Introduction
Parents, particularly the wealthy ones, usually find it difficult to decide the best institution of higher learning for their children. Most of them have a tendency of choosing the option of studying abroad. In this regard, it is vital to evaluate the merits and demerits of studying abroad with respect to what the children gain from learning in a different nation. Definitely, cachet and quality education is obtainable in the home nation.
Nevertheless, the general viewpoint of the excellence in education makes it appear as though studying abroad is better. Moreover, experts from other countries who have studied in universities in the United States or the United Kingdom are greatly valued in their nations. Do the negative impacts of studying abroad outweigh the positive ones? When it comes to studying abroad, children are separated from their parents, other relatives, and friends for a long duration (Llanes and Muñoz 63-90). On the contrary, studying abroad offers high positive sentiments, a remarkable experience, and the notion of superiority.
Analysis
One of the negative impacts of studying abroad is that it makes parents worried about the condition of their children in a far foreign country (Lee, Therriault, and Linderholm 768-778). Mostly the parents develop the misconception that their children might lose control and end up in bad habits. In some instances, the students fail to adapt to the new environment suitably. This is at times accompanied by distress for both the parents and the learners, which could even result in failure in education.
Irrespective of the number of new friends that students who study abroad make, they get strong feelings of loneliness at some point. At some stage, they miss their family members and friends in the home country, which could interfere with the concentration in their studies. Failure to understand the foreign language makes the student studying abroad feel alone because of the impossibility of unrestricted interactions and support from family members and friends. Moreover, when a relative or friend is struggling or in danger, the student studying abroad is not in a position of supporting them in any way.
While studying abroad, students are compelled to adapt to new conditions, lifestyles, and demands, which could be tricky (McLeod et al. 30-38). The difficulties of adjusting to the new ways and norms may make the students be at a loss.
Going to the foreign nation, settling there, and trying to acclimatize to the routines is not an easy undertaking. Students who go to study abroad are compelled to comprehend the new standards and stipulations, facilitate their learning proficiencies, and accomplish the educational backlog, which might turn overwhelming. Studying abroad may require a student to learn a foreign language. If a student decides to study in Germany with no knowledge of the German language, it may lead to further learning endeavors that may divert the learner from the major course of study.
The major negative impact of studying abroad is that it is costly, a fact that bars learners from low-income families (Anderson, Hubbard, and Lawton 39-52). The cost of a single year at a foreign university might be greater than a five years’ outlay in a foreign university. Regardless of the performance or desire of a learner from a low-income family and his parents, monetary outlays required to hinder them from benefiting. Since the majority of countries do not permit foreign learners to study and work at the same time, the parents are usually necessitated to back their children for the entire academic period.
Moreover, due to such things as transport costs, students from low-income families may find it challenging to return home devoid of any necessitating reason. The moment such persons eventually returns home after a long time, they might find it impossible to trace their old friends and may have to begin their lives all over again.
Amid the positive aspects of studying abroad is that the students learn essential concerns in life and turn out to be more independent (Young, Natrajan-Tyagi, and Platt 175-188). Children learn to do all things such as cooking and completing assignments on their own. Eventually, the learners become acclimatized to unfamiliar settings. The initial challenges result in enhanced coping with hardships in life. It is evident that residing and interrelating with fellow learners make the foreign students more responsible and carefully instill discipline while assisting them to endure hardships that may occur in later life. The continuous supervision and assistance of the educators ensure that the students are not left by themselves.
Apart from knowledge and proficiencies, interrelating with individuals from dissimilar cultures, backgrounds, dialects, and approaches to mention a few extends the horizon of the students who study abroad (Chang 583-591). Interacting with dissimilar individuals with varying cultures and customs may enrich learners’ proficiencies of handling other people when they return home. Moreover, if the learners use the chance of studying abroad wisely, they make lasting friends and widen their connections for future gains and employment opportunities.
There are numerous chances and opportunities for students who have studied abroad as they may be employed in their home nation or the foreign country. This is because, unlike the students who have studied in their home country, such learners are cognizant of the demands of working both locally and abroad. This signifies that it is beneficial for learners to study abroad as it gives them international experience at the workplace (Chang 583-591). In an unfamiliar environment, the students easily establish and make a comparison of the working conditions both locally and abroad, which acts as a privilege over the learners who study locally. Furthermore, studying abroad polishes up the resume; this acts as a competitive benefit.
Studying abroad offers an exceptional opportunity for learning a foreign language and distinctive ways of life. Certainly, there are numerous chances of studying foreign languages even in the home country. Nevertheless, the best approach to learning a foreign language is when the learner resides in a nation where such a language is widely or nationally used. To understand a foreign language excellently, it does not call for the learner to enroll and just commit to a learning program.
The student needs to boost the class learning of the language to a lot of speaking practice (Chang 583-591). Since most of the people in the foreign nation are native speakers of the language being learned, it becomes simpler to excel in it when compared to learning it in the home country. In this regard, living in a place where a foreign language is widely spoken presents the most excellent chance of becoming fluent. Understanding a foreign language offers additional benefits for employment seekers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is apparent that studying abroad presents numerous negative impacts such as worry to parents, the compulsion to adapt to new lifestyles, and hindrances to low-income friends. Nevertheless, studying abroad makes students gain new knowledge, expertise, and proficiencies. It is evident that the positive impacts of studying abroad outshine the negative ones.
Works Cited
Anderson, Philip, Ann Hubbard, and Leigh Lawton. “Student motivation to study abroad and their intercultural development.” Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad 26.1 (2015): 39-52.
Chang, Dian-Fu. “College students’ perceptions of studying abroad and their readiness.” Asia Pacific Education Review 13.4 (2012): 583-591.
Lee, Christine, David Therriault, and Tracy Linderholm. “On the cognitive benefits of cultural experience: Exploring the relationship between studying abroad and creative thinking.” Applied Cognitive Psychology 26.5 (2012): 768-778.
Llanes, Àngels, and Carmen Muñoz. “Age effects in a study abroad context: Children and adults studying abroad and at home.” Language Learning 63.1 (2013): 63-90.
McLeod, Mark, Vince Carter, Steve Nowicki, Dana Tottenham, Philip Wainwright, and Dana Wyner. “Evaluating the study abroad experience using the framework of Rotter’s social learning theory.” Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad 26.1 (2015): 30-38.
Young, Jennifer, Rajeswari Natrajan-Tyagi, and Jason Platt. “Identity in flux negotiating identity while studying abroad.” Journal of Experiential Education 38.2 (2015): 175-188.