"To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others." —Anthony Robbins
Communicating with people in new cultures
Communication is a big part of a study abroad experience—having an open mind is essential to having a successful experience. It is important to avoid making assumptions based on first impressions.
Communicating with parents and friends
It is very important to establish frequency and means of communication with family and friends before departure. This allows for everyone to be comfortable that the student abroad is safe and doing well, without detracting from the experience of living in a new and exciting culture. The most popular means of communicating with family and friends while abroad are email, cellphones and Skype. For most study abroad courses, it is likely the student will be living in a time zone that is several hours ahead of or behind their home time zone.
Communicating with Study Abroad
- Students are required to enter their overseas address in their Broncos Abroad profile to ensure they can be reached immediately.
- Students are required to log in to their Western Michigan University Webmail Plus account daily to check for messages from WMU and Study Abroad.
- Students are encouraged to submit photos and short comments about their experiences anytime to their study abroad specialist for posting on the WMU Study Abroad Facebook page.
Communicating with a study abroad provider
Students enrolled in a program facilitated by a University-approved provider are required to know and follow all protocols for maintaining contact with the provider and in-country staff.