After recent debates on the effects of college-level students studying abroad, it is clear that studying abroad is more beneficial than detrimental. Studying abroad allows students to go to another country to pursue their education and immerse themselves in a different culture. According to The Futurist, an academic journal, studying abroad is becoming increasingly popular, and the increased interest makes it essential to acknowledge the pros and cons.
Some scholars, such as Amber Bathke, believe that this could be detrimental because it can cause a decline in the student’s mental health. Charlotte Hovart, a student at Susquehanna University, studied abroad in London and agrees with this issue. She says, “I saw some of my peers’ mental health decline from homesickness and having to adjust to differences in culture.” From this perspective, studying abroad may seem to be detrimental. However, later in the same article, it says that students reported good mental health while abroad. Further, it says it may actually lead to improved mental health due to learning coping skills, problem-solving skills, confidence, and independence.
To a greater extent, Paul James Cardwell, a professor at King’s College, and Anastasia Kitsantas, Ph.D., a Professor of Educational Psychology, argue that the pros outweigh the cons. They allude to the fact that studying abroad allows students to enhance cross-cultural skills and increase confidence and maturity. Bobby Croyle, another student at Susquehanna University, studied abroad in Costa Rica. He says, “My cross-cultural skills improved because I had to adapt to drastic changes in living conditions and improve my Spanish.” He agrees that studying abroad could increase confidence and maturity and said, “I did feel an increase in confidence because I was able to travel without parental supervision and fix minor inconveniences on my own.” Based on this view, studying abroad is clearly more beneficial than detrimental.
Nevertheless, a possible solution that could satisfy both parties, proposed by Cultural Spaces and Design – Prospects of Design Education, is having an advisor travel with the students. Although there are challenges that come with this, it would allow the students to still be immersed in the culture, feel more at home, and feel less at risk. Overall, students must be aware of the benefits studying abroad has to offer before they miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Sources:
https://link.gale.com/apps/pub/1372/SUIC?u=perk75268&sid=bookmark-SUIC
https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1099474
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A123321904/SUIC?u=perk75268&sid=bookmark-SUIC&xid=295a2e7f
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21568235.2019.1573695
http://culturalspacesanddesign.net/travelogue/supervising-students-abroad/
