Students from all around the world attend university abroad, living far from home, whilst others remain in their home country while studying. Both benefits and drawbacks can be considered by Erasmus students.
Some students decide to study abroad to develop their responsibility skills and their awareness of what being an adult means, without parents’ help. As leaving their home, students could need to find a job to economically support their flat, for instance. This way, they are able to learn how to manage money properly, having fees or taxes to pay. This could be difficult to learn when studying at home, as students have their parents managing all burocratic bureaucratic issues. Moreover, it’s becoming more and more essential to be able to speak foreign languages, and studying abroad is the best way to improve communication skills in a non-mother-tongue language. Indeed, students choose where to study according to which language they want to master.
On the other hand, living away from home could be hard for those who struggle to build social relationships and make friends. Students generally leave alone for Erasmus, without friends, so they need not only to adapt to new circumstances and cultures, but also to meet new people. Especially among teenagers, it is sometimes difficult to live outside the comfort zone, since this means not to have any point of reference, like family or friends. And this can negatively affect their experience, since they won’t live it at the best. For instance, some students could feel alone away from home, avoiding hanging out with friends and living the funny side of their experience.
To conclude, I think that both pros and cons are valuable when deciding whether to study abroad or in their home country. However, the disadvantages are easily overcoming overcome, as students can quickly get used to their new lifestyle away from home.
