Studying abroad has become very popular amongst students in today’s globalized world. No wonder why, after all, it offers many attractive benefits. However, there are two sides to every coin and studying abroad is not an exception. More often than not, students encounter difficulties during their stay abroad. This brings out a question whether the advantages of study abroad justify the difficulties.
In the first place, studying abroad is an exquisite opportunity to broaden one’s horizons. Students get to know other cultures, are exposed to different lifestyles and ways of thinking, which eventually give them a new perspective of looking at world and life itself. Secondly, students meet new people abroad and create new relationships. Having friends abroad has its own benefits – if one ever decides to find a job abroad, they can get help from their new friends. Thirdly, what is a better way of improving your language skills if not practicing it by speaking with natives? Study abroad is a unique chance to polish up your language proficiency.
On the other hand, the major difficulty many students face are the costs. Studying abroad can be quite expensive even for students coming from well-off families. Therefore, students have to work part-time or receive a financial support by their parents in order to meet living expenses while studying abroad. An additional drawback of studying abroad is an adjustment period which one might find painful at times. It takes time to get used to the new place, new people and eventually new life. Students may feel lonely, even a bit frightened, at the very beginning of their stay, for they don’t know anyone there yet. But this often changes with time.
All things considered, the benefits of study abroad easily overshadow its drawbacks. It is an exciting way how to enrich one’s knowledge and personality, while the possible difficulties are only temporary and can be more or