Global Breaking News - Monday, December 23, 2024

A Year Abroad vs. a Year Wasted
Despite efforts to reduce the cost of a college degree, the price tag remains unthinkable for many. And it’s not just the cost of tuition, but also the extras like spending a year, a semester or even a summer in a foreign country. At a time when it seems as if every American college and university has a study abroad program or has agreements with institutions that offer the experience, one has to wonder: Is it worth it?
* despite = ~에도 불구하고/ unthinkable = 상상도 할 수 없는/ study abroad program = 유학 프로그램

 해외 유학, 시간 낭비인가요 득인가요?

1. It Is Essential
Learning how to interact with people from other countries equips future leaders in all sectors to address urgent issues shared across borders.

2. A Gap Year Is Much Better
Rather than waiting for a cultural "bungee jump" halfway through college, I started Brown with a year of global learning from living abroad after finishing high school.

3. More Students Should Do It
Underrepresented and low-income students should study abroad in order to realize that we are more alike than we are different.

4. The Cost of Not Going Is Real
Not studying abroad lowers a persons chances of success in the ever-globalizing world -- and that has economic consequences.

Sample Essay

It Is Essential

Globalization is here to stay, and students who want to work in our interconnected global world should study abroad.

Despite the inevitable increasing global competition for jobs, American graduates lack the international experience, language capabilities and cross-cultural communication skills necessary to succeed in the global economy. With only about 10 percent of students studying abroad at some point in their academic career, we have a long way to go.

Making study abroad a part of their education is the most effective and accessible means for students to develop needed skills because it pushes a student to get out of her comfort zone to experience another culture, language, environment and education system. It teaches students to appreciate difference and diversity firsthand, and enables them to recognize — and then dismiss — stereotypes they may have held about people they had never met.

Learning how to interact with people from other countries and cultures equips future leaders in all sectors to address urgent issues — from curing diseases and finding energy solutions, to fighting terrorism and hunger — shared across borders.

But study abroad has to be done correctly. It shouldn’t be a separate or tangential part of education, but rather an integrated part of the curriculum, incorporating proper cross-cultural preparation and supportive reintegration to help students understand and internalize what they learn.

With more flexible and accessible options, the barriers posed by financial need, disabilities, race and ethnicity and sexual orientation are crumbling. Excellent programs and inspiring role models exist for every type of student. Every parent, teacher, professor, adviser and employer should support making international experience an essential and affordable component of a well-rounded education.