Good and Bad Reasons to Study Abroad
Students Should Know why They are Going Overseas Before Departure
Sep 10, 2009
The good reasons for studying abroad are fairly straightforward: It is an experience that will help broaden a student's worldview, provide opportunities to travel and meet new people, build confidence, and even develop strong foreign language skills. But what are some reasons that are not good enough to support going abroad? While it is fine for the below reasons to be included with legitimate reasons for studying abroad, on their own they are terrible justifications for spending a semester or year in another country.
Going Abroad Just Because a Significant Other is Going
If a student and his significant other are going to the same country on the same program to the same university because of academic reasons, great. Academics, along with an interest in spending time in another country because it is a new and exciting experience, are solid reasons for going abroad. But following a significant other abroad? If staying together is a concern, students should find programs that are perhaps in the same country but cater to each student's own academic and personal interests.
Going Abroad Just Because of a Bad Experience at the Home University
Now, if the school a student is currently attending is not where he or she wants to be, transferring to another school is a good option. Going abroad just to get away from the school may be a great temporary fix, but the student will, unless he applies to transfer to another school while abroad, have to return to the original institution upon returning to the home country (unless he decides to leave school altogether, which is not advisable).
Going Abroad Just Because Someone Else Said it was a Good Idea
The old expression, "If so-and-so jumped off a bridge, would you?" applies here. Giving in to peer pressure about studying abroad is a terrible reason to go. This is different from a student taking advice from friends about whether or not to go and weighing that information against his own opinions. If a friend or parent or professor says "You should go abroad," and a student says "Okay," without another thought, then this is of course not a good reason. What the individual student (and not somebody else), wants to decide about studying abroad is most important.
The above reasons by themselves are not good reasons to go abroad. When considering studying abroad, the best reasons for students to do so are because they want to supplement their academic experience, follow their sense of adventure, learn another language, meet new people, and travel the world.
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