FOR PARENTS:

Please note that most preparation topics are covered in-depth on the students' page.  Click here to see the information provided to your son or daughter on our website.

The following topics may of particular interest to parents, click below to jump ahead:
 

Balancing connection and independence I Financial I Insurance I Shipping I Visitation IVisa I Safety 

 

Balancing Connection, Independence, and growth

The international program experience can be an exciting experience not just for the student but for the family as well. The proliferation of social media channels and smartphone apps has made staying connected simple and inexpensive. Students can easily post their photos and stories, allowing their families to share this experience.

However, understanding that healthy boundaries are needed for this experience to be maximized can be helpful.  In this spirit, we make several recommendations:

1. Encourage your child to be fully-present in Switzerland.  While it can be difficult to practice, one of the most valuable gifts families can give their children while they study-abroad is the permission to be away.  Students need to know they are loved, and then given freedom to be on their own.  They should not feel guilty about not calling home, and the family can play an active role in releasing the student to be fully-present in Switzerland.  If family and friends expect students to call home or Skype each day (or even each week!), it can put a lot of pressure on students as they try to “straddle two continents” by living life in Switzerland and (virtually) living life back home.  Not only can frequent communication with families results in students not being “present,” it often inhibits them from connecting with their immediate community.  After a while they can find themselves isolated because they have been sharing their stories with people across the globe rather than with the person next-door.  Therefore, providing space can help your child maximize their learning and take full advantage of the potential of the overseas experience.

2. Be aware of how busy the overseas schedule is.  During a normal week, students press a full-load of classes into 4 days; they work hard to keep up with the required homework and projects; they participate in many in-house activities and local events; they plan weekend travel with all the complexity of transportation, lodging, and sight-seeing.  After weekends of busy travel, students return exhausted and rush to get ready for the classes in the week ahead.  Often students are too busy to get an adequate amount of sleep.  You can encourage your child to live a balanced life by not putting extra pressure on them.

3. Encourage your children to embrace “encounters with difference.”  Research demonstrates that study-abroad experiences produce growth because of “encounters with difference.”  As students come face-to-face with new ways of viewing the world, new political or economic models, new types of social interactions, and other radically different ways of life as they travel internationally, it can be difficult!  More dramatically, these experiences can produce cognitive dissonance, causing them to question their basic assumptions about life.  This process produces deep reflection and forces students out of their provincial worlds.  Be as supportive as possible in this process, allowing them to grapple with complex questions without “swopping in” to rescue them with a simple answer.

4. Let you children make their own decisions and learn from them.  Part of the power of the study-abroad experience for students comes from being away from everything familiar (their families, friends, home culture, support structures, and so forth).  In this new and strange context, they must learn “how to learn.”  Through trial and error, they gain the skills to navigate various forms of public transportation, communicate in places where they do not know the language, and pick up on cultural norms without being instructed.  Perhaps even more challenging, students have to make their own decisions about their classes, budgeting, health, and balancing their travels goals and academic goals.  In this struggle students learn more than information – they gain confidence and skills that will last them a lifetime.  Unfortunately, and ironically, well-meaning family members can short-circuit this critical learning process by not allowing students to struggle and solve the problems themselves: they sometimes offer to talk to a professor about a child’s academic issue, intervene in their child’s roommate conflict, or take on a child’s discipline case personally.

We ask to support your child through listening, encourage him/her to be persistent when difficulties are encountered, and offer advice when solicited.  But allow the student the full weight of responsibility for the issue and solving the issue: in the end, this is the only way real growth can occur.  Remember, too, that often failures can be even more important than successes in the development process, so help him/her see the value of such occasions.

Financial

For costs and program fees, please see the International Programs Office website here.

For program-specific financial and banking information, click here.

Insurance

Though all Switzerland Program students are covered by a standard university insurance policy during their time abroad, additional student insurance coverage is mandated by Swiss law and is a part of the cost of participating in the Switzerland Program. Currently we provide a global health insurance policy through Advisor Swiss Insurance (CSS). This Swiss global policy can be used anywhere in the world, with a very low yearly deductible rate of 100 CHF. However, if your student has certain health needs, there are a few reasons why you might choose to seek out or keep your own domestic coverage for your student. 

1. The global Swiss insurance policy only covers medical expenses outside of Switzerland in the case of urgent medical need. A visit to your family's general practitioner for a check up or dermatologist in the United States during Christmas break, for instance, may not be covered. 

