WHY STUDY ABROAD
Have you always dreamed of traveling to cool places, meeting lots of different people, and maybe picking up a language or two? No matter what country you live in, you can fly over the world’s highest waterfalls in Venezuela, learn world trade in Japan, study in France, or take dancing lessons in Ghana, or go and enjoy in Germany’s “Fun City”, Munich known for its Oktoberfest.
Besides the excitement of travel, one reason to study abroad is that you will experience new customs, holidays, foods, art, music, and politics firsthand.
“Obviously, I learned the language and am now fluent, but perhaps more importantly was how much I learned about cultures, people, and myself. I learned this from the viewpoint of an active member of the community and my [host] family, not from the tourist’s point of view,” says Andrew, who studied in Poitiers, France.
Another reason for studying abroad is that you’ll gain self-confidence. Christina studied in Caracas, Venezuela, a city of 10 million people and a huge change from her hometown of 35,000! Christina says she learned how to better stand up for herself and her beliefs and to express herself in another language. What could make you more confident than that?
Living away from home can also help you adjust in the transition to college and adulthood. Matthew says he returned from studying in Australia with confidence, social savvy, and a genuine interest in international affairs that really set him apart from his peers. “After having gone abroad in high school, I found the transition to college to be a breeze - moving 560 miles from home didn’t seem particularly daunting after having lived thousands of miles away.”
And speaking of college, improving your language skills might help you get into choice colleges and even land future jobs. Colleges and employers know that studying abroad provides leadership skills in a world that is increasingly globally interconnected.
Most of all, it’s fun! You’re not likely to suffer from sophomore slump or general boredom while you’re studying in a different learning environment.
If you’ve studied abroad and want to be a host yourself, or if you’ve decided you don’t want to travel but would like the chance to learn about another culture, your family may be a candidate to host a student. Families fill out applications and interview with organization representatives, reviewing profiles (or videos) of students who might be a good fit.
Whether you host a student or study abroad yourself, you’re sure to see the world in a new way.
Studying abroad opens larger opportunities for people. It is giving the person the chance to explore by himself the bounty of the globe and experience its richness. Knowledge and wisdom is not only sought in ones country. The real world is large, larger than we thought it to be. It has scattered pieces of gold in any place in the world. But the larger pack of gold is in one country. Though all places offer different fields of study, Germany has it all. Its wide range of opportunities attributed to its richness and stable economy has invited many people to make the country among the first choices in selecting places to study. It is indeed among the leading countries when it comes to high standard education. It will continue offering the student’s quality education generations from now.