Attending college overseas can be an amazing experience. But navigating daily life at a new school in a country you aren’t familiar with requires careful planning to ensure a happy international college journey.
If you are a prospective international student, avoid making these three common mistakes when choosing a global university.
[Read these five considerations for choosing a university overseas.]
1. Not adequately researching locations: Exploring school locations means thinking about geography and weighing factors like your preference for a small or big city, cost of living, and internship and work opportunities.
Choosing a university only because of its location “might cause problems if the student is not ready for the challenges of the location,” Nazan Kabatepe, certified educational planner for Erka Group in Turkey, said via email. Challenges could include adapting to a large campus, a town without a lot of diversity or a bustling city. She suggests students research potential locations online and consult with college counselors to find an institution that is the best overall fit.
“Find a program, school, city that matches who you are,” says Caela Provost, North American officer and U.S. representative for study abroad and postgraduate programs at University College Cork in Ireland.
[Get to know the pros and cons of earning a bachelor’s degree in Europe.]
Students who are used to walking and biking, for example, may want to explore schools where classes and housing are in the same vicinity. For students who thrive on city life, schools in big cities may be the right choice for a more active social life and greater networking opportunities for internships and jobs.
When Provost speaks to prospective international students, she asks them questions such as whether they are a city or country person, if they prefer high- or low-energy environments and why they want to study overseas. She says students should research their options and put great thought into their final decision.
“Paris is more than the Eiffel Tower. London is more than Big Ben. Egypt is more than the pyramids,” says Provost, who studied abroad as a U.S. undergraduate at the University of Limerick in Ireland and then attended the institution for graduate school. “No matter where you land, let it be somewhere that you feel will allow you to grow as a student, as an international citizen and as a person.”
2. Not accounting for all costs: Students should remember to account for costs beyond tuition — including daily living expenses, such as food and other necessities, as well as leisure activities — before they choose an international college. This is particularly important for students coming from countries with weaker currencies, experts say.
Kabatepe, the educational planner, recommends students check college websites for general tuition information and related expenses and then calculate a budget in the currency of the country to which they want to move. She says they should carefully consider the foreign currency, keeping in mind that exchange rates can fluctuate day to day, and plan to have additional funds as a reserve.
[Prepare for the hidden costs of earning a degree overseas.]
Some universities offer tools to help students account for expenses and exchange rate changes. For example, on its website, the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom provides students with typical living costs per week, a Student Budget Planner and a link to the International Student Calculator to help them create a budget while living and studying in the U.K.
The financial aid and bursar’s offices at New York University Shanghai counsel prospective students on fluctuating exchange rates between the student’s home country currency and the Chinese yuan, says Jake Pu, the university’s media relations officer.
“The only advice I’d give is to monitor the exchange rates on a consistent basis before you move,” says Singaporean national Jonathan Chuah, who graduated from New Zealand‘s University of Otago in 2013. He says he factored in daily living expenses before deciding to earn his degree overseas.
3. Not having strong English-language skills: Prospective international students attending an English-language university should be prepared for lectures and assignments as well as conversations between classmates and professors that are entirely in English. Many of these schools require students to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language or the International English Language Testing System exam, which tests students’ English proficiency.
Kabatepe advises students to take either exam and make sure they have the required score before applying to English-language universities. She said that if students can’t achieve the score a school requires, they should “consider colleges that have intensive English language programs on their own campuses.” Many universities offer these programs to help nonnative English speakers who have met the other admissions requirements improve their English proficiency.
Kingston University in the U.K., for example, offers what’s known as a presessional English language course to help international students — even those who have met the language requirements — sharpen their academic English language and study skills. The university also offers current international students a free language development program during the school year that provides academic English courses to help with their studies.
To prepare for an English-language university, Joyce Vining Morgan, certified educational planner for Educational Transitions in the U.S., advises students to read and write in English daily, including reading novels and watching movies without subtitles and summarizing both in writing.
“Reading news on the internet, listening to mainstream news broadcasts online and then writing summaries is also helpful,” says Morgan, a former college counselor and teacher. “The more practice the better.”
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3 Mistakes International Students Make When Choosing a University Abroad originally appeared on usnews.com
