Posts published on December 2, 2014

Things To Know If You Want To Study Abroad

By Melissa Burns

The modern world is much more open and free than the world our ancestors and even our parents lived. We can travel wherever we want, live wherever we want, try our hand at different jobs, study different professions – and there is nobody to stop us. Getting education abroad is probably one of the most fascinating prospects young people have today – for the simple reason that after getting a degree in a prestigious university one dramatically increases his or her competitiveness on job market. However, the fact that you have an opportunity doesn’t mean that it is easy to utilize it. Let’s take a look at a few things you have to know and do before you start to seriously consider applying to a foreign school.

1. You Will Need Money – Lots of It Education at a prestigious university, plus travelling fees, plus accommodation, plus food, plus various other expected and unexpected expenses – all this is going to cost you a pretty penny, and the higher your aspirations, the more expensive it is going to be. Thus, either you or your family should take a good look at the opportunities of international education and think carefully whether you can afford it. And you should take care to think about it beforehand not to get in trouble midway.

2. Scholarships Are Highly Sought-After Yes, there are scholarships that may greatly alleviate the financial burden of getting education abroad – some give you an opportunity to study free of charge, others do away with some percentage of the fee. However, although it is a completely viable way of getting by, international scholarships are highly competitive and there will always be thousands of applicants willing to fight for them. Moreover, financial support for international students from governments, private sponsors and colleges was on decline for several years in a row, which means even more competition. For example, right now about 64% of international students in the USA pay for their education in full. Thus, in order to get a scholarship, you have to be willing to spend a great deal of time, effort and energy preparing and making yourself eligible for it.

3. Consulting a Specialist Is a Good Idea There are organizations out there that exist for the sole purpose of helping international students in getting education abroad. They provide consulting services, allow you to apply to particular courses and programs with their assistance, help you choose the school, program and discipline that are best suited to your skills and aspirations in life – in other words, they already have all the information about international education you are only starting to look for. So, isn’t it better to apply via one of them and get professional consultation and support instead of going in blindly?

4. You Will Be Living in a New World College is often perceived as an entirely new stage of life, having little to no similarity to everything a person passed through before, but if you are going to a college in another country, it is a different thing entirely. The overall situation may be different depending on which country you are going to, but you are going to be a fish out of water: different country means different culture, customs, mentality and so on. You will leave your old environment behind and will have to get used to living in another world – better accept this idea in advance not to be shocked after moving to a new place. Getting education abroad is, of course, an extremely exciting and promising opportunity – but before you apply to the college of your dreams you should understand that getting there and staying there isn’t going to be easy. But prepare yourself well, and there will be no stopping you!

Melissa is a student of journalism. She is passionate about digital technologies and tries to implement them in the sphere of education. She has recently founded Studday – global educational platform.

 

– See more at: https://collegepuzzle.stanford.edu/#sthash.PSTPLZUc.dpuf

Things to Know If You Want to Study Abroad

By Melissa Burns

The modern world is much more open and free than the world our ancestors and even our parents lived. We can travel wherever we want, live wherever we want, try our hand at different jobs, study different professions – and there is nobody to stop us. Getting education abroad is probably one of the most fascinating prospects young people have today – for the simple reason that after getting a degree in a prestigious university one dramatically increases his or her competitiveness on job market. However, the fact that you have an opportunity doesn’t mean that it is easy to utilize it. Let’s take a look at a few things you have to know and do before you start to seriously consider applying to a foreign school.

1. You Will Need Money – Lots of It Education at a prestigious university, plus travelling fees, plus accommodation, plus food, plus various other expected and unexpected expenses – all this is going to cost you a pretty penny, and the higher your aspirations, the more expensive it is going to be. Thus, either you or your family should take a good look at the opportunities of international education and think carefully whether you can afford it. And you should take care to think about it beforehand not to get in trouble midway.

2. Scholarships Are Highly Sought-After Yes, there are scholarships that may greatly alleviate the financial burden of getting education abroad – some give you an opportunity to study free of charge, others do away with some percentage of the fee. However, although it is a completely viable way of getting by, international scholarships are highly competitive and there will always be thousands of applicants willing to fight for them. Moreover, financial support for international students from governments, private sponsors and colleges was on decline for several years in a row, which means even more competition. For example, right now about 64% of international students in the USA pay for their education in full. Thus, in order to get a scholarship, you have to be willing to spend a great deal of time, effort and energy preparing and making yourself eligible for it.

3. Consulting a Specialist Is a Good Idea There are organizations out there that exist for the sole purpose of helping international students in getting education abroad. They provide consulting services, allow you to apply to particular courses and programs with their assistance, help you choose the school, program and discipline that are best suited to your skills and aspirations in life – in other words, they already have all the information about international education you are only starting to look for. So, isn’t it better to apply via one of them and get professional consultation and support instead of going in blindly?

4. You Will Be Living in a New World College is often perceived as an entirely new stage of life, having little to no similarity to everything a person passed through before, but if you are going to a college in another country, it is a different thing entirely. The overall situation may be different depending on which country you are going to, but you are going to be a fish out of water: different country means different culture, customs, mentality and so on. You will leave your old environment behind and will have to get used to living in another world – better accept this idea in advance not to be shocked after moving to a new place. Getting education abroad is, of course, an extremely exciting and promising opportunity – but before you apply to the college of your dreams you should understand that getting there and staying there isn’t going to be easy. But prepare yourself well, and there will be no stopping you!

Melissa is a student of journalism. She is passionate about digital technologies and tries to implement them in the sphere of education. She has recently founded Studday – global educational platform.