Introduction

Studying abroad is a good experience for college students. You can learn something different from what you can learn at your college in your country. Universities abroad offer many courses which your university at home does not. Even if they offer similar courses, the content, concepts, and views covered and the assumptions and values they are based on may be different. Even if they are the same, studying them in a foreign language is different and worthwhile for language practice.

If you study abroad, you will study using a foreign language, which will be quite different from studying in your native language. You will study with friends from that country, and in many cases, you will study with friends from other countries as well, since many large universities abroad have many foreign students. Studying itself may be different. You may be required to read a lot; you will probably be expected to participate in discussions or/and make presentations in class; you may learn through doing something rather than just by reading and memorizing; you may need to write reports or do projects. In other words, you can expect something different in your learning experience, which you might find meaningful.

Living abroad itself can be a great experience for you. You will be on your own, and you need to take care of yourself. Your life will be quite different from your life in your native country, which will be quite challenging and interesting experience. You may live with a family or with friends in a dorm or an apartment. You will have many chances to get acquainted with local people.

You will also have opportunities to take part in many events on and off campus, where you will meet people and have new experiences with them. Universities have such academic and cultural events as lectures, movies, plays, concerts, and sports events. These experiences will help you understand the people and their culture better. You may find answers for your questions about them. It is much easier to understand their culture through experiences than just through books, movies, etc. Of course, you will have many, many opportunities to use the local language to communicate with people there, and your communication will be improved through living there.

Understanding a foreign language and culture helps you to understand your native language and culture better. You have thought many things natural, but you will learn that people in other countries do things differently--and they think that their ways of doing things are natural. You will understand characteristics of your native language and culture better. You may understand how your people are different from other people. If you pay more attention, you will understand people are the same even if they have different languages and cultures, but as the surface, there are some differences, which could be barriers for understanding and communication.

Studying abroad is not necessarily an easy, pleasant, and happy experience for everyone. You are far away from your family for a long time, and you may not see them for a year or even longer. You cannot expect their help. You may not find people who understand you or your culture, and you may not feel comfortable. Particularly, when you have problems, you may feel very lonely and unhappy. You may miss your favorite food. You may need to eat only food local people are eating, which you may find hard to adjust to. You may have some difficulty expressing yourself in the local language. Studying in a foreign language might be very difficult. You will experience culture shock while you are living in a foreign country. However, these hardships make you better educated and trained. You will find much joy and satisfaction in overcoming these hardships.

As I have explained, studying abroad is a good way to understand yourself, your language, and culture, as well as foreign language, people and culture. Why don't you think about the possibility of studying abroad?

It is difficult to say whether it is expensive to study abroad. Education is expensive in most countries, and higher education is more expensive for students or their families, although there are often scholarships or financial aid available. Education in more advanced countries are generally more expensive. Some countries charge more money to foreign students than to local students. In the case of the European Union, tuition is higher for students from countries outside of the European Union. If you study abroad, you need to pay transportation, lodging, food, and some additional expenses such as medical insurance, which you probably need to pay even if you are living with your parents to go to a university.

When I went to a graduate school in the United States in 1972, it was very expensive to go, study and live there. A one way plane ticket cost about 150,000 yen, which was a 3-4 month salary for college graduates. The tuition for one academic year was about three times more expensive than that was at Doshisha University, a private school in Japan. The cost of living was about one and half to two times more expensive in the United States as in Japan.

In general, education and living is more expensive in advanced countries than in developing countries, and in larger cities than in smaller cities. Japan is now one of the major powers in the world, and the cost of living is higher than in many other countries. Therefore, it is not much more expensive, and in some cases, less expensive, for Japanese students to go overseas to study. Of course, there are some exceptions--tuition at some overseas universities is very expensive, and the cost of living in such large cities as New York and London is very high. Transportation is about the same as or even cheaper than it was a quarter century ago.

For students of developing countries, it is very expensive to study in a university in advanced countries. Tuition and cost of living are a great deal higher than in their home countries. However, advanced countries and universities have scholarships for those students, which students should investigate. Japan has some scholarships, and almost all the foreign students at Doshisha University have some type of scholarship.

Many universities have established exchange student programs. They have agreements with other universities to exchange students without charging additional tuition. That is, students pay fees to their home institution and study at a foreign university. Some programs may have scholarships, so that students do not have to pay their full transportation and living cost. This makes it much cheaper to go abroad to study, particularly for students in developing countries or who are going to expensive schools.

