Life is all about the opportunities that we make during our lives, so it is understandable that students want to gain as much as they can while in their final years of school. Post-secondary has a lot to do with a student studying to achieve success for their future, however, students wish to be able to achieve success in their education, while also going on an adventure. When students are considering traveling abroad, there are many things they are going to want to consider before making their big decision. Studying abroad is about more than just being able to travel and study for a student; it is about being able to gain enriched experiences, meet new people, and engage in a new culture.

4 Incentives to Why Students Choose to Study Abroad



Build Friendships with People from All Over the World

We go through our childhood and young adulthood, usually around the same people, and friendships. However, when a student travels abroad, they can make friends from all over the world due to international post-secondary education. Although students are away from their family and friends, they get the chance to make new friendships, that become a family for life. Creating these friendships while abroad, allows a student to learn different things about where someone comes from, and gives them a new perspective on life and friendship. 



Personal Development & Greater Appreciation for Life

There is a lot of development that happens while a student is abroad. Not only will they learn more about themselves, and who they want to be, but also a greater appreciation for life now that they have had a chance to experience something new. While abroad, students are having to step outside their comfort zones and challenge themselves because they are outside their familiarity. Whether it is learning to speak a new language or exploring where they are; they are going to gain confidence from being outside the ordinary. A deeper appreciation for life will also arise due to studying abroad because of the minimal lifestyle they may have to live in. Students do not get to bring all their belongings with them when they go abroad, so eventually reality starts to come to fruition. Student will realize how less important material items are, and how important experiences and friendships are. The realization of finding joy in such simple things is an admirable experience to have as a young student. 



New Cultural Understanding

Visiting a new country is eye-opening to a lot of individuals because of how different people live around the world. Students will go to a new country and get to learn about the history of the location, while enjoying their studies. Depending on where a student comes from, they tend to have the history of their own country in their educational curriculum. So, when they visit a new country, it is as if they are seeing a place from a whole new lens. Also, depending on where a student goes for their education, they can have the chance to visit neighbouring countries. This could mean the expansion of not only cultural values, but also the opportunity to learn a new language. Research has shown that someone best learns a new language when they are immersed into the culture of the language’s origin. It is always beneficial to be bilingual for career purposes, so when a student is in another country for a year, it is likely they will pick up a new language. 

Resume Expansion

Our world is becoming a globalized workplace, which means any experience is good experience. Students traveling abroad will be able to add their abroad studies to their resume, which allows for a future employer to be intrigued by what a student may have learned while in a new country. There may be different aspects that a student will bring to the table, that an employer may not have known or thought about. Employers may look for individuals with international skills, such as the ability to interact with people who are from different cultures, speak different languages, and backgrounds to help with adapting in diverse work cultures; which is why studying abroad can be detrimental to a students future.

At Worldwide College Tours, we help introduce students to different post-secondary institutions around the world through in-person and virtual fairs. We have multiple college and university representatives join our fairs to give students an introduction to their institution, and help students gain information on opportunities to study abroad.