10 Things I wish I Knew Before Studying Abroad
Studying abroad is an incredibly rewarding experience. You get a chance to travel to a new place, meet new people, learn about a new country, all while getting an incredible studying experience in a new education system. It is an incredibly exciting time in any student’s life.
However, shortly after you leave home, you come to realize that there are many misconceptions you had about living abroad. After four years of living and studying abroad, I have compiled a list of all the things I learnt along the way but wish I knew before I left home. These are pieces of advice I give to anybody who asks me about my experience of living abroad, as well as things I try to point out about life abroad that might not be obvious to those just leaving the nest.
1: No matter how much you travel, culture shocks will always happen
When I first arrived in Scotland to finish 3rd and 4th grades of high school, I was expecting a culture shock to catch me off guard. After I bore the adjustment, I thought I knew everything about living abroad. I experienced it once in Scotland, so how different could moving abroad somewhere else be? And while my experiences in Scotland did make packing up my life and moving to Abu Dhabi less intimidating, I was not prepared to face the reality of culture shocks – they are an unavoidable part of every moving experience.
Wherever you go, you will take some time to adjust to the new set of social norms and rules, from how open the culture of the people is to the public transport etiquette. I sometimes beat myself over struggling to adapt to a new culture – I think that at this point I should be over it. However, remembering to be patient with yourself as you navigate a culture shock and adjust to your new home is important.
2: Copy those around you to get over culture shock faster
When I first got to New York for my study abroad semester, I was constantly told to be super aware of my surroundings to avoid falling victim to crime and other uncomfortable situations. I would be super scared to use the subway, warned about all the ways people got their phones and wallets stolen in the train.
What helped me get over these fears of the unknown was copying the people around me – I saw people using their phones on the street and in the train, which went directly against the advice I was given. I thought to myself, if people are widely doing something, it must be safe to do. I would carefully observe what people were doing and in what situations they judged it not to be safe to do some things. This helped me a lot get used to my surroundings, avoid crime, and overcome all fears of the unknown culture.
3: Establish a routine of staying in touch with home ASAP
One thing that helped me a lot in the transition to living abroad was making sure I have a stable routine for staying in touch with home. The best way forward is to first establish how you prefer to talk to people – who you text, who you call daily, who you call every once in a while.
I very quickly realized I preferred calling over texting and ensured there is a dedicated part of the day when I take time to stay in touch with home. Picking a somewhat scheduled time is especially useful if you live between timezones, like I do.
Establishing this communication routine proved to be incredibly important to me, as it ensured I did not lose contact with people at home, especially when exams or more busy periods come around, which is actually the most difficult part of living abroad.
4: Network with people who have similar experiences
Moving abroad is a decision that takes an incredible amount of personal reflection, planning, and researching. At times it can be incredibly lonely and scary – you do not know whether you are making the right choice (nor whether you are even ready to make any choices yet). This is why networking, connecting with and talking to people who went on the same journey you want to pursue is incredibly important.
Conversations with students who finished my school and my university helped a lot in guiding my decisions, reassuring me I am making the right choice, while also sharing advice they wish they could tell their old selves. Prestige Education Global is able to do this for you as well.
5: BUT! Do not stick to people from your country/region
While it is important to be networked well within the community of students abroad, it is equally as important you do not stick to people from your country or region. When moving abroad, we naturally tend to stick to people similar to us – those of the same culture, religion, similar language or education background. It is very nice and also important to have people who are similar to you and can understand you easily.
However, these relationships should not be a blanket or a shield from the world of the unknown. Making friends with people who are different from you is more difficult than staying in your comfort zone. Yet, establishing and nurturing these relationships is incredibly rewarding and may come with unexpected benefits – your new friends might offer you expert local perspective or advice on the culture you now live in or the education system you are a part of.
You should be aware you will probably gravitate towards people like you and try to make an effort to befriend people you would not usually come across.
6: Education systems abroad focus on problem solving, not memorization
What took me some time to internalize when I first started going to school in Scotland is that their education system is built on a different foundation than the one at home.
In Montenegro I was forced to rote learn, being tested on my memory, while in Scotland I was made to apply my knowledge and use problem solving in exams. This was quite a bit of an adjustment to make – it took me months to learn all the skills and techniques needed to answer the exam questions well.
The focus on problem solving continues to be present in my college and might be something you come across in your journey studying abroad.
Be prepared to be challenged with new and strange seeming questions and examination techniques and be patient with yourself as you take time to figure things out.
7: Do not overpack – you will figure out what you need when you get there
One thing I try to emphasize whenever I give advice to those first going to study abroad is to not overpack!
In my experience, studying abroad results in the acquisition of a lot more stuff than expected. If you move with suitcases filled to the brim, it is likely you will not be able to pack up at the end of the year/semester and will need to buy another suitcase (happened to me before).
Additionally, you will never really know what clothes you will need until you move abroad. You might pack a lot of shirts only to later realize you actually need more hoodies and long sleeves or vice versa.
I like to pack a good set of essentials and then build on my wardrobe according to the weather, room temperatures and seasons in the country I am studying in.
8: Plan trips in advance! The sooner you know dates and flight details the better
A bit of a basic study abroad advice is to always be on top of buying flight and other transport tickets.
Flight tickets get quite expensive during school break times and holidays like Christmas and New Years, so buying tickets as soon as you know what dates you need to fly on will save you significant amounts of money. Though this seems like a bit of a predictable thing to stay on top of, I have had plenty of occasions on which buying tickets just seemed to fall down on the priority list, ultimately resulting in spending more money.
9: Learn as much as you can before arriving to your destination
One thing which may help you in overcoming cultural shock quickly and adjusting to your new home is learning as much as possible about your destination.
Learn about your school or university, know the website front to back, learn about the local customs, public transport system, and see sights and food spots. This will keep you excited to go as well as prepare you to experience all the novel things, since you will be more familiar with them.
10: Stay curious and ask questions
Asking questions is an inherently difficult thing – you do not want to offend people or seem ignorant, but you also want to learn and expand your horizon. Depending on where you move, you might be more or less comfortable asking some questions about your new home country.
You might not understand the social norms about things like personal space, modesty, acceptable and unacceptable topics to discuss. The only way to deal with the unknown, however, is to ask questions in a respectful manner.
Find a local you feel comfortable asking about all the things you do not understand and emphasise your openness to learning and respect for the culture. Keep in mind people love sharing their culture and histories and do not get shyness and awkwardness get in the way of getting to know your new home.
