What Is It Like Being An Exchange Student?

New place, new people, new food, everything seems to be new when you are off to a foreign country for pursuing studies as an exchange student. Leaving your family behind, when you look out for new arenas with a headstrong mindset of making it big in the real world, there cannot be any better start than opting for overseas education as an exchange student. Enthusiasm for adventures, bonding with new people, living in and adopting a whole different culture and studying at a new place, you will get to attain knowledge with international exposure. A year or two spent studying abroad is an incredible chance to learn as much as possible while availing networking opportunities. Through this blog, we will dwell deeper into the details of the enriching experience that an exchange student gets to immerse in.

Who Is An Exchange Student?

An exchange student is a high school or a college student who travels to a new country to participate in a scholarly exchange program, where they typically stay with a host family and attend regular school or college while they learn about the new culture, language and view the world with a whole new perspective. Many schools, colleges and universities conduct these kinds of programs in collaboration with foreign institutes where both the institutions select one student each and exchange them for a fixed duration. The length of the student exchange programs can range anywhere between two weeks to a year, depending upon the program.

Read: Student Exchange Programs in India

Perks and Benefits

Going to a new country, an exchange student makes you learn a lot of things which you otherwise would not have learnt, had you been in your home country. Let’s take a look at the perks and benefits of studying abroad as an exchange student:

Gets You Out of Your Comfort Zone

Staying in your comfort zone takes you nowhere. Coming to a new country, you cannot really predict what happens next, so with an open mind, you learn to go with the flow and embrace everything that the place has to offer. As an exchange student, you get to explore an entirely new region and its culture while living with the locals. It is not just an academic experience but wholesome learning about a new country, its way of living and its people.

You Learn to Live Independently

Although a host family is a pivotal part of any student exchange program, still you are in a foreign country where you cannot afford to be carefree. You won’t be pampered by your parents and the high time comes when you would have to behave as a full-fledged young adult. Instead of shoving all your clothes up on your chair, you learn to organize them in your wardrobe. You need to take care of your expenses and savings as a responsible person. In this whole journey of interdependency, you will get to learn new things along with facing some bad days. But all of it will turn you into a more confident and mature individual that knows how to handle different situations.

Chance to Embrace a New Culture and Language

This is the best thing about being an exchange student and studying abroad. You get to immerse yourself in a whole new culture and potentially learn a new language even if you are not fluent in it. At a micro level, you will get insightful knowledge into the lifestyle of the people in that country, their mannerisms, their foods, their faith and the list goes endless. Since the host family is there to help you adjust to the new place, you will get to experience the new country with the help of the locals. This way, you won’t have to worry about finding an acquaintance in the new country and can easily gel in with the people.

Brings You an Array of Career Opportunities

A student exchange program is designed to provide international exposure to aspirants and help them explore an immense number of career prospects in a new country. Adding this experience to your CV, you can highlight your job application from the pile of others. It will also add up to your interpersonal and professional skills. As an exchange student, your experience will be wholly unique than those who have remained in their native country. Further, studying in a new region, you can pursue internships and training that will assist you in gaining global exposure to the industry you want to establish yourself in.

Immersing into a New Language

In today’s world, there is a great value attached to being fluent in more than 2 languages. Many colleges and universities require students to be fluent in their language of instruction. Researchers have found that foreign language immersion for short periods of time can stimulate language and cultural learning. 

Leadership Skills

When someone starts living on their own, even if for shorter periods of time, they become independent and lead their own lives. This helps them in cultivating leadership skills. This is a set of skills that universities from around the world look for in prospective students.

Unique Educational Experiences

Studying in a new country or part of your country can give you a taste of the education system that is followed there. This will help you in opening up your perspective of education and will give you a global outlook.

Networking

The entire purpose of going to study as an exchange student is to make friends and network better. The people who will host you will become your friends and this will help you interact with people who come from different backgrounds.

Studying and living with a whole different set of people in a new place will be one of the most thrilling yet rewarding adventures of your life. Being selected as an exchange student is a matter of pride wherein you have an array of prospects to explore and make your mark on the world. If you are planning to study abroad and need assistance regarding visa and other travel documents, just hop into the website of Leverage Edu and we will help you in sorting the process of studying abroad. If you have any such queries related to your career, feel free to reach out to our expert counsellors and attend a brainstorming counselling session to take your professional journey to the next level.