All college and university students would benefit from spending at least one semester studying in a foreign country.”
Education is an important part of our life. Education means gaining knowledge from experience. Learning everyday chores, learning how to keep a pet or even learning how to knit a sweater. These aren’t things you learn in schools/colleges. These are lessons that life and experience teach us .Experience teaches us more about this world than any physics, math or biology book can.
Students who study abroad are likely to be more independent. The students will grow up to be well rounded and confident people. They attain leadership qualities and learn how to live a life in every situation.You are unlikely to learn how to take care of the pet you just adopted at college. Taking care of a pet helps one achieve a sense of responsibility. Traveling in itself is a big confidence booster. One learns how to deal with people from around the world. If the student wants he can learn the language of the country he is sent to. Any person who is pushed out of their comfort zone at this age will be a little uncomfortable initially, but will learn to adjust. Living alone in a foreign country will teach the students how to fend for themselves. They will learn to live in this big world on their own.
Living away from your home, family and friends helps you build character. The student will always be alert of his surroundings since he is the only person he can rely on. If a student from America studies in Pakistan then he will be tasting a lot of spicy food. The cuisine is completely different from a typical American meal. He will see new values and traditions. The student can learn the national language spoken throughout the country (urdu). The culture is extremely different. The student will learn about the traditional dress of the country; the way wedding festivities take place. The student will learn to venerate the religion and culture of the people living there. They will learn how life is led in Pakistan. They will adapt to living a comfortable life in a third world country.
On the contrary, sending every student will be cost effective. In an ideal world it would seem perfect but we don’t live in an ideal world. Some people might have trouble adjusting to the new culture. Some might not be aware of the societal norms such as in Pakistan a boy and girl never hug when they meet. They just shake hands. But that isn’t something one cannot get used to. There is also a language barrier initially, which may fade away once the person learns at least the necessary words spoken in the country.
Sending students to foreign countries is for the benefit of every student. They learn so much more than they learn in their own protected environment. Since this is the question of our coming generation, why not add tolerance and patient to their list of qualities by sending them to see the different cultures in the world? Letting them see the world for what it actually is than what it is on tv. When it comes to traveling and exploring, there is no dearth of learning.
