In comparison to the past, students these days have a better chance to study in a foreign country. The merit of this trend is the opportunity for students from developing countries to have access to high quality education, but the downside is that this can place heavy financial burdens on them.
Regarding the advantages, people from third world nations are now able to receive better education and enjoy higher living standards. This is not only beneficial to students, but it also makes great contribution to the wealth of both developed and developing countries. The reason for this is that first world nations are experiencing population ageing, which means that they require young workers from abroad to keep their economy afloat. Students who come to these countries for a university degree are likely to fill in that young workers’ pool, as they need to work to pay for their student loans or they just love living there. Since becoming a permanent citizen in a foreign country is difficult due to language barriers or the complexity of paperwork, after a few years of working, these people have the tendency to come back to their homeland for employment. This, in turn, provides developed countries with highly skilled workers.
On the other hand, the tuition fee and living cost make this trend a risky investment. Owing to the fact studying in a foreign country is becoming the norm, people may mistakenly think that putting money into studying abroad is far better than attending university in their homeland, regardless of the downsides. This leads to cases of students dropping out of universities and coming back their own countries due to stress, homesick or the inability to keep up with peers. As a result, parents of these students waste a huge sum of money for nothing.
The main conclusion to be drawn is that although studying abroad can bring great benefits to students, and improve the economy of countries, one should not lose sight of the fact that this may cost a lot but bring no positive results.