From having to live far from your loved ones, to balancing your studies, social life, and working part-time, the life of an international student can be demanding. That’s why we’ve come up with five helpful student life hacks for study abroad.
These hacks have you covered on most fronts: academically, financially, and socially. Read on to discover some unique ways to lighten your load when studying abroad.
Want to focus on finances? Read our blog on maximizing your student budget.
Hack 1: Use Your Insurance
Have you ever read the fine print on your tuition? (If you answered “no”, we won’t judge.) Chances are, you’re paying for more than just courses and student fees. In fact, tuition rates often also include health insurance, as well as other student benefits.
Want to find out if you’re enrolled in any insurance, and what your benefits are? Contact your college or university’s registrar’s office. If you’re enrolled, take advantage of these perks by:
- Booking a dentist appointment
- Purchasing prescription medications, glasses, or contact lenses at a reduced cost
- Have your eyes examined (a good thing to do every year!)
- Using campus fitness facilities
These student life hacks might be built right into the fees you’ll be paying anyway, so do your research and take full advantage of them!
Hack 2: Find Textbooks Online
Need to buy textbooks, but not a fan of the price tag at your college or university bookstore? Purchasing new textbooks can be expensive, and they usually wind up collecting dust in your closet once your class finishes.
Luckily, you have other options available to you to make the most of your textbooks. Instead of buying your textbooks new, join social media groups or search platforms like Facebook Marketplace, where students buy and sell used textbooks at a discounted price. In fact, once you’re finished with your courses, make some of your money back by selling your books, too.
Tip: Sometimes, you might be able to find a free PDF version of a textbook online or purchase an ebook version for cheaper. If you don’t mind reading text off of a screen, be sure to look online before purchasing one. Just be sure to double-check that it’s the latest version of that textbook!
Hack 3: Find a Study Buddy
Listen—we all have our days. Sometimes we won’t make it to our classes, whether it’s because of an appointment, illness, or life events. These things happen, but it can be very helpful to have a support system to catch you up on what you’ve missed.
We suggest making a friend in all of your classes so that you can catch up with them, share ideas, and can offer them help when they need it. And who knows—you might even make some lifelong pals.
Sometimes the best student life hacks for study abroad are the friends we made along the way!
Hack 4: Use Student Discounts
Did you know that many stores, public transit providers, fitness facilities, and restaurants offer special discounts to students? Look for signs in windows, checkout lines, and website promotions at the places you shop to find deals available to students.
If you’re wondering whether a store offers any discounts to students, it never hurts to ask.
Tip: The International Student Identity Card is a popular student card that can be purchased and used in over 130 countries, and offers you special discounts, offers, and services. Read more about it on our blog.
These money-related blogs can help you make the most of your study abroad journey.
Hack 5: Balance Out Your Courses
It can be tempting to pile on your course load to get your certification faster. Or, perhaps you’re the opposite and tend to save the heavier courses for later. Regardless of which style you identify with, it’s always important to maintain a balanced course load.
To do so, it can be helpful to keep the following tips in mind:
- Create a timetable that has an equal distribution of higher and lower credit classes.
- If possible, spread out classes throughout the week, to avoid having extremely light and heavy days.
- Do what works best for you. If you prefer getting a good night’s rest and don’t mind staying up later, register for courses that start and end later. On the other hand, if you’re an early bird, try to register for early morning classes.
We know that the life of an international student can be a busy one. We hope these unique student life hacks for study abroad will help make your journey a little easier!
