Study-abroad programs are becoming popular for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons include gaining a global mindset, increasing one’s capacity for prospective employers, seeking high-quality education and the urge to experience a new culture, amongst other reasons. Leaving one’s country to an entirely new one is challenging, (Tucker, 2018). The experience you get is depended on things like the country you choose to go to. The challenges one may experience studying abroad may include language barrier, home sick or rather getting the feeling of being an outsider, having to get used to a new currency and having to get used to a new culture, (Wendorff, 2013).
There are several steps into studying abroad. The first one is choosing the county. The process of choosing the country in which to study may prove to be a difficult task. While choosing, one should consider issues such as how much it costs to study in a particular country, how safe the country is, and the quality of education offered in that country. One should also consider the general cost of living in the chosen country. One’s personal interests should match with the chosen country. Such may include the kind of life one intends to lead there, whether high or low-cost living and availability of certain desired facilities and services.
The second step of studying abroad is choosing the desired University in the country you have chosen. To choose the best one, you may research on the ranking of the university worldwide. Things to consider while choosing the university to study in include where the university is situated, the kind of lifestyle in that locality, admission requirements and the cost. You may also want to choose an institution in which you can getting funding opportunities such as scholarships and loans, as this helps in cutting the cost. After settling on which institution, you like, you will need to find out how and where application and submission is done. Mostly, this information is readily available on the university website. In most international students are usually required to submit other documents alongside their application. Some of these include passport photos, curriculum vitae, recommendation letter and academic documents of your previous level of education. It is only reasonable to hold on the process of applying for a student visa until the application is approved.
Right after gaining the application approval letter, one may now go ahead apply for a student visa. It is important to note that some universities offer to apply for student visa on behalf of the student. Therefore, find out information on that before applying for the visa. Preparations for leaving to the new destination may now commence. These include packing personal items, assembling travel documents and gathering adequate information on your accommodation. Ensure that your travel documents are up to date. Incase one is not well versed with the travel documents required, you may visit your chosen country government’s website and find out. However, some universities offer guidance on what to do until your arrival. Applying for any of these documents should be done as early as possible to avoid unnecessary delays.
The next and final step is traveling to your chosen country and getting to your institution, where you enroll for your studies. Adapting to the new environment, culture, currency and language may take some time, but one should be fine.
In conclusion, a student intending to study abroad will need to take their time while going through these steps. One should have their interests in mind while choosing the country and the institution.
References
Tucker, L. (2018). How to Study Abroad. Retrieved from TopUniversities: https://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/studying-abroad/how-study-abroad-frequently-asked-questions
Wendorff, F. V. (2013). Top 5 Challenges of Studying Abroad. Retrieved from TopUniversities: https://www.topuniversities.com/blog/top-5-challenges-studying-abroad
