1.

Introduction

Studying abroad, or in other word, learning overseas, is hardly an unfamiliar issue in

the world these days. Especially, in developing country, many people have tended to
choose to travel abroad for a period of time for educational purpose so far. As simply
defined, studying abroad is the act of attending schools in a different country or
territories and receiving an academic diploma towards specific majors. In recent
times, it has witnessed an increasing number of undergraduate and postgraduate who
move from their permanent resident to a whole new place to study. According to the
international Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, over the
past 30 years, the number of learner enrolled in an external country has climbed
significantly, from 0.8 million all over the world in 1975 to 4.1 million globally in
2010. Additionally, UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics points out that the volume is
accelerating by around 12% every single year (The statistics of studying abroad, 26
September 2012). There are various kinds of learning overseas such as Exchange
program, Intensive Language program or Faculty-led program; however, the most
common one is the Direct Study Abroad program. These curricula may present
valuable benefits for a person such as learning new languages, having a better
studying condition, earning practical skills as well as experiencing new cultures.
Nevertheless, there will also be numerous of challenges for teenagers, namely
financial burden, cultural shock, homesick and health problems. Therefore this paper,
with the aim of helping learners take into account both the pros and cons carefully,
will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad.

2. Discussion of findings
2.1 Advantages of studying abroad:

The most obvious vantage point of learning abroad is that people will be provided
perfect opportunities to learn a new language as well as worthwhile knowledge other
than their mother-tongue. Being surrounded by native speakers will motivate them to
speak the language naturally. Living in such community, they will have the chance to
immerse themselves in the language, which can expedite their flexibility,
pronunciation and fluency. If students go to a country in which the language is one
they have been taught at school, they can take down some words and phrases that may
not written in the books or other repeated grammatical errors in their vocabulary

1
notebook. According to Sarah Han of the Department of International Cooperation at
the Korean Council for University Education: "Students are more open to new
knowledge and expertise when abroad, and that knowledge is often more easily
applicable and adaptable to situations requiring international interaction; thus one can
expect to be more competitive in today's era of globalization”. (Studying abroad: The
benefits, 26 November 2008). Moreover, studying abroad at both undergraduate and
postgraduate levels offer an opportunity to widen one's field of view and help one to
absorb and analyze problems in worldwide perspective.

Secondly, the living standard and the educational condition in a developed country are
far better than those in a developing one. Spacious study areas, priceless collections of
books in the library, well-equipped laboratories and adequate facilities are the best
conditions that any student can ever dream of to pursue their future goals. Because of
those convenience and comfort, students will have stronger desire and be more
determined to study harder. Let’s take a very well-known university all over the
world, Oxford, as a typical example. There are 38 colleges and 6 permanent private
halls at Oxford, which is able to make room for over 22,000 students, including
11,772 undergraduates and 9,850 postgraduates. Moreover, The Bodleian Libraries of
Oxford forms the largest university library system in the United Kingdom. The library
contains over 11 million printed items and other information sources in peculiar
fields. As a result, 91% of Oxford students are pleased with their school quality. In
addition, Oxford has one of the lowest drop-out proportions in the nation, which is
just account for 1.6% (Facts and figures, University of Oxford).

Being brought up and residing in an unchanged area may give us modest vision of our
world. Therefore, beside theories and academic knowledge, there are countless
wonderful places around the world are waiting to be explored ranging from majestic
landscapes, historical landmarks to ancient architecture works. Spending time to get
to know more about the country tends to open the student’s eyesight wider. Traveling
out of the country, taking part on modified cultures or customs also help the students
realize how they actually see their own one and make them understand deeper and
respect more the value of theirs. Moreover, during the time learners stay in the nation,
the relationships will be formed. They will have great chances to meet peers from
diverse backgrounds and despite the fact of coming from different ethnics and having
some specific barriers, these acquaintances may even become life-long fellows.

2
Last but not least, when students live far from home, they have to overcome all
difficulties in life on their own. They will learn to take responsibility for their actions,
manage their finance, familiarize themselves to a new form of currency as well as the
living expenses. These acquired practical skills will be very useful in their future job
seek, career development or as simply as the daily routines. After all of that, overseas
students will become more mature, independent, flexible and responsible.

2.2 Disadvantages of studying abroad:

In return, studying away from a country of citizen will give rise to difficulties at
times. The first step to move into another nation is to meet the passport and visa
requirements. Each government will have distinguished requirements such as photo
cards, fees, proof of finance to support the student while abroad, proof of enrollment,
proof of housing in the country, fingerprints, or other criteria. Depending on where
the students are from, what his or her nationality, the obtainment and maintenance of
visa are different as well. This process is very pivotal and complicated so if the
students cannot deal with it, they may have to cope with visa delay, visa denial, etc.

