 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.\u00a0Just 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<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

A number of schools already\u00a0use Abroad101 as their official program evaluation software as it was designed to draw an insightful student expose of their time abroad.\u00a0These evaluations are great for future advising and orientations and great for the returning students.\u00a0The service is offered free to American colleges and universities, supported by advertising from program providers and foreign universities. The software offers:<\/span><\/p>\n