How to Decide Where to Study Abroad
How did you decide to study abroad? You need to understand that deciding to study abroad requires several considerations. Considering that getting the opportunity to continue your education abroad may be almost everyone’s dream. This may not just be a dream, but could become a reality. Viewed objectively, here are the things you need to consider.
How do you decide to study abroad?
1. Choosing the Right School
The first is choosing the right school. There are many factors that must be considered before choosing a school abroad, such as culture, climate conditions, and costs.
Not only that, prospective students also need to find out achievements, quality of education, alumni, majors and the distance from school to where they live. It is feared that if you choose the wrong school, learning activities will not be optimal.
2. Language
Another barrier that must be taken into consideration is language. There are several schools in a number of countries that provide learning materials using local languages.
To be more fluent, try to learn to master the language used by the country you are going to. If you want to study in Japan, try to start mastering Japanese. Apart from making it easier to understand the lessons given, mastering the local language will make socializing easier.
However, now there are schools that provide international class programs that use English. Prospective students only need to know what majors already support the class program.
3. Passport and Visa
Everything has been prepared, now is the time to prepare your passport and visa to study abroad. Make sure your passport has not expired before leaving for your destination country.
Don’t forget to apply for a visa if the destination country requires a visa for foreign citizens who want to enter their country. However, there are several countries, especially ASEAN, which waive visas for Indonesian citizens.
4. Exam
One of the definite requirements that every prospective student who wants to study abroad must pass is the entrance exam. Prepare yourself by studying the lessons from the school you are going to. If you have passed the exam, the opportunity to study abroad will also be greater.
5. Cost of education
The next step is to determine the costs of studying abroad. It is true that studying abroad requires quite a lot of money because of differences in currency values.
To save money, try looking for countries that have affordable tuition fees. Apart from that, look for scholarship opportunities that provide full payment and look for part-time work while studying there.
Don’t forget to prepare living expenses in foreign currency to make transactions easier while abroad.
What are the Benefits of Studying Abroad?
1. Expanding International Networks
Networking is perhaps the most expensive thing when we decide to continue studying to a higher level. Because the more one narrows one’s field of study or expertise, the network will also become narrower.
If you currently want to pursue a career in a more specific place and need more networking, this could be a reason for you to continue studying abroad. Because you will meet many experts from all over the world too.
2. Developing Intellectual Quality
When you study in another country with better quality education while getting used to the way of thinking that exists there, without you realizing it, your knowledge and skills will develop even more than before.
Especially with school assignments with different burdens from those found in Indonesia and other things you will face outside of class.
3. Increase personal quality
Studying abroad can challenge you to become a better person. Because actually, going to school in another country is not just about studying and traveling, but rather how you accept a different culture, adapt to circumstances and even survive as a minority group in that country. But of course with this challenge, you will come home with a different version of yourself.
5. Gain Learning Experience and Practice with the Best Facilities
Almost the same as the explanation above, the benefits of studying abroad can be a motivation for many people to do the same, namely to gain learning experience with the best practicum and facilities in their field.
With fields of study that are more diverse than Indonesia, this could be a reason to decide to study abroad and learn something that is not yet available in Indonesia.
6. Can Master Foreign Languages
In an era full of globalization, it is an advantage for you to be able to master a foreign language. And there is no better foreign language learning practice than learning directly from your home country.
7. Can Start a Career Abroad
Some of the reasons many people choose to study abroad is to start a career abroad. This is not without reason, salary, career prospects and a better life are the reasons for some people. Especially for those who can afford to pay their own education costs.
However, for those of you who can’t, there are several scholarship and work programs available at several campuses or companies. Some of the jobs in this scholarship include being a researcher at a certain institution or being a foreign language teacher in Indonesia.
8. Increasing Career Path
By studying abroad, you can advance your career path. Some jobs and positions do require higher studies to be promoted. With a work scheme like this, you can leave your current position more calmly because you already have a job or career after completing your studies.
That’s the discussion above regarding how to decide where to study abroad, along with the benefits you will get by studying abroad. Hopefully the article above can be helpful and useful.