“Arguments against Study
abroad”
Studying
abroad is a new phenomena that people have embraced. So why should college
students shy away from this trend?
1. You probably will not get a better education overseas.
Even
though it’s easy to take them for granted, American universities are pretty
phenomenal. People come from all over the world to go to school in the United
States. And, contrary to what many seem to believe, college is school. At
the end of the day, universities are meant to provide you with the best
scholarly education — and you wont find anyplace better than the good
old US of A.
2. It’s expensive.
Sure,
universities in the U.S. cost a lot of money — room, board, meals and
whatnot. Although universities abroad don’t charge nearly as much tuition as
American schools, most universities still force students to pay regular tuition
for a semester in addition to paying for long flights and expensive city life
in the respective abroad city.
3. You can step out of your comfort zone in your college
town.
One
of the biggest reasons students cite for going abroad is “stepping out of
his/her comfort zone.” But it seems that they neglect that its completely
possible (and perhaps more challenging) to step out of their culture zone while
in college. Evidently, when you travel, you experience new cultures and new
people — but most of the time new cultures and experiences are just a
dorm room away. In fact, it may be more challenging to seek out new cultures
and experiences within your university life — finding new campus
organizations, nearby hang out spots and communities. Once you settle into your
own college bubble, it’s hard to make new friends. But you don’t have to go
away to do it.
4. Now is not the only time in your life you can travel or
live abroad.
Most
often times, students will cite study abroad as a once in a lifetime
opportunity — the only time in their existence they can live abroad.
This is certainly not the case. Nothing is stopping you from applying for a
position overseas after graduation, joining the Peace Corps or volunteering for
an international organization during a summer. Plus, who knows where your life
will take you? Its naïve to assume you’ll never be able to live abroad again.
You make your own decisions — you could make it happen.
5. You miss out.
Even
though you may be having a great time in (insert European city here), you only
get four years at college. Students will try to stay in touch, but it’s hard.
Back in College World, life goes on without you. Clubs elect new leaders,
friends figure out housing situations for the following year, people date and
break up — and you watch (some of) it happen over Skype. And before
you know it, you’re walking across a stage towards a diploma having missed five
months worth of college stories you’ll never get back. By that point you may
realize that short time in London probably wasn’t worth it.
My Argument against the main points
1. You probably will not get a better education overseas.
This may or may not be true. There
are some universities that focus on a specific major, and some of the classes
you might take while abroad they might not offer that in your hometown
university. For example Bangor University was the school I attended and it was
ranked one of the top schools for psychology. I got to take classes like
“psychology involving animals” and “phycology neurons that affect stress”.
Those classes weren’t offered at my University so it helped with furthering and
learning more about my major. So you will never get the chance to take those
other classes that your University might not have if you never give studying
abroad a chance.
2. It’s expensive.
Yes, studying abroad could be
expensive. But there is always financial aid and scholarships that can help you
with the cost of studying abroad. For example I received 3 scholarships that
covered most of the cost and there wasn’t a lot I had to pay out of my own
pocket. Never let cost be the reason that you don’t study abroad, because you
might be missing out on an incredible adventure. Look for those scholarships
online, or ask your study abroad advisor for resources that could help you pay
for the cost. Fundraising is always an option as well. To help you with the
cost I would recommend having a budget, which always helps with managing your
expenses.
3. You can step out of your comfort zone in your college
town.
You will always the opportunity to
step out of your comfort zone wherever you are. But doing that in another
country is just simply amazing. How cool is it to say you did community service
while studying abroad, or the fact that you will meet so many different people
on your adventure. Study abroad will help you develop the skills that make you
independent. For example you will become quicker on your feet and you will
learn to trust your own gut. Giving yourself the gift of traveling the world
and getting your self out of that comfort zone is going to be one of the
greatest things that could happen to you. So give it the chance.
4. Now
is not the only time in your life you can travel or live abroad.
I think this is the perfect time to
travel and go abroad. Later your life stars to get busy. Because you might be
going to grad school or you may have to get a real job to help pay for the
expenses that you had in college. You get to go abroad at a young age where you
don’t have to worry to much about the life back home and there wont be big
consequences. You could travel abroad later in life but there’s no time like
the present.
5. You miss out.
You will be missing out if you don’t
study abroad. People that didn’t study abroad in college wish they had studied abroad.
Because studying abroad gives you experiences that you cant get at home. Life
will be the same when you come back from studying abroad, little things will
change but nothing major. Your family, friends, and the city will be there when
you get back, so don’t let that be the reason why you don’t go abroad.
Work
Cited:
Cleary, Maggie. "5 Reasons
College Students Should Not Study Abroad." Mic. N.p., 08 June 2012.
Web. 08 Dec. 2014.
"Study Abroad." U.S. News & World Report: News, Rankings and Analysis on Politics, Education, Healthcare and More. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2014.
"Study Abroad Programs in Wales." Study in Wales. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2014.
The time leading up to your study abroad is a bit like being in an online dating romance with your country. You were first drawn in by its witty profile, the beautiful landscapes, amazing culture. Then after seeing the photos, you were in love. You can’t stop thinking about the city you’re going to and imagining all the fantastic things you be doing in it.
Transitioning into a new city is rough for even an experienced traveler. Combine that with disappointment in your new home for the next few months and you have a dangerous recipe for a bad trip. So what do you need to do if you don’t feel like your destination is up to par with your mental images?
