Choosing to study in another country could have many benefits. From the opportunity to travel to improving career prospects, there are many great reasons to consider a college abroad. This post takes a deeper look into some of the benefits – as well as some of the things you may need to be wary of.
An opportunity to travel
A great reason to study abroad is the opportunity to combine travel with education. No need for a gap year – you can experience living in another country as you study. In your free time, you may be able to explore local attractions, try local foods and immerse yourself in the culture. If there’s already a country you’re itching to explore, consider narrowing down your course search to colleges in that country.
Greater course options
Studying abroad opens up much more potential course options – which may include niche subjects that you cannot study in your home country or courses with unusual modules. Of course, you may not necessarily need to move abroad to study some of these courses as options like an MBA degree online can be studied from anywhere. It all depends on whether you’re looking for a hands-on study experience or whether you’re happy to learn over the web.
Cheaper fees
Some overseas colleges may charge very low fees or may even be free to study at. You could end up saving a lot of money on your studies as a result and not having to take on as much student debt. Just make sure that any low fees or free tuition is available to international students and not just domestic students. You will also need to budget for the costs of moving abroad, as well as checking that the cost of living is not higher in your chosen foreign country than your home country.
Learn the language
A lot of courses around the world are taught in English to appeal to international students. That said, if you’re going to another country, you may still need to learn the local lingo for everyday exchanges with locals such as buying groceries. This may turn some potential students off, however others may see this as the golden opportunity to learn another language. The best way to practise a second language is to immerse yourself in it – you’ll be forced to speak it and could become fluent quickly. If you’re already trying to learn a language or thinking of studying that language at college, it could be particularly beneficial to move to a country that speaks that language as their mother tongue.
Global networking
Studying abroad can be an opportunity to meet people from around the world. Such connections could help you to travel more in the future and give you better insights into other cultures to expand your world view. You may even find that some of these connections are useful to your career if you’re thinking of taking on a job abroad or a job that involves international relations after you’ve finished college.
Good career prospects
On the subject of careers, studying abroad could help your future employability, not just by building your connections but by giving you life experience that could make you interesting and more attractive to employers. Studying abroad shows that you’re adventurous, adaptable and independent. Of course, if you’re looking to get a job abroad after, there could also be direct ways in which studying abroad can help – you’ll be able to attend college career fairs, talk to college career advisors and use local recruitment agencies to help you find a job.
Independence building
Studying abroad forces you to be more independent by stepping out of your comfort zone. It could be an exciting personal challenge for some people that leads to personal growth. Not everyone will be up for this challenge and some people may prefer to stay closer to home where they can enjoy the support of their family. But if you want to distance yourself from relatives and become more resourceful, studying abroad could be a great way to enable this.
Conclusion
While studying abroad is not for everyone, it could be a good option for those who want to travel and be more independent. It could allow you to explore a greater variety of courses with cheaper fees, and it could help you to build connections and become more employable. You should think carefully about whether you think these benefits are worth the cost of travelling abroad and the distance away from family/friends.
