Five questions to ask if you are planning to study abroad
Are you ready to study abroad? Are you ready to begin that new chapter of your life – new experiences, dirty laundry, independence, a foreign country, top university and all? Or have you yet to work on it?
Deciding to study abroad is a life-changing one – it puts you on track to several new experiences and being prepared to meet them head-on will amplify the effect multi-fold. Between college selection, application and all the logistics, the personal preparation is something many people overlook – not at ReachIvy, though. Here’s all you need to ask yourself before making the choice to go overseas for your education.
Are You Ready to Study Abroad? Answer these 5 questions to know
- 1. Am I Ready to Adapt?
Adaptability is a huge factor when you’re headed out solo – anywhere on earth. The conditions are rarely the same in two places, and chances are, you will have to adapt to these conditions and learn to either live with it for the duration of your education or leverage it and grow with it. What will you choose?
The latter, I hope. To leverage your study abroad opportunity and grow with it makes the best use of your opportunity. What would you rather, when you’re out for a new experience: a) study and just get through with the degree; or b) learn with it and grow accordingly.
- 2. Do I Know the Languages Needed to Communicate and Comprehend?
This is important mostly for students that are headed to a non-English speaking destination at universities in France, Spain, China and so on. Communication is crucial and the last thing that should be a hindrance in your effort to learn as much as you can in the years you’re studying overseas. Sure, your university instructs in English – but how do you expect to interact smoothly with the local populace?
- 3. Can I Manage My Time Effectively?
The novelty of the study abroad experiences is bound to have its challenges as well at times – for instance, the incubation period in a new culture and a new university tackling a relatively different education system might leave you doing (or having to do) a lot many things. It’s imperative at this point that you learn to prioritize your tasks. A good place to start learning the ropes of time management is at home, while you’re still preparing your application – set timelines for yourself and work on them accordingly.
- 4. Can I Live Far Away from Friends and Family?
If not, it’s time you do. You will be a thousand miles away for months – may even years – on an end. Part of coming to terms with this also involves understanding the bright hope the internet brings for you – Skyping and conversing with your friends and family still is an option and should not be overlooked. The larger realization, however, should set in early on so you aren’t left emotionally high and dry at a later stage when you’re begging your academics.
- 5. Have I Figured Out My Financing?
Ironing out the financing while studying abroad, beforehand, is key so that you aren’t left in a crunch that affects your chances of studying abroad. This, from a personal standpoint doesn’t mean just the “tuition fee” part of the mix, but also the living costs. Students often fall for a planning fallacy in terms of their finance. This is largely because they estimate their living costs with a more optimistic than realistic metric. Take into account especially your dining and outing habits when your headed abroad to study and plan to work around these either in habit or in cash.
