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We felt like our blog paints too positive an image on studying abroad in Asia. That’s right – studying abroad isn’t for everyone! Continue reading to find ten reasons not to study abroad in Asia.
1. You will not make any new friends
Studying abroad doesn’t mean that you will make new friends. In fact, it has been scientifically proven that by sitting at home on your computer and joining online chat rooms, you will make more new friends than you would at a beach party in Koh Phi-Phi you would attend during the weekend while studying in Phuket. Besides, you already have 247 friends on Facebook, so why bother trying to make new ones?
2. Studying abroad is a waste of time
Time is money, and spending a semester in Asia would be a terrible waste of time. Who would ever choose to travel somewhere modern and exotic like Seoul to study, when one could just stay home, attend university lectures from 8am to 5pm, and then work the weekends at a warehouse to pay for the rental apartment. Spending whole four months of your precious life by studying in a different country is just plain stupid, and only for people who don’t manage their time well.
3. The weather in Asia is just too hot
Oh, you’ve seen the pictures. Rainforests and beaches, always sunny. Who would prefer that over refreshingly rainy +5 degrees Celsius weather you get to enjoy at home most of the year? In Asia, you might even have to wear sunscreen.
4. You would have to adjust to a new living environment
Home is the best place. Only adventuring hippies are crazy enough to leave their comfort zone and go on some weird spiritual journey to find themselves. Why would you want to live in a huge city like Shanghai with millions of people, most Chinese who you don’t understand anyway? If you can’t find yourself from your own comfy little bed in your home country, there’s something wrong with you. People that don’t know that they just want to stay in their hometown and work until retirement are just plain crazy.
5. You have already traveled enough
So you’ve already seen it all and been to 180 different countries. You speak 40 different languages fluently and have hundreds of friends on all the continents (all of whom come and regularly visit you in your hometown). We totally understand; staying home is a good option for you.
6. You might have to speak another language than you normally do
What language do they even speak in Asia, Asian? You skipped all your English classes because you don’t need to use other languages in your hometown. And there’s always Google Translate that helps if you travel to a website that is not written in your native tongue.
7. It’s too expensive
You much rather spend your money at your local pub with your buddies you’ve hung out with for the past 10 years than on some flight tickets. What’s even worse is that when you would be eating sashimi for lunch when studying in Japan, you would come to realize you paid almost the same you would’ve at home country for a cheeseburger, and they served you fish without even cooking it!
8. Your family and friends will miss you
You love your family. We know the feeling, we do too. They would miss you terribly all through your time abroad, and you really wouldn’t want them to go through such hard times. Besides, that’s not even the worst thing, you might become homesick as well. It’s better to just keep renting that studio apartment down the street, and visit your family for afternoon tea every day.
9. You are not going to “find yourself”
It’s all a scam, a marketing scheme created by money hungry travel and airline companies. No student who studied abroad ever learned anything new about themselves. You already know yourself so why even search. You only need to travel to your fridge to find happiness.
10. You will not make any memorable experiences
When asked about their experience of studying abroad in Asia, most students describe the experience with one word: boring. Sitting at home watching Netflix with a nice bag of chips is where it’s at – those are the moments you will remember for the rest of your life! Traveling is way overrated and all the amazing student pictures you find on Instagram with #asiaexchange are all probably photoshopped anyway. Not traveling is the best choice you’ll ever make!
Made it this far and still not convinced studying abroad in Asia is not for you? Good, we didn’t think so either! Click below to find out the op 10 reasons why studying abroad in Asia is, in fact, a good choice for everyone:
