Issue 82, 第一次寫, 求指教

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Issue 82: Colleges and universities should require their students to spend at least one semester studying in a foreign country.


It is commonly believed that spending one semester in oversea countries is a good way for a student to equip more knowledge than those who spend all their time in the same university located in their home country. However, students who stay in the home university are capable to equip the knowledge learnt by means of going to the foreign countries. And more importantly, the meaning of attending university should not be only limited or restricted by the scope of equipping knowledge. I explain my reasons in the following.

To start with, the proponents – who propose that the student should go to foreign countries –stress that going aboard is the best way to learn and to study the foreigner’s culture and language. Consider the case of learning English. It is true that communicating with the native speakers – such as the indigenous citizens in the English speaking countries including but not limited to the United States and the United Kingdom – is one of the good ways to learn a foreign language. This is because all foreigners (in here, it refers to the students) are required to communicate with each other by English. Without speaking English, the speaker is not possible to achieve his or her needs, such as ordering food in a restaurant and making friends with the rest of the community members. Also, the communication with the indigenous provides a golden opportunity for foreigners to explore the country’s unique culture. Foreigners are capable to obtain a better and real picture about the special culture of the community by associating with the locals who are the most qualified people to tell the store about the unique feature of the locals and the community.

However, the speaker misses one of the important points that are learning of a oversea language and the culture should not be limited by its physical location. Indeed, after the introduction of the Internet, the computer users (in here, it refers to students) are capable to associate with the people living in our planet at any time and any place. And more importantly, users are capable to learn a given territory’s culture and to make friends with a given territory’s citizens via the Internet. For example, students can use the Facebook – a platform for users to associate with oversea indigenous – to extend their network of friendship. Particularly, the students would be able to communicate with the indigenous English speaking civilians though the Facebook. The students would also ask the foreigners about the unique culture of their hometown. At the end, students, staying in their home country and home university, equip the same knowledge and skills of those students who went to the overseas.

Furthermore, attending university does not mean that students are capable or are willing to go to overseas. Some of the students – particularly those who are mature students who get a full-time job – are not capable to apply for a long holiday for the purpose of studying in a foreign country. These students not only need to take care about their studies, but also take care about their job’s career. If the university requires these students spending one semester in the overseas universities, it is totally possible that these students would be laid off by their employers. For example, I did remember one of my classmate – a mature student who worked in an international company – were laid off by her company because of the reason that the company could not give 6-month non-paid holiday to her. She was planning to study in Singapore for a half year. Even though my classmate stayed clearly to her company that studying in Japan would help her to get a better understanding about the Singaporean’s culture, which facilitate she to equip a better ability to approach a business with the Singaporeans for the company in the near future. However, at the same time, the company stated that it was not possible to allow my classmate to do it. This was because it was not reasonable to ask other coworkers of my classmate to do her work for a half year while she was studying in Singapore. Thus, the company had to lay-off her.

To sum up, it is true that going aboard is a good opportunity for student to explore personal knowledge. However, this is not the only means to the end of studying in the university. And more importantly, it is no possible for some of students going aboard.  


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