Challenges of studying abroad

Challenges of studying abroad 

For those of you who dream of studying abroad or simply escaping from your parents, you are probably thinking studying abroad will be an easy transition. From personal experience, I can bet  you that it is a lot of fun, but certainly not easy.

My transition from California (US) to Frankfurt (Germany) was significantly harder than anticipated, but the learning curve is fast. So for those of you who plan to study overseas, here are five Problems in studying abroad  to be prepared for when applying, transitioning to, and living in a new country.

1. Feeling like an outsider

Regardless what country you are from, and what country you are going to, it’s almost certain that you’ll end up feeling like an ‘outsider’ at least some of the time. You may find yourself wondering why your espresso always seems to cost more than the locals’, or why everyone’s laughing, when you didn’t realize anyone had told a joke.

In most countries it’s unlikely that you’ll be deliberately made to feel uncomfortable or unwanted, but it can still be tiring at first, trying to get to grips with new cultural norms.

Don’t let this discourage you. Virtually everyone I have ever met while Problems in studying abroad has been very encouraging and friendly, and while I may never become truly “one of them”, eventually this problem becomes smaller and smaller.

2. Overcoming the language barrier

This is probably the most obvious of the Problems in studying abroad. Overcoming a language barrier may mean you’re struggling to learn a new language pretty much from scratch, or it could just be that you thought you were fluent, but find you’re unable to understand the strong local accent.

Even if you’re studying in a country where you speak the same language, there are other hurdles to clear. For example, slang phrases that are popular or hip will seem strange. For non-Americans (or non-Californians) the words “insane”, “balling”, “radical” and “intense” have nothing in common. But for locals, all can be used to mean “awesome”.

So the words that students use are going to be difficult to learn, but the language barrier problem also goes away pretty quickly, once you’re immersed.

3.You are alone

Even if our society is more and more communicative and even if you are closer to your family and friends thanks to Skype, msn, Facebook and others, it still does not mean it is any easier to study abroad half way round the world. Are any of these people are with you in that unknown country? Nope. That is why you could feel alone and sad sometimes. At the beginning, culture shock will not help you to feel integrated: you will need an ‘adjustment period’. You should create new habits, discover the place you are going to live, meet people for example. I cannot hide to you that it will be hard sometimes. You could feel excluded in the country where you are and not have the social network yet that can give you support and strength. And if, god forbid, something bad might happen back home, you might not have the chance to be with your family and friends and have to stay in that country with your pain and alone.

4. Being far from your support network

Living abroad is awesome… when everything is going well. But when the heavens seem to conspire against you, you can really feel on your own. Your usual ‘support network’ of family and friends will be hundreds if not thousands of miles away. Even if you weren’t previously aware of how important they were, now is when you’ll find out.

This challenge is likely to be felt most especially true for the first few months of studying abroad. But then, you will build up a new support network and after a year or so, everything will be OK!

5.Nothing is free

Another big Problems in studying abroad can be the costs. Studying abroad can be really expensive. First, it will depend on your major and university or school you choose, and then it will depