10 Reasons Why You Should Consider Studying Abroad

 

If studying overseas is on your mind and you are diffident about convincing your parents or yourself, here we list down some of the pre-eminent grounds on why devoting a semester or year overseas is a bright and lively thing to do.

1. Refined Employment Opportunities:

Looking forward to creating the best impression on potential employers? Companies across the globe continue to invest in the international market, and prefer to recruit employees who possess an all-embracing experience. Needless to mention the knowledge of a second language. Your resume will create a distinctive conception from all the contendors applying for the same position.

2. Diversify Your Knowledge:

By signing up for a study abroad program, you get the chance to experience an aspect of your persona that you may not have been exposed to at your native habitat. You’ll realize that engaging yourself to the fullest in the education system of your host country is an excellent way to really experience and comprehend its natives, their traditions, and their culture. Education acts as the focal point of any study overseas trip.

3. It Can Be Easy On Your Pocket:

Subjective to your school, tuition fees may remain consistent. Furthermore, there are options available like funding in the form of grants and scholarships. In fact some countries allow you to study abroad for much less than how you’d imagine overseas education to cost.

4. Personal Development:

International education breaks you out of your comfort zone and challenges you with uncommon experiences that make you reconsider or strengthen your values. You get a better sense of who you are and what is important. You get the opportunity to discover what you want out of life and become a more independent individual. A foreign land travel reveals your true potentials.

5. Learn Foreign Languages:

Language teachers suggest that in order to learn a language quickly and effectively you need to adapt to the culture. Mastering a foreign language opens up all kinds of new opportunities. As globalization brings the world together, it’s important to be competent in more than one language.

6. Acquire New Skills:

When you study overseas, you can take up courses you don’t get the opportunity to take in your home land. In addition to university classes, you can explore new hobbies or sports that aren’t as favoured (or even possible) to practice. Traveling outside your home country is a pedagogy in itself, learning to interact with and navigate through a culture different from your own.

7. Mould Lifelong Memories:

Most students who study abroad claim that their time overseas was the best learning experience. You meet new friends who will yearn to share their culture, ideas, and learn about yours. Create lasting memories and develop life-long friendships.

8. Experience Diversified Cultures:

Engulfing yourself in a totally different culture is powerful. You will experience things like trying different cuisines, celebrating traditional customs, and learning the history of another country. A person’s culture bespeaks deep perceptions, beliefs, and values that influence their way of life. You’ll gain an understanding of this that cannot be taught in books.

9. Expand Your Worldview:

Formerly held beliefs about foreign countries are bound to change once you’ve been abroad. However you’ll gain a completely new impression of your own country too. It can be surprising just how much you know is slightly biased, based on where you are from. It is also an unique opportunity to educate others on your country, eliminating their stereotypes about you!

10. Earn Money:

You can also earn while studying abroad. English being the international language of business and an important language, many foreigners wish to learn it. You can get paid for teaching, interpreting or translating English while studying abroad and ease your study and stay revenues.

For further assistance or queries students can contact us, Edwise International, and avail of our wide range of services for students on destinations like Universities in USA, study in USA, study in UK, study in Ireland, study in Canada, study in Australia, study in New-Zealand, study in Singapore, study in France and many other countries.

Skills studying abroad helps you acquire

 

The experience a student has when they decide to study abroad is hard to encapsulate in a few points. Apart from the quality of education imparted the social implications are profound. As a student looking to study abroad, there are certain skills that one must expect to learn.

The process of attaining education abroad is a bag of mixed emotions, the excitement and nervousness all come as a part and parcel of the overall experience. However, as a prospective international student, there are certain aspects that you must consider.

The experience you have in a foreign country is much more than the education you attain, there are certain skills that also get harnessed in the process. You must ensure that you capitalize on these opportunities that will enable you to have a fruitful experience abroad.

Communication

One of the major benefits of studying abroad is the opportunity to get to interact with international students. Interacting with students from all corners of the world will enable you to hone your communication skills. Tackling all these barriers will help increase your confidence and you will come out as an enhanced student. An important trait that a significant number of employers look for in their candidates is the ability to communicate effectively. Once it brought to light that you have attained an education abroad, the confidence that an employer has in your skills automatically increases.

