PROS of studying abroad:
- Improve language skills - You will find that studying a language in the country of origin is much easier than learning it in a classroom setting. Immersion is the best way to learn.
- Experience another culture - There are so many other cultures in the world aside from that of America. You may find that you like one even more than you like America!
- Improve job chances - Many employers are looking for applicants who have had an international experience.
- Become more independent - Living with a host family or living with a roommate in an apartment is still very different from living with your family at home. Your host mother is not there to clean up after you or tell you when to go to bed. You have so much more freedom to make even the smallest decisions.
- Create the memory of a lifetime - Studying abroad is not an offer you get every day, so take the chance!
- Change your perspective on life and on the world - Perhaps you only knew stereotypes about people from Russia or France, but after meeting these people you will find there is so much more.
- Improve cultural understanding - Learn more about a culture or take a chance in a culture completely unknown to you.
- Learn about yourself - Maybe you're a shy person or you consider yourself a "scaredy-cat," but when you go to another country, you have the freedom to be yourself and make friends who accept you for you. You may learn that you're not so shy after all.
- Make friends from all over the world - When you take the chance to study abroad, so are many other people from countries all over the world. You are all in the same situation, no one knows anyone else. This is the chance to meet people from England, Russia, Italy, France, Korea, Thailand, everywhere!
CONS of studying abroad:
- Culture shock - This is one of the things that can be a downside to studying abroad. Most of us are so set in our ways that when we leave the daily schedule it is difficult to adjust. Culture shock with languages is also difficult. To go from hearing English all the time to for example, Spanish all the time is difficult for many people.
- Possibly feel left out - It is possible that you may feel left out if you make friends with a large group of people whose common language is not your own. This is difficult, but the solution is to find some new friends who speak the language that you are trying to learn!
- Away from home for long period of time - Some people easily expereience homesickness. This can be hard to handle. One girl I knew lived in Spain for an entire year. The first 3 months passed and she was extremely homesick. She called her family almost every night. By the end of the trip though, she didn't want to leave her Spanish host family.
Ultimately, the pros outweigh the cons. You should definitely take the chance to study abroad!
