study abroad scholarship essay examples

study abroad scholarship essay examples

The Benefits of Studying Abroad

1. Introduction

Many students would like the opportunity to learn in a country other than that in which they are a citizen. Immersing oneself in fields such as science, engineering, fine arts, or humanities in another country provides students with a new perspective and perhaps even a clearer understanding of the field they wish to study. Interacting with international students from other countries as well as the host nationals is an experience that will greatly enhance your social skills as well as provide you with an opportunity to broaden your circle of friends. Adjusting to new cultural settings is often difficult and the ability to solve problems in such a setting is a valuable addition to the skill of flexibility. All of these factors are greatly sought after by employers. If the student has proficiency in a second language, this often becomes the primary reason for considering studying in another country. This skill is very attractive to employers and the student can continue to develop their language ability as easily as when they were a child. Oftentimes, excelling at a job may lead to a transfer to a foreign country. The experience and skills obtained from studying abroad will give you a great advantage in this situation.

2. Section One: Broadening Horizons

Living in another country can even come with the added dimensions of culture shock and adjusting to social norms in your first weeks, but soon you will develop transferable skills and knowledge that will make you more employable to companies and give you the competence to manage in different cultural settings. You will have the upper hand in understanding, interacting and establishing business relations in Asia, the world’s fastest growing economic region. With large multinational corporations looking to establish divisions in Asia, they will be looking for employees who have an understanding of the culture, language and business environment. Asian countries are attractive destinations for many young graduates and postgraduates seeking to further their career prospects. By having acquired a familiarity with the environment and a feel of whether you would be comfortable living and working in Asia, through studying and working abroad, you will have an advantage with many employers. If I could offer just one piece of advice to someone who is not sure whether to take on a summer internship in a specific country, it would be DO IT. This is the perfect opportunity to discover the ins and outs of working in a country and to establish whether it is a right fit for a future job. An internship will test both your personal and professional abilities. I interned in Japan, under the pretense that I was a big shot, top of the class, Japanese-speaking high flyer. Upon arrival, I realized I could barely communicate in a business atmosphere and could not comprehend office Keigo. Through persistence and taking an intern-level job at a hotel, I developed my Japanese language skills and understanding of the business environment and proved when it was time to return home, that I am, in fact, an aspiring high-flyer.

3. Section Two: Academic Growth

In addition to valuable life skills, students can reap academic benefits from studying abroad. For most students, this is often one of the only opportunities a student will have to travel to a foreign country for an extended period of time. Experiencing a totally different education system is often scary, but also challenging. When you are an international student, you get to see a side of your major that you may not have been exposed to at home. You will find that completely immersing yourself in the education system of your host country is a great way to really experience and understand the people, its traditions, and its culture. Education is the centerpiece of any study abroad trip—it is the reason behind your travels. Schools overseas offer a different array of courses and opportunities. By directly enrolling as a visiting student, you will have the opportunity to experience the education system of a foreign country. This can often be the best way to understand the culture of the country. It’s an experience that is hard to come by.

4. Section Three: Cultural Immersion

Cultural immersion is the core of the study abroad experience. World civilization courses and tourism detract from the student’s ability to learn and fully comprehend the culture and, most importantly, the local lifestyle of its people. Cultural immersion has the potential to cause a shift in one’s values and way of viewing the world. It is a complete experience understood through the mind and the heart. It involves the student’s beliefs and behaviors, and also the feelings the student has about themselves. Often, these changes are only fully understood upon the student’s re-entry into their home country as they will see their own culture from a different perspective. Aiding in the cultural immersion experience is the ideal that the student will be able to use their host culture as a point of comparison, learning more about the culture and values of their own society. By becoming a part of the local community, the student will gain insight into the local way of life, which is a benefit that cannot be taught in a classroom.

5. Conclusion

It is not possible to say what new developments will take place in the field of study abroad. But if an increasing number of students do come to believe that it is possible to learn any subject better in a foreign country and that it is possible to combine education for a career with a period of study abroad, then those concerned about international understanding may be offered a new and unforeseen chance to further their cause.

Recent work in the field of learning suggests that education has both indirect and unanticipated effects on the development of attitudes and values. It is often not possible to forecast what sort of education will have what sort of effect on the student. Thus, in the course of trying to educate for international understanding it is perhaps not so important to find the most effective method of building understanding into the curriculum as it is to provide a general education in which understanding would be a natural outcome.

This paper has presented a critique of current thought on the demands of studying abroad for international understanding. There is a view today that education plays a negative role in developing international understanding and that students would be better off staying at home to study courses that would lead directly to a career in international service. It is quite possible that this view is correct, but it seems that education has a more vital role in the future of international understanding.