While it is completely worth to study abroad and go to another country for your studies, there are some challenges which any international student can face in a country foreign to him/her. These challenges make you stronger in your life hence the purpose of this blog is not to scare you away from studying abroad rather it is to make you aware that you need to be prepared to overcome all these challenges in your study period;
The housing issues:
Every international student has to find some sort of rental place to live which can be an apartment or a house within or outside of university premises. For many people, it is their first experience to share an apartment with people unknown to them or to pay their own bills. You might be facing problems with a roommate who uses too much of heating or an annoying neighbor who won’t just keep the area quiet. Likewise it is quite possible that you might have some disputes in the house about paying rents and some flat mates may argue that they should not pay more bills as they use less utilities etc. The best way to get away from these problems is to live alone in a studio but here you may have to pay more or you may feel lonely.
The grocery search:
When you move to another country, you might have to adjust to the food taste of that area and you may find the need to cook yourself to suit your taste. For this, often you require items that are particular to your country e.g. Asians in USA, UK try to find Asian shops in these countries to buy grocery items that would allow them to cook the exact way they used to cook back home e.g. use of special spices, dates or Halal meat for Muslims. Hence, initially it sure is a challenge to find the grocery items best describing your taste, but after a while everything falls into place.
Managing your budget:
A very common issue faced by students is often to manage their expenses. They not only have to pay their tuition fees but also their rents and bills which makes their budget tight for a luxurious life. Also let’s not forget that the cities or countries with the best universities e.g. London, New York, Boston are often quite expensive. That is why often you have to do part time jobs along with your studies to meet ends meet. This is also the primary reason why most of the international students cook food at home and do not frequently eat from out because it saves money.
The Work Visa problems:
Many students acquire international degrees so that they can have better careers. But many countries have now begin to impose visa restrictions for international students to get a job in the country they got a degree from. Companies are happy to hire people who already have a right to work in the country but very few are willing to sponsor visas for international students or applicants. This can be a huge problem for people wishing to study abroad, other than this, if you are happy to get a degree from abroad and get a job back home, then this problem is quite reduced for you.
Just a few important challenges one might face while h=going to study abroad. I hope you found the writing useful.
Best Wishes
Maha