Expectations vs Reality of Studying Abroad
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"I am going to study abroad. I will make new friends and visit new countries regularly." Many students believe that pursuing overseas education is all about fun and adventure. At some points, they are right, but there are some misconceptions about studying abroad that you might have heard. We don't want to burst your excitement bubble, but to give you a more realistic view.
Studying abroad plays an important role in changing the career of a student. Before actually visiting the study destination, students explore to know more. They connect with family and friends who have already visited there. Based on such conversations, many start dreaming about their life abroad and build up a lot of expectations from their stay abroad. When they reach there, they find the reality is different.
To save you from getting disappointed, this article is going to cover the expectations vs reality of studying abroad. This will give you a clearer picture before you actually reach there. Also, we will suggest doing a lot of research and watching realistic videos of the country, student life, the university, and the course.
Common Expectations and Reality of Studying Abroad
So, here are the major misconceptions and expectations which usually don’t get fulfilled. Read on.
Expectation: I’ll explore the new place every day and will go on lots of adventurous trips
Reality: Most likely you’ll be so busy with academics and a busy schedule, that you won’t find time to fulfil your dream of being an explorer. Your weekends will be relatively free but you’ll be busy socially within your town or city, rather than taking cross-country trips.
Expectation: I’ll master the foreign language easily and will make foreign friends immediately.
Reality – A new language takes a lot of time to master and you will start out slow. As far as making international friends is concerned, during the initial few months, you’ll be dealing with a cultural shock which will make you look for people with a familiar background as you. Over the time you will open up to the new culture, but you can’t expect such a change to happen immediately.
Expectation – The new country will be a place like heaven.
Reality – Like other things in life, there is no perfect country in this world. Every country is dealing with some issue or another, and different cultural costumes may be totally different than what we consider the norm in India.
Expectation – After finishing your studies you will easily get a job; then a green card
Reality – Immigration laws of many countries are very strict. As long as finding a job is concerned, the concept of ‘campus placements’ don’t exist in the west. You will have to run around and find a job yourself. Whether you like it or not, you will have to start as an intern; the company will absorb you after a stipulated time. Plus, jobs are not a guarantee to immigration. Remember you are still a student; the best thing you can do right now is to focus on academics, and leave the scheming and plotting to become an illegal immigrant for the moment.
Commonly asked questions
MIT is not costly for Indian students. Applicants can study BTech program at affordable tuition fees as compared to other BTech colleges in the USA. The MIT BTech fees is around INR 50 L to INR 52 L.
As per some unofficial sources, the University of West Canada acceptance rate is 80%, which means out of every 100 applications, around 80 are selected, which makes it fairly easy to get selected into the university.
The university gives preference to students having higher grades or have exceptional academic or research experience. Hence, having higher grades increases your chance of getting selected at University of West Canada.
Here is the list of eligibility requirements to get into Canadian Universities.
The PTE score for international students must be in the range of 50-57 for Stanley College Australia. However, students are expected to fulfill other English language proficiency tests along with PTE. The table below is the English language proficiency score for all the tests required at Stanley College:
Exam | Score Required |
|---|---|
Overall 60-78 | |
6.0 | |
50-57 | |
Cambridge English Advanced | 169 |
With a 16.8% acceptance rate, the University of Hertfordshire is very hard to get into and follows a difficult selection criteria during admissions. This does not mean the university accepts all the students applying for different programs.
The selection is based on the factors given below -
- Academic performance
- English language requirements
- References
Some of the programs at Hertfordshire even demand an experience of 4-5 years. In addition, students with average performance can showcase their relevant experience or extracurricular activities participation to increase their selection probability.
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