CHALLENGES INDIAN STUDENTS FACE WHILE STUDYING ABROAD

Do not worry. Look forward to a new beginning, a new place, new people, and most importantly, a paradigm shift in your world view.

One fine day you receive an email announcing one of the best messages of your life: "Congratulations! Your application [to the study abroad program] has been accepted." Finally, your laborious efforts have paid off. Amidst the joy and excitement, you feel a sudden chill down your spine. You realise you are about to get uprooted from your country and planted in a new destination. Don't get anxious about it. Before you embark on one of the most important journeys of your life, here is a list of challenges you could face and how to cope with them:

1. Dwindling finances. Till now you were under the protective umbrella of your parents as far as financial management was concerned. Now managing funds on your own, and that too in a foreign country, may seem like a daunting task. You need to astutely chalk out your financial management strategy. Get into the habit of sticking to your monthly budget comprising mainly of rent, transportation, school supplies, groceries, etc. Pay your bills on time to avoid additional late fees. If possible, get a part-time job on campus to earn some extra bucks for your other expenses.

2. Communicating ineffectively. You will not face serious problems if you are migrating to one of the English-speaking countries, but still the slang and accent may need you to plough through in the beginning. Perseverance is the key here. Be patient to understand and adapt the local dialect and accent. However, if you are migrating to a non-English-speaking country, you will face a tougher challenge. Be open to learning and exploring the language. Try to learn the local language before you move. There are mobile phone apps that assist to learn a language. When in the foreign land, watch native channels to practice the language. Make friends with local people and seek tips and advice from them.

3. Feeling home sick. Yes, you read it right. You will feel homesick in your early days. Your mother's mollycoddling, home-cooked food, father's words of wisdom, mischief with siblings, and hanging out with friends at your favourite places, you will miss them all. Surely there is no place like home but do not let it narrow your horizons. Connect with your kin on Skype and through other channels but do not overdo it. It's normal to feel homesick as long as it doesn't hamper your experience of living abroad. You and your family have sacrificed a lot to get you into this school. Interact with other international students and make friends to fill the void. If time permits, become a member of some adventurous group or any other club of your liking.

4. Familiarise yourself with alien brands and products. There are some products without which your day-to-day life seems meaningless. Finding them abroad may be a futile exercise, so accommodate yourself in your new habitat as soon as possible with suitable alternatives. The sooner you get rid of dependency on those products, the easier it will be for you to settle down and concentrate on your goal of getting a degree. There might be chances that in your quest to find suitable alternatives, you may stumble upon an even better product.

5. Fading social life. Once the honeymoon phase of your journey gets over, the deficit of a good social life will start haunting you. The inner cravings to socialise might be difficult to bear with. You might even curse the decision of shifting to an alien country. Pull yourself together and find ways to overcome the flood of emotions you are going through. This will require pushing yourself to some extent, but it will be worth all your efforts. Use your communication skills and make some friends in your college and locality as well to fill the gap.

6. Adapting to a new timezone. Initially getting adjusted to the new timezone may be challenging. Your biological cycle may take a severe beating and it will take some time for your body to get used to the new lifestyle. Also there may be a time-shift in your working hours and that of your native country. You might have to call your bank in the middle of the night to connect at their normal business hour, or wait to speak to your family at odd hours. There are time-keeping apps that will come in handy. Gradually, you will get used to the time differences and things will get easier.

These challenges may seem herculean. Do not worry. Look forward to a new beginning, a new place, new people, and most importantly, a paradigm shift in your world view. Your hard work and never-say-die attitude will sail you through against all odds.

The writer is Founder and CEO, ReachIvy.com

ABOUT THE COMPANY

ReachIvy is a premium education and career advisory that helps aspiring students get accepted into top tier educational institutions globally. We have successful admits at MIT, Columbia, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, London School of Economics, University of Michigan, Oxford, University of Chicago amongst others.

Vibha Kagzi, Founder and CEO, ReachIvy, holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a Bachelor of Science from Carnegie Mellon University. She has also pursued courses at the University of California, Berkeley, the London School of Economics and the Indian School of Business.

Our globalteamof counsellors have also acquired their degrees from premier institutes and are passionate about sharing their experiences with students worldwide.