It's Too Risky by Keeley

It's Too Risky by Keeley - March 2016 Scholarship Essay

When most people think about studying abroad, they see it as an opportunity to experience about another culture while simultaneously getting the same education that they would normally receive in their home country. If it is the desire of a student to travel to a foreign country, then making studying abroad a requirement for college graduation would be an added bonus. However, if it is not, for whatever reason such as avoiding the possibility of cultural shock, language barriers, and/or economic or family-related issues, then students should not be penalized for not getting an education overseas. In which case, it should remain a choice.
Traveling to another country can be a rewarding life experience, but if it requires staying within that country for an extended period of time, it could be a stressful nightmare for the average college student, who is typically young with little experience and knowledge on being independent, has trouble adapting to a new culture. Certain cultural habits that they are used to performing may be found to be alien, unusual, or offensive by the inhabitants and could cause issue that may be disruptive to the students’ studies. The college that sent them could face scrutiny if the behavior and attitudes of their students happens to be too much to handle for a foreign community.
Communication is an important survival skill. An inability to communicate with other people decreases the chances of survival. Before traveling to a foreign country, people must learn that country’s most spoken language so that communication with its citizens can be established with ease. However, this could add pressure on college students and hinder the benefit of getting a proper education. For instance, if a foreign exchange student can’t speak to or understand what the local grocery market clerk is trying to say when they are asked, “Where can I find the fruit section” or “Do you sell any type of meat” in a language that the clerk doesn’t recognize, then that student will have a difficult time finding and purchasing food unless they find and hire a translator. Unless colleges and universities make learning a foreign language a requirement as part of their mandatory study abroad program, then they have no legitimate reason or cause to force their students to go abroad.
Learning a new language is hard enough, but trying to keep up with the costs of living could prove even harder and expensive. Some foreign exchange schools will still require tuition payments for a semester from incoming foreign students. On top of that, some students will still have to pay for their plane ticket. Even if they go on an all-expenses paid scholarship, most students will, at the very least, have to find a way to afford the cost of living in their chosen country of study. If studying abroad is made mandatory, there needs to be a financial plan, such as scholarships and grants or a special financial aid program sponsored by the school, that can provide funds for each students’ trip, but the costs will be too expensive.
If it is the first time that a student has ever left their home or have been on their own, then studying abroad could prove to be more damaging than beneficial to their overall learning development if they are not prepared. Stepping out of a comfort zone isn’t the same as stepping out of a cultural zone. By having the access to a support group in their home country, like close friends, immediate or distant family members or even a close-knit community, a student will have a network of security built around a sense of trust. Yet by removing that student from that environment and placing them in a completely brand new one far from people that they have always known and are used to, they may start to feel vulnerable and lost in a world in which they have never been a part of.
Considering the potential impacts on mental health and well-being along with their personal development and financial problems, studying abroad is not for every student. To make it a mandatory college requirement could decrease the rate of college graduates since it would only add more stress on to students. For students who never had the desire to travel outside of the country or never planned on doing so while in college, forcing them to go to another country could have a negative effect that could last for years to come. Though studying abroad could provide a beneficial advantage for one’s education, it could easily cause a psychological drawback.