Why travel to study?
Studying abroad helps you to enjoy learning new languages and subjects and to immerse yourself in other cultures. There will be many challenges to face when you live in another country but you will certainly have a deeper understanding of how the wider world works. Outlined below are some of the key benefits to the learner from abroad.
The challenge
This challenge works in two ways: it asks questions of you, such as, am I up for this? And, how can I benefit from this challenge? The first one is a hard one for you to answer. Perhaps you are a natural adventurer and embrace the idea of leaving home for the first time and travelling abroad. But you could just as easily be the sort of person who wishes to study abroad in order to face the challenge of leaving home comforts behind. Either way, you will be going into a protected learning environment which will not lack a sense of adventure.
Living in a different culture
You can do this at different levels. Perhaps you wish to fully immerse yourself in a different culture and plan to stay with a family and travel in to study at an academy from their home. If this is the case, make sure that the family will share their meals and living space with you so that you have a communicative experience. It would not be helpful to spend all your time alone in a bedroom.
It may be that you wish to fully board at the academy and meet fellow travellers from different countries. This will not mean that you will not experience the culture – far from it. Remember that culture is to do with food and your surrounds as much as with art, studying and going out on visits. You will embark on an exciting adventure and will still be looked after.
The best education
The schools and colleges understand that there will be many different reasons for the student coming to their academy and that getting a top-quality course will always be of prime importance. Therefore, each establishment will wish to offer you the best course they can, tailored to your needs. For example, if you are in Scotland, because eventually you may like to apply to Edinburgh university, then you will be given a flavour of both discovering what life is like in Scotland but also the level of language you may need in order to succeed.
A new language
All of us learn languages at school, some of us grow up speaking more than one language fluently because our parents come from different parts of the world. Perhaps, though, we want to learn an entirely new language and choose a country that we have never been to before and whose language is unknown to us. This would be very exciting. Learning a new language is opening a door into a new culture. Imagine being in that culture as this process of learning unfurls. Suddenly the signs on the shops have meaning as does the menu in the restaurant.
Future Career opportunities
When you send in a cv for a job or apply to a university or a college, you have to fill in a form or write what is called a curriculum vitae. Both of these involve detailing your skills and qualifications. But there is usually a chance to include ‘soft skills’. Here they are looking for you to show what else you have done or can do to enhance your application. Studying abroad can be a very attractive proposition for an employer because it clearly shows an ability to face a challenge and experience different cultures. It will definitely be in your favour to have studied and spent time abroad.
Making new friends
This is almost a given. When you visit and study in a new country, you will be in a class with other students from many different counties all looking for similar experiences and wanting to share these. This is your chance to broaden your horizons, cut loose from any shyness you may have and make new friends as you experience all these new adventures together. These new friends could become some of your future companions as you go back home after your course but still stay in touch.
International travel
International travel is an exciting and rewarding experience. As the issue of covid and all the necessary travel restrictions start to become a thing of the past, the international traveller can begin to enjoy the whole experience once again. You will be supported by your academy from the moment you start your journey until your arrival. If you have specific needs for your journey, let your academy know and extra help will be given to you. There will be wellbeing support once you arrive at your destination. And there’s no need to end your international travel once at your destination. You can use it as a springboard to other countries near to your new ‘home’.
Learning to be independent
Visiting abroad to study and learn is not a route to becoming independent but it is one of many ways in which independence can come within your grasp. Once you start to push your own boundaries, you learn that those boundaries are porous and so the times when you thought to yourself ‘I can’t do that’ can be converted into ‘I’ll have a go at that’. For example, you may never have stood up at the front of a class and given a formal presentation. But now you can see that everyone has to do this and not everyone is able to do it. You have your go and see that it is something that can have its own rewards.
