Studying abroad isn’t the first thought for many students. Most students prefer to stay somewhat closer to home, if not in their own country at least. This is understandable, as they don’t want to be too far from the life they’ve known for so long. There is so much that studying abroad has to offer, on top of the usual pros of getting your degree. This list could go on much longer, but here are just a handful of good reasons why you should study abroad somewhere.
See somewhere new
Sometimes, you don’t even have to leave your own country to benefit from a degree in another country. Something like a masters in leadership degree is available to anyoSne, no matter where in the world you are.
Most people know how great it is to visit another country. Usually, this is through a holiday or short trip. Just imagine how much of that country you like you can see when living there for a good few years. You will really get to travel around, all while getting your degree simultaneously.
When you travel this way, it gives you a chance to see so much more. Just consider a short trip to somewhere in the US. You are only seeing a fraction of what that country has to offer. Comparing this to studying there for several years, you will have the chance to see so much more of it at your leisure. Living abroad is one of the best experiences you can have; studying there is an easy way to do this.
Open your mind
When you grow up and live in the same place, surrounded by like-minded people, it’s easy to become quite closed-minded in many ways.
Living in a completely different culture while studying is one of the best ways to experience a different way of life and can open your mind like nothing else.
Seeing how another culture lives can really alter your mindset for the better and in a way that can stick with you for life. Perhaps you come from a very conservative place and are getting used to seeing how a more liberal society lives. Maybe the way of life in your home country is very work-oriented, and you get to experience a more relaxed way of living.
No matter what you find in the new culture when studying abroad, it will undoubtedly put a new spin on things for you and change the way you think.
Learn a new language
Speaking of learning about a new culture, picking up a second language is a major part of many students’ study abroad journeys. While you can, of course, learn a language from anywhere, there is nothing like picking it up in a country that speaks it.
It’s often said that immersion is one of the best ways to learn a language. What is more, immersive than living your day-to-day life in a country that speaks that language and having to use it all the time to get by?
If you’re an English-speaking student studying somewhere like Spain, while you can have a lot of your lessons carried out in English, you will have to use Spanish for most of your time there. From speaking to roommates and student friends to going out and about in town, your language skills will pick up quickly during your time there.
After you’ve spent years speaking a language, you will likely have a high level of fluency once you’ve graduated. Not only does this mean you will be able to go on to travel to other countries that speak that language, but it also looks brilliant on a CV.
You’re much more likely to remember and keep your second language once you move back home, too, than if you just studied it at home.
More choice
While your country might have a lot of interesting universities with amazing courses to choose from, there will be some sort of limitations. When you’re only looking in one country or just a few miles from home, you are limiting your choices for courses and universities.
This might be fine for some students studying for a popular degree, but if you are interested in a niche field and can’t find the right course to suit you, perhaps you should try looking in another country.
You will likely find that there is a lot more to choose from and hopefully see that more than a few courses suit your needs.
Some courses are much better in different locations too. This has nothing against other universities. It’s just a matter of location. If you want to study marine biology, it’s only natural that coastal universities will probably be the best in this field.
Similarly, some locations are just well known for certain courses, with nothing to do with their geography at all. Some countries are well known for law degrees, while others excel in nursing. Finding out where these places are is just a matter of doing your research.
Can be cheaper
This, naturally, depends on the university you’re applying for. If you’re moving from an area of the US with relatively cheaper colleges to an expensive university in the UK, you aren’t going to be saving at all.
Having said that, there are so many cases in which students can do a similar course from another country at a much cheaper cost overall. In some cases, these courses are even better than the ones they originally applied for.
It’s not just about the cost of the course either, sometimes the cost of living is cheaper in another country, and that’s something that adds up when you consider how long some university courses are.
If saving money is an important consideration to you or could potentially change whether or not you go to university, studying abroad is certainly something to look into.
Gain a new level of independence
University is many students’ first real experience of living without their parents and having to do things on their own. This can be both exciting and daunting. However, students quickly adapt to this new way of life and truly benefit from it in the long run.
From learning to do your own washing, shopping, and cooking to developing your boundary-setting skills as you access a level of freedom, you’ve never had before. Just imagine what studying abroad can do for your feeling of independence.
Even though it can be a bit overwhelming at first, there is nothing like the independence you have when studying abroad. When you are in a completely new country, you are really on your own in most cases.
This often boosts students into a very adult form of independence, compared to their domestic counterparts especially.
Boost your confidence
People, even more so young people, are shaped by their experiences. When you grow up in the same house with a loving family, you have a lot going for you. One thing that this doesn’t really nurture, though, is a feeling of true confidence.
When you move abroad to study, your confidence can skyrocket after just a few weeks there. As you start to figure out who you are, what you’re capable of, and how much you can do for yourself, you can’t help but feel so much more confident.
This confidence can last even after you graduate and have moved back home. It’s a great quality to have and grow with the benefits being felt in so many areas of your life.
When you can pack up your bags and move to a new place, sometimes even speaking a new language, at such a young age, you know you can do anything.
Recommended Read: How Education Helps in Setting Success-Oriented Career Goals
Looks great on a CV
If you think a degree looks good on a CV, just think about what a degree from another country can do for you. If you’ve just got your degree from a foreign university known for that course, employers will likely want to know what it was like and what you learned there.
Getting a degree is an absolute privilege but is becoming more common. This means that now, more than ever, standing out to an employer is so important. Having a unique degree from another country can be just what your CV needs to set you above the rest.
University is a great experience, whether you go to one just a few miles from your hometown or to one on the other side of the world. However, with the latter, you are getting so much more out of your experience as you truly get to live in a way you’ve likely never done so before.
Finding the right course abroad for you is just a matter of looking into it and finding what’s right.
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