It is a tragedy that many innocent people lost their lives in the attacks in Brussels and Paris. In Emily Gauci’s article, "The US Shouldn't Allow Students to Study Abroad," she explains that because of these awful events, we should have a ban on college students studying abroad. Before I continue, I would like to state that in this piece, I am only providing a counterargument to Gauci’s.
Yes, it is heartbreaking that innocent lives were lost in these attacks, but we have experienced the same in the United States as well, Sept. 11, 2001. That was almost 15 years ago, and as a country, we have coped with the attacks on our country and continued to live our lives. The attacks in Europe have been recent and frequent, but my point is that attacks where innocent lives are taken can happen at any point in time, anywhere in the world.
Most freshman college students are at least 18 years of age, meaning that they can legally make their own decisions. Whether they decide to study abroad or not is their own choice. There should not be a liability on their college for the student’s decision to travel to the country of their choice. Studying abroad is educational and much cheaper than traveling internationally outside of school.
I would never wish for any parent to have to bury their own child. With that said, at the age of 18, we are able to make the choice to join branches of the Armed Forces where there is also a chance of us losing our lives. Why should we take the choice away from college students for wanting to travel on their own in an educational environment?
Like Gauci, I have had family members and friends who have studied abroad. No, they were not anywhere where the attacks have happened, but they still argue that studying abroad helps students to open their minds and broaden their horizons in a culture that is not their own.
If someone does not want to travel, they do not have to. Taking away the privilege of studying abroad to students because of terrorist attacks is living in fear. We cannot live our lives in constant fear; if we did, we would have limited experiences. Studying abroad gives young people a chance to travel internationally, something that not everyone gets a chance to do in their lifetimes.
