Philosophy

Studying abroad has been a trend since time immemorial. It is a common case that we find foreign students in different schools especially in college and in graduate schools and universities. Certainly, although knowledge can be found in their homeland students, or perhaps their parents, may have a different preference, thus they sometimes tend to choose to be educated elsewhere. However, despite the advantages that one may identify in studying abroad, there is a great drawback to it namely higher tuition fees. In the United States, it is a known fact that foreign students pay higher than the locals. Sometimes twice as high and in extreme cases may reach up to five times higher. Therefore, the question on whether such a discrepancy is reasonable or not, surfaces.

This is actually not a new issue at all. Foreign students, even before they apply for admission, already know that they will be subjected to higher fees. Nevertheless, they still enroll because of various reasons, but the one that stand out is quality education. It cannot be denied that the United States provide one of the best kinds of education all over the world. One would just look at the resources, facilities and the educational equipment to realize that what they are paying for is justified. Oftentimes, those who travel to America to study have more inferior (for lack of better term) educational facilities in their respective hometowns and usually, the courses that they take in America are those that the country specializes in. Thus, the institutions could provide an extensive knowledge of the chosen field.

Another possible reason for the higher tuition fees could be business-wise. Needless to say, educational institutions also function as a business venture so they are also concerned with the money that is coming in. Since they can only charge too much on the local students, they take advantage of their ability to attract foreign students to enroll in their respected institutions and place the extra charges on them. In a way, it is like exporting their product and in exports there are extra charges to be added.

The last reason that I can think of for the higher tuition fee charges to foreign students is because of taxes. Students migrating to the US to get a degree do not pay taxes the way the locals do and we know that part of the government taxes go to subsidizing education especially for community colleges and state universities. The local students have the inherent rights to avail of such subsidies because part of their household or personal income is given to it. Thus, availing of them is a given when they enroll in these institution which is not the same case with the foreign students. Given that, they would have to fully pay for the cost of education at its actual price without the subsidy.

Education is indeed very important, because as the proverb goes knowledge is power. A lot of people share this same idea, thus, no matter how much it costs they still choose to have themselves or their children educated in the best institutions there is even if such institutions are found in foreign lands. Tuition fee differences among the local students and the foreigners would always materialize it is actually present even in other countries around the world. Then again, that is the price that one has to pay for the specific quality of education that he or she wishes to have.  Nevertheless, no matter where one chooses to study, the important thing is to gain the kind of knowledge that one sought to have because in the end, it is better to get what you need rather than going for what you want.

II. Opinion essay about studying in America is better than my home country Saudi Arabia

It may seem unfair for me to compare why it is better to study in America as compared to my home country, which is Saudi Arabia, for that would seem so unpatriotic. Choosing academic institutions found in a foreign land over those in my own place may give an impression that I am undermining the ability of my country to provide the type of education that I wanted. However, that is not entirely the case. There are other reasons that I can cite in explaining why I would choose to study in America, a foreign land, rather than staying in an environment I am most familiar with which I would detail in the succeeding paragraphs.

The first reason that I can identify is, quality of education. Do not get me wrong. By this, I do not mean that Saudi Arabia provides poor quality education it is just that America have better resources, materials, facilities and equipment that are needed in the study of my chosen field. Being able to have easier access to such things would provide a better understanding of the subject matter under study and would allow me to explore all available knowledge extensively. Moreover, it is fact that compared to the US, Saudi Arabia is a very young country which only got to institutionalized education for several decade. This made the latter to be less competitive worldwide.

The other reason that I can cite is diversity of culture. America is a country where different nations migrate to, thus, going to their schools would seem like meeting the world. It would seem like taking education to the next level because not only would I learn the very essence of the different subjects or course, I also get to learn to deal with different personalities of different races and cultures. It is exciting just thinking about it because I am sure to learn a lot from these people. I wont even have to go to other countries anymore just to know their people because I would be in one place with different countries at once, and that for me is a bonus to the knowledge that I would derive from books.

One more thing, studying in America, in my opinion will give me more opportunities to know or explore my own identity. In have seen how free American students are in terms of self-expression. I admire their freedom to choose who or what they can be and I also envy how independent they can get at a very young age. Although this could be a personal choice no matter which country one lives in, in Saudi Arabia, there are some factors that hinder that. The interplay of religion with academic institutions could somewhat be attributed as reason for the difference. Then again, do not get me wrong. I am not in any way in opposition to our religion or the practice of which in our country or its interplay with other institutions. I just stated a blunt fact.

Being a foreigner studying in America is an opportunity that is only given to a few people due to a lot of reasons both within and beyond their control. Nevertheless, I can say that it is a privilege that when offered, one must not think twice to grab especially when the matter you want to study have most of the resources available in this country. I have stated the reasons why I think studying in America is better than being educated in my own home country, which is Saudi Arabia and although many would see me unpatriotic for thinking this way, I plead for understanding because I only want to get the quality of education I know I deserve. Again, I reiterate, I am not undermining the academic institutions from my home country despite my choice of seeking knowledge in a foreign land. It is just that America specializes more in this area as compared to my homeland. Nevertheless, in other aspects, I am still very proud to uphold my country of origin because no matter where I am, I know where I came from.