Study Abroad Programs: Revised
So, study abroad programs, if you are reading this you have likely you have heard of them one way or another, either you are a teacher who had set this assignment up for school students to submit to you, or you are the sorry chap who made the unfortunate mistake of randomly browsing the internet for “interesting” things to read. Regardless, studying abroad seems to be creating a great deal of controversy, but the question remains… is studying abroad a Vacation, a field study, or something more? Let’s find out!
If you are a good student in school, a high-school graduate, or a successful businessman, it could agreed that studying can be rather important, so, what could possibly be the root of all the debate among academic experts and bystanders alike? Many of the answers we search for lie within “The Bright Side of Studying Abroad” by Philip Jones. Within the article mentioned previously, the author claims that, studying abroad has its own ‘great’ advantages. From an academic standpoint, students can apparently study with scholars in academic fields and explore courses that have a chance of not being available at home. So, according to this, Studying abroad, in theory, can prove quite useful in the way of learning, but of course, this argument has probably been placed at your feet before, spoon feeding you this rhetoric as if you are a toddler. So instead, you should know from here that, learning about the culture based around the language of which you are learning can arguably be a tremendous advantage as, foreign experiences can make your résumé stand out from the crowd. As a student in a foreign country, you will be forced to, as the saying goes, “think on your feet” this means that your future employer can easily see you as a pioneer against other graduates; someone who’s not afraid to use and explore new methods and ideas. Speaking of which, an article on the QS top universities website includes an interview with Dee Roach, a manager for the Navitas Education Group. Roach advises that anyone who can state on their résumé that they studied abroad has a tremendous advantage when starting a career. She stated that the experience of studying in a foreign country “will prove to your potential employer that you have the ability to stand on your own two feet, that you can fit in when placed in different environments, that you are resourceful, and you have initiative” so, the benefits of studying abroad are very good ones- however, some can argue that those studying abroad will treat it more like a vacation and less like a field study.
So, yes, studying abroad seems to be a huge advantage to those who actually take school seriously, but what happens when somebody simply wants to enjoy a “free” vacation? Well, fortunately for you, according to Debra Wu’s article titled “Don’t Call a Vacation ‘Studying’” studying abroad is meant to be a long vacation, within the article, Debra cited a source of her own; as she said, “Lilli Engle, president of the ‘American University Center of Provence, offers her opinion about student’s motivations for studying abroad in kathleen kingsbury's June 2013 article for the BBC’s website. ‘The primary motivator to study abroad now is not necessarily to lean out, but instead, to have a great adventure,” she says. “Study abroad programs are happy to oblige” however, the question can be asked, and rightly so, is it really JUST a vacation? Are students really learning from their time in hawaii swimming in the crystal clear waters and bathing in the rays of vitamin-rich sun? Well, according to a survey by the forum on Education Abroad, only 22% of study abroad programs check students’ statuses of actually acquiring skills in new languages. Although, Melissa Lee stated in a 2015 article on the Odyssey’s website that, “professors are extremely lenient, they understand that the real reason why student’s study in a foreign countries is for the cultural experience.”
So it would seem that it is pretty undeniable that studying abroad is generally perceived as a vacation meant to study the culture around the language, rather than the language itself, however it may be argued that there are no benefits to this learning the culture and slangs around the language, which is understandable. However, think on this; how important is slang in the modern english language? How many times do you use slang? It can be imagined that slang can be as important to languages such as Spanish, Greek, and Maori. With this in mind, one can clearly see that learning the culture and the slang around it, is almost as, if not just as important as learning the language itself, especially if you wish to be a fluent translator or take part in a similar profession.
So, believe what you want. All of this boils down to a matter of opinion, for some it can be more beneficial than others, most teachers and academic experts don’t seem to care either way, and the students themselves enjoy it. It doesn’t matter if it hurts your career, helps it, or does nothing. It is a fun cultural experience that you can do while still partaking in school and improving yourself academically, and perhaps even… as a person.