11 Reasons Why You Need to Study Abroad

 

When you discuss with some people on why they need to study abroad, they will just look at you in a scornful way and may ask you, “Just give me one important reason why I need to study abroad. “To these crop of people, they do not see any good in studying abroad and I wouldn’t blame them because they don’t know the importance of studying abroad or they are not equipped with the information some of those who have made the choice of studying abroad are exposed to. Perhaps you fall into the category of these people. Why should anybody study abroad anyway? You may still want to ask. Studying abroad has numerous advantages but I will just give you ten reason why need to consider studying abroad if you have the wherewithal and the will to so.

1.      An Opportunity to study outside your home country: If you have had the opportunity to travel out of your own country, you are likely to see an entirely different environment from the country of your nativity – different people, different weather, different food, different culture and so on. Some people hardly leave their home country because they do not count it as a big deal. In short going abroad for anything doesn’t freak them. They are comfortable with their home country and would their status quo that they do not want plan to go abroad for anything. But the fact is that travelling is really a wonderful experience because it broadens your horizon and your world view. If you have been looking for opportunity to go outside your home country, consider studying abroad. One good advantage is that getting a student’s visa is very easy than getting a visiting or tourist visa. Although this might not be so in some country. My point is, when you are going abroad to study, the immigration people respect your passport because you are going to study and as such they may not scrutinize you as someone going to visit a relative or work in another country.

2.      An opportunity to learn foreign language and culture: The world is becoming a global village, so the need to learn other people’s culture and way of life would be a great advantage because you will be able to relate with people from other culture without any cultural barrier because you know something about their culture. If you have been considering learning another language than your native language, then you need to consider studying abroad. In this global age, speaking another foreign language is a very great advantage because you will be able to fit into a multi-cultural environment. Presently, there are millions of international students studying in other countries. For example, there are many Chinese and Indian students studying in the UK. If you happen to meet any of these Chinese students as your course or roommate, you are likely to learn Chinese language faster than when you are learning the language in the language school.

3.      Opportunity to meet new friends and people from diverse culture: I don’t know if you have heard the saying, “School life is the best.” Studying abroad gives you the opportunity to meet new people from diverse culture and background and makes friends with them. Most of the friends I still keep today, I met them when I was in school. We are still friends today because something knit us together. It’s been a long time since I left school now, and my circles of friends are decreasing now. In fact as I am writing this post now, I feel like going back to school because I want to make new friends.

4.      Opportunity to learn in a world-class environment: Have seen any of the foreign brochures lately? If you have, you are likely to see the how the aesthetic and serene building of the university or college is. You feel the ambience of the conducive classroom with the state-of-the-art facilities; the well-stocked library; the erudite faculties and some of the lucky students studying in this university or college or who have graduated from the university/college giving their testimonies about the impact the university/college has had on them or their career. Imagine yourself studying in any of the prestigious universities like: Yale, MIT, or Harvard? I guess you will feel really great. That is exactly what studying abroad will do for you. You carry the air around you that you an alumnus of the university when you have the opportunity to meet with anyone who cares to listen to you.

5.      You have opportunity to work abroad: Some people have been looking for the opportunity to work abroad, but they do not know how.  If you happen to study abroad as an international student, you will be given work permit to work for a specified number of hours and days. In almost all countries except in India, international student can work abroad. It is legal for all international to work while studying abroad and thus augment some expenses like accommodation, feeding or eke a living. Many students studying abroad are able to live independently on their own without any support from their parents or sponsor because they work.

6.      Opportunity to get permanent residency or green card: If you happen to find yourself studying in Canada, Australia and New Zealand or some European countries that need immigrants, you are likely to get the opportunity to get your permanent residency or green card without much hassle. For example in Canada, if you have completed your undergraduate programme or your post-graduate programme, you are likely to be given a permanent residency after two years. Canada is thinly populated country with good economy. It has an oil-rig, and since year 2000 or thereabout, many people from Africa and other countries are migrating to Canada to seek greener pasture. New Zealand is another good country to live in. Apart from these countries, some other countries like Sweden, Denmark and Finland usually give opportunity to graduate students to either study free or study on scholarship.

7.      Opportunity to study all-expense paid: The United States government has a programme called the Fulbright programme. This is a scholarship programme for young scholars to come to the United States to study for a short duration and have the opportunity of meeting other students from other countries. The United States sponsors this programme free all-expense paid including your air-ticket. But to get this opportunity, you should be a distinguished scholar, who has distinguished yourself in your chosen field. Apart from this, you must be young too. If you are above a particular age, you will not be eligible.

8.      Opportunity to get scholarship: One of the advantages of studying abroad is that you can get either full or partial scholarship to fund your fees. If you take some foreign exams like the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), Graduate Records Exams (GRE) or Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT), you might get either a partial or full scholarship. In the US for example, you can get a ‘Presidential Scholarship’ which will take care of your full school fees or probably some other expenses if you have a good score in SAT and TOEFL. Some smart students prefer taking these foreign exams because they know the benefits inherent there. Apart from getting study scholarships through these exams, there are many foundations and organization giving scholarships to eligible students. Organizations like: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USA; McCarthy Foundation, UK; TATA, Pepsi, Ford Foundation; Rockefeller Foundation and others have scholarship in place for students. .  But thy usually look for students who are academically sound and indigent (i.e. those who cannot fund their fees). You can even obtain study loan. As I am writing this post, there are some universities in USA with free-tuition

9.      Opportunity to get the best job: We are living in a knowledge driven economy. As such many companies and organizations are in search of the best brains to fill vacant positions. Gone are the days where organizations just employ people based on their paper qualification alone. Now you need to match your certificate with the skill you have and how that skill will be relevant to the job market. If this is not so, then you will be a square peg in a round hole, so no company or organization will need you. Have you ever asked why most companies recruit graduates from Harvard, MIT, Oxford and other prestigious universities? The simple reason is that they believe that the best brains are groomed there. I think you will agree with me that most times, your competency has a connection with where you get your degree from. Sometimes you act unconsciously in particular maybe it is part of your school’s culture. That is why the first thing to consider if you want to study abroad is the university you are going to study. I believe you have seen many people who have left school for a long time still searching endlessly for job without getting one. The problem might be where the person did his/her degree or the class of degree the person came out with.

10.   Opportunity to get an international certificate upon graduation: I don’t know how you will feel if you have an international certificate. I guess you will be proud. If you want to really become a hot-cake and irresistible, why not go abroad to study. There is always an opportunity for your if you have to the will to go abroad to study.

11. You become irresistible: Studying abroad makes you irresistible. You become a hot-cake. If you have found out that you are not making an headway in your chosen field or career, why not consider studying abroad. If organization is to use their headhunters to recruit people to fill vacant positions, they go for the rare-breed who have the savvy rather than those who do not have the degree.