After that, when they have already moved into the country successfully, the first thing
to come to their mind is the money. It is no doubt that it takes a lot of money to study
abroad. Calvin (2007) mentioned “For students who want the opportunity to study
overseas during their time in college, the cost of doing so can seem daunting.
According to the Education Abroad Center, studying abroad in China costs $8000.
Italy? $10,000. Paris? Up to $15,000" (Monroe, Calvin. "Study abroad can be
expensive but enlightening”). Nothing is cheap but there is a pile of things to pay for:
renting accommodation, transporting, purchasing food and tuition fee. It can vary
from moderately expensive to lofty depending on the major, the city and the country
that the students choose. Moreover, most places do not allowed international students
to work part-time; therefore, foreign students need to have money before arriving in
or have parents from home supporting them. This is absolutely a burden.

What is more, a vast majority of overseas students will suffer from some kind of
culture shock some of the time. People moving from North to South within the same
country even experience culture shock, not to mention that the international learners
have to live in a whole new nation. The culture gap may be as small as that between

3
France and Germany or may be as huge as that between America and China. The
students may find a thing is done in a certain way back in their hometown but in their
adopted country, that thing is done totally different. Therefore, new surroundings,
new customs and new people are things that they have to adjust to. For example, in
Thailand, when people greet each other, they clasp their hands and take a bow to
show the sincere reverent. Another typical instance is that when their host country is
France, the students should bare in mind to hug their peers tightly and to peek them
enough three times when meeting them; otherwise, they will be considered impolite
and disrespectful. If the students cannot manage to overcome the problem, it can have
bad effects on their mental namely depression, sadness, discouraged and particularly,
homesick.

Finally, along with the sudden change of environment and culture, the variation of
weather and food in a new country is also a big matter because this couple of things
may lead to some health problems. The students have to take care of themselves very
well if they do not want to suffer from such diseases like asthma, insomnia, allergies,
stomachache, headache, etc.

3. Conclusion

The above analysis has demonstrated that studying abroad definitely widen people’s
horizons and knowledge and give them opportunities to explore a completely new
culture at the same time. In other words, overseas students will able to get a more
well-rounded education and thereby they will have prestige when they come back to
their home country. In contrast, the downturns of it are also worth to be taken under
consideration. The tuition fee, transport cost or other personal payment are often very
high, and student visas may be hard to obtain and maintain. Moreover, because of the
fact that with some people, leaving home for colleges or universities is the first time
they live away from their families, homesick is inevitable. Therefore, undergraduates
and postgraduates need to weigh both sides of the issue to make an informed decision.

4
 REFERENCES

“OECD Factbook 2013: Economic, Environmental and Social Statistics”, viewed 4 March,
2014
http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/factbook-2013-
en/10/01/05/index.html;jsessionid=4vfhclqamdanr.x-oecd-live-
01?contentType=/ns/StatisticalPublication,/ns/Chapter&itemId=/content/chapter/factbook-
2013-76-
en&containerItemId=/content/serial/18147364&accessItemIds=&mimeType=text/html

Sumedha Sood, 26 September 2012, “The statistics of studying abroad”, viewed 4 March
2014
http://www.bbc.com/travel/blog/20120926-the-statistics-of-studying-abroad

Isabel Eva Bohrer, “10 Reasons Why You Should Study Abroad in College – Benefits &
Challenges”, viewed 4 March 2014
http://www.moneycrashers.com/reasons-why-study-abroad-benefits/

“Studying Abroad: The Benefits”, 26 November 2008, viewed 4 March 2014

http://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/studying-abroad/studying-abroad-benefits

“Facts and Figures”, last updated 7 February 2014, viewed 4 March 2014
http://www.ox.ac.uk/about_the_university/facts_and_figures/

“Benefits of Study Abroad”, viewed 4 March 2014

https://studyabroad.admin.unt.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Abroad.ViewLink&Link_ID=F35
B8412-5056-B566-00DE1BEE9D54EF32

“Visas For Education Abroad”, viewed 4 March 2014

http://www.nafsa.org/Find_Resources/Supporting_Study_Abroad/EA_Visas/Visas_For_Educ
ation_Abroad/

Monroe, Calvin, "Study abroad can be expensive but enlightening." the student newspaper of
consumnes river college sacramento, viewed 4 March 2014
http://ieipblgroup6.iweb.bsu.edu/ayseessay2.htm

“Culture shock when studying abroad”, 16 December 2010, viewed 4 March 2014
http://blog.internationalstudent.com/2010/12/culture-shock-when-studying-abroad/