There have always been various matters of concern in our modern society, and one topical issue is studying abroad. According to Scott (1998), studying overseas has become a global trend, especially in English – speaking countries. As a matter of fact, when people’s standards of living improve, they often think about increasing their knowledge so they could have a better life. To do that, they are eager to study for higher education (i.e: university education) overseas. However, everything has its advantages and disadvantages, and studying abroad is not an exception. To my way of thinking, the advantages of studying abroad far outweigh the disadvantages. This essay is divided into 3 parts. The first part will discuss the academic benefits, and then introduce the effects of studying abroad for interpersonal development; the latter will describe future job opportunities of studying abroad.
To begin with, the Georgia Learning Outcomes of Students Studying Abroad Research Initiative (GLOSSARI), a research which is started in 2000, points out that the academic performance, knowledge of cultural practices and context and the graduation rates of studying abroad students have been improved simultaneously (Redden, 2010). When studying abroad, students can reach numerous opportunities which are engaged first-hand language practice on the streets, in restaurants, in shops, at homes of native speaker friends. The extensive authentic interaction with native speakers cannot provide in the classroom. Pellegrino Aveni (2005) supports that “Study abroad provides a cultural context with which learners may associate the language and in which learners may develop their language skills” (pg.9). Moreover, studying abroad often influences educational endeavors, including the decision to pursue higher education degrees. McMillan and Opem (2002) in their recent research found that more than 80 percent of respondents agreed that studying abroad
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