Casual Essay

Causes of studying abroad

International education for college students may be on the rise given the foreseeable advantages to studying abroad, such as traveling and increasing foreign language proficiency. Parents who encourage their children to study abroad fuel the network of encouragement, as do returned study abroad students who pass on their memories to fellow students and international offices that promote study abroad. Perhaps the students who are more competitive, motivated, and seeking new experiences are the ones who most often take advantage of the opportunity to study abroad (Schroth & McCormack, p.534); they are likely the serious young scholars who [seek] experiences not available at home (Schroth & McCormack, p.534). But studying abroad may also develop such admirable characteristics as curiosity and adventurism in students who aren't prototypically experiential seeking. Whatever students inspirations are for leaving their comfortable routine at college to spend 4-8 months studying in a foreign country, anecdotal evidence suggests that they are affected by the experience. Study abroad (SA) alumni descriptively attempt to put words to the changes they have experienced in themselves. Comments such as it was a great personal growth experience or my views are greatly altered and I am an extremely different person, in ways I never imagined are not uncommon, as they summarize the most frequent overall transformations that take place in many students who study abroad (derived from additional assessments with post-SA students in a related study). Yet it is difficult to measure quantitatively how students expand from studying abroad because their development is thought to be masked by an encompassing personal growth framework. Research on international education largely focuses on the aftereffects of studying abroad (e.g., reverse culture shock, increased levels of creativity) and the differences between returned study abroad students and current non-study abroad students.

Benefits of Study Abroad

The universal knowledge gained by studying abroad and the opportunities to interact with people of various cultures may help to break down cultural barriers and enable students of all ages to connect larger social issues and their own life experiences (Craig, p.138).  Theoretically, the development of international sensitivity and global understanding strengthens student's perspectives to include a general recognition of human conditions within a social-ecological framework (McCabe, p.275).  Whether an interest in cultures propels students to study abroad or rather is generated from studying abroad (or both), it reasonably links cultures together through the people who are intrigued by diversity.  Studying abroad may actively influence the attitudes of our nation's future leaders by developing an appreciation and respect for other people through cultural curiosity (Craig, p.138). 

Enrich your experiences and make you more mature

Study abroad programs essentially seek to expand student's perspectives of the world by instructing cultural and foreign language studies, arranging for students to live with foreigners, and providing opportunities for travel.  Studying foreign languages and conversing with people of different backgrounds allows one to learn about the values, beliefs, customs, and behaviors that are central to a culture.  In the pursuit of academic study in a foreign culture, an individual is eventually immersed into a ...