A growing number of educators argue that foreign exchange programs bring benefits to participants. In this essay, I am inclined to agree with this perspective as the compelling reasons supporting it outweigh the opposing arguments.
One side of the debate, this conviction appears to be unreasonable largely because participating in international exchange trips might have a negative impact on student’s social lives. This is particularly true for Vietnamese students who tend to find it difficult to integrate into a foreign society due to cultural differences. Consequently, many of them fall into social isolation, which could potentially lead to depression and other mental illnesses. A further point to make is that studying overseas might create a financial burden on students and their families. For instance, when studying in western countries such as the USA, Australia, and the UK, students often pay a large amount of money for their tuition fees and living expenses. The implication of this is that many of them take up part time jobs as a way to cover the costs, which possibly leads them to lose concentration on their studies.
In spite of the mentioned arguments, I strongly support the notion due to more convincing factors. Primarily, my stance is rooted in the fact that experiencing foreign exchange trips makes students more independent. For example, students living in the dorms do a wide range of activities, including cleaning, cooking, managing money, and solving problems. As a result, these young adults might have better preparation for new challenges in the future. Another reason behind my belief is that attending university in a foreign country is considered as an ideal way to improve students’ foreign language skills. This is clearly evident in Australia, the USA and the UK, where student have a favorable environment to practice English and other languages with native speakers. Therefore, this can help them improve their study performance and job opportunities in the long run.
In conclusion, despite acknowledging the potential arguments against the discussed viewpoint, there are overwhelming rationales to endorse its reasonability. Studying abroad not only offers students a chance to become more independent but also improve their language skills.