10 Things Your Competitors Can Teach You About study abroad opportunities
According to Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development, about 4.3 millions of high school graduates are willing to continue their education abroad. Most attractive countries for them are Australia, Austria, and Switzerland, however, the USA takes the leading position for the number of international students in 2009-2010 – 691,000 people, according to statistics of Institute of International Education. They choose best colleges in United States, which are situated in New York, California, and Texas.
Moreover, best colleges and universities in the US also send their student to study abroad. E.g. Harvard Business School sends more than 900 students to study and work abroad. International education could become your foot in the door, an attainable dream or simply thrilling adventure. Here, we have 10 things, which you should consider and do, before entering best colleges US.
An extra mile needed: it is always difficult to be far from home, relatives, friends, especially if it is a foreign country, where people speak language that differs from your mother tongue. Thus, you have to put many efforts into learning the language, as it will help you to communicate, study and solve problems. Also, try to develop your communication skills and ability to act in case of emergency.
How long will it take? Different colleges and universities have different requirements to applicants. Find out best study abroad opportunities of different educational institutions, choose the most suitable for you and start your preparation.
Do the research: once you have selected the program, try to find out as many details as possible. Read about its pros and cons, reviews of other students, try to find somebody with firsthand experience and talk to him or her. Figure out about study abroad scholarships and grants not to pay full tuition fees. Such resources as IESabroad.org, IIEpassport.org, and StudyAbroad.com are good places to start researching.
Do credits transfer? If you are not going abroad to gain the major, but rather for internship for a semester or a year, it is important to check whether credits will count in your local university or college.
Count the expenses: you can find the information about the price of the programme on its official website, but this sum is not all your expenses. That is just tuition fees. So that, consider how expensive is living in the foreign country: food, rent, clothes, entertainment etc.
Sometimes, you can save up money: some countries offer cheaper education than your motherland. Thus, if you want to get a degree, live abroad for some time and spend less money for education, that is a great chance for you. A lot of programmes are in English so that there is no need to learn a specific language.
Take care of health insurance: it is essential for you to have a medical insurance if you are going to live abroad. Moreover, it will be better if it is valid not only in cases of emergency but also for some broader issues.
Make sure you can handle: different university in a foreign country may be difficult. So that ask yourself if you are ready for this challenge.
Communication: progress in technologies made it easier to keep in touch with your friends and relatives at home country. You can use Skype, What’s Up, Viber and many other apps and communicate with them whenever you want.
Social life: Aldous Huxley said: “To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries”. So, student studying is not the only thing, which you should do while getting an education abroad. Do not spend your free time in front of the computer, go and integrate into local life. Debunk myths and stereotypes about this country, find out more about culture, tradition, get involved in events and entertainment to gain experience for further life.
