An Opportunity, Not a Requirement by Katie

An Opportunity, Not a Requirement by Katie - March 2016 Scholarship Essay

Katie Cox
An Opportunity, Not a Requirement
Studying abroad can be a great opportunity for a lot of students, but it isn’t always a possibility for everyone. I don’t believe studying abroad should be a requirement for students because not everyone can afford it, some students won’t necessarily benefit from it, or it may be too difficult for a student to leave their home for an entire semester. Though I think it would be an amazing opportunity and it would be hard to pass up, there’s just some people who just can’t see it as a possibility.
College is a huge expense for any student, regardless of whether they study abroad, and when they do decide to travel to a different country to study, it can be extremely expensive. Some colleges offer programs that allow students to study abroad and pay the same amount of tuition that they would at their home country’s school, and that is a good program, but not all schools have it, and that doesn’t account for all the other expenses that come with traveling. For me, studying abroad wouldn’t be a possibility because I’m struggling to afford college as it is, let alone traveling to a different country. Now, if all colleges would compensate the student for their travelling expenses and only charge them tuition, then I think then, and only then, could they maybe consider making it a requirement, but there are still other factors to consider.
Depending on major, studying abroad might not necessarily help the student. Anyone could study abroad regardless of major, yes, but that doesn’t mean the student would necessarily benefit from it. Certain majors, like history, art, or international business would greatly benefit from studying abroad, because they can experience things in other countries that would help them in their majors. However, there are some majors that wouldn’t necessarily benefit from studying abroad. Sure, they would probably benefit from the travel experience itself, but the actual studies would probably be very similar to those in their home country.
Another factor that affects whether or not a student should study abroad is their ability to travel. Some people have certain responsibilities in their home country that would prevent them from studying abroad, for example jobs, families, pets, or children. Other students might have an actual inability to travel, perhaps a disability, or a fear of flying. All of these factors must be considered when thinking about whether or not studying abroad should be required.
In conclusion, studying abroad can be an amazing opportunity, but that is what it should remain as, an opportunity, not a requirement. There are just too many elements that can prevent a student from being able to study abroad. I would love to study abroad, but I don’t have enough money, and I can’t afford to leave my job and pets unattended to. For me, being required to study abroad would probably make my life worse than better because of the stress it would cause me. It really just depends on the student and what they’re capable of, but studying abroad should definitely not be a requirement.