What Life Long Benefit Does Studying Abroad Bring To You?

What Life-Long Benefit Does Studying Abroad Bring to You?
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What Life-Long Benefit Does Studying Abroad Bring to You?
Studying abroad is one of the most life-changing experiences one can ever have. The boost to one’s education and career from such an experience is overwhelmingly great. In the last three decades, the number of students looking for opportunities to study abroad has surged as students keep requesting and toiling for such opportunities. According to Tara John (2016), the number of international students studying in the US grew to over one million with China holding the largest share of this number at 31.5%. The truth is, this number is expected to continue growing as more parents continue to toil to have their children study overseas. For the US, John (2016) reports that the number of American students studying abroad also grew and currently, there are more than 100,000 students studying abroad. For these students, Europe most notably Spain, Italy, France, and the U.K. seem to be the preferred destinations with China coming in a close second. Different issues from all over the world usually affect these numbers, but so far, the world seems to be breeding a new crop of elites who understand their immediate surrounding as well as that of their neighbors.
It is indeed challenging to study abroad, and there are millions who would have also preferred to further their studies elsewhere. For starters, financial problems or the cost of studying abroad seem to the main challenge (Naffziger, Bott, and Mueller, 2008). According to Jane Playdon (2018), international students in the U.K. are required to pay between £10,000 (equivalent to US $14,130) and £38,000 (equivalent to US $53,700). Playdon continues to state that these figures could grow depending on which degree one is pursuing. In the US, it is more expensive, but according to Bridgestock (2018), it still remains the “top choice for parents considering university abroad for their child.” However, despite being the preferred study destination, parents are forced to cough up to $58,464 “towards their child’s education in the US per year (including tuition fees, transport, books, and accommodation.).” Apparently, the figures provided here are dependent on the university a student wishes to go to. The point being made here is that studying abroad is quite expensive, but the real question people need to ask themselves is, is it worth it. The truth is, studying abroad does not mean one is set for life or that it will be easier to acquire job opportunities later. But could there be certain benefits which come along with choosing to further one’s studies abroad? By elucidating further on the above question, this paper seeks to determine which life-long benefits accrue or come along with the decision to study abroad.
Methods
To have a complete answer and to increase the research’s credibility, the interview method was employed as the preferred data collection tool. On most occasions, interviewees often opt to leave blanks especially when they are asked to explain or elaborate their answer. However, to avoid this challenge, I used more multiple choice questions and managed to get answers on almost all of the questions. After the 20 question draft was complete, I went ahead and used Qualtrics to design the survey and administer to the interviewees. Due to the time constraints and the challenge of cost, I only sent out 70 surveys by mail. Out of the 70 mails that were sent, only one person could not take part in the study.
Results
From the 70 potential participants, only one could not manage to take part in the survey. This meant that a total of 98.57% agreed to take part in the study with only 1.43% failing to do so. Of the 70, 33 or 47.14% were male while 37 or 52.86 were female. For this study, it was crucial that the participants have some studying abroad experience and as per the results of the survey, 95.71% or 67 participants had studied abroad at some point in their lives while 3 or 4.29% had not. The age of the participants varied as well as most of them, 54 to be exact or 77.14 were between 18 to 24 years old. 4 or 5.71% were under 18 years while 12 or 17.14% were over 24 years of age.
As per the graph shown below (figure 1), a majority of the participants were students from Asia, followed by Europe and then other countries and continents.
Once the above was established, it was now essential that I establish how many years or the duration of the participants’ stay in their host countries. From the survey, a majority of them had or were involved in programs which run for more than a year. 53 or 75.71% were studying or had studied in the host countries for more than a year, 8.57% or 6 for nearly a year, 8.57% or 6 for half a year, 2.86% or 2 for less than three months, and 4.29% or 3 for less than a month. However, despite having studied abroad for more than a year, a majority of the participants had only studied in only one country as indicated in figure 2.
However, there was no connection between the course done and the number of students because the courses taken by the participants were varied. From the graph (figure 3) shown below, students are not brought to overseas countries by particular courses but other factors which will be discussed later.
Another interesting result was the one which showed that students who study abroad improve their grades after they have made the switch. Apparently, while in their home countries, a majority of the students failed with there being 1.43% of them with a GPA of 1.0-2.5, 21.43% with 2.51-3.0, 21.43% with 3.01-3.5, and 38.57% with a GPA of more than 3.5. However, 12 participants refused to answer this questions. Compared to when they made the shift, 1.45% had a GPA of 1.0-2.5, 5.80% with 2.51-3.0, 26.09 with 3.01-3.5, and 53.62 with a GPA of more than 3.5. like in the other case, there were some who were uncomfortable with answering this question. There were mixed feelings, however, when the participants were asked for any opportunities, internships, job offers, or rewards they may have got after their experience of studying abroad (figure 4).
As part of this study, it was indeed crucial that the researcher determines what the participants feel or believe to be that which that can be of help to them in the future based on their studying abroad experience. As per the answers, a majority of the respondents 34.29% believed that the bicultural experience would be of great benefit to them, 24.29% believed the friends they made would be of help to them, others 12.86 said money, some 8.57% said their high grades, while another 20% said their answer was not among the choices provided. The above question prompted the next question which sought to know the changes that the experience had brought to the participants. 17.14% said their lifestyle had changed, 2.86% said their way of studying, 14.29% said their way of thinking, 64.29% said all the above, with only 1.43% saying none of the above ways.
