Personal, Academic & Career Benefits of Studying Abroad
You may wonder why so many covet an education abroad. Is an international degree worth the huge investment of time (link scholarship), money, and effort? We talked to over 100 ReachIvy students who have graduated from reputed foreign institutions. Here are 10 personal, academic and career benefits they have gained from an international study program:
Personal Benefits:
- Gain Independence, Self-Reliance, and Self-Confidence
Alone in a foreign land, you experience the rough and tumble of life. Your personal growth will take place because of living independently. Needless to say, you will also become more assured in your thought and expression. An independent thinker makes a self-reliant and confident individual.
- Broaden Your Horizon
Why think small, when you can think big? As an international student, you get to understand a wide range of perspectives on even the smallest of issues. The breadth of thought, with the depth of insight, are some of the few personal benefits you are guaranteed to gain in an international program.
- Gain Valuable Life Skills
Life, we know, is the best teacher. But in unfamiliar terrain, life can be a hard taskmaster. Pick up valuable life skills as you grapple with day-to-day issues. Whether it is travelling to remote places without an internet connection, or merely getting a flat tire fixed, you will face many hurdles. Overcoming challenges with creative solutions will be your greatest asset. You will never go back to saying, “It’s impossible!”
- Enhance Your Communication Skills
One of the greatest benefits of studying abroad is improving your communication skills. You have to work hard to understand and be understood. Once you stay abroad for some time, you get used to different speeches, accents, and gestures. You learn to appreciate diverse cultural and linguistic patterns. These skills develop you into a culturally (link cultural immersion) suave and sensitive person.
Academic Benefits:
- Seek Mentorship With Distinguished Professors
Many top-level institutes have Nobel laureates, influential industry leaders on their faculty. With the world’s best minds within reach, you gain access to cutting edge knowledge. On rare occasions, you may get to work on confidential, high-value research projects that will accelerate your career graph.
- Intern With Career Defining Companies
You may have started as a financial analyst, but throughout the internship, you may discover that your talents lay in fundraising. As a part of the overseas study program, you get to intern with different companies, even outside the scope of your program. By building your portfolio of experiences beyond your area of specialization, you stand to gain tremendously in future career choices.
- Choose From a Wide Range of Subjects
Select from a broad spectrum of electives that interests you. Students who enjoy what they study also perform well in academics. You can choose to go deeper within a field of specialization or cover a broad range of topics. You can also benefit by pursuing a super specialization if you aspire to be a world leader in your field.
Career Benefits
- Meet People From Across The Globe
A foreign studies program is your golden ticket to experience the world. Right from tasting exotic cuisines, to learning new languages, to participating in foreign cultural programs, you can have it all. Such experiences add to your profile. Not just do you learn to adapt to new geographies, you also become culturally sensitive. This can equip you to deal with the challenges of overseas work.
- >Strengthen Your Leadership Skills
Be a change leader. Forge your path. Your experience at an international school will help you develop leadership skills. You will have the opportunity to lead, and create teams. As a student, you will be exposed to dynamic challenges. Your experience in an international setting will help you cope with any challenge you may face in your prospective job.
- Increase Your Employability
In the fast-paced world that we live in, there are many opportunities for growth for employees with international exposure. Working overseas with a team of students and professors, you build various competencies such as multi-dimensional teamwork, critical analysis, flexibility, strategic thinking, time management, among others. Many companies actively seek out candidates with these competencies. Your future employers may want you to manage international projects, work with international clients, and resolve cross-border issues. If you have the backing of foreign education, you develop the dynamism that is expected of a global manager.
Apart from the personal, academic, and career benefits listed here, there are many other benefits you will reap. You will also build your social and professional network with international students and boost your soft skills. Your experience at an international college or university will make you a well-rounded, dynamic individual who is ready to step out of your comfort zone, and set sail on unchartered waters.