Networking

A part and parcel of your communication activities is your networking experience. The connections you make at the university level go a long way in the future. Interacting with the faculty as well as with alumni will help you later. Make sure to forge these connections, because when you dive into the professional sphere yourself, these may come in handy.

Cultural Acceptance

Respect and appreciation of other’s culture have become the need of the hour. With an increasingly globalised nature of the market, students are expected to become global citizens. And there is no better way to become a global citizen than to be in a global environment, and education abroad provides you just that. When you study abroad you become increasingly aware of several communities which enable you to hone your skills.

Adaptability

Being away from your loved ones, and being in a foreign land yourself is an excellent way to enhance your skills. Since you have put yourself out of your comfort zone, you will be expected to enhance your adaptability skills. Being in a foreign country enables students to become independent and diligent. Someone who is used to having things done for themselves will find it an arduous task to be by themselves, however, education abroad is all about that experience. Becoming flexible in your approach will come in handy in your professional endeavours.

Problem Solving

Since you have decided to study abroad you will be expected to fend for yourself. Which means you become responsible for your own actions. Therefore, when a problem strikes it will become the need of the hour that you find a solution for the same. Thus, working for the same, it is natural that your problem-solving skills will get enhanced.

Team Work

When at a university abroad, students are expected to deal with a significant task at hand. These tasks in many cases usually include assignments. In some cases, these assignments may be individual or in some cases may require you to work in a group. Working in a group enables you to harness your team-building skills. This also teaches you that apart from considering one’s own perspective it becomes equally important that you also consider an opposite person’s perspective. Exchanging ideas, put your points across the table and coming up with a range of creative solutions to a problem at hand are skills you learn. Therefore, when working in a team, you are preparing yourself for the professional environment where you will be expected to work with a diverse group of people at hand.

At the end of the day, an education abroad allows you to assess your own strength and weakness and teaches you to work on the same. It also enables you to understand your own capabilities all of which will go a long way in your future endeavours.

 

 

Advantages & Challenges of Studying Abroad

March 2016

For many students, going away to college is the first time that they will live away from their parents or hometown. University life affords freedom, independence, and an opportunity to gain life skills that will be used your day to day life while this certainly is a major event, getting the most out of your college experience may involve going beyond your university’s campus.

Off-campus volunteer and work opportunities may be the farthest you’ll want to venture from your college campus. But you may want to consider studying abroad.

Studying abroad offers a unique opportunity to grow academically, professionally, and personally while going on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. There are a number of other benefits to studying abroad; however, there are also numerous challenges. Consider the pros and cons, and decide if studying abroad may be right for you.

Advantages of Studying Abroad

Experience a Foreign Culture

Visiting foreign lands in person, however, is an entirely different experience. When you study abroad, you participate in the day-to-day life of a new locale, gaining first-hand understanding and new appreciation of the culture.

Improve Your Second Language Skills

You may already be fluent in a second language, or you might study abroad in one of the many countries where English is spoken as a first language. However, studying abroad can provide you with a perfect opportunity to learn a new foreign language.

Being surrounded by native speakers affords you the chance to immerse yourself in the language, which can expedite your retention and fluency. Furthermore, if you travel to a country in which the primary language is one you’ve studied in school, you can add to your vocabulary colloquial words and phrases that may not appear in the textbooks.

Explore Your Own Heritage

Students whose familial heritage stems from abroad will often choose to explore their ethnicity and ancestry. In fact, reports show that minority students benefit both personally and academically when they have studied abroad in the country of their family’s origin.

Pursue an Activity You Wouldn’t at Home

Studying abroad is a chance for you to be adventurous, explore the unknown, and try your hand at activities that may not be offered in your home state. For example, if you’re studying abroad in Argentina, you can try numerous adventure sports, from zip-lining, to rafting, to mountain biking. If you enjoy heights, you can try paragliding. No matter what you choose, it’s sure to be an unforgettable experience.

