The Pros and Cons of Overseas Study

Overseas Study Does Good or Harm to Undergraduate Students

Now as China opens herself to the whole world, more and more Chinese go out to foreign countries to accept all kinds of educations. Lots of people believe that if they can get a bachelor or higher degree certification of foreign college, it will be more convenient for them to find a good job. But does it mean that overseas study does good to undergraduate students? I do not fully agree.

Frankly speaking, some foreign countries do offer very good educations. They have world-class education methods and facilities. What's more, since some countries lead the most advanced technology in certain scientific fields, you can learn a lot of things in their college, which you cannot learn in our own country. A friend of mine now in Fu Dan once told me that she though she had to go to the foreign college to accept further study because what she had learned here could not keep up with the new technology. The foreign colleges have good laboratory where she could learn something more useful for her future career.

Another reason that people go overseas to study is to improve their language skills. Foreign colleges provide the overseas students a perfect environment for language learning, especially spoken language. It is more efficient than just staying in classroom and reading the textbook.

But on the other hand, overseas study is not always the best choice for the undergraduate students. As we all know, China also has a lot of good colleges that could offer good educations. You can learn something valuable in our own country rather than take great efforts to go overseas. It takes a large amount of money and it may not have the great effect that you've ever dreamed of. If you are not rich enough and do not win a scholarship, I think you'd better stay in our own country.

If you have the conditions for overseas study, I still suggest you take a second thought. It is not only a simple problem about study, but also a matter of life. Are you sure you can get used to the life overseas? Different culture means different foods, different human relationships, different ideas and so on. You may get troubles in everyday life. In some country, the foreigners are even hostile to the alien. A friend of mine who is now studying in Japan tells me that the Japanese students look down upon Chinese students and his Japanese classmates are unwilling to talk with Chinese students.