Must it be the US? Why not London, Manchester, Rotterdam, Sydney, Taipei, or Tokyo?

Although many if not all the students that we sent surveys to and interviewed with were very grateful for the opportunity to study abroad, the most enthusiastic and appreciative of responses were from students who are studying or studied in non-US schools.

"The experience was enriching and I would recommend studying in Europe over studying in the States to anyone who asked," was University of London graduate Yael Buencamino's response when we asked her about her studies in London.

“I think studying Europe is better than studying in the US because there is a lot more value than American schools in terms of culture,” was Manchester Business School student, Chips Guevara's answer.

“Australia is the world’s best kept secret. Right now I live in New York and although I am very proud of being Filipino and miss my parents and my brother, I am more homesick for Australia” was Environmental Architecture graduate Artie Manalac’s confession.

Judah Ruiz who took his MBA at IMD in Switzerland responded with “Yes!,” when he was asked if he made the right choice.

Why so much gusto?

We suspect it is because when one chooses to study outside of the Philippines or the US, he or she is learning something totally different. Artie says that after living in Sydney for a few weeks, he discovered that “there was a completely different Anglo culture that was apart from America.” He agrees that it was an ignorant observation but holds the inundation of American influence in our culture as responsible for his reaction.

We agree. We are not saying that studying in the US is almost like studying in the Philippines, we are just acknowledging the tremendous US influence in our culture and would like to suggest taking this opportunity to study abroad to experience others.

Why else?

It might also be because in these sparsely-populated-by-Filipinos-countries, you learn about your host country yourself. There are less friends and family to coddle us, no Titas and Titos to pick us up from the airport when we arrive, nor cousins to give us a tour of the city. Yael, Chips, Artie, and Judah had to learn about their host cities on their own—sometimes painfully—but enjoyed the pleasure of their discovery.

“I had to get used to the different things that American words meant in England,” shared Yael who asked a friend how many pairs of pants to bring on a weekend trip and was told after a questioning look that in the UK pants meant underwear.

Jay Gatmaitan, who took his MBA in Rotterdam, told us about the time he went to the local supermarket and bought a carton of milk. The next morning, he poured milk into his cereal and was aghast to see curdled milk pouring out of the box! He couldn’t understand the label in Dutch.

Yes, it’s a bit more difficult, and for practical reasons the US might seem a better choice because it is the host to the headquarters of many industries. Holders of US student visas are also allowed to work for a year! But below are some of the arguments for studying in non-US cities. It just might be your cup of tea:

1) Cost-Efficiency. In some countries, because the exchange rate from the peso to the local currency is less than that of the peso to the US dollar, you end up getting the same degree at a lower price. This is the case for Artie Manalac who wanted to take a Master's Degree in Environmental Architecture. He discovered that he would be paying half the cost of a US education if he went to Australia. For him this was one of the deciding factors.

2) Better Options. When Chips Guevara was deciding which school to take his MBA, he compared the list of schools that he was accepted to and found that he could get an MBA degree at a higher ranking university if he considered non-US schools. He also observed that Manchester Business School had a greater international student population than the US schools he was accepted in.

3) Learn a Language Faster. Ross Ann King studied in the National Taiwan Normal University for one year. She says she choose to go to Taiwan to learn the language without the comfort of falling back on Filipino friends. She definitely recommends going to the country if you want to learn their language.

4) More Travel Opportunities for People Studying in Europe. Jay Gatmaitan again, Tricia’s cousin, was always in France, Germany, Spain, or the UK whenever Tricia called him to make kuwento. Studying in Rotterdam made it easy for Jay to be exposed other cultures just by taking the train.

5) Full Time Education. “Full Time Education” is actually the description used by one of our interviewees when talking about his study in the UK. We quote: “Living in the UK, or for that matter any other unfamiliar territory, is in itself a full-time education. The challenges of socializing your behavior into a different context best any academic degree in content or form.

The adventure of traveling and meeting new people also serve as an invaluable experience no amount of time spent in any classroom or library can match. The unfamiliar nature of living independently in a different social setting certainly strengthened my character, deepened my appreciation of what used to be the ‘unknown’, and matured my disposition in life.

In the end, the choice is up to you. Whichever city you choose, have lots of fun!