Some universities have one-year, half-year or short-term study abroad programs, which are usually less expensive than studying abroad individually. Students can easily earn credits toward graduation in these programs.

Study abroad can be divided into three types, based on the purpose: studying for a degree, studying for credits, and studying to develop language proficiency and knowledge of the culture.

Studying for a degree:

You may go to a foreign university to earn an undergraduate or graduate degree. This means that you try to graduate from the university. It takes three to four years for a bachelor's degree, one to two years for a master's degree, and three to five years for a doctoral degree. This time does not include language training, and if your language proficiency is not high, it might take longer. You probably need 500-550 or above in TOEFL for undergraduate programs and 550-600 in TOEFL for graduate programs.

Each program has some requirements, and it is not easy to obtain a degree. Some programs, such as literature and law, may require particularly high language proficiency. If you study science or skill-oriented courses, language barriers may be smaller. You need to compete with local people and keep up with certain grades. If you are on a scholarship, you need to maintain high grades. This situation is a great challenge, and you need to be prepared for it.

Many people who are going abroad just worry about their English proficiency. However, how you are experienced in studying and how familiar you are with the content you are studying are more important. You need to read a lot and understand the main ideas. You need to be able to summarize and analyze what you have read. You need to take notes while your are reading or listening to lectures. You need to know how to use a library. If you are familiar with the content, you can understand the subject, even if you have difficulty with the language.

Why do students study for a degree overseas? In some cases, they want to study a subject that they cannot study in their home country, or they want to study in a particularly good program offered in another country. Especially if you are going overseas for graduate study, you need to make sure that you can get better education at the overseas institution. Also, you need to find out what kind of jobs may be available after you go home and what attitude employers have toward overseas degrees. Some people have difficulties find a job with a degree from an overseas university.

Studying for Credits :

Many students study abroad for six months or one year. Some of these students spend their junior year abroad. They take certain content courses and some advanced language courses. These students want the experience of studying abroad, and the opportunity to improve their English.

It is important to consider how many courses and which courses you take. If your language proficiency is high, you can take many courses and difficult courses. However, if you are not proficient, you should take fewer courses or easier ones. Also it might be a good idea to take some language courses. It is also important to think about which courses will counted toward your degree at your home institution. If you did not take appropriate courses or enough courses, you may not be able to graduate from your home institution when you had planned.

If you are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to study abroad, of course, it is important to study hard. However, trying to experience as much as possible is also important. You should mingle with local people as well as students at school. If you have a chance to do so, do not be shy, and try whatever you can. Having different types of cultural experiences is a good opportunity to learn about language and culture.

Studying to Develop Language Proficiency :

It is the best way to learn language to live where it is spoken. You can study it at school and practice it outside the class. You will use it 24 hours a day, and you will get used to speaking and thinking in that language.

If you studied the language before you go to a country where it is spoken, you will probably worry about how well you can understand in that language. You may be surprised to find that you can communicate in that language to some extent.

You will take language classes based on your proficiency, and you will study the language with students who have similar proficiency. All the classes are taught in that language, and you will learn listening, speaking, reading, and writing intensively. Classes are usually small, and you will have many opportunities to express yourself. You have a lot of assignments. You will probably have some courses about the culture of the country where you are studying, and you may have field trips to visit famous places near your school. You will spend 20-30 hours a week in class.

On weekends, you may have opportunities to visit a family and take a part in various activities. You will learn not only language but also culture there.

During the spring and summer, there are many short programs for foreign students. They emphasize classes about the culture or experiences more than regular language programs. Some programs include a long trip as well as field trips near a school. Some programs include a homestay, and students stay with a local family.

It is depends on the regulations at your school, but these language programs are usually not counted as part of your graduation requirements. That is, you probably do not earn any credits. However, if your university is organizing this type of program, you may be able to earn some credits for graduation.

Conclusion

Studying abroad is a worthwhile experience in learning a foreign language and culture as well as studying your specialized field. It is not necessarily very expensive if you are studying in a developed country, and there are some scholarships for students from developing countries.

In order to make studying abroad more meaningful, it is important to consider the purpose very carefully. Do you want to obtain a degree, to study for credits, or study a language and culture? Many universities now have exchange student programs and short-term study abroad programs, so it is much easier to experience studying abroad than it once was. You should seriously consider the advantages of studying abroad. If you want to do so, you need to prepare for it. You particularly need to study the language if you are thinking about getting credits or a degree.

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