Why Studying Abroad Should Be a Requirement for All College Students by Emily

Why Studying Abroad Should Be a Requirement for All College Students by Emily - March 2016 Scholarship Essay

The opportunity to study abroad would of course be astounding. To be able to travel, enjoying a different cultural than one’s own culture, all the while taking part diligently in one’s studies could be perhaps anybody’s dream. Studying in a different country would not only give somebody an all new and compelling experience, but also open their eyes to the way other people live and how it differs from what they’re used to seeing on an everyday affair. This being said, I believe that all college students should be required to study abroad with a few exceptions because it’ll help better a person’s view of those who differ from themselves as well as actually prevent repeating the past .
Now, In the US, there is a multitude of people attending college who can barely afford it but the quality of a person's education is just as important as the affordability. Because of this, to make studying abroad required, financial aid should be offered in this area specifically as well as have the traveling abroad cost included in the tuition price so that students know exactly the cost of their prestigious education. Once this has been done, it is fundamental that every student be required to attend part of their college experience in a country other than their own in order to better the situation of miscommunication.
In today’s world, there is an abundance of miscommunication or lack of understanding between people of different backgrounds but by making studying abroad a requirement, this can be thoroughly avoided. Often, the damaged line of connection in regards to communication as well as the inability to understand a person's situation comes from the lack of knowledge for said person's situation. If one is rich, one may not entirely understand the difficulties of those who are not. If one is of a certain gender, one may not understand where the person of the other gender is coming from. If one is of different cultural background, it may be difficult for one to fully understand how that other person feels. These are a few examples of just what could be changed by studying abroad because of the simplicity of experiencing a new culture while keeping an open mind. Of course, studying abroad will not be able to change everyone’s mind but often people’s views are altered or grown partially from their environment. This is how studying abroad might change skewed views for the better.
Frequently, the most ignorant or naive of people come from a background of less experience culturally. By making it a requirement to study outside of a person’s comfort zone, it is making it possible for that person to gain the knowledge they need to understand a different person’s background. This is important because heinous mistakes can be made when there is a lack of understanding between two peoples. Events such as the holocaust and Japanese internment could've been prevented if it were for better education for the people who lack cultural understand. While Hitler’s mind might not have differed on the subject of Jewish people had he been properly educated on their cultural, his followers minds may have differed. Sometimes those who are angry for occurrences gone wrong in their lives, direct that anger toward a group of people that a person of power points them to. Had Hitler’s followers been better educated on the lives of Jews just as much as they faced propaganda against Jews, they may have understood that the Jewish people could’ve possibly been just as angry as them and there may have never been a holocaust. Now, although this may just be a theory, the power of education remains strong.
Maybe the holocaust might not have been stopped sooner than it did if Hitler’s followers had been properly educated in cultural differences. Maybe other horrific disasters might not have been stopped either. But one thing is for sure, the line between ignorance and understanding is drawn by education. If one raised by the lack of understanding only to know what little they know is just pointed in the right direction to recognize separate cultures from themselves maybe the world would be a better place. Studying abroad should be a requirement for all college students to help open the line of communication between different cultures and to attain a stronger concept of apprehension so that the world may become a better place.