If you’re thinking of becoming an international student, you’ll find plenty of information on our blog about how to study abroad. Where to travel for study. When to apply. But before you read any of that, the most important question you’ll need to answer is: why study abroad? What are the best reasons to study abroad?
In celebration of International Education Week 2022, we’re taking a look at why you should consider university or college studies outside of your home country. From self-improvement to self-confidence, here are the five best reasons to study abroad!
Find a program that best fits your needs on ApplyBoard’s free-to-use platform today!
1. The Potential for a World-Class Education
If education is important to you (and if you’re reading this article, chances are it is), then you may be looking to explore beyond your local options. You may already have dreamt of studying at an internationally-recognized institution overseas. Maybe you’ve even looked at some universities and colleges in countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Australia, or Ireland.
Each country has its own education system, offering different perspectives, teaching styles, and learning opportunities. Relying on your local education system can put limits on the type and scope of study you can pursue.
By choosing to study abroad, your options become almost limitless.
Colleges and universities around the world provide world-class, internationally recognized education. Many of them provide:
- High student satisfaction levels
- More personalized attention (smaller class sizes and student-to-faculty ratios)
- Built-in co-ops, placements, or work experience
- Unique research opportunities
Studying abroad lets you learn things you’d never have the chance to experience otherwise. That alone makes study abroad a valuable option for anyone who wants to broaden their educational potential.
2. Studying Abroad Forces You to Grow
Personal growth is a tricky thing to define. But often, when people talk about what helped define them and move their lives forward, they describe experiences like these:
- Gaining new perspectives
- Trying new things
- Travelling to new places
- Living in a new country
- Learning a new language
The keyword here is “new.” Growing involves taking on new challenges and stepping outside of your comfort zone. And what better way to experience all those things than by studying abroad?
Here’s the truth: studying abroad is intense, demanding, and challenging in so many ways. You’ll need to understand that going in, and be ready to rise to the occasion. Becoming an international student is an incredible way to “choose challenge.”
Chances are, you’ll learn a level of independence and self-confidence you never knew you could achieve. You’ll be able to say “I did that. I chose to do that.”
3. To Kickstart Your Career
Next, let’s bring it back to a more grounded reason. Personal growth is wonderful, but it can’t pay the bills! The top question for most students when choosing what to study is: “How will this get me the job I want later?”
Thankfully, many study abroad destinations provide great working opportunities for international students. The world needs skilled labour. Depending on what you plan to study, your skills may be in high demand!
You can often find and work a part-time job while studying to help cover your living expenses and build your resume. You may even be able to work in your field (or in a related field). Either way, working while studying helps you build your soft skills and network for future career opportunities.
As for staying in the country and working there after graduating, many countries offer great post-study work visa options. Check out:
- Canada’s Post-Graduation Work Permit
- The United Kingdom’s Graduate Visa
- Australia’s Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485)
- The United States’ OPT (Optional Practical Training)
- Ireland’s Third Level Graduate Program
Wherever you work, employers love people who have put themselves out there, learned new skills, and shown dedication to their studies.
Studying abroad teaches the same qualities that are often needed to succeed in fast-paced work environments. Those qualities include improvisation, collaboration, open-mindedness, willingness to learn, and flexibility with shifting roles.
There’s no such thing as a guaranteed job. However, if you research your options and set yourself up for success, your education and experiences from studying abroad can put you in a great position to launch your career.
Haven’t decided on your future career goals yet? Consider one of these five in-demand career paths for international students.
4. Study Abroad Changes Your Life
Anyone can travel, but travelling is often fun and temporary. It won’t change your day-to-day life. When you go back home, you’ll return to your safe bed and your usual routine.
By moving to a new place, you get the experience of travelling and immersing yourself in a new culture, but amplified. Having the added goal and responsibility of completing your education raises the stakes.
Instead of meeting other travellers passing by and forgetting them a week later, you’ll meet other students like yourself. The people you meet while studying abroad will become your local support base, and often, lifelong friends.
Instead of hearing locals speak English and maybe learning a few casual words, you’ll be educated in it! It’s amazing how quickly you can learn a new language when you’re reading, writing, and speaking it all day, every day.
Instead of spending a week in a new city and wondering what it would be like to live there, you will live there. That will become your life, and that new place, at least for a little while, will be your home.
So what does that mean? No matter where you go, or what you choose to study, this experience will change you. If you’re ready to learn new things and start a new chapter of your life, it’s hard to find a better way to do it than studying abroad.
5. For Yourself
Of all the reasons to study abroad, the most important reason is to do it for yourself. Anyone you talk to will give you their opinion about you studying in a new country; parents, teachers, friends. Even us at ApplyBoard (if you couldn’t tell, we’re all for it)!
But in the end, this is a decision you have to make for yourself. Nobody knows you better than you—so you’re the only one who can choose to study abroad.
Do your research, weigh your options, and make the right call for you. If you do choose to make the leap, we’re right here to support you.
Tip: You’ll notice we didn’t list “To immigrate to a new country” as one of the reasons on this list. That shouldn’t be your reason to study abroad! Every country has their own process, and immigration is never guaranteed. You never want a country’s government to think you’re only studying abroad there so you can permanently stay there.
That said, there are many pathways to permanent residency for international student graduates. Do your research, learn more from trusted sources like immigration attorneys, and it’s possible that living in a new country could be in your future!
Studying abroad requires starting over from scratch, moving away from everything you know, and embracing new experiences. The path of an international student is difficult, with challenges around every corner.
But with new challenges come new experiences. Opportunities to learn and grow. And as countless students around the world will tell you: it’s worth it.
Ready to start your own study abroad journey? Find your perfect program through ApplyBoard. We’re here to help!
