The experience of living abroad. TOEFL example essay

Living abroad provides many opportunities and challenges. When I study abroad, I look forward to making friends. By getting to know people, I will be able to improve my English language proficiency. There are idioms and words that are best learned within the context of real conversations with native speakers.

I also look forward to being a participant in a new culture. At the end of my stay, I hope that I will understand the culture in a different and deeper way than is possible when information is derived from only movies and books.

In addition, I am excited about studying on a foreign campus. I expect the college courses to be challenging, and I am eager to learn about the latest technological advances in my field of study.

I am realistic about the disadvantages of foreign study, however. I know that I will miss my family very much. It will be too expensive to return to my country to spend holidays with them, and I will be very lonely during the times when I know that they are gathered for special celebrations.

Another aspect of the experience that I do not look forward to is the reliance on fast food that is so typical of college students. Pizza, hamburgers, and other junk foods are easier to find and prepare than the meals that I enjoy in my country, but they aren't as good, and they probably aren't as healthy.

Finally, I imagine that my life will be very stressful because I will be competing with students who know the language of the classroom and are accustomed to the expectations that the professors have for their students. I am a competitive person by nature, and I am apprehensive about my ability to compete with my classmates.

Once I am living abroad, I will no doubt find many other opportunities to take advantage of and many challenges that I must confront. Nevertheless, I expect my experience to be overwhelmingly positive, and I intend to see the lessons in both adventures and adversity.