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Studying abroad is one of the most exciting and perhaps, fulfilling chapters in the life of any international student. It is a unique and for many, a once-in-a-lifetime experience and opportunity. As an international student, you get to travel the world, learn a new language, experience a variety of cultures and traditions, expand your personal network by meeting diverse people from all walks of life, and of course, obtain a world-class education.
There are so many reasons why you should study abroad but before you start sending in your application, you also need to be aware of the challenges you’ll face. You will have to adapt to a new culture and lifestyle, and for those who can’t wait to leave their home country behind, homesickness affects everyone. This article isn’t meant to make you afraid or anxious but rather, to give you the information you need to properly prepare, mentally and otherwise.
After meticulous research and without further ado, here are the top five challenges every international student faces while studying abroad.
HOMESICKNESS
For many of you, studying abroad isn’t just an opportunity to obtain that world-class education you’ve been dreaming of. It isn’t simply a chance for you to meet new people and see the world, it is more than that. It is a chance for you to escape and this sentiment rings true for many international students.
However, every single student at one point or moment during their stay abroad has felt homesick. You will find yourself missing the simple things you once found comfort or boredom in, whether it is your annoying sibling, the smell of the air or a home-cooked native meal, or how the sun rises and sets. This is normal and to be expected but there are ways to combat this feeling or at least, minimise its effect. You can connect with friends and family back home, thanks to technology.
Besides this though, you should get out of your comfort zone and stay active. Become more involved in various school clubs or take on a new hobby. Connect with people and other international students who may be feeling the same. Explore your new surroundings, engage in various activities and get out more, you will soon start to forget the feeling of homesickness and maybe, just maybe you’ll start to see this new country as your home. Do not let your homesickness stand in your way of having an incredible time studying abroad.
LANGUAGE BARRIER
This is a tough one, and one of the most common challenges of studying abroad for any international student. You may have spent a few months or years learning the language but it doesn’t exactly mean you’ve got it all figured out. You’ll need to understand the cultural context, tone of voice etc. In many countries, there are words/slang with different meanings so you’ll need to be aware of this to properly navigate conversations. Not understanding the language can also have academic consequences.
Here’s how you can overcome some of these language barriers. Just like feeling homesick, the best solution is to put yourself out there and start with the basics, i.e, “hello, hi or how are you?” Remember to smile, this will endear you to the locals you’re attempting to speak with. If you’re studying in an English-speaking country, take your TOEFL, IELTS or PTE seriously because they do help. Do your best to familiarise yourself with the locals, culture, traditions and lingo. Become close friends with a local that could teach you words you need to know or carry a translation dictionary around.
The best way to become properly acquainted and familiar with a new language is to practise, so practise, practise and do some more practise until you’re bi-lingual or can at least speak/understand to the point where you can’t be cheated at the market. Just kidding, but you get the point.
FINDING ACCOMMODATION
Where do we start? International students in foreign countries find it incredibly difficult to get accommodation for many reasons. Sometimes, they apply too late and on-campus accommodation is full. Or maybe the university or educational institution you’re applying to doesn’t have on-campus accommodation, how do you find the perfect place? That’s without mentioning the few apples that take an international student’s naivety as an opportunity to run various accommodation scams that rob students of large sums of money. There are also landlords who hike prices only for international students or have what they call “foreign tax”.
The sad thing about this is that there is little an international student can do to prevent such cases from happening. Sometimes, demand can get so high that landlords have little to no incentive to make accommodation cheaper for students since they know how desperate the students are.
However, a study abroad agency with local connections can help you circumvent and prevent such occurrences. VisaConnex is one such agency. We have partnered with various accommodation agencies to ensure our students get proper accommodations suited to their budgets and fancy.
FINANCIAL CHALLENGES
Unless you’re a child of a baron or extremely wealthy parents, every international student has been broke at one time or the other. While studying abroad, international students have to worry about costs such as tuition, accommodation, living expenses, books, the cost of travelling etc. Regardless of how hard you try to manage or organise your finances, things don’t always work out as planned or expected. Maybe the price of accommodation is higher than you anticipated or maybe you need to get more textbooks than you thought were needed.
To be honest, while studying abroad, many international students forget to track how much they spend throughout the day or keep a budget especially if they’re in a great country with lots of fun activities and places to explore. But hey, don’t be hard on yourself, we’ve all been there and we certainly don’t blame you.
However, it is very possible for you to keep track of your finances and ensure you never have to call home except for tuition and school-related expenses. Here’s what you can do, create a budget and try not to deviate from it. Open up a bank account to save your money, sometimes not having physical cash on you can do wonders. And finally, get a part-time job. Many countries like Australia, Canada, the United States, the U.K. and others give international students the option to work part-time while studying. Take advantage of this. But make sure you double-check the restrictions controlling your student visa to avoid running foul of the law.
CURRENCY DIFFERENCES & EXCHANGE RATES
Before you pack your bags and jump on an aeroplane, ensure that you are familiar with the exchange rate. You can use an online currency converter but as an international student, the best way for you is to use the local bank’s exchange rate since that is updated and more accurate. Getting used to currency differences is not something that you can master in a short while because it is a challenging process for all international students, even if you’re a maths whiz. And because things often change financially, this is one area where you’ll always have to remain updated.
Knowing the difference in currencies and their conversion rates will save you a ton of headaches, pun intended. Finally, make sure you figure out a quick conversion system for yourself, so you can mentally figure out prices when buying things or asking for money from back home. Also, get to know the normal price for household and grocery items – i.e. ask locals how much they would expect to pay.
NOT SO FAST, THERE'S MORE
There are other things you should look out for such as safety, understanding the climate as well as time zone differences, feeling lonely or anxious etc. Here are some other tips that can help you:
- Purchase the necessary insurance (for example, OSHC in Australia).
- Pay attention to your surroundings and carry only a bare minimum of cash
- Keep your emergency contact information on hand at all times.
- Make sure you pack the right things according to the climate, read our International Student’s Ultimate Study Abroad Packing Guide
- For time zone differences, download a world clock on your phone and add various locations such as your home country, current location and other places worldwide
- If you’re feeling lonely or anxious, join a school club or engage in more activities to make friends. Talk to other international students like yourself and form a community in the process
Studying abroad is great and brings in tons of benefits for international students like personal growth, financial literacy, emotional stability and the chance to stand on your own two feet as an adult. But it also comes with its challenges as discussed in this article.
Getting ready is the key to ensuring you don’t succumb to the many pitfalls and challenges international students face while studying abroad. We have highly qualified and trained counsellors and migration experts to help you every step of the day from thought to execution. We will ensure that your time abroad is a breezy and exciting experience. Schedule a free consultation to get started.
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