In recent years, there has been a growing debate about whether all universities should have exchange programs or practicum period for students in bachelor’s degree. In my opinion, the advantages of this are far beyond the disadvantages in real-life-working skills and career prospects for students in the future.
Firstly, having an internship before graduating allows students to experience the real working environment which is crucially important for them to learn. In addition, it is essential for students to learn to coordinate with people with different age ranges who are more professional. Moreover, they will get the opportunities to work under high pressure which will help them understand more about working in real life. For instance, having an internship as an interpreter which requires to communicate with foreigners would make a student get a chance to hear real accents from native speakers.
Plus, having experience in studying abroad or an internship can make students’ profiles become more interesting in securing employment in the future. Students with this experience tend to be considered as strong candidates that human resources would ask for interviews. Furthermore, for those who have international profiles, leading companies might pay attention to their resumes rather than to those who lack of interesting profiles. For example, a student with an exchange profile or an internship in an international company might have more possibility to get hired faster than a student without any work experience.
In conclusion, the advantages of universities having courses including studying abroad or having an internship for undergraduates significantly outweigh the disadvantages. Having these courses allow students to gain experince in real life working environment and to build their profiles for job opportunities in the future.