The Option of Studying Abroad by Kiara

The Option of Studying Abroad by Kiara - March 2016 Scholarship Essay

While in college, students are expected to have a great sense of time management. They are expected to do their work, study, have a job, and socialize. With all of this chaos, there should be some aspect that allows the student to have fun while juggling all of these things. Hence, studying abroad. The study abroad programs in educational institutions allow students to learn about different cultures, pick up different languages and also expand their networking pool, and as everyone knows, networking is the most important thing. However, while there are many positive aspects of studying abroad, I do not believe that it should be a requirement, if anything it should be left as an option. So, all colleges should have the option to study abroad.

My reason for being in the middle about this topic is that I don’t believe studying abroad should be cut out all together, but nor do I believe that it should be a necessity. American society is about having options, whether it is in our education system, jobs or life in general. We are allowed to have options, and sometimes our options are all we can afford. What I mean by this is that not everyone can afford the cost of studying abroad. College is already expensive, and is already sure to drown students in debt for most of their lives, so studying abroad is just more money out of their pockets, that they don’t have. While financial aid is available, (such as scholarships, grants and loans) they aren’t always enough, nor are they always guaranteed. Therefore, studying abroad should be left as an option and not a requirement.