Advantages to studying abroad?

Question

What are the advantages of studying abroad and what are the disadvantages??I can hardly wait to travel!Tell me about where you have been or where you want to go and any suggestions.Thanks!

Answer 1

I have studied abroad in Vienna, Austria and Auckland, New Zealand....and both were THE BEST EXPERIENCES OF MY LIFE!!!  NO JOKE!!!

Studying abroad is so empowering!!  You suddenly realize that you can do and survive anything.  I have driven on the "wrong side" of the road in an antarctic blizzard, I have survived the streets of Paris at 3 in the morning, I have been on trains so full of butt-pinching Italian men you would be surprised I still have a butt (:  I have survived remote island home-stays (always an adventure) I have slept in hostel beds without sheets and shared rooms with foreign men who sleep in the buff.  I have gone with out food, gone without toothpaste - and lived on bread and coca cola and Milka bars. I have studied Ruebens art by looking at his work in the walls of the Louve, I have studied music by seeing LaBoheme in the second row of the State Opera; I have studied history by walking through the gas chambers of Mauthausen Concentration Camp.  Experiences you can't have reading a book.  A study abroad opens the world to you and allows you to see, touch, taste and feel what you learn!!

So enjoy the good, the bad, the embarrassing, the scary and never forget to tell yourself what a great story this will make! Keep a journal - it is better than any souvenir.  These are the stories I still love to tell, I love to relive in my mind, these are the experiences I will treasure all my life.  It will be the most amazing adventure of your life!

Answer 2

My son left the UK to study in Adelaide, Australia.  It was the best thing he ever did in his life, he has NEVER looked back.

If he wanted to come back home he could, but there is far more opportunities for him in a warm climate with a far superior standard of living.  He is currently applying for permanent residency there and has made some wonderful friends and has a job he could never have hoped to get in the UK.

We miss him lots and he misses us, but with the phone and the internet we keep in touch several times a week and we are now planning our second trip out there in 3 weeks.

Hopefully we might be able to retire out there with him!

Go for it as there is a bigger world outside your environment.

Answer 3

Studying overseas provides a student with Independence, first and foremost, as your parents are not there to support you if something were to go wrong. International Universities also provide a different perspective on a course program then you would see and learn in the US. You are also immersed in a totally different culture and world. You are able to witness how that given society functions and are then able to adapt to it and enjoy what they have to offer.

Depending on the country and university, you may have to take a proficiency test and learn a new language and this in-itself is a great attribute to have in life. Your resume will also look much brighter in the eyes of an employer. Obtaining a degree from an international university shows independence, determination, goals, and willingness to excel, all becoming key players to employers when they interview and hire candidates. You also are able to say you have been in a different country by yourself and say you "been there, done that".

It all depends on how much you really want it and how motivated you are. It is very costly as opposed to the US and and culture and way of life is definitely not like in American Society.

Hope this Helps!! Take Care!!!