Many of us come to college and immediately start hearing about all of the wonderful opportunities there are to study abroad. We can go to practically any country and spend either a couple weeks, a month or an entire semester there if we want. However, it is expensive, and a lot of parents think it’s a waste of money. “Why fly 4,000 miles away to take the same classes you can take here?” is a common response. They’re also worried that it’s a waste of time: “Why would I pay that much money to fly you overseas so you can have fun for four months instead of focusing on your studies?”
So to help you out with how to convince your parents, I’ll tell you some of the outstanding benefits of spending a semester, or even a few weeks, abroad.
Most of us have lived in America since we were born and haven’t been out of the country for long, except maybe to Mexico or a to sight-see in Europe. All we’ve known our entire lives is the culture of America, because that’s where most of us have grown up. I think as Americans, we are sometimes naive to the idea that things can be done differently than the way we do them. We call America the greatest country in the world, yet we haven’t even seen the way other people in different cultures live their lives. You may say “But I’ve been to so many other countries,” however, visiting a country to sight-see their main tourist attractions for a few days is very different from experiencing their culture and lifestyle. The only way to truly do this is to live there for a lengthened period of time.
Surrounding yourself with people of a different cultures is a learning experience in itself. Being able to adapt to a new lifestyle and understand the culture of another country is a vital skill to carry with you for the rest of your life. Learning to accept and appreciate differences, instead of undermining them, is important not only when you’re immersed in another culture, but also back at home. The ability to look at others that are different than you, and appreciate it instead of thinking it’s strange or weird, will get you far in your relationships throughout your life. In my opinion, life skills like these are just as important as biology and calculus.
So, to the parents that still think it’s a waste of time or money: learning isn’t all about math and science. It’s about learning how to be a positive influence on this world and the people you encounter in it. Along with academics, learning how to live in this world is what we go to college for anyway. Studying abroad will provide you with experiences that will help you in your life more than any class could do. Experiencing the variety and depth of other cultures that are nothing like your own is an opportunity that you may not be able to have later on in life.
Being able to live in another country, possibly across an entire ocean, while doing your studies is an opportunity that anyone should be thankful for, and should take advantage of if they have the privilege to be able to do so. Widening your horizons and exposing yourself to new experiences that only studying abroad could provide you with is something I definitely want to do before leaving college, and I encourage everyone else to do the same.
