Susan

Why Do I Want to Study Abroad?
By Kim

==== I have wanted to study abroad since I was in kindergarten for no particular reason. At that time, I just wanted to go abroad because it seemed cool to study in another country. My wish, studying abroad, motivated me to study hard in middle school and high school. In particular, I have loved to study English as it is the essential for living and studying abroad. Finally, I got a chance to study in America for about two month, when I was a middle school student and now I am studying at St. Mary’s University as a college student. It is really amazing to study abroad because I can broaden my experiences, learn other languages and improve myself professionally. ====

==== First of all, studying abroad broadens my experiences a lot. There are many things to learn not only academically but also a lot of differences of culture and lifestyles. I learn how people in other countries think and how they live. I can meet many friends who have different nationalities, lifestyles, backgrounds and cultures. Becoming friends with them also means that I can learn about their culture. It is really helpful to expand my perspectives of others and dispel any stereotypes I had before. Not only that but also, I can travel many different cities and country when I study abroad. For example, I went to New York City, Boston and Washington D.C. in my spring break by myself. I was so excited that I experienced many things such as seeing the nightscape of New York City at the top of the Empire State Building, feeling the atmosphere of the Wall Street, visiting Harvard University and being a friend with foreign people who I met during the travel. Traveling in another country makes me independently and allows me to think more broadly. ====

==== Secondly, I can learn other languages which are not my mother tongue when I study in another country. Of course, I can study other languages in my country but there are limitations in aspects of pronunciation, intonation, and words that native speakers really speak and use. My English skills have been very unbalanced because most of my studying was focused on reading and listening rather than speaking and writing. I am having quite a difficult time getting used to native pronunciation and intonation but it is much better and easier in the United States than in Korea. Now, not only I take classes in English but also live and talk with American people here and learn English naturally. ====

==== Lastly, I can improve myself professionally. Studying abroad not only means that I studied in another country but also means that I am a global-minded person as I am familiar with multi-cultural experiences and skills from my education. It also means that I am a hard-working and challenging person that I made efforts to adapt to the completely new world. Moreover, I can speak more than one language as I mentioned before. This is a really valuable skill because there are not many people who can communicate in other languages fluently although there are many people who can read or write the language. Since it would be really appealing to companies that need an internationally experienced person, the fact that I studied abroad would be very impressive and make me more valuable at work. ====

==== For these reasons, I still want to study abroad even though I am an exchange student in the United States now. I think that only one semester in America is not enough to improve my English skills and know other cultures. It is also not enough to be competitive in the professional market either. I can improve myself a lot academically and also independently as I live by myself. Therefore, I am planning to stay one more semester as an intern in American company in Washington D.C. and apply to graduate school in the U.S. after completing my undergraduate degree in Korea. My wish now remains to continue studying abroad as much as possible while I still can. ====

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