Emotional Stages of Study Abroad

Receiving an offer letter from your dream foreign university is undoubtedly a great experience. You will brag about your educational qualifications to everyone and let them know that you’re going to study abroad. But keep in mind that studying abroad also has different ranges of experience. When you sign up for the program and receive your offer letter, it will become a joyful experience for you, knowing that you will be pursuing your higher education from one of the most reputed universities in the world. However, once you arrive at the destination and start studying, your emotions will change. 

1st Phase: Excitement and Optimism 

This is one of the most common feelings you will experience while going to study abroad. During the initial phases, you will feel like you’ve achieved something extraordinary. Before your departure or after you arrive at your destination, you will be super excited knowing that you will be studying in a new country. You will learn more exciting things and get to know about the cultural differences. Trying new foods and drinks, meeting with new people, and exploring the areas would make you happy. This will become a superb feeling, especially when you arrive at your destination with passion, positive energy, and enthusiasm to explore and try new things. 

2nd Phase: Disorienttation 

When you arrive in a new country, chances are you might not know anyone. Sure you can find a couple of guys from your country, but finding someone from your hometown is nothing but a miracle. As you won’t get to talk with anyone familiar to you, experiencing disorientation is extremely common. And if you don’t find anyone from your country, this feeling will increase at its peak. 

This is why you need to make time to maintain your student room as it will help you focus more on yourself. This means you will have less time to worry about anyone’s company. Keep in mind that you will always receive help when you need it. The support services of the universities exist just to help international students like you. 

3rd Phase: Loneliness

Remember that you’re travelling to a new country where everything is different, from their culture and food to their native language and belief. Even if you’re a friendly and open-minded person, you can still face challenges in adapting to new surroundings. The situation will become more challenging if you don’t speak get to speak your native language. 

If you want to counter this phase, you need to get out of your comfort zone and push through it. You need to challenge yourself to try new things. Instead of letting your fear and anxiety take control over you, make sure you explore the surroundings, talk to new people, and adapt to the new culture so that you don’t feel lonely. Once you overcome this stage, you will conquer loneliness. 

4th Phase: Homesickness 

Whether you’re working or studying abroad, you will undoubtedly suffer from homesickness at some point in your life. No matter how much you love the new country or the people, your own culture, hometown, and people will always have a special place in your heart. Therefore, make sure you prepare yourself for the homesickness period so that you can get through this stage without too many problems.

You might also suffer from homesickness through your personal development. It’s said that the best way to appreciate your hometown and people is by living somewhere else. You will realize the meaning of this line sooner or later. Make sure you spend your time outside while studying abroad so that you know what you really want. 

5th Phase: Acceptance and Serenity 

After facing all the different types of emotions and ups and downs, you will become more relaxed and calm over time. This phase is extremely important to settle in the new country. 

However, that doesn’t mean all your challenges and excitement will vanish in thin air. But you will learn to accept both the negative and positive sides of your situation, which will help you become more confident in your surroundings. You will also start enjoying your days of studying abroad. 

These are the different emotional stages of studying abroad. I hope you found this blog informative. Don’t forget to comment below if you have any other questions.