Studying abroad is often a glorified vacation, and can be misunderstood since many won’t explain the potential drawbacks of it.
While there are upsides to studying abroad, it can lead to financial burdens and cultural disorientation.
The University of Southern California details that the cost of tuition at several campuses in its study abroad program is lower than at its home campus. Even though tuition is cheaper, it still isn’t cheap. Unfortunately, this is true for most schools around the country.
The article How Much Does It Cost To Study Abroad from Nerdwallet explains, “The average semester abroad costs between $7,000 and $15,000 in total, while a one-month summer program runs from $3,500 to $6,000.”
While scholarships and financial aid are often offered, as is evident on certain school websites, they are often limited and highly competitive. In addition, the cost of living in the most popular destinations such as Japan, the United Kingdom or even Australia can be much higher, which would provide a financial burden on the student.
Although the United States of America is a diverse country, students often feel a sense of cultural disorientation or culture shock when studying abroad.. Language barriers, new environments, and different cultural norms can lead students to feel isolated, confused or feel homesickness.
The article Examining Losses and Recoveries in Community College Enrollment: Lessons from the Los Angeles Community College District from Harvard University says, “Though finances and affordability played a large role in student enrollment and persistence even before the pandemic, the initial shock of the pandemic caused a major disruption to enrollment as students lost employment, took on additional caregiving responsibilities, or increased their employment and intensity.”
Community colleges often serve as gateways for students to enter four-year institutions, but financing abroad opportunities at the community college level would waste money that could be used to help make entry-level secondary education accessible.
“…But the largest and most prolonged decline was among students who received only the California Promise Grant,” the Harvard article states. “These drops likely reflect the importance of unmet financial need as a key factor driving enrollment declines.”
While studying abroad can have its benefits, the downsides are often overlooked leaving students feeling a sense of culture shock upon arrival, and a financial burden to both students and the schools. It is important to detail the good and bad when proposing studying abroad, instead of just the benefits, because the downsides are ones to strongly consider as well.
