Study Abroad Problems

Many students go abroad to improve their English proficiency and it has become a common phenomenon for international students who want to achieve higher education in English speaking countries; however, non-language factors can affect ESOL students while studying at University of Auckland. This essay will discuss several problems such as financial difficulties, cultural differences and social factors, mainly in an Asian perspective.

First of all, financial problem is one of the major problems students face when studying abroad, particularly for international students. Parents send a large amount of money to their child so that they could spend it on tuition fees and living costs, such as accommodation fees and other personal spending. Many students may find that the tuition fees and the cost of living in New Zealand are remarkably expensive compared to their home country. For example, the costs of tuition fee for international students are three times more expensive than domestic students. Also the living costs, such as home rent, transport, grocery and household supply costs, in New Zealand are significantly high compared with Korea. Majority of students could pay off their weekly rent and living costs, however, not all of the students are capable of dealing with this situation. Therefore, some students would try looking for a part-time job to solve this problem and this may affect the way students perform in school or even outside the school. It would be helpful for international students, if the University help them look for a part time job.

Secondly, students may experience difficulties dealing with cultural differences and adjusting to a different life style in a foreign country. Since Asian students come from a collectivist cultural background, they will eventually experience differences from an individualist western culture. It is widely known that Asian students do not disregard their teachers but treat them with honor and respect. For this reason,