The most obvious advantage to them is real-life use of a different language. While a person can study a foreign language in his or her own country, it cannot compare with the constant use of the language in academic and everyday life. There is no better opportunity to improve second-language skills than living in the country in which it is spoken. Moreover, having used the language during one’s studies offers a distinct advantage when one is applying for jobs back home that require the language. For instance, a friend of mine is doing perfectly well in his job in Japan, just because he had been in England for 5 years and his English is brilliant compared with other Japanese professionals.
Once beyond the initial shock of being in a new culture, the overseas student slowly begins to get a meaningful understanding of the host society. The learning of different ways of human nature will be generally more used to competing with others and will find it easier to adapt to modern society, which is full of competition when they grow up.
For the English people who study in Malvern College, they will encounter many others from overseas and it is possible to make friends from all around the world. This is not only exciting on a social level, but could lead to important overseas contacts in later professional life. They are living and studying in a place which can offer one a new and different perspective of the world and, perhaps most important, of one’s own country.
There is no denying the fact the our society has now entered the information age and commercialisation is sweeping across the world. Plenty of different cultures flood into our lives. Therefore the knowledge of multiple cultures is necessary and geared to the social demands. Conversely, if a student has little knowledge of other country’s culture, he will lag behind the times. These days there is a growing tendency of economic internationalisation that all over the world. Hence the understanding of multi-culturalism will give young people the concept of how to communicate with people from other nationals.
In general, as living in Malvern College is like being in a multi-cultural world, we have the opportunity of increasing our communication skills and social values. A student’s ability cannot be solely determined by his or her educational background, but also by the social skills acquired. Our school offers the best in terms of education. We are lucky, because we live in Malvern College.
