This is my latest essay. I’m new here so I didn’t know that I’m supposed to post only one essay at a time. I’m extremely sorry for that. This time, I will only post my second essay until the first one has been corrected. Sorry, Mr.Kitos !
“The idea of going overseas for university is an exciting prospect for many people” Do you think it’s better for us to study overseas? State your own opinion.
Nowadays, there are many people studying university outside their home countries. In Vietnam, a lot of parents want their children to study abroad since the teaching and learning condition will be better and the students will also have a chance to learn a new language. But it’s a fact that not all of them have had thorough considerations about the advantages and disadvantages of it.
The first advantage of studying abroad would be the motivation to learn a new language or improve your existing knowledge. For instance, a lot of Vietnamese students tend to go and study university at English-speaking countries such as America, England or Australia. Living in a new country, whether studying or working, you are not able to speak your own mother tongue since hardly anyone would understand you. Therefore, you are forced to learn that country’s language. Consequently, studying abroad most quickly improves student’s skills in speaking new language as well as learning more of that language. Furthermore, studying overseas let you experience things that you have never had a chance to face before. Obviously, it gives you the opportunity to communicate with people who have different religions, different languages and different nationalities. Getting to know a new country where you are staying, seeing a different way of life and experiencing the way other people do things will definitely equip the student with large background knowledge. Moreover, the common reason for a student to choose a foreign country to study is gaining education as well as widening his/her knowledge. America and other developed countries are all well-known for their good learning and teaching conditions. Studying university overseas will also give an advantage to your later future as employers often seek for workers who have excellent diplomas and possibilities to work self-sufficiently also.
There is no doubt that studying abroad has various advantages, however, we can not dismiss the disadvantages. First of all, unless you get a scholarship, studying overseas will cost you a lot. The living and studying expenses can sometimes be over your head. Secondly, you may be far away from your family and your intimate friends for quite a long time. It can’t be denied that most students often feel homesick during their first days in a whole new country. However, in the modern world, transportation as well as communication between different countries has become much easier. Therefore, even though you are living apart from people who are close to you, you still can contact with them everyday via Internet or phone calls. Students will sometimes have cultural shocks, frustrating and painful experiences stemmed from living in a new environment. Furthermore, in the early days, students cannot avoid from difficulties in communicating as they’re still not good enough at the new language. But no matter what, I myself believe that the advantages of studying university abroad outweigh the disadvantages.
In summary, everything has its two sides: advantages and disadvantages. Having a chance to study abroad, we should try our best to overcome the difficulties and study well.
TOEFL listening lectures: A lecture from a social sciences class (3)