Every student dreams of a better future; of a future where they have their share of fame, prosperity and achievement garnered in the field they choose their passion. A student wishes to learn things at a global level, being in touch with the latest ingenuity of people, researches and technologies. The best way to do that is to study at a place that can offer a student the scope stay in touch with all that is happening around in the world. Studying in schools and universities abroad presents a student with ample number of opportunities like these. Since it is a question of one’s future, a student is always cautious and in an ever impending dilemma, because there are so many options to choose from. Apart from a huge spectrum of courses and institutes to choose from, students are hounded with another dilemma: whether studying abroad is right or wrong. The following discussion tries to look at the dilemma students have to face while seeking education opportunities abroad. This article is an argument on why all students should study or at least try to study abroad.
For a student, here are many career options to choose from. From conventional management and technical careers to the non-conventional career options for example arts, fashion, acting, etc. students have a wide spectrum of choices that suit their passion and taste. In fact, students should pursue their passions and hobbies as their careers as Robert Frost puts in his famous poem “Two Tramps in a Mud Time”:
My object in living is to unite
My avocation and my vocation
As my two eyes make one in sight
With current trends of globalization, the markets require candidates who possess the knowledge and capability to handle projects that are placed in foreign lands. Studyabroad360.com, a website specialized on tips and counseling related to studies abroad in their article “Top Ten Reasons to Study Abroad” says:
Transnational corporations chase markets across the planet. The Internet slowly dissolves the boundaries on maps.
Indeed, every start up wishes to grow and spread all over the globe. Many organizations opt to recruit employees with knowledge of foreign languages so they may expand and operate in global markets. Students who study abroad have the advantage of possessing communication skills in different dialects, a skill set that many employers seek in candidates who apply for jobs. It becomes imperative for a student to have a global perspective in order to pursue a bright career and make their name known in the global industry. Allan E. Goodman, and Stacie Nevadomski Berdan in a debate on their co-authored book "A Student Guide to Study Abroad" on New York Times website say, “Globalization is here to stay, and students who want to work in our interconnected global world should study abroad.” As far as location, some employers say they prefer it when students go to regions with big potential for economic growth, such as Asia, South America and Eastern Europe (Bigda).
Knowledge increases when shared. When a student studies abroad he or she opens an avenue of knowledge that they can learn as well as share with others. They can teach their own skills to their fellow mates and gain unique experiences in return. Such an experience is not just helpful in terms of technical skills, but vocabulary as well. Students who study abroad have the knowledge of dealing with people of other countries, because they understand the thoughts and culture of those countries. This knowledge makes it easier for companies to expand their ventures into foreign lands.
One of the best reasons to study abroad for any student is the opportunity to learn a different kind of culture followed by a different kind of people. New languages to learn, new customs and foods to experience and the chance to imbibe different ideologies are prospects that can not only add to the knowledge of a student but also expand their horizon to think out of the box and enhance their own creativity. Students get the chance to meet new people and find out different ways, in some cases better, to do things that they like to learn and pursue as career skills. This is a very crucial plus point in studying abroad as students get an opportunity to develop or hone skills that can come in handy later on.
The number of students who have opted for studies abroad is great. According to the Institute of International Education, about 274,000 students studied abroad during the 2010-11 academic year, the latest period for which data are available, only a small fraction of total undergraduates in the U.S. (Bigda). Some students and parents may speculate that it is not safe to study abroad, as a student has very less experience of life and may get entangled in problems. A different environment and different mind-set can be daunting to a student’s morale. Apart from this, studying abroad can be costly and straining pockets when there is no assurance of safety issues makes studies abroad a very tough option. However, administrations on campus and countries try to provide students with facilities that may help encourage student to study abroad. Very recently David Willetts, the Universities Minister, United Kingdom, announced that £800 million of European Commission funding had been handed to the British Council to enable more UK students to study abroad (Paton).
Many Universities have incorporated peer programs to help students who transfer to their campus. These peer programs constitute experienced students who welcome new students, act as mediators, organize field trips to the local places, provide counseling sessions and grievance redress facilities to students who transfer freshly to these campuses. All these efforts are done to help students to bounce back and get acclimatized to their new surroundings soon and begin to pursue their studies and other activities with full zeal. Apart from these facilities there has been a change in the inclusion process as well. In the past, students typically went overseas during their junior year, but today there are more options to go abroad in between semesters, like during the summer break or sophomore year (Bigda). This means that students have more flexible options and better means to strategize the course of their studies.
Studying abroad also gives a student to develop a deeper appreciation of one’s homeland. It pushes a student out of their initial comfort zone and expand their horizons to compare and contrast their homelands with the countries they visit to pursue further studies. It can break clichés that creep into a person’s being when they stay at one place for too long, and learn to absorb and appreciate the difference in living and thinking habits of people elsewhere. One has a chance to discover more about the culture and the people of places where their families have never been and learn to test their own mettle as well. It instills an adventurous spirit in the students and leaves memories that students relish for the rest of their lives. Such memories may even usher students to try and learn about new places and find out more about their study country in the later phases of their lives.
Learning is an enriching experience. Studying abroad enhances this experience and hones not just the skill set but the intellect and the character for every student. After all, learning years are not just for students to earn their diploma and degree certificates, but becoming better persons in the process. The best aspect of studying abroad for a student, however, is the fact a student realizes that education and learning is a never ending process and there is a lot to be learnt from the world around.
Studies are very crucial and with options to study abroad becoming easier to approach and implement, the definition of complete education is evolving at a slow and gradual rate. There is still a lot of scope to be realized and a lot to be developed in abroad study programs. It is definitely beneficial for students to study and every student must at the least try to apply for a chance to study. Every student, no matter what their academic level, should strategize and opt to study abroad and hone their skills to a different level.
Works cited
Bigda, C. Studying Abroad can help you stand out from peers. Business. Articles.chicagotribune.com. 18 Oct. 2013. Accessed 16 Nov. 2013. Web.
Frost, R. Two Tramps in Mud Time. Etymonline.com. Accessed 16 Nov. 2013. Web.
Goodman, A.E. and Stacie Nevadomski Berdan. It is essential. Room for Debate. Newyorktimes.com. The New York Times Co. 17 Oct. 2013. Accessed 16 Nov 2013. Web.
Paton, G. Universities Minister: more students should study in US. Telegraph.co.uk. 14 Nov. 2013. Accessed 16 Nov. 2013. Web.
Top Ten Reasons to Study Abroad. Studyabroad360.com. n.d. Accessed 16 Nov. 2013. Web.
