10 MISTAKES STUDENTS SHOULDN’T MAKE WHEN STUDYING ABROAD
By
Harleen Bepi
Harleen is a voracious reader and loves fiction. She’s also a Marvel, Japanese Anime and Manga geek. Given a choice she would spend her life tucked away in the serenity of the English countryside.
Everyone has a bucket list of things to do when going abroad. It might to tasting hotdogs in New York, deep-dish pizza in Chicago or trying out various wines in Paris. Going abroad to study is a chance to teach yourself about the new culture, and it is not just any other trip. You will interact with your newer surroundings and society more deeply than a tourist. This is possibly the best learning opportunity for anyone.
While living the dream life, you need to be careful about certain things as an international student. It is difficult to accommodate to so many changes all of a sudden. Here are some tips to help you make sure you don’t make mistakes most of international students end up making, unintentionally.
Act like tourists
If you are going to live in a country for the next 2-4 years, it is better that you start to explore the country like a local than a tourist. Doing touristy stuff like taking photographs of everything you see, eating only Indian food etc. will not help you in the long run. You need to open your mind to new experiences and be open to change. Accept the new surroundings and explore local culture, customs, festivals, foods, language etc. the openness to change will broaden your perspective and develop you as a human.
Ignoring your studies
Since many international colleges have relaxed attendance policies, you might be inclined to take frequent offs from college. However, you need to remember that you are there as a student and not as a traveler. You spend all the money to go attend the same classes you are skipping. Attending classes is one of the best ways to meet new people, and learn newer academic things from a professor who may be a world renowned scholar. Having good relations with your professors may prove to be useful especially if you decide to apply for jobs in that country after finishing the degree.
Calling home every few hours
This is classical way to fall into the trap of homesickness and depression. If you call too often, you will end up missing your family more. The more you see them on skype, the stronger the urge to go back home. Remember you will be missing all the festivals back home and the celebrations, birthdays, anniversaries too. You will have to accept this fact sooner than later. To avoid months and months of struggle, get over it in the beginning. Keep your family updated, but don’t overdo it.
Converting prices to Indian rupees
When you go shopping abroad, the first instinct will be to convert the prices to Indian rupees. This is not a smart practice. Converting currencies will not give you an understanding of the product’s value. You need to understand the cost of living is different between India and other countries. The difference in incomes and standards of living may make a pair of jeans worth $50 seem too expensive, if converted to rupees but in reality it is not. It will take some time to understanding the values of things, so take your time and understand what is consider expensive and cheap in a particular country.
Interacting only with foreigners…
Students have more opportunities than tourists when it comes to interacting and getting to know the locals. But that doesn’t mean you talk and interact with only the foreign crowd. You need some people of Indian origin to keep you grounded and rooted. The foreign friends will be great help to you, no doubt, but they will not immediately understand where you are coming from and how to help you. You need to be in touch with people who are from similar background to ease your problem, if any. Plus you need Indian friends to keep alive your traditions and values, to celebrate Indian festivals and gatherings etc.
…Or only with Indians
This is probably more true for Indian students, who tend to gravitate towards fellow Indians when aboard. As mentioned above, it is fine to have a few Indian friends aboard but the key is to maintain a ‘balance’. If you make only Indian or foreign friends, both these approaches are wrong. You need to maintain a mixed group/s of friends where everyone is from all kinds of backgrounds. Only sticking to Indian friends will rob you of the golden opportunity of mingling with locals and getting to know the local culture better. It might be the easier alternative but take the route out of your way and interact with everyone.
Trying too hard to fit in
If you start to copy the ‘foreign’ behavior too soon, that might not reflect too well on you. It is normal for people to acquire foreign accent in a couple of weeks, but forcing an accent the moment you land will only make you look fake. First impressions are important in any class. So if you try too hard to dress and act ‘cool’ you may become a subject of humor among classmates. Try to blend in slowly and gradually, so you are able to adapt well to those changes. Sudden changes may make you look ‘uncool’, the opposite of cool.
Thinking everyone speaks English
If you are not going to US or UK, you can’t really talk in English with people aboard. English is not the local language in most of the countries in Europe or Asia. A few might understand it a little, but all of them definitely don’t speak English in other countries. The other countries are happy speaking their own language. Take this as an opportunity to grow and learn. You will have to learn the local language and you should enjoy the process.
Traveling every weekend
Many students have the dreams of going to multiple cities and towns in the new country to experience travelling abroad. It is a great idea to explore the new country and its landscapes but you can’t really explore a new place over the weekend. So much time will be wasted in travelling, you will not be left with enough time to really experience the travel. So many countries cover larger geographical areas, that traveling from one area to another will be either expensive or time consuming.
Also, if you’re traveling every weekend, when will you ever find time to take part in the communities or colleges groups that you have joined? You also need some free weekends to enjoy the city you are living in.
Showing off on social media websites
It is great you got to travel aboard and you are living the dream of many. But that doesn’t mean you post obnoxious pictures and statuses on Facebook or Instagram trying to get likes. Every study abroad student wants to share their experiences with friends back home but bombing their newsfeed with 1000 pictures isn’t advisable. Remember, once you come back home you don’t want to look like an ‘obnoxious foreign return’. You still want to maintain relations with people back home. The best thing to do is to stay humble and upload only those pictures which are meaningful.
***
FOR MORE ON CAREER & EDUCATIONAL TIPS, SUBSCRIBE TO JARUSHUB
[subscribe2]
Trying too hard to fit in is one of the major mistakes we nigerians make. Rather than being ourselves, we change to suit others. Great article by the way.