Pursuing education from a foreign country has become a global phenomenon with students, ready to cross countries, oceans, and continents to get the best possible education. Studying abroad has a lot of benefits, including the opportunity to explore a foreign nation. Moving to a foreign country for your education is a huge step and among the most important life-altering decisions that you’ll ever make.
There is a lot of consideration of the pros and cons before taking such a decision. It’s not like anyone needs an excuse to fly to a far-off foreign nation in order to gain world-class education, but if you still need a little convincing and maybe some emotional support to make such a big step, here is a list of reasons why studying abroad is a great idea.
1. It builds your CV
The experience of living in a foreign country creates a positive impression on the employers as it conveys the fact that you have experience in dealing with people from different cultural backgrounds and a higher level of adaptability. Also, acquiring education from world-class universities is in itself an achievement.
In a well-connected, globalised world, it is a known fact that employers increasingly value graduates with international experience and education.
2. Experiencing a different culture
It is arguably one of the huge advantages of studying abroad as you get a chance to immerse yourself in a completely different environment. This helps in your personal growth and makes you more acceptable open to people from different backgrounds than yourself.
3. Learning a new language or brushing up your linguistic skills
Another great benefit of studying in a foreign country is the chance to learn a new language. Being fluent in a language other than your native language is extremely beneficial.
Since English is a universally spoken language, studying in a country where English is natively spoken can brush up your linguistic skills.
4. Learn to appreciate diversity
While studying abroad, it is obvious that you are going to meet many people from different backgrounds. Exposure to people from different parts of the world helps you develop your soft skills, and also gives you an in-depth knowledge of the different cultures of the world.
5. Making new friends
Studying abroad gives you the unique opportunity of making new friends and building connections with people from all parts of the world. You get a chance to make lifelong friendship and bond with people who are in the same position as you.
6. Try new cuisine
Do I even need to say anything about this? This is for all my foodie friends who love trying new things. Living in a foreign country will allow you to try new cuisines and flavours.
7. Independence and self-reliance
Without the security and comfort of your home, you will learn to live independently and take more responsibility for yourself as well as for your actions.
Living independently in a completely foreign country is the ultimate test of self-reliance that makes you a more responsible person.
8. International travel
Studying abroad also brings with it the opportunity to see the rest of the world. Exploring the country of your study destination is one thing, you’ll also have the chance of travelling to other nearby countries. Travelling to and exploring more of the world is in itself a rewarding educational experience as it significantly influences your character.
9. Getting to know about your self
This may sound a little bit cliché, but throwing yourself into a completely new environment, out of your comfort zone, and facing challenges on your own will help you figure out a lot about yourself. You will get to know your strengths, weaknesses, limits, abilities and figure out who you are as a person. You will also learn to embrace and adapt to changes. Studying abroad and living alone in a foreign country will help you grow into a more confident and mature adult.
10. Looking at your own culture through a different lens
When you live in your home country, we tend to accept our own culture as absolute. Living in a different country helps in developing our views about our culture and shapes our point of view about a lot of things that we were simply accepting as they defined where we come from.
11. A global mind-set
Once you realize that the world isn’t as big and out of reach, you gain a global mindset in everything you do, whether it’s work, study or any argument, you will be able to back yourself up with logics, and beliefs that come from a global perspective.
12. Appreciation
Being so far away from home will make you appreciate smaller things in life that you took for granted back home. You will have a newfound appreciation for everything like home-cooked meals and washed clothes.
13. Spontaneity and adventure
You will learn to be more adventurous and spontaneous, once your thousands of miles away from home. It will make you more open to new experiences and sights that you would not have imagined in your home country.
14. Prioritize your home and family more
When you are living in a foreign country, and home is well out of reach, you will learn to appreciate your family and home more. You will let go of any bitter memories with your parents or siblings as they will appear pale, in comparison to how much you miss them. It is rightly said that distance makes the heart fonder, and you will see that your relationships and bonds will be much stronger.
15. International job prospects
Studying at a foreign University will hugely affect your international job prospects, and the international experience provided by living and studying abroad will make you a more suitable candidate for an international job.
16. Experience of a lifetime
Studying abroad isn’t necessarily easy, and there are a lot of challenges that come with going overseas to study, but it is all the part of the fun and experience that you gain by living in a country all by yourself. You will be stepping outside of your comfort zone and with no security of your home, but the experience is worth all the challenges that you are going to face, and you will value the knowledge and skills that you acquire along the journey.