Is studying abroad worth it for you? Does participating in an international exchange study program sound fantastic or outlandish? Remember that studying abroad means you’ll be living in that place for an extended period of time for about 6 months to a year.
There are endless benefits to studying and living abroad but, like all options in life, there are also endless pros and cons. This article attempts to address some main reasons on why you should (or even shouldn’t) participate in a foreign student exchange program.
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Reasons to Avoid Studying Abroad
Going on an international exchange study program, at first glance, could seem like the most marvelous idea ever. But truth be told, there might be reasons why studying internationally might not be the best use of your time and money if your main reasons for going are similar to the ones listed here. I recommend writing your thoughts down without judging your answers, so you get the clearest possible answers on whether you really want to study abroad.
Are you going to escape from your current reality?
First off, we all have problems to deal with, but remember that…
Wherever you go, there you are.
It doesn’t matter how far you go in this world, the one person you’ll still have to deal with—is you.
It’s pretty hard travelling with a carry-on luggage if you’re lugging around your, well, serious emotional baggage as well. It’ll weigh you down and prevent you from immersing yourself in the experience. In other words, trying to solve problems by running as far as you can from them will probably be unhelpful in the long term.
Moving countries is a big deal no matter how exciting and easy it is. I say easy because with technology these days, it’s easy to look for places online and instantly book a flight to anywhere in the world.
Even though studying abroad to escape from your current environment could be temporarily good for you, all the unsolved problems will inevitably catch up. If you plan to do a study abroad program solely to run from something you don’t want to face, then you might want to look into getting good therapy instead of signing up for an overseas study program.
Going on an international exchange will actually add burden to your burdens. There will (most likely) be language barriers, money management, and making (and dropping) new friends. Though it sounds trivial, all of the above tasks could exacerbate the problems you’re already dealing with. I can tell you right now that travelling far and wide won’t solve any fundamental hardships you’re presently facing, especially if you have to come back to them.
Travelling might put a balm on your problems but it’s not a solution unto itself.
Are you going to find a mate?
Finding a mate while studying abroad sounds absolutely sublime, romantic, and something out of a fairytale. There are lots of students who pair up while studying at a partner university on an international exchange program. Some do last with their partners and some don’t. And that’s fine! That’s the nature of many relationships.
Again, potentially finding a mate as part of your study abroad experience is one thing, but going on an international study program with the sole goal of finding a mate probably isn’t the best idea. It takes time to get to know people and to discover compatibility. And you still have to spend time and money dating them. It isn’t a one-and-done deal.
Oh, and you might not find a mate or you might break up with the person you did end up dating. The point I’m getting at is that studying abroad can be just like regular, daily life like anywhere else in the world once the novelty fades. Please don’t be mistaken that going somewhere else to find a mate somehow makes it more likely to find a mate. You’re meeting other human beings with emotions, habits, mannerisms, personality, and so on. Travelling won’t somehow make love come faster or easier.
Are you going for novelty?
Are you planning to go on year-long exchange because you’re bored with wherever you are right now? Getting away on a quick vacation to recharge and rejuvenate is one thing, but studying abroad presents a whole set of challenges.
Going on an exchange solely for newness and novelty will leave you quickly disappointed. Novelty fades while studying abroad in a new country and homesickness will set in. It will also take energy, maybe even enormous amounts of it, to get past homesickness.
Reality will set in that you’re in a new country and away from what you’re familiar with. So going on an international exchange program only for novelty could leave you worse off when all the new stuff becomes old.
Are you going because you think it’s an easy way to earn credits? And there’ll be no need to study?
Are you only going because you want to distract yourself from studying (or whatever problems you might be facing. See point 1 above). Do you think there’ll be no need to study on your study abroad program and that it’ll be easy to earn credits?
I repeat again that studying abroad requires time, money, and energy. If your main goal is to distract yourself and have fun, then a getaway to a resort could fulfill that with a lot less headaches and paperwork.
Studying abroad means immersing yourself in the culture. It also means learning and exposing yourself to new subjects at a different university; it really does mean making the time to study and learn.
All the reasons I’ve listed above could potentially be positive reasons for signing up for a year-long study program abroad. However, those reasons shouldn’t be the main reasons for why you want to study in a foreign country. Those reasons are, to put it bluntly, kind of weak and flimsy and probably won’t anchor you in tough times when you really need the push to stay in a foreign city and get your studying done.
So what are some more beneficial reasons to study abroad that’ll give you a more well-rounded experience?
Beneficial Reasons to Studying Abroad
Are you going to broaden your horizons?
Living and studying abroad will help you develop new perspectives on life and people. You’ll meet incredible, and not-so-incredible people (just like in all places), but you’ll be exposed to new ideas, behaviours, customs, habits, rules, bureaucracy, and values. All of that could help broaden your horizons on what being alive in this world is all about. It could also help crystallize any values you might hold at the moment and discard ones that no longer serve you. It could help you build empathy and a healthy tolerance for differences.
Are you going to finally satisfy some wanderlust and indescribable craving of seeing your dream destination?
Finally getting a chance to see a place you’ve only dreamed of while on a study abroad exchange program is a fantastic way to satisfy your wanderlust craving. Don’t forget that study abroad means you’ll have to live in that place which can be a great anchor for travelling to neighbouring countries and immersing yourself in the local life—like a local! It can satisfy pent-up wanderlust frustration for sure.
Are you going to finally immerse yourself in the language?
Do you say to yourself how wonderful it would be if you could actually improve your language skills by living in a place that actually speaks it daily? Do you say to yourself how great it would be to interact with people in the local language and learn the slang, the jargon, the funky expressions? Do you dream of finally being able to apply all that vocabulary you learned in class to real life?
It’s easy to study, and study, and study something endlessly, especially language, and feel like it’s never going to pay off because you don’t get to apply the skill in your home country. The great thing about living abroad is that most likely you’ll be forced to use those language skills. And how far you go, how much progress you makes, depends on how committed you are to language immersion.
Are you going to study because you do want to study some stuff you might not get to study at your home uni?
Universities around the world all offer similar and different subjects. It’s pretty magical sitting inside a lecture hall from the 1560s and soaking up the knowledge and history you’re getting. I got to study archaeology, music, medieval linguistics, and medieval literature during my exchange program. And it was fantastic that I was exposed to these subjects which I wouldn’t have gotten a chance to study back home, since I only took courses to satisfy my major.
I recommend trying to finish courses for your major at your home university before the year you want to study abroad. This way, you can take elective courses in subjects you’re interested in but won’t get a chance to study back home. This is also a great opportunity to learn for the sake of learning without the added pressure of studying simply to fulfill your major at your home university.
Will studying abroad be worth it for you?
The bottom line is: none of the reasons above for going, or not going, on a study exchange program is exclusive. All I recommend is that you do not solely go on an international exchange for only 1 or 2 reasons. Some reasons are less advantageous than others (like escaping from current problems or finding a mate) and some are more beneficial (like language immersion and living abroad).
But you might meet a mate and you might find some solutions to your problems because of the change in environment. Seeing a place you really wanna see is great, but you have to ask yourself if going on a short vacation or staying at a resort are better options than studying abroad. Studying abroad means you’ll be living in that place for up to 9 months and it can pose real physical and emotional challenges.
Please keep a realistic approach as studying abroad will cost you time, money, energy, and most importantly, commitment.
The goal is to aim for a holistic travel abroad experience. As I keep repeating in this guide, it’s the commitment to most of the reasons noted here (without only dedicating yourself to one or two things) that’ll help you decide if going on a study abroad program is the best choice for you.
