Mistakes to Avoid When Studying Abroad

Going abroad for studies is an exhilarating and daunting experience. Every year thousands of students wish to study abroad and move to a different country to fulfil their dreams, but being in a foreign country away from your loved ones can be a bit difficult. Being in abroad students have to be wiser and take responsibility on their own. There may or may not be any familiarity with a foreign country. Thus, students should be extra cautious regarding whom they are around and where they are in terms of local areas and other locations. Even though making mistakes is a part of life, however, try to avoid making these mistakes when studying abroad.

Mistakes to Avoid When Studying Abroad

The following are the mistakes to avoid when studying abroad:

Stay in Control by Doing a Self SWOT Analysis

Being abroad students feel the newly found freedom in a foreign country, wanting to have every adventure possible, this excitement can often lead them to make rash decisions which can be troublesome sometimes. Students can protect themselves by doing a personal SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) Test. Students can print out a sheet and do a SWOT Test by answering simple questions such as the ones noted below:

• What do I do better than anybody else? (Strength)
• What are the things you do not feel comfortable doing? (Weakness)
• What are your closest escape routes in case of any emergency? (Opportunity)
• What are the potential threats around you? (Threats)

Doing such an analysis will not only make you more self-aware but also help you stay safe in the alien land till you adjust to your new surroundings.

Language

Many international students make the mistake of not learning about the local language of their study-abroad destination. It is often advised to learn at least some basic words of the local language of the destination to explain your words to the locals of that area and understand their conversations as well. 

Food 

Students studying in abroad often tend to be selective about their food habits. They wish to search for their favourite restaurants and prefer to eat there only. However, students should be more open to trying the local food of the destination. You can also choose to try home-cooked food by hanging out at your native friends’ houses.

Healthcare 

Studying abroad comes with its own challenges, being an international student abroad you have to manage your studies and a part-time job. This can be really tiring for students and they often forget to take care of their health not just physical health but mental health as well. Students are often advised to maintain healthy eating habits and take proper rest to relax.

Friends 

You will meet a lot of new people as an international student and obviously will get a chance to make new friends with similar or different personalities and cultures. However, you should be very careful as to with whom you hang out. Do not just friend people over materialistic things rather observe people and their nature then decide who all are the people you want to be friends with.

Shopping 

One of the most common mistakes that students make when studying abroad is that they overshop goods. They are often allured by the affordability of electronics, fragrances and clothes abroad and tend to buy the stuff they would even need. This affects their budget and becomes difficult to manage expenses on other valuable aspects including food and rent. 

Travelling 

Being in a foreign country often inspires students to travel to nearby countries or cities to explore new exotic destinations. However, this can largely affect your financial planning and would cost you a lot of time and money. It is understandable that travelling is highly tempting and fun but it should not be done unnecessarily. 

Exploring Isolated Locations

Exploring is often thrilling and if the locations are isolated and have some interesting mysterious stories attached to them that makes it even more tempting. However, such places can be highly dangerous to visit whether alone or in a group. Avoiding trips to vacant sites and restricted areas of forests or riverside as they can be quite dangerous and accident prone.

Well, we hope that we were able to provide you with some common mistakes to avoid when studying abroad. For more such updates, follow Leverage Edu. You can also read educational quotes to keep you motivated