2. In the event of an emergency in the U.S., Canada, or Japan, CSS may suggest that the student is repatriated to Switzerland for ongoing treatment. In the event of an emergency that warrants repatriation, the emergency medical treatment the student received abroad will be covered, repatriation to Switzerland will be covered at 100%, as well as the medical treatment once they arrive. However, if the patient opts to stay abroad in one of these countries once they have been stabilized, CSS will only cover half of their treatment. 

3. Dental and Vision are not covered by the Swiss policy, abroad or in Switzerland, except in cases of accidents where teeth or eyes are damaged. 

If you have any further questions regarding our university's standard insurance policy or our unique Swiss insurance policy (CSS), please email Anaïs Perez (anais.perez@pepperdine.edu)

shipping items to students in switzerland

Students are encouraged to pack efficiently in their two allotted suitcases to bring what they will need for their time abroad.  Shipping items to Switzerland is very expensive, and furthermore, the import taxes can be exorbitant once the item(s) arrive.  Those who desire to send packages to students in Switzerland should do so in the following manner.  If the package contains used items, on the section of the customs form labeled “Detailed Description of Contents,” they should make certain to identify the contents as “used personal items.”  For example, a list of items might read: “Used personal item: clothing.  Used personal item: book.  Used personal item: soap.”  Then, on the section of the form labeled “Check All That Apply,” check “Other”, and write “used personal items” next to it.  If these guidelines are followed, it is more likely than not that the package will not be inspected or taxed.

However, the Swiss postal service may open any package and charge the recipient an import tax on the contents.  If the postal service taxes the items, the taxes can range from 20-40% of the value.  As a general rule, the higher the perceived value of the item, the more likely it will be inspected and taxed.  Therefore, anything electronic – such as a laptop or smartphone is very likely to be inspected and hefty import taxed will be levied.

If the item is new, you can mark it as a “Gift,” and it will be taxed at the rates described above.

Finally, when packages arrive to Switzerland it is the sole responsibility of the student to pick-up and pay for the package.  Program staff cannot call, write letters, or provide translations for students attempting to retrieve packages or dispute import taxes.

Visitation

Should you wish to visit your student and our program in Switzerland, you are more than welcome to tour our facilities, enjoy a meal with the program, and experience life in Château d’Hauteville.  While you cannot stay in the house, there are several hotels near our campus, and the area hosts a comprehensive train system should you choose to stay further than walking distance.  For more information on local attractions, restaurants, and day trips, please see our "Local" pages.

When planning your trip to Switzerland, please be accommodating to your students schedule. Students are enrolled in a very rigorous academic program and will not be able to spend unlimited free time with your during your visit.  Visits during finals and midterms are very strongly discouraged and visits before or after our EFTs (educational field trips) are also discouraged. In your planning, please recognize that many students eagerly desire to accommodate their parents' requests to visit out of a sense of loyalty and thankfulness. As such, they may not always feel they can honestly share the limitations of their own academic schedules or their own level of fatigue. Often this results in students feeling pressure to agree to their parents' desires to the detriment of their own academic performance or personal well-being. To avoid conflict, many parents choose to travel with their student over winter break, since students are required to leave Château d’Hauteville during the duration of the academic holiday.

Directions to our facility:

Swiss Student Visa

All students are required to obtain a Swiss Student Visa prior to their arrival in Switzerland. The International Programs Office will share more information with you as they guide you through this process. All additional visa inquiries/questions can be sent directly to the Office of International Programs.

Student Safety

Just as on the Malibu campus, the Switzerland Program considers student safety to be of paramount of importance.  Students will receive a list of emergency phone numbers for reaching staff, their Swiss student insurance company, and local emergency services during orientation.  Students are mandated with providing a short travel itinerary and contact information (known as a "Travel Log") to the Switzerland staff prior to departing on weekend travel.  Château d’Hauteville, the Switzerland facility, is monitored after hours by contract security officers, and entrance to the facility requires students to input a code to unlock the main door.  We have extensive security protocols regarding visitors and guests in place to ensure the safety of all our residents.  Our university's Department of Public Safety (DPS) also actively communicates with all international campuses, monitors international situations that could pose a threat to students and staff, and will assist program staff during an emergency requiring evacuation or relocation.