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The dream of every young man is to experience something new, different and exciting in life that is ahead and at the same time to learn and educate himself in the best possible way. What are the ways of achieving all of that at the same time? One of the ways is to continue education in some other country. That decision is not easy to make and in reaching that decision one would have to be willing to sacrifice something so that something else is gained in return. This essay reflects on benefits and negative things about studying abroad. My opinion is that studying abroad can only bring more advantages than disadvantages because it is a lifetime opportunity to experience something different and enjoy in every minute of it. Education in a country that is away from home gives an opportunity to learn new language, develop your personality and get familiar with new cultures.
Life without parents and their constant supervision can be challenging. A lots of youngsters are willing to try and see how will they manage to live on their own, responsible for their achievements and failures as well. It is a chance to become independent and confident and to clarify your goals for the future. Student exchange programs offer exchange programs where you live for a year in someone’s family and as a part of that family. It is a good way to see different types of families and compare them with your family. Socializing and making life-lasting friendships with people from all over the world is something very precious. In this way, not only does a student develop communication skills but at the same time a strong network of people that can be relied on from all over the world is created. And that strong bond becomes even stronger as the time passes. By doing that you are making an international background for possible career opportunities. According to the research that was conducted on Norwegian students, Wiers-Jenssen (2003) stated that “we discovered that the students seemed to put even more emphasis on the positive aspects of extra-curricular skills they developed by studying abroad” (p. 14). Time spent outside the classroom is probably more important than the time in the classroom. Students who are young wish to use the most of their life and this kind of studying truly allows that experience and adventure.
It should be planned carefully and prepared thoroughly. Some of aspects that should be covered during the process of preparation include establishing what the best country for you to study is and to chose the appropriate place. There are a lot of programs that offer different curriculums and one has to be careful in choosing the right one. If you chose a country that you find interesting, it is the half job already done. People often go to study abroad without through preparation. If a student for example comes from the Middle East and is not prepared for a cultural change, then it will be a shock for a student. Different cultures present treasure in this world and they should be nursed. Introduction with new culture, tradition and life style different from your own can only broaden someone’s horizons and help to understand people who live and work in this country. By introducing with the new culture, you also get the opportunity to reflect on your own culture from different perspective. In this way, a student can practice and improve communication and interpersonal skills. These positive reinforcements lead to character building and developing a better understanding of people. Familiarizing with the culture of the host country is important so that awkward situations can be lead to minimum. In order to study abroad the preparation period is as much important as the studying itself. Otherwise, a sense of loneliness and alienation overcomes and it reflects on the process of learning leading to failure and early return home. It would be best to learn something more about the culture, way of life and people before you start on this unforgettable journey, because the more you know the better person you become.
New language can also be one of the triggers that motivate and encourage students to study abroad. There in no better place to learn a new language than the country where this language is official. In most cases, students usually decide about their country of studying based on the language. Language is a decisive factor in choosing where to study. According to Wiers-Jenssen (2003) “More than half of the students report that former knowledge of the language had ‘fairly high’ or ‘vital’ importance for their choice of country of study” (p. 8). Therefore the factor of language is very important in your decision of the host country. On the other hand, most colleges and universities offer lectures in English language therefore it wouldn’t be a problem for native English speakers. However, speakers who are non native and have poor knowledge of English language are predisposed at the very start to experience bad results followed by poor grades. Language barrier has to be overcome so that education is completed successfully. Language barrier can also be presented as a threat in communication with teachers and peers as well, leading to personal issues and retreat into yourself that can do a lot of damage for the self-esteem and self-confidence. If I decide on studying abroad in a host country whose language I do not know I would enroll in a course to learn basics of that language and from then on improve my language skills. Making conversation with natives is also a great thing to learn a new language and phrases that cannot be found in the textbooks.
Apart from these reasons that will lead to the final decision about studying abroad, one should also bear in mind that studying abroad is an investment for all the students who are willing to build their careers or improve their knowledge. What could be more natural or better than to visit and study a year in Paris, France or Milano, Italy if you want to become a designer or a painter? It is a change to see and explore places as well as to challenge your limits. It is a lifetime opportunity to visit all the historical places that are of importance in the world history and to explore the nature of the host country. There are so many places to visit and these places are not usually included in the tourist brochures. Also, I find interesting exploring places that are hidden from the tourists. One can set on a journey with a fellow students and seen places that are hidden from the rest of the world.
Studying abroad can also benefit for the improvement of your knowledge. It can be used in a sense that one can see different approaches to a certain scientific field that a student finds interesting. In that way, one can learn new methodologies that can be applied for the same problem, develop new skills and learn how to re-examine from different angles. This can be of great help in the future process of education and further career development.
In order to state a final decision, every student to be should take into account advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad that are presented. In my opinion, there are more advantages for studying abroad and all of the disadvantages can be easily solved with preparation. However, there is only minority of them who can experience this, due to material reasons or some other issues. If an opportunity of studying abroad is given, one should embrace it, and start a wonderful exciting journey that will definitely change a perspective and enable you to see things from other perspectives, to learn something new and enjoy the life.
Bibliography:
Wiers-Jenssen, J. (2003) Experience of students from a linguistically and geographically peripheral European country. Oslo, Norway: Cerifax Publishing. Retrieved from: http://dtserv1.compsy.uni-jena.de/__c1256fb10047c04a.nsf/0/C270E11187B8C173C1256FF40063286B/$FILE/ARtikel_InterkulturelleArbeit.pdf
In the introduction a subject of the essay is given, it explores the negative and positive aspects of studying abroad and my opinion. The second paragraph gives the challenges offered by studying abroad. The following paragraph deals with the benefits of studying abroad. Other paragraphs include my statement that studying abroad is a good thing and deal with benefits of studying abroad with examples and some of the factors that influence in choosing a host country. Benefits of studying abroad include a chance to get to know different cultures, improve language, meet knew people. Conclusion gives the summary of the essay stating that studying abroad is a chance to become betters persons and enrich our life with this experience.
