What factors should I consider when choosing a country to study abroad? September 30, 2022
If you are finishing your senior high school and thinking about making the jump to study abroad. First, congratulations, even though it is a scary choice, you are deciding to leave everything that is known to you and have a chance to expand your horizons.
Definitely, there are a number of things that senior high school students should take into account when deciding where to pursue their education in order to pick a location that would be most beneficial to their learning experience.
To help you out, here are five factors to consider that will get you one step closer to your study abroad dreams.
Make smart career choices #
Some of the reasons why people choose to study abroad are because: the career opportunities are better, they want to live independently, they want to have international exposure, they want to seek employment abroad; and so on. Probably you are reading this article because of one of that reasons.
But now, let’s talk about the factors to consider before choosing a study abroad destination. It includes accommodation, living expenses, quality of life, and safety. All this needs to be thoroughly understood before arriving at a conclusion.
1.Location, location, location. #
The first fact to consider when choosing a country to study abroad is the location. It is really important to make some research about the country and city you are considering to live the next four or five years.
Also here are a few questions to ask yourself in the beginning:
- Do you want to study somewhere picturesque?
- How far do you want to live from your home country?
- Do you have a dream educational institution you’d like to study at?
- What sort of climate do you prefer living in?
It’s important to consider your personal preferences when choosing your study abroad location. For instance, if you like picturesque views with a hot climate, you may choose an institution in Valencia, Spain.
It is beneficial to extensively investigate the area and learn a bit about the culture before traveling because it will speed up the student's adjustment to the new place.
2.Visa regulations and language #
When deciding on a country to study abroad don’t forget to investigate visa regulations, which may vary from country to country. You might want to choose a country that doesn’t require a visa at all or one that has a cheap, straightforward process. Everything will depend on your costs, time schedule, and if it’s a country you’re really passionate about living and studying in.
Another fact to consider is the language, not knowing the local language can make life quite difficult for a student since all the interaction will be with the local people.
As English is the most widely spoken language in the world, in most countries English should suffice, but if you are deciding on going to a non-English speaking country, it would be prudent to learn a few basic phrases in the local language beforehand, as it will help you integrate into the new country and culture.
3. The universities and courses offered #
The third factor to consider when deciding to study abroad is the universities and courses offered. Before you get your heart set on a country, seek out which universities from all over the globe offer exactly what you want in a course or institution and you may find your decision is made for you.
If you are still not sure which institution is the best fit for you, you can look at international university rankings. You will have a clear idea of what type of courses they offered and the environment they provide.
Read about: 5 ways to ensure your safety in college
You can also investigate if the college has a community dedicated to international students. This means they care about foreign students and want to provide them with a great experience during their course.
At the end of the day, you’ll be spending the majority of your time at your educational institution, so it’s important to find the options best suited to you
4.Safety #
Certainly, safety is another important factor to consider when choosing a country to study abroad. Is essential that students, female and male, feel comfortable and safe in the place where they will be expending a lot of their time.
For that reason, you need to take into consideration crime rates and public safety in college towns or cities where universities are based. No one wants to get victimized or harmed by getting involved in criminal actions caused by third persons.
We totally understand when parents are deeply concerned about this issue since their children can put themselves at serious risks when they study in cities where criminal actions occur very often.
In scenarios like these, prevention is the key, and HelpYouFind.Me is a safety tool that will give you a hand. If you find yourself in an unsafe situation, it can definitely be a comfort knowing that vital information, including your last updated location, recent posts and photos, social media accounts, travel history, and more; are accessible to loved ones who will be able to use it to assist authorities in delivering you to safety.
Without HYF.M, the likelihood of you being saved in time would decrease as it would otherwise take law enforcement days or even weeks to get the life-saving information that your loved ones will have access to almost immediately.
Discover how HelpYouFind.Me is created for everyone’s safety.
5.Cost of living #
Another important fact that will help you to consider if a country is a good fit to study abroad is the cost of living. The tuition fees and living expenses can really guide your course decisions as they will take up a major chunk of your budget.
Before deciding upon a place make sure you understand the cost of living there. Certain countries have an extremely high cost of living which might be hard for the students who would be depending on scholarships and student loans.
Discover more about: Personal safety kit
There are plenty of handy websites like this which will give you a good idea of how much it costs on average to live in a certain city so you could try out a few cities in a few different countries and see how they compare.
You might save yourself a huge amount of money by looking around to see which universities and cities are within your budget.
Don’t give up on your dreamy country to study abroad #
Life is about choices for that reason is better to know your options in order to decide what is better for you, never forget whatever you decide is up to you.
To conclude, If there are education consultants where you live, we strongly advise you to take their guidance as you may find the process too intimidating at some point. As a final piece of advice, while researching courses, maintain pros and cons list with various factors as it will really come in handy when finally deciding which courses to apply for! Happy searching!
Vanessa Martínez