Some people believe that living in foreign country is a necessary part of education, as it allows students to learn language and expand their horizons about culture. Personally, I partly agree with the given statement; While I acknowledge that living in another country is an effective way to enhance foreign language and cultural standard, I still believe that it potentially has certain drawbacks and risks.
On the one hand, it is true that living in foreign country offers an immersive environment and a direct interaction between students and natives. To be specific, regularly being exposed to local and handling daily tasks, students can improve their accent, tongue, fluency, pronunciation and also expand vocabulary resources. Furthermore, this environment can also facilitate students to understand deeply about culture and rituals, which is further effective than solely learning via social networks and textbooks. This is not to mention that this learning method can also boost students’s independence and soft skills. Studying abroad teaches students to spend money responsibly and allows young people to develop awareness and appropriate reactions to suspected fraud. As a result, living in foreign country can be an effective method for students to not only enhance their language level but also themselves.
On the other hand, I believe that studying abroad is not a suitable option for all students. One major limitation is high financial cost, such as tuition fees, accommodation and daily expenses can be unaffordable for most families, lifting heavy burdens for them. In addition, students can struggle with culture shock, homesickness or safety issues, which negatively affect their mental-well being and even academic performance. Moreover, with the thrive of the Internet and the diversity of social media, students can learn foreign languages and cultures through online apps, courses or exchange programmes, which are available in many universities and colleges. Therefore, although studying abroad is beneficial, it should not be considered as a compulsory part in education.
In conclusion, while acknowledging that living in other countries offer a convenient environment for learning language effectively and create opportunities for students to develop many essential skills, I argue that it is not a reasonable approach for many families and contains potential disadvantages.