Folium: How Studying or Working Abroad Makes You Smarter via Time
Folium: How Studying or Working Abroad Makes You Smarter via Time
Creative Commons Image via The LEAF Project
Folium: How Studying or Working Abroad Makes You Smarter via Time
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In the article “How Studying or Working Abroad Makes You Smarter,” it states that there was numerous amounts of research conducted which indicates that people who leave their home country to study or work abroad are more open to creative ideas and have a more “adaptive attitude towards foreign cultures.” I couldn’t agree more, and I have to say I honestly believe that this is the best and most important study conducted thus far. Sure there have been other studies that relate to other topics which have been good, but let’s face it, if we don’t have a world where people get “along” or have “adaptive attitudes” what good are any of the other studies?
I believe that studying abroad should be a requirement especially for high school students looking to further their education, or go directly into the workplace. Given the opportunity to travel and experience different cultures would allow these young students to adapt to change and people much easier versus those who have not had the experience. Being a person who has never had the opportunity myself I definitely see the value in it. It’s a life changing and altering experience and quite honestly worth the money. For the students and those looking to go right into the “real world” and start working, there is a huge selling point in stating on your resume that you’ve studied abroad or worked abroad. This lets the perspective employer know you are easy to get along with and work with because in traveling abroad and the culture shock, the ability to speak with and deal with people who are foreign takes a lot of courage and patience. These are definitely the skills that employers look for in an employee.
ML@FLCC France 2015 Flickr Photo Gallery
If the opportunity is made available to you why not risk it? Take the chance, which alone may have a huge impact on your ability to make decisions and think outside the box of your normal and mundane lifestyle. Per Maddux in the article she states that people who open themselves up to these opportunities are more tolerant, and have more patience for those who are open-ended and lack in requiring closure and firm answers. If this opportunity helps reduce the lack of instability and certainty a person needs in life why not take it for what it’s worth?
Leaving it all behind and getting away from it all might also be the refresher that so many people need before heading off to college or the workforce. A chance to see what the world has to offer couldn’t come in a better package than a getaway to somewhere you’ve never been, with people you’ve never met. I say go for it!
Lucy Couvertier
LEAF Contributor
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