Why Study Abroad

As a college student nowadays, you might notice more international students on campus than what your grandparents noticed when they were in college. According to statistics, “the global number of international students tripled from 1.3 million to 4.3 million between 1990 and 2011 (Cebolla-Boado et al.)”.

And there is still a steady increase of international students despite the challenges that the pandemic brings. Even though international students gather from all over the world into various institutions in the U.S. to further their study, they might have completely different reasons for studying abroad. As you begin to realize the integral role those international students play, it might also be helpful to know the reason one came here if you wanted to befriend one yourself. 

To begin with, one of the most important factors for students studying abroad is pursuing higher education. Education in western countries is very well-known for students across the world whether it is the campus life and the free environment, or it is the most advanced research facilities. Therefore, it is the case that many of them have set their dream schools there, for example, Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, UC Berkeley, Oxford… University’s prestige and rankings are regarded as Chinese student’s criteria for choosing schools to apply (Cebolla-Boado et al.)”. It would truly be a dream come true if a student could have the opportunity to experience and receive the education that one of these top-notch schools has to offer. 

The second factor has to do with the existing social norm and socially expected behavior of studying abroad today. In China, if a family could afford the children to study abroad, it would be expected of the parents to do so, because it somehow ensures the kid’s future success by studying abroad. It is said that “access to study abroad secures advantages in the domestic and in international labor markets through skills and degrees obtained abroad (Knut, and Tamara)”.

 Therefore, we can see families from different classes in China all choose to send their children to study abroad whether a  huge financial sacrifice is needed or not. 

However, problems emerge as more international students return to their home country after they finish their degrees abroad. In recent years, people are starting to doubt whether spending such a huge amount of money is worthy regarding how much salary an international student earns after he or she returns for a job. According to a study, the vast majority of students could still be competent even without study abroad experience (Knut, and Tamara)”. And the diploma from a western university has been greatly devalued. Then what’s the point of spending all this money for my kids to study abroad, many people asked.

As a matter of fact, the experience of being an international student not only teaches the student about openness, but also shapes a student from a comprehensive perspective. The experience of getting to know and embrace different cultures, perspectives, people from different countries could teach the student about openness about anything. This ability is beneficial for the student in whatever situation or whoever the student encounters in the future. Moreover, “past research indicates that foreign experience helps problem-solving because adapting one’s lifestyle imparts cognitive flexibility (Jaee, and Michael)”. Living in a foreign country, cooking every day, solving all kinds of problems by oneself, can indeed develop one’s overall independence and problem-solving ability.

Works Cited

Cebolla-Boado, Héctor et al. “Why Study Abroad? Sorting Of Chinese Students Across British Universities”. British Journal Of Sociology Of Education, vol 39, no. 3, 2017, pp. 365-380. Informa UK Limited, https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2017.1349649. Accessed 28 Jan 2022. 

Jaee, Cho, and Morris Michael. "Cultural Study And Problem-Solving Gains: Effects Of Study Abroad, Openness, And Choice". Journal Of Organizational Behavior, vol 36, 2015, pp. 944-966., https://search.library.ucsb.edu/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=cdi_gale_infotracacademiconefile_A452181424&context=PC&vid=01UCSB_INST:UCSB&lang=en&search_scope=DN_and_CI&adaptor=Primo%20Central&tab=Everything&query=any,contains,cultural%20study%20and%20problem%20solving%20gains&offset=0. Accessed 28 Jan 2022.

Knut, Petzold, and Peter Tamara. "The Social Norm To Study Abroad: Determinants And Effects". Higher Education, vol 69, 2015, pp. 885-900., https://search.library.ucsb.edu/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=cdi_jstor_primary_43648834&context=PC&vid=01UCSB_INST:UCSB&lang=en&search_scope=DN_and_CI&adaptor=Primo%20Central&tab=Everything&query=any,contains,the%20social%20norm%20to%20study%20abroad&offset=0. Accessed 28 Jan 2022.