The environment of upbringing shapes you into responsible managers of your own lives and society. I consider this appropriate based on my life experiences. As a mother of two kids, aged 13 & 15, I have a powerful desire to inculcate my learnings for the betterment of my children. When I glance back on my childhood, I can feel it was shielded by complacency. It led to my academic mediocrity or inability to speak in any other language apart from my mother tongue, Taiwanese. Let me tell you how my life changed after deciding to study abroad for my further education. This blog will help you understand the Top 3 Reasons to Study Abroad.
I spent my vocational school years in Taiwan, then moved to Japan for my further studies in Economics and Japanese. My time in Japan pushed me to move out of my comfort zone, helping me come out of my shell. It helped me to introspect & made me realize my true potential. Being an international student myself, I could build on my Japanese and English skills simultaneously. It was just one stepping stone for me. Next, I traveled to Germany on a scholarship to study German. I then moved to the United States to pursue my Masters in Business Administration.
I often wonder if I could unleash my true potential in my home town & not explore other cities or countries. Well, for me, studying abroad was undoubtedly the best decision. I have listed a few lessons I learned in my journey.
Following are the 3 reasons one should look at study abroad option-
1. Getting a Global Perspective
The education approach in a foreign country helps widen your scope and understanding of encompassing the ecosphere at a more holistic level. It also leads to a greater understanding of one’s self-potential, helping one to leverage it to embark on more significant strides in life, apart from inspiring the mind and encouraging a degree of independent thinking.
In my case, the difference between the overall eco-system of Taiwan and Japan contributed to my global growth on several fronts. Living in a foreign country enabled a higher level of independence in decision-making and communication. Trust me; this is the most important trait needed in your lives & studying abroad helps you gain it effortlessly.
Moving to an unfamiliar country for studying helps you understand the culture and environment of a foreign country. With globalization being the boom word, studying abroad enables you to gain that global approach.
2. Helps you unleash your true potential
Education from a reputed university, based in a foreign country, creates an opportunity to stimulate the five senses. The five senses–sight, touch, sound, taste, and scent. The following factors affect our senses & our actions –
Unfamiliar Environment – taking decisions & doing things on your own
Diversified Backgrounds – meeting people from various backgrounds & countries
Widespread Communication – learning unknown languages
Cultural Exposure – familiarizing with distinct cultures
Our external environment highly motivates our senses. The stimulation of the senses leads to the sparking of the innate creativity of the human mind. The environment around us plays a quintessential role in influencing our thoughts. While the domestic environment contributes to the same, a foreign environment speeds up the process. Making us try things alien to us, helping us come out of our “comfort zone.”
On the educational front, the variance and the multisensory impact of the widened environment contribute to heightened growth. The benefits get added, not just to the grade sheets, but also to the intelligence and the social skills of the learners. The primary benefits derived are alertness, improved communication, mobilization of creativity, and augmented concentration prowess. It attributes to the denser connections of the neurons in the brain because of including external stimuli.
In conclusion, all this collectively helps you become independent, shaping you & making you ready to succeed in your life.
3. Building your Confidence
When we achieve something on our own, the confidence gained boosts our morale. As a result, this boost in confidence acts as an exceptional asset in our lives.
Studying abroad opens up a plethora of fresh experiences – meeting people from unique backgrounds, embracing multiple new cultures, learning an unknown language, traveling to unknown destinations, and exciting career opportunities.
There is a lot more to this experience of studying abroad. It is like your own adventure to find a better version of yourself.
I am a native Taiwanese, married to an Indian & living in Mumbai. Our family’s cosmopolitan background has made our children conversant in three languages Mandarin, English, and Hindi. Being at a pivotal time in their careers, we encourage our kids to choose their study abroad destination for higher education. But the only condition here is that the national language of their study abroad destination has to be a foreign language to them.
As a part of my experiences, I suggest that students undertake their education in a foreign country where the language is unknown to them—this aids in building the depth of character & personality, strengthening them for their lives ahead.