Studying abroad, whether it's to learn a language for a few months or a semester, or to complete a postgraduate degree program can provide many benefits as well as being an unforgettable experience.
Ask anybody who has done it and they will almost certainly explain that it is an experience that literally changes your life. It is also extremely rewarding and satisfying studying in a foreign country. Here are ten reasons why studying abroad could be the best choice you ever make in your life:
1. Study abroad programs are the best way of learning a language. There isn’t a better or more effective method of learning a foreign language than being immersed in the culture that actually speaks the foreign language you want to learn. Being surrounded by the language every day and seeing and hearing people speak it in the correct cultural context is unequaled. Effective language learning occurs most quickly in such circumstances.
2. Study abroad programs provide an excellent opportunity for travel. You can spend weekends and breaks venturing out and exploring the surrounding areas. Studying abroad quite often places you in a different continent and so you can visit many places you might never have otherwise seen. Some study abroad programs include field trips to interesting destinations as part of the planned curriculum.
3. Studying abroad give you the opportunity to see and learn about the culture first-hand. These differences include not only language, local food, the appearance of people, and their personal habits, but also understanding deep perceptions such as beliefs and value systems that can influence people’s daily life and their view of the world. Studying abroad can help you truly understand not only how but why other cultures are the way they are.
4. Study abroad programs help you to develop practical life skills and provide you with experiences you will never obtain simply in a classroom. Being part of a totally different cultural environment can be scary initially, but also exciting. It gives you an opportunity to discover your strengths and ability to overcome challenges, and find solutions to new problems. You may be confronted with situations which are completely unfamiliar to you, requiring you to learn how to adapt and react in an appropriate way.
5. Studying abroad provides an unparalleled opportunity to meet and make friends with people around the world. You will probably meet not only the local natives in the country where you are studying, but it is common to also meet other international students and share your experiences together.
6. Study abroad programs give you a chance to learn more about yourself as a person. Many students who spend time studying abroad often return home full of new ideas and a different perspective on life and their own culture. Your experience abroad may even challenge you to reconsider your own beliefs or values and many aspects of your own culture. You will certainly see your own culture through new eyes.
7. Studying abroad will without doubt expand your view of the world. Students who spend time studying abroad usually return home with a much more informed and less biased perspective in terms of other cultures and their population.
8. Study abroad programs give you the chance to break away from your normal academic routine. Studying abroad is very probably nothing like what you are used to as a student in your own country. You will have to become used to an entirely different academic environment and possibly have the opportunity to take academic courses that are not available on your regular campus.
9. Studying abroad definitely improves your employment opportunities. Only 4% of US undergraduates actually study abroad. If you want something to make your resume stand out from the corwd then studying abroad fits the bill. The world is becoming ever more globalized, and many companies are increasingly making investments in dollars abroad in international markets. Employers see students who have studied abroad as being self-motivated, more independent, and willing to face challenges, as well having proven that they can cope with diverse problems and situations.
10. Study abroad programs can add value to your degree. As well as the opportunity to take some courses you may not have been able to study at home, studying abroad gives your linguistic skills a real boost which means it is quite easy to gain a minor in a foreign language or possibly add even a second major without the need for additional courses when you return home.
Ask anybody who has done it and they will almost certainly explain that it is an experience that literally changes your life. It is also extremely rewarding and satisfying studying in a foreign country. Here are ten reasons why studying abroad could be the best choice you ever make in your life:
1. Study abroad programs are the best way of learning a language. There isn’t a better or more effective method of learning a foreign language than being immersed in the culture that actually speaks the foreign language you want to learn. Being surrounded by the language every day and seeing and hearing people speak it in the correct cultural context is unequaled. Effective language learning occurs most quickly in such circumstances.
2. Study abroad programs provide an excellent opportunity for travel. You can spend weekends and breaks venturing out and exploring the surrounding areas. Studying abroad quite often places you in a different continent and so you can visit many places you might never have otherwise seen. Some study abroad programs include field trips to interesting destinations as part of the planned curriculum.
3. Studying abroad give you the opportunity to see and learn about the culture first-hand. These differences include not only language, local food, the appearance of people, and their personal habits, but also understanding deep perceptions such as beliefs and value systems that can influence people’s daily life and their view of the world. Studying abroad can help you truly understand not only how but why other cultures are the way they are.
4. Study abroad programs help you to develop practical life skills and provide you with experiences you will never obtain simply in a classroom. Being part of a totally different cultural environment can be scary initially, but also exciting. It gives you an opportunity to discover your strengths and ability to overcome challenges, and find solutions to new problems. You may be confronted with situations which are completely unfamiliar to you, requiring you to learn how to adapt and react in an appropriate way.
5. Studying abroad provides an unparalleled opportunity to meet and make friends with people around the world. You will probably meet not only the local natives in the country where you are studying, but it is common to also meet other international students and share your experiences together.
6. Study abroad programs give you a chance to learn more about yourself as a person. Many students who spend time studying abroad often return home full of new ideas and a different perspective on life and their own culture. Your experience abroad may even challenge you to reconsider your own beliefs or values and many aspects of your own culture. You will certainly see your own culture through new eyes.
7. Studying abroad will without doubt expand your view of the world. Students who spend time studying abroad usually return home with a much more informed and less biased perspective in terms of other cultures and their population.
8. Study abroad programs give you the chance to break away from your normal academic routine. Studying abroad is very probably nothing like what you are used to as a student in your own country. You will have to become used to an entirely different academic environment and possibly have the opportunity to take academic courses that are not available on your regular campus.
9. Studying abroad definitely improves your employment opportunities. Only 4% of US undergraduates actually study abroad. If you want something to make your resume stand out from the corwd then studying abroad fits the bill. The world is becoming ever more globalized, and many companies are increasingly making investments in dollars abroad in international markets. Employers see students who have studied abroad as being self-motivated, more independent, and willing to face challenges, as well having proven that they can cope with diverse problems and situations.
10. Study abroad programs can add value to your degree. As well as the opportunity to take some courses you may not have been able to study at home, studying abroad gives your linguistic skills a real boost which means it is quite easy to gain a minor in a foreign language or possibly add even a second major without the need for additional courses when you return home.