Studying abroad is a major decision for international students and their families. There is so much to consider: ideal course, best country, safest city, tuition fees, cost of living, homesickness. The list goes on and on. Sometimes it can feel too much, too stressful, too uncertain.
In order to help you with these strong feelings and to help you make decisions we’ve put together some advice and words of wisdom for the following areas:
- Preparing to study abroad
- Experiencing a new culture
- Dealing with academic life
- Growing personally
Preparing to study abroad
‘Preparation for tomorrow is hard work today’, Bruce Lee
This is the first and often the scariest step. There’s too much information and it’s difficult to know where to start. You will have lots of questions for which you need answers.
The best way to start is by taking small steps. The most important first step is to make sure you do lots of research.
Research:
- Top-ranking universities and subjects by using rankings: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023, QS World University Rankings 2023, Employability Rankings 2022
- Download university prospectus to find out all about each university and their courses, accommodation and facilities.
- Go to student fairs and open days, either virtually online or in person if you can.
- Find out about the English language requirements and which test you should take.
- Research the application process for the country you’re interested in.
- Find out what admissions officers look for in a university application.
- Discover how to prepare for an admissions interview.
- Research how to write a personal statement for your application.
- Research accommodation and the cost of living in the country of your choice.
- Research how to finance your studies:
Experiencing a new culture
‘Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit.’ Jawaharlal Nehru
Being an international student living abroad is a wonderful way to experience a new country, culture, food, language and people. It’s exciting and will benefit you in the future, but it can also be stressful and a little lonely too.
Here’s some advice for you. You should try to learn:
- how to start conversations with other students
- how to live in a culturally different world
- how to deal with being a new international student
- about communication etiquette at university
It helps to understand the different cultures of university life in different countries:
Dealing with academic life
‘The content of a book holds the power of education and it is with this power that we can shape our future and change lives.’ Malala Yousafzai
When you’ve done all the hard preparation work and arrived in your new home abroad and started to learn to live in a culturally different environment, you will also need to learn to deal with life at university. Studying at university abroad is very different from the education system back home. Even if you’re a postgraduate student who has been to university before, academic life is different all over the world.
It will help if you:
- know how to revise for exams
- know how to take notes at university
- learn essay writing skills
- know about critical thinking skills
- learn how to write a dissertation
- know how to work with an academic supervisor
- Learn how to deal with academic feedback
Growing personally
‘If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.’ Ellen Johnson Sirleaf - first elected female head of state in Africa
Studying abroad will broaden your knowledge and open up work opportunities in the future. It will also change you in profound ways. It gives you:
- greater multicultural awareness
- deeper understanding of your own identity
- wider view of the world
- more independence
- greater self-confidence
- more open-mindedness
- wider group of friends
- better language skills
If you’re feeling inspired and want to start doing some research, why not try our course matcher tool to get you started?
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