You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
More and more students are choosing to study at colleges and universities in a foreign country. Do the benefits of studying abroad outweigh the drawbacks?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
You should write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer 1:
Nowadays, more students choose to study abroad than ever before. While there are good benefits in studying in a foreign country, I believe that the drawbacks outweigh the positive impacts this trend has.
On the one hand, there are many benefits of studying abroad. Firstly, overseas students become more independent by living alone in foreign country. For instance, they are responsible for cleaning, cooking, and paying bills. Secondly, moving to other countries can broaden students’ horizons. They get exposed to different cultures and customs and gain knowledge about them. Also, overseas students learn foreign languages to cope with the new culture they involved in. Finally, foreign institutions offer better courses for students .The qualification gained open the door to get better job opportunities with high salaries.
On the other hand, I would argue that studying abroad has more negative impacts than the positive one. One problem is that it can affect students psychologically. Studying alone in an unfamiliar culture can lead to homesickness or even depression. Also, this different culture may lead to culture shock which may affect the student’s performance. Another drawback of studying overseas is that students can experience some problems with paperwork like visa permit and may struggle to find suitable accommodation and paying their bills. This may add more pressure on the students and interrupt their studying. Furthermore, the language barrier may exacerbate the situation. Studying in a foreign language is a difficult task to many students and if they failed to master the language and communication skill, this may lead to the isolation from the community and might cause a failure in studying.
In conclusion, the drawback of studying abroad outweighs the benefit and this decision needs more assessment from the students.
[ Written by – Safa Ahmed ]
Sample Answer 2:
It is true that the number of students who choose to study overseas has increased rapidly in the past few years. Studying in a foreign country has its own positive and negative sides, but I personally believe that it has more benefits for the students themselves.
On the one hand, some believe that the choice of studying abroad have some disadvantages. One of the reasons is that studying overseas will cost more than studying in the home country. It is necessary for parents to spend more money on airplane tickets, accommodations, foods and clothes, besides tuition fees and uniforms. Another reason is that students might be unfamiliar and uncomfortable with the culture, environment and language of the new country. As a consequence, it might have a negative effect on their mental condition and academic performance. Adopting in a new environment often hampers the natural flow of study for many students and some students do not continue their study to earn money when they are abroad.
On the other hand, another group of people think that studying in another country brings so many positive aspects for the students themselves. Firstly, by studying in a new country, students will have a chance to learn new languages and new cultures. Secondly, students will learn about how to live independently, like cleaning their own rooms or doing the laundry by themselves. Thirdly, they could make new friends with people from other countries and get familiar with multicultural environments. Lastly, it is a fact that in certain countries, international graduate certificate gives additional values when the students search for jobs.
In conclusion, it is undeniable that the preference of studying in a foreign country has its own benefits and drawbacks. Despite all the disadvantages, I believe that it has more advantages for the students themselves, therefore young people should be encouraged to study in a new country. Although some of them might have difficulties with the fees, but many international scholarships are offered these days.
[ Written by – Darwin Lesmana]