Should I stay or should I go? by Sidney

Should I stay or should I go? by Sidney - March 2016 Scholarship Essay

The college experience in its entirety spans multiple facets from classroom learning to collaboration with people of diverse backgrounds and cultures. There are many options for a prospective student to choose from, including but not limited to field of study, where to live (on-campus or off), access to and involvement in organizations that focus not only on academics, but also philanthropy and even social groups.

To take the college experience even further, students have the opportunity to engage in studies abroad. The question posed is "Should all students be required to study abroad?" In my opinion, while this can be an attractive option for those students with a passion to explore learning and cultures beyond our borders; I don't believe it should be a requirement. The goal of post-secondary education is to provide students with higher-level learning across a broad reach of subjects while teaching the importance and value of research, collaboration, creativity in an environment tailored to bring out the very best of students. This can absolutely be accomplished within the "walls" of their institution of choice. To state it simply, one size does not fit all, so a requirement for all students to study abroad conflicts with this fact. For many students, cost is the key factor in selecting not only a college or university, but also the course of study. The cost of studying abroad may or may not be known at the time a student chooses their institution and by adding this as a requirement can put undue financial pressure on them, potentially requiring students to take on additional debt just to meet a requirement that doesn't necessarily prove to be of benefit upon graduation. For example, if there was a clear financial benefit when it comes to post-degree employment or career placement it might be easier to commit additional upfront funds to meet said proposed requirement.

Let me take this n another direction for a moment. There are definitely areas of study that would benefit from the requirement for study abroad. I would propose students who have selected the following majors be required to engage in the study abroad program because the value is much more tangible when it comes time to seek career placement upon graduation. These majors could include: International Business, International Law, Foreign Language (i.e.Spanish major, Education minor), Architecture, Art.

To summarize my position, there are many intangible benefits for students to participate in the study abroad program; however, in order to make it a requirement for all students there must be a tangible, financial benefit which is yet to be proven. The "should I stay or should I go" must be discretionary for each student and requiring it simply take the "choice" out of their hands.