7 Things to ponder if you’re planning to Study
Abroad
All that glisters is not gold; we’re all familiar with this saying. Similarly, studying abroad sounds so appealing when all you can do is think about it, but you face harsh realities in life when you’re actually there. It goes the same for a lot of other things as well other than just for studying abroad or visiting a foreign country.
Many students face depression and become
homesick. They lose all interest because they begin to understand the value of the company around them which they left behind. But if things don’t come up to your expectations, don’t be disheartened and quit just because you happen to have lost interest. You worked hard to get where you are, didn’t you?
To avoid any such mishaps, it’s better to
evaluate and judge for yourself if you’re really
ready to go study abroad. Will you be able to
cope and manage all the unfamiliar situations
you encounter? The cultural difference alone can
on its own squish you. Other than that you have
to face religious, political and other such
circumstances which dictate your way of living.
If you think you have what it takes to adapt to
all these things, then read on and consider the
following points so that you can avoid any major
inconveniences.
Decide on these before you travel abroad
1. Gain Adequate Knowledge
It goes without saying that you should have
appropriate background knowledge about the
environment and other such basic knowledge
about the places you’re applying to. The
weather, the food, the culture, and the mood of
the people all seem like such trivial things when
your main focus is on your education and getting
into your first choice college, but trust me, these
things matter a lot.
Other than that, keep in mind that you have to
fend for yourself and that the native food of your
home country won’t be available to you where
you’re going. If you’re used to a lot of spices,
the place you might be going towards probably
harbors the majority of the people who have a
sweet tooth. So if you are a particularly choosy
person, you need to consider all these things
ahead of time because then you’d be facing a lot
of difficulties if it all comes on to you as a big
surprise.
2. Learn Basic Skills
Basic skills like cooking always come in handy.
As mentioned before, if you’re a big critic when
it comes to food, then you’ll probably crave a
native dish every once in a while. If not, some
places just can’t quite catch the flavor of your
home country.
For Muslims, this is a very handy skill because
they have the problem of sifting through halal
and haram foods in a foreign country based on
how the animal is slaughtered and the
ingredients used in a dish or a recipe. For
Hindus, many of whom are vegans, they can
cook up their delicacies without having to worry
about the places which serve tofu and the
constant worry of animal fat mixed in flavoring
and food color.
Aside from saving money, there are literally
thousands of recipes available all over the
internet for you to recreate your favorite dishes
from.
3. Be More Responsible
If you’re moving out, you’ll be living alone and
probably with roommates. Your parents are not
going to be there to constantly nag you all the
time to clean up after yourselves and no stranger
will tolerate your sloppy habits if they’re staying
with you.
To avoid such conflicts and also to become a
better person, you must become more
responsible and learn to look after things for
yourself. It’s like this; you’re not going to be
finding a fresh and hot meal ready and prepared
for you after your day ends, nor will your
expenses be taking care of themselves. Your
clothes aren’t going to be spread out ready for
you nor will they be washed and ironed on their
own.
Regarding academics, you’re responsible for your
own fate. Teachers are not going to constantly
nag you to come to class on time or submit your
assignments before the due date. No teacher
will particularly stress you to do well in your
exams because it’s your own career you’re
either messing up or building.
4. Adjust your Attitude
If you hope to get along with people from all
over the world with different cultures and
backgrounds, you need to be resilient in your
responsibilities and have an easy-going
personality. If you keep on criticizing other
people all the time, no one is going to like you or
want to sit with you. Don’t poke your nose where
it doesn’t belong because no one likes someone
who tries to become over-involved in someone
else’s personal matters. To help yourself adjust,
devise strategies and control your impulses or
come up with things to keep your mind busy in
your free time other than indulging in
meaningless gossip.
5. Extra Earnings and Savings
Tuition fees are expensive, especially for foreign
students, but that’s not the only thing they have
to worry about. They have to look at the
boarding, the food expenses, clothing, and other
such basic necessities which can come to cost
a lot.
Your parents’ entire money and yours only
basically cover up your living expenses, so there
is no room left for luxury or even to cover up
some of your assignments, for which a part-time
job is necessary. You can even pick up
freelancing as it’s the easiest form of earning
some extra money if you have spare time and
necessary costs to be covered. You obviously
need to cut down on a lot of your luxuries like
partying and hanging out all the time which are
a drain on your wallet.
Save for the upcoming semesters by cutting
down on a lot of your expenses. Forget about
your parents’ credit card and don’t count on it to
pay all your bills. Remember, as discussed
before, you need to learn to be a responsible
adult and also learn to properly manage your
finances because ultimately it’s affecting your
future. With this, you don’t have to worry all the
time about your expenses and can focus better
on your studies.
6. Be Absolutely Fair
Cheating won’t get you anywhere in the future.
You’ll never be reliant on your own skills and
thus continue to be fraudulent in your entire
career span. That is not to mention that you’ll
not be gaining any such knowledge whatsoever
and can face serious consequences. Other than
that, it’s also immoral and unethical. Paying
someone to do your dissertation is wrong
because not only are you cheating the university
and the teacher, but you’re cheating yourself as
well.
Other than that, be absolutely fair in your
writing. Do your own work so that you can learn
something in the process as well. Think about it;
why are your parents spending so much on you
and the teachers investing so much of their time
on you as well?
7. Overcoming Sudden Changes in Policies
The entire world was shaken by the issue of
Brexit. It’s a political decision surely to affect
the operation of the country in itself, and it has
also raised a serious issue of racism. Every
single activity, including students coming in from
abroad, now face such issues and even non-
native citizens who have lived abroad for
generations felt the waves and no longer have a
sense of belonging in a land they built their lives
upon.
The understudies, either from EU or the different
nations of the world, examining in the UK are
living in a bit of disarray and strain. The ebb and
flow of the political condition has thrown up a
plot which seems to anticipate that for students
studying abroad , the circumstances are going to
take a U-turn which can't be supportive of them.
The visa strategy is going to be modified.
Alongside visa arrangements in regards to grant,
student credits, financed programs (particularly
which were supported by EU) all will have to
face significant changes. Experts also agree that
an expansion in educational cost expenses,
boarding charges, and study material is normal
and a reduction in stipend, university`s yearly
pay, college programs, professional projects and
things like these are also an impending issue.
You should keep in mind that each of these
matters issue an inquiry about what students
ought to do when it comes to matters of
adaptation and adjustments. An extremely basic
answer is that the first and foremost concern
should be to well-arrange their financial issues
so that they won’t be faced with unpleasant
surprises should, God forbid, something
unplanned but terrible happens.
Other than that, you’re the best judge to decide
if you’re ready to break through the cultural
barriers and allow political, sociological, and
religious issues slide by and not affect your
performances or behavior. If you feel like you’re
now ready to travel abroad for studies in
unknown situations with a blank space and
question mark ahead of you, then what’re you
waiting for? Go ahead and apply straight-away!
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