Over the borders- food for thought

Being able to study abroad is often seen as a luxury not many students get to enjoy. In the past, studying overseas was an even greater luxury, beyond the reach of many due to the high cost of sponsoring education in a foreign country. However, in this day and age, due to higher family income, there are more students venturing abroad, especially to pursue higher degrees in tertiary institutes.

While studying abroad is an advantage and can give overseas graduates an edge over their counterparts from the local universities, the experience is not all rosy and pitfalls and tribulations can occur as well. By and large, however, the lure of going abroad is no doubt powerful and given the chance, many students would seize the opportunity of studying abroad.

To me, I believe in overseas education. It is, firstly, the exposure that you get from different countries that can be a lot more rewarding. You get to see the world, the different kinds of people, culture and languages. It is a completely new society and environment altogether.
Secondly, why studying overseas is a boon is having different insights into the different education systems. There is no denying that Singapore enforces a very stressful and hectic education system. Across boarders, however, the educational system is less stressful, and they stress more on creativity, not just the books. Their education system is such that the children learn how to think outside the box, and that it is all right if you are academically challenged. They harness children who dare to be different, who dare to stand out, and will ultimately be the people, the adults of the nation itself.

Now, the biggest advantage that all young adults look forward to the is the freedom and indepedence that is entrusted to them when they are abroad. Putting a teenager into a separate country and living on his own is having a totally different level of discipline altogether. He must be able to look after himself and be mature, both mentally and physcially enough make the correct decisions.

However, as they say, for every good, there is a bad.
I think the biggest disadvantage of studying abroad is the biggest advantage of it all-- freedom.
The biggest excitement about going overseas for a teenager is the freedom. Imagine, after being under your parents 'control' year after year, and all of a sudden the power of freedom is at the tip of your fingers, it is indeed a very dangerous power a young adult can manage.
As a teenager or young adult, we are old enough to have our minds and make our own decisions. We can choose to say no to temptations and choose to do good, however, the temptation of doing bad is by far more overwhelming and tempting than the good.

The common problem parents face these days are the consequences of abused freedom.
When i read the newspapers, I see more and more teenagers who study abroad often succumbing to drug taking, underage drinking, underage sex and even murder. There is no denying that the world is an ugly place.
As bad as these law-breaking crimes get, it is the consequences that follow their actions which are most disturbing. Drugs lead to addiction which will result in diseases, underage drinking will lead to jail terms, underage sex will result in unwanted pregnancies and murder will simply put you in a lifetime accommodation behind bars.
However, breaking laws are a lot more than the punishments that you get. The betrayal of trust, it can be very overwhelming. The trust that your parents entrusted to their teenager, the hurt that is done, is very overwhelming.

Therefore it is important that these teenagers are first mature enough to make the correct decisions, then have the freedom to go abroad. As the saying goes, "Great power comes with great responsibility".

Ultimately, whether students benefit from their overseas education or not depends very much on their own self-discipline. I think that teenagers should first have their correct priorities right first, before having given the luxury of studying abroad.