The-benefits-of-studying-abroad.doc

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“Studying abroad is about so much more than improving your own future -it’s about shaping the future of your countries and of the world we all share.” Michelle Obama mentioned in the speech in Peking University. It is obvious that Michel’s words, which encouraged students to study abroad arouses a heated topic—study abroad. It is believed that overseas study can be a frustrating and sometimes painful experience due to the exclusion of different languages and cultures. Through overseas study has its drawbacks, the advantages of studying abroad are more weighed. Actually, overseas study has a lot of benefits, including self-improvement and international-contributions.
First of all, studying abroad is a kind of learning. It is well known that overseas study offers an opportunity for students to learn new languages. There is no better and more effective way to learn a language than to be immersed in a culture, which is the origin of the language.
Most students choose to study abroad not just because the motivation of learning a new language. The essence of overseas study is worth more. What is known to all is that learning is not just sitting in the classroom and listening to the teacher, just as Donna Farhi Schuster (1987:194) stated, “the learning is not so much the acquisition of information as it is an investigation.” As a kind of learning, studying abroad can be one of the most suitable methods to complete this lifelong investigation because it provides a relatively all-sided forum for students to gain a wilder vision. Overseas study creates a space where students can see the whole world with their own eyes. Learning can be more vivid when it comes to overseas study.
Second, despite the fact that the root of overseas study is learning, studying abroad is also a self-adventure physically and mentally. Many claim that overseas study can shape students' personality because they are force to deal with all kinds of difficulties by themselves whether they are able to handle or not. Most students go abroad by themselves. When they choose to free from the protection of their parents, they make their decision to grow. One of the five “traits of the educated man is the power of growth.”(Nicholas Murray Butler: 280)
One would be more mature if given the chance to be confronted by all the unforeseeable problems. Obviously, studying aboard makes students tend to be more independent. One begins to live a different life after going abroad. Living in another country, even if you have made all the preparations, means you may suffer from handling because you have to do things you may not have done on your own before leaving your own country, which includes applying for all the related materials, booking tickets, renting a house if needed, doing housework, figuring out transportation in an unfamiliar country etc. As a saying goes, “No pains, no gains.” After suffering from those difficulties, you can be more tolerant than you are supposed to be. The experience of living and studying abroad can be a self-adventure which leaves a great sum of wealth. Your life will be forever changed and you can find a better self.  
Third, studying abroad offers one a more comprehensive perspective of the world and, perhaps especially, of oneself and one’s own culture. “No one can view the world with complete impartiality,” (Bertrand Russel, 1956) but one can view the world in a different way by observing new cultures. It is well known that the experience of studying abroad often challenges students to reconsider their own culture, values or even their beliefs. Most overseas students would experience a process which starts from culture shock and ends with a balance between the traditional culture and foreign cultures. There is no denying that the experience may perhaps strengthen those values of their own culture or it may cause students to alter or abandon the existing culture and embrace new concepts and perceptions. The “invasion” of other cultures enables students to see their own culture through a more dialectical way.
Students can not only get in touch different cultures, but also revalue themselves. Through the widely known fact is that “your grade does not represent a judgment of your basic ability or of your character.”(Robert Oliphant, 1986), most students are still valued by grades. Studying abroad can provide students a chance to be judged by different education system and cultures.
What’s more, studying abroad provides a platform where free ideas can be exchanged based on multi-culture. People who maintain that it is good for students to go abroad for further study hold that diverse culture background can broaden students' horizon and create a room for the free exchanges of different thoughts. As John Masefield (1946:16) stated, “the thinker and the seeker will be found together in the undying cause of bringing thoughts into the world.” It is necessary to exchange ideas and bring them into the world where people are in need of education.
Though the development of technology provides a more convenient way to communicate with people from other cultures, you can never give up the opportunity to have a face-to-face communication at any moment. Overseas study can exchange their ideas with their cross-cultural classmates if they want at any time. Regardless of the exchanges of ideas, you can study about the culture background which delivers those ideas.    
The exchange of different ideas is one of the most effective to gain a relatively right result about the problem discussed. With the development of globalization, more and more fields are being involved. As a kind of education, overseas study has been committed to developing talent. More and more well-educated overseas students choose to come back. Most of them have contributed to the development of their own country in the fields of cutting-edge technology like Aerospace Science and Technology.
Meanwhile, many of them choose to stay in the foreign country. If one makes his decision to leave his own country, what his people need to do first is not to question their patriotism but to reconsider the shortcomings of their own culture. Problems are not terrible. The point is to correct those drawbacks. Nations can learn from each other and the standard of the world rises.
Last but not least, studying abroad is also an example of diplomacy. The educational communication enables two nations to build a bridge where people from each side can conduct academic exchanges freely. As Ms. Michelle said, “We also come to schools like this one to meet with students like you, because we believe that relationships between nations aren’t just about relationships between governments or leaders -- they’re about relationships between people, particularly young people. So we view study abroad programs not just as an educational opportunity for students, but also as a vital part of America’s foreign policy.” Studying abroad gives a chance for the young to maintain close contact with a different country. To get past the misunderstanding and misconceptions between two nations, and to spread the outstanding part of one’s own culture are the missions.  
  Studying abroad, as one of the controversial topics, has its benefits and drawbacks. Once you choose it, you are supposed to accept both. Before making the decision, you’d better estimate yourself first because someone might hold back if faced with those unforeseen troubles. But the undeniable fact is that you can receive more than what you lose if you can get through all the sufferings. One would never regret about the experience of overseas study, and one nation would never be disappointed by supporting overseas study in view of the remarkable benefits it brings.

References
1. Bertrand Russell; Knowledge and Wisdom; Portraits from Memory
2. Donna Farhi Schuster; On becoming a better student; Yoga Journal
3. Evelyn Herald; Fresh Start; Nutshell
4. John Masefield; A University Stands And Shines
5. Robert Oliphant; Letter To A B Student; Liberal Education
（苏州科技学院 英师1212 汤文飞）

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