Study Abroad for a Good Cause
A number of universities and colleges believe that sending students to other countries is an excellent way of enriching their knowledge. These universities and colleges find it essential that they offer an opportunity for deserving students to leave the country and enhance what they have already learned in another nation. That way, the students will not only learn what was written in the books but also get a grasp of what it is like to embrace another culture, something that is very different from their own.
Advantages of Studying Abroad
If there is anything that makes studying abroad an advantage, it is the bigger opportunities that it brings to a foreign student. Studying abroad will enrich you with newer knowledge and let you see things in a different perspective. It will allow you to broaden your horizon while challenging you to have a better understanding of things around you. Needless to say, studying abroad is better than merely memorizing what college books contain.
Studying abroad will also develop you as a person. Getting a glimpse of the world other than what you have become accustomed to will make you a better individual. In addition, there is the undeniable fact that living in an entirely new place with a group of strangers can either make or break you. If you let your established beliefs get in your way of experiencing things and you close your eyes to the realities being presented to you, you will continue to live in a boxed world. However, once you learn to respect other people’s culture, you will have the biggest advantage in the real world. Likewise, it will build your maturity in a way, which will prepare you for the different types of people you will meet when on your way to the top of the corporate ladder.
The Cost of Being a Foreign Student
However, despite of the above-mentioned benefits you could reap by being a foreign student is an underlying fact that earning your degree in a faraway place would cost an arm and a leg. You will have to think about lodging, transportation, food, and other miscellaneous expenses that you might encounter while you are away. Since a family is out of reach, you will have to rely on yourself in budgeting whatever amount you may have. Needless to say, studying abroad is painful in the pocket.
Luckily, you will no longer have to miss out on this amazing possibility if your only concern is your finances. There are already a number of scholarship funds available for those of who intend to study in another land. Study Abroad scholarship grants are for deserving students who want to explore the world. More often than not, your university has an ongoing Study Abroad scholarship program. The Internet is also a good source of information about various available financial aids for students who have keen interest to study overseas. Most of the scholarship programs you will find online are from agencies that facilitate learning in a different land. Aside from the help they offer in sending you abroad, they also keep contacts of people you can run to in case you do not have the financial capability to make your dream happen.
Asian Study Abroad Scholarships
The Wang Family is among those who believe in the power of international education. As such, it made helping other people study abroad its primary goal. The Wang Family Scholarships are available for students who intend to expand their studies in China or Taiwan. Twenty scholarships amounting to $4,000 each are being awarded every year.
If you would like a trip to Japan for college, you can avail of Ward Wallach Memorial Scholarship and the Association of International Education, Japan Scholarship. Both scholarships seek to finance students who would like to live in Japan and develop themselves there.
European Study Abroad Scholarships
Apart from Asian countries, you also have the option to pursue a college degree in a European country. The Rotary World Peace Fellowship is an organization that doles out financial aid to graduate students who want to take their Masters degree in England. This organization grants a generous $60,000 scholarship grant, which is inclusive of travel expenses, housing, living expenses, tuition, and research expenses.
If you prefer to study in Spain, the Dr. Carlos E. Castañeda Memorial Scholarship will help you realize your goal. This scholarship grant is for undergraduate students who will meet the following requirements: have cumulative GPA of not lower than 3.25 and a sophomore or junior in any ISA-affiliate academic institution in the US.
African Study Abroad Scholarships
Those who like to experience studying in Africa, the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program can make it happen. This scholarship program awards $4,000 to more than 700 recipients every year. The grant is already inclusive of travel expenses, housing, health insurance, living expenses, and tuition.