The participants acknowledged the differences in the way teachers in their country teach with those of their host countries. 8.70% of the participants said there is a difference in the way of getting along with students, 17.39% said the requirements of your studying are different, 15.94% said the way of teaching is different, 56.52% said all the above, while 1.45% said none of the above. When it came to plans after graduation for the undergraduates, a majority of them 37.68% seemed to want to continue with their studies, 10.14% said they would go back to their home country, 18.84% said they would seek a job in a foreign country, 14.49% said they would find a job in their home country, while another 18.84 said they were yet to decide. However, one thing that helped to showcase how countries take studying abroad seriously is when students were asked about the trend of studying abroad in their countries. As per graph shown below, a majority of the students saw or agreed that studying abroad is a major trend in their country. (Figure 5)
Additionally, a majority of the participants were in agreement that studying abroad brought them a lot of benefits. From the survey, 25.71% strongly agreed with this assertion, 35.71% agreed, 27.14% somewhat agreed, 7.14% neither agreed nor disagreed, 1.43% somewhat disagreed while 2.86% strongly disagreed.
Finally, when asked about the disadvantages and advantages of studying abroad, the following were the answers:
Disadvantages
Cost = 18/70
Loneliness/Less contact with family = 27/70
Differences in food and culture in general = 9/70
Language barrier = 5/70
Security issues = 3/70
None = 2
GPA = 1
Drugs = 1
Less activity = 1
Mental health issue = 1
Interesting experience = 1
Freedom = 1
Advantages
Friends = 15
Easy to get higher GPA = 2
Broad horizons/ Experience More of the world’s culture = 11
Broaden your perspective = 10
Independent = 8
More chances/Opportunities = 7
New Experience = 8
Fluent English = 2
Better life/resources = 2
All = 1
None = 1
Discussion
Studying abroad does have its benefits, and while many of them will not directly help you recover all the cash you spend acquiring that education, they will indeed complete and add to your life in other ways. From the survey results, the following are some of the benefits of studying abroad as reported by the participants of the survey.
* Grow your network and make life-long friends
One of the greatest benefits of studying abroad is, of course, growing one’s network of friends. As per the survey results, 15 of the 70 participants agreed that indeed they were gifted the chance to grow their network of friends. It is not only enjoyable to have people from all cultures in your life but also educative because you will get to learn from them every day. The good news is, when you go study abroad, you get the opportunity to learn about the host’s culture and also get to meet other international students who you may forge close relationships with as time goes by. Having a friend across the obvious cultural barriers can seem daunting. However, one gets to keep the exposure to the new perceptions and ways of life. Additionally, you also get to take part or have an association with issues and concerns which are thousands of miles away. The fact that you have friends in other countries means that you will always seek and know more about issues that directly impact their lives. Your connection becomes solidified as you engage and get to learn what other people do and the reasons why they do them.
Friendships are not easy to build, and they require time as well as resources which we may not have all the time. It takes work and effort to build the invaluable relationships people have. Studying abroad brings you closer to a new breed of people who may or may not become a part of your life.
As a student, one could be worried about their careers or be on the lookout for people they may partner with. Well, as an international student, you are free to make whichever connections you find fit. The truth is, some of the connections people make end up being opportunity doors which can transform to internships, jobs, life-partners, etc. People have shared stories of how life took a positive turn the moment they met certain individuals while studying abroad. The survey results also support the above claims because when asked who they thought would help them in the future, 17 of the 70 participants said the friends they made. Friendships are indeed important and this study only but confirms this hypothesis.
* Grow or broaden your view of the world by learning and experiencing new cultures
While analyzing the Erasmus Program (Study abroad program in Turkey), Zerman (2014) opines that a majority of study’s participants said that the program helped them become more “open-minded and tolerant.” Even though her study was limited to hospitality and tourism, she continues to opine that these qualities are quite essential especially when it comes to accommodating people from diverse backgrounds. For people to be more tolerant and open-minded, they must have understood diversity and how it is a strength and not a weakness in the world. The results of the survey did support these assertions as 10 out of 70 participants said that studying abroad did help them gain a new perspective or broader perspective of the world. Additionally, it should be noted that an additional 11 respondents agreed that they would gain different insights while learning other people and their cultures. These are indeed aspects which can help to not only gift people with new perspectives of the world but also make them agreeable to other cultures of the world.
Studying abroad sends you into the deep end of other people’s cultures and views of life and the world. At first, it could be overwhelming because of the people, their values, beliefs, and norms and this was evident because 9 participants out of 70 noted this as a challenge including the food eaten in the host countries. However, slowly, people start to learn some of the different ways of adapting and surviving in the new world they are in. Additionally, one also gets to see life through different lenses than they are used. Tarrant, Rubin, and Stoner (2015) talk of how universities in the US are currently on a mission to “globalize the academic environment.” These researchers continue to note that “the assumption is that a broad set of efforts to expose students to alternate ways of viewing the world (including international education but also multi-cultural and sustainable education) nurtures a global awareness and world-mindedness.” However, these researchers also continue to indicate that empirical evidence is either lacking or inconclusive. Conversely, in their results, these researchers still offered strong support for studying abroad after their research revealed that it does “promote global perspectives among college students.” Tarrant, Rubin, and Stoner (2015) continue to state that coupled with McKeown’s (2009) stu...