Discussions of studying abroad are often mixed with stories of learning more and beautiful scenery and a taste of foreign food. Studying abroad does offer a wide variety of benefits. It can bridge cultural gaps, promise great personal development for students and be an incredible learning opportunity. Still, the risks involved with studying abroad should inform the commonly stated benefits in order for students to make sound academic, as well as personal, decisions.
Students often spend more money than they intend to while abroad. Banks often charge international fees for every abroad charge, students tend to pressure one another to eat out, and almost every sightseeing opportunity involves transit fees at the very least.
Additionally, the semester abroad may setting students off track academically. The adjustment to a different grading scale is challenging enough without the constant pressure to travel every weekend and go out every night. It is impossible to know the right balance between studying in the same way one would at home and making the best of one’s abroad experience.
The path to international independence is not easy, and it is ridden with loneliness. While one can find friendly people almost anywhere, language and cultural barriers can reduce connection. Cultures often confuse one another. In other words, the study abroad experience could give its participants a sense of liminality — but this liminality should be experienced in a conscious way.
Study abroad can be a valuable experience for students, but more should be done to prepare students for the kind of risks and pressures they can face. Educational efforts by study abroad offices should not shy away from controversial topics and aspects of studying abroad like loneliness, financial pressures and culture shock. It is important for students to understand what studying abroad can be. Studying abroad is valuable, but students should understand from the outset what they’re getting into.
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