Studying Abroad Essay Example
American students fulfil their greatest academic ambitions studying abroad. Exploring courses and concepts not available at home is a limited enriching opportunity. This experience provides students with the opportunity not only to visit a foreign country but to be part of its own culture and first- hand experience the perspectives of the natives. While students should maintain an academic mindset, they should make use of this period the best they can either by traveling, exploring, or simply stepping out their front door.
Studying abroad can open our eyes to the innumerable cultures of the world. Their art, music, literacy, landscape and more. One aspect of the experience students have stated is the most beneficial is learning a new language, as student Stefanie Carbley studying in Spain states “At first, it was intimidating to be learning both the content of the course and a foreign language at the same time. But, as it turns out, having to concentrate on the lectures in order to understand what the professor was communicating helped me understand the economic concepts and the Spanish words being used to explain them. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.” Her experience shows how learning the language of a new country offered her new advantages, academically and socially. Merging with the locals provides students with a unique journey. Students or workers in a foreign land return home being more creative, with more mental flexibility and acceptance for other cultures, as stated in the article “The Bright Side of Studying Abroad” by Phillip Jones, which describes the many advantages of foreign studies. Learning a language in a person’s native country might be challenging even though the learner can practice it daily. Living in the land where this is spoken gives the learner an insight on the origins and different dialects of it, which makes it easier to embrace the language as part of your daily life.
Studying the Native Language
Studying the native language might be beneficial when merging and experiencing the culture first-hand but there are more aspects to a community than just linguistics. Living with a local family demonstrates what its like to live in a certain country. This can also impact the student academically as the family is more experienced in the language and they might have children. The article “The Bright Side of Studying Abroad” by Phillip Jones explains the benefit of living with a native family abroad. It states “Most host families have children and know how important it is to study and learn. Living with a host family definitely helped me maintain a stronger focus on academics than my friends had who lived on their own in apartments.” This shows the academically as well as cultural advantage living with a family has, they can embrace the culture more rather than students staying at their personal apartments. Another part of the offer is the culinary experience this trip might bring, as the food a country prepares and cherishes for decades reflects the environment, creativity, and culture of a location.
Students are presented with more benefits that they believe. As well as culinary arts the continent in which they are living offers exclusive opportunities to travel. The article ‘’Experience Abroad” by Debra Wu descries the travel benefits this particular experience can have. In Western Europe, for example, a student studying in Spain can realistically travel to France or Portugal during a weekend. Spending the weekend at the beach in Portugal might not appear to compare with the academic opportunities of visiting the Louvre Museum and Eiffel Tower in France. However, who’s to say students don’t deserve some time off from academics to enjoy relaxing and exploring a new place? Students can live thousands of dollars and time spent on traveling in a single weekend that will shape them by studying abroad.
While some students have a way to manage their time and use temperance in their actions some students abuse the privilege offered to them. The main reason to be abroad is to study, which some students understand and appreciate while others neglect. As described in the article “Day in the Life of a Student Abroad by James Thomas, “The problem, it seems, is that a trip abroad for students should not be called "studying" when in fact it consists of experiences that one might encounter while on vacation.” This shows how students can get carried away and forget the experience is mostly to enlighten them academically. That number is irrelevant compared to the successful student’s wo have graduated and managed their time successfully as well as learned from the cultures and lands they visited.
The academic and cultural enrichment studying abroad brings is immense compared to attending a school in one’s home country it offers a unique look and experience of the cultures of a foreign land and an experience to last a lifetime. This makes studying abroad a viable option for students with an unquenchable desire for knowledge. Considering is this option when studying is extremely recommendable as the impact it will make on your daily life will be noticeable.
