Should Study Abroad be Mandatory? by Jourdon

Should Study Abroad be Mandatory? by Jourdon - March 2016 Scholarship Essay

Every Year thousands of students decide to leave their country for college and study abroad. Most of these students agree that they had a wonderful time being in a foreign country and that other students should try it as well. However, the idea of leaving your home country might be too much to handle for some people. Not everyone is ready to pack up their bags and leave the comfort and familiarity of their country and making it a requirement might be horrifying thought for them. Studying abroad should not be mandatory because people will be forced to leave their families and learn a new language and culture.
First off, students might not want to leave their country because of their family and friends. Many people have a hard time meeting new people and building relationships. Not everyone is extroverted and ready to make new friends. One might say that they could just be alone during their trip, but who wants to be alone during what is essentially an international field trip? Having friends, or at least having people to hang out with, is important since no one is going to be studying the entire time they are abroad. One of the main draws from studying abroad is seeing new sights and enjoying the culture and being alone during the trip can potentially ruin it for them. Family is also a factor that needs to be considered. Not every college student is single and a young adult. Some of them are way older and have families and relationships (i.e. boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, children). Forcing these kinds of people to study abroad separates them for arbitrary reasons that might not matter to them. Not everyone wants to see the world. They are comfortable where they are now and want it to stay that way.
Another reason going abroad shouldn’t be a requirement is that it might require people to spend a good amount of their time studying the language and culture of the country they are going to. Assuming every school has a study abroad program and every student has to apply for it, competition is bound to happen. What happens to the student whose only option left is a country they’re unfamiliar with? Are they forced to spend time and money learning the language and culture? Do they wait until next semester to try to get a more favorable country? While classes are most likely going to be taught in English, they’re going to need something for outside of school. If they go to a country with strict rules, they will need to know what they can or cannot do. Are they going to be give pamphlet of do’s and don’ts? If students end up going to a country they want to go to, they are more likely to take the extra time to learn what they need to. However, by forcing everyone to participate, unneeded competition to get into certain countries is formed. Money, assuming the school isn’t providing it, has to be spent on learning the language and extensive research has to be done on understanding the culture and laws. These are steps not everyone wants to take which is one the reasons why this is an option—not a requirement.
Studying abroad is probably a fantastic experience. However, it’s only fantastic because the ones who went wanted to. They wanted to learn the language. They wanted to learn the culture. Forcing people into doing it ruins the experience and causes problems that don’t have to be there (i.e. forcibly separating families, competition). Studying abroad has always been an option and should stay that way.