More and more students are choosing to study at colleges and universities in a foreign country. Do the benefits of studying abroad outweigh the drawbacks?

Nowadays, the study can easily take a person out of their

home

country.

This

can be good because

people

can explore new cultures now more than ever. At the same time, world travellers may become disconnected from their own

home

countries.

This

essay will explore two of the benefits which have resulted from these changes and propose examples. To be sure, ordinary

people

now have unprecedented access to life abroad. It is easier than ever to study in a foreign land for months and even years. Just as nearly all universities provide study abroad options at partner campuses overseas. Nearly anyone in the world can potentially immerse themselves in another language or culture, with support from their teachers. The problem is that international students sometimes become unconcerned with the affairs in the nations they are from.

This

kind of apathy can prevent

people

from doing their civic duty. As one example,

people

from countries with compulsory military service may spend years abroad and even renounce their citizenship to avoid protecting their homeland. Even more commonly,

people

who go abroad may choose not to vote in elections back

home

, failing to make their voice to make a difference back

home

. In short, learning about other cultures by actually living abroad is a powerful tool for better intercultural understanding.

However

, as valuable as

this

is, sometimes going abroad can cause

people

to ignore the importance of their own culture and country. Not all students should go abroad, and the ones that do should not forget their role in their country of origin.