For decades, students have travelled around the world to take classes, learn new languages, and get academic degrees from a different country.
Several Spanish departments in the United States recognize the importance of language immersion and have studying abroad as a requirement for the major. Although the pandemic forced the cancellation or elimination of studying abroad programs, these programs can still be beneficial to students.
In this blog post, I write about five benefits of studying abroad.
Learning about Other Cultures
You can learn about other cultures. By studying abroad, you have inside knowledge of the habits and behaviors of the people living in the country. You can learn about their food, their music, and their dances. You can also learn how to greet people or how to behave in social settings.
Learning about other cultures can help you develop cultural sensitivity. This will make you a better candidate for a company with employees or clients from different cultures, as you are going to be able to connect with them.
Improve Your Language Skills
You can improve your language skills. A language immersion opportunity will force you to speak and listen to the language on a daily basis. You will learn new words and get familiar with slang. You will watch TV in the language, you will listen to the radio, and you will hear people talking in the streets.
Improving your language skills can help you at the workplace. If two candidates with similar academic backgrounds and experiences apply to the same job, it is likely that recruiters will be more impressed with the one who speaks another language.
Networking
You will do a lot of networking. You will meet new people and develop relationships that can have a positive impact on your future. It is possible that the people you meet will give you some insights about industries in their country or, at least, share their perceptions about them.
Networking is an activity that you must practice everyday. When you are abroad, meeting new people is essential and becomes a regular activity.
Better Career Opportunities
Studying abroad can lead to better career opportunities. You can stand out as a job candidate with a global perspective and contacts in another country. You can learn about industry trends and vocabulary related to your field.
You can also qualify for positions abroad. Since you have already lived in the country, you can demonstrate that you can adapt easily. Make sure that you learn about the legal aspects and tax implications of working abroad.
Life Experience
Studying abroad offers you a great life experience.
It will force you to move out of your comfort zone and try new things. As you age, you will look back at this moment and share the memories of the people you met and the places you visited. Your experience will come into conversations and you will always have an interesting fact to share.
Did you study abroad? Where did you go? How was your experience?