The Pros and Cons of Foreign Exchange-Should you do it?

For about two weeks a huge goal of mine was to study abroad in Germany for my senior year of high school. But my father brought up some questions when talking to me about my exchange that both intrigued and annoyed me.....

1. Think of all the things you don't consider
Is the fact that you could have to repeat a year worth it? What if you despise the host family? How are you going to get all of that money together? Why travel now as apposed later when you could afford it better and you (hopefully) don't depend on others for support? What are the cons of this idea? These are all very thought provoking questions. When these questions were presented to me, I could not personally come up with any reasonable argument why my answers would not tip the balance of my scale towards staying put. Of course, the answers to these questions are different for each individual. The important thing is, do the answers effect your over all decision?


2. Exactly why do you want to do this?
My response to this question was "Because, it is a good opportunity". As my dad riddled me more and more about WHY the opportunity was good, I struggled to come up with an answer. Chances are, if you can not define the reasons you want to study abroad, you may want to rethink. 


3. Are you willing to seriously leave your friends, family, and support? Are you mature enough for this?
Are you? When caught up in the excitement of this intriguing new dream, you may not think about this in depth. It may not even occur to you. At first, in a foreign country where everyone speaks a different language, you will most likely feel utterly alone. You will feel immense home sickness and long for companionship. Before going off on your grand adventure, you must be sure that you can handle this emotional roller coaster.


Don't get me wrong, studying abroad IS a great opportunity, but it takes a certain type of student who has strong reasons as to why this opportunity is so great. Ultimately, these questions turned me away from studying abroad and back on the (just as exciting, even when normalized) path of becoming a physicist. When seriously asking yourself these questions like these, you never know what will result.