Learn How to Communicate Across Cultures

In today's increasingly global society, it’s important to possess the skills to communicate across cultures – and this means understanding more than just a different language. Studying abroad helps you become familiar with the customs and traditions of the country in which you are studying, in addition to the language. By interacting with locals, you can develop an appreciation for the culture and its differences from your own.

Become More Independent

Studying abroad removes you from the normal support network that you are accustomed to back home. While on the one hand, being away from friends and family can seem daunting, it is also a chance for you to hone your own skills and gain some independence.

Whether it’s washing your laundry or buying groceries, you will learn to take responsibility for your actions. When you return home, your increased independence will be very useful – it can help you in your job search, at home, or in your day-to-day routines.

Manage Your Own Finances

One major aspect of being an independent adult is having the ability to manage your own finances. Regardless of whether your study abroad program is financed by a scholarship, grant, or another source of income, chances are that it will be your responsibility to pay the bills.

Furthermore, living in a new country will help you learn and understand a new form of currency, and familiarize yourself with the various living expenses. Understanding how to manage your expenses will especially be beneficial when you no longer rely on the support of your family.

Increase Your Employment Prospects

Employers value prospective candidates with international experience, foreign language skills, and the ability to communicate across cultures. If you’re interested in pursuing a career in international relations, diplomacy, or government, these skills will be especially useful.

Use your experience studying abroad to expand your set of abilities, and make these a determining factor that will separate you from the others in a pool of applicants.

Form New and Rewarding Relationships

Without your regular support group of friends and family, you will be confronted with new situations on a daily basis. However, studying abroad offers you the chance to meet new people and form friendships that may last a lifetime.

Whether you’re living with a host family or in a student residence, make an effort to form relationships with those around you. Not only will you have someone around to console you when you are homesick, you will also know people that you can have fun with. Recreation is an important part of the studying abroad experience, and you will likely enjoy sharing your experiences much more than spending your time alone.

Network for Your Future

In addition to making friends, you can also form professional contacts while abroad. Generally speaking, course loads tend to be comparatively lighter while studying abroad, so this can be an ideal occasion to intern, work part-time or volunteer while you’re studying.

Consult your college or university to see whether they help you find internships or work placements abroad. Sometimes, you can even get credit from your home institution. When you’re finished working abroad, be sure to ask for a recommendation letter to testify that you worked abroad, and to share with future prospective employers.

Challenges to Consider

Though there are a myriad of benefits to foreign study, consider some of the drawbacks before you decide whether it’s right for you:

Homesickness Can Occur Frequently.

If you have never spent much time far from home, this could be a serious issue. You may find yourself missing the people you left back home, and the less outgoing you are the more of a problem this can become.

Academic Programs Abroad May Be Less Rigorous

Of course, this comes down to where you currently study and the program in question. Ask other students who have participated in the program you’re interested in, to see if it will be worthwhile from an academic standpoint.

It May Be Difficult to Get to Know Locals.

In some countries, the locals will be warm and inviting, while in others, it might take a little more effort to make friends. If you’re concerned, find out in advance how Americans are typically received and treated in the area.

You May Experience Culture Shock – When You Return Home.

Once you become used to a foreign environment, your home might actually seem foreign to you. This effect will be most notable when returning from countries where cultural differences from your home are numerous.

Programs Can Be Expensive

While there are study abroad scholarships opportunities specifically designed for students who wish to study abroad, you may not be eligible. Is it worth racking up more student loan debt? If you don’t qualify for a scholarship, weigh the pros and cons to make the best decision, and be sure to expand your search – consult government-sponsored initiatives for further grants, if possible.

Credits May Not Transfer

If you’re planning to conduct research abroad, be sure to mention it to your college or university, as you may be able to transfer credits to your home institution. However, credits may not always transfer. This may not matter to some students, but to others it could be vital – especially when you consider the financial costs.

For complete information & enrolment on Studying Abroad, Contact Edwise on 1-800-200-3678 (Toll Free) / 08600911333.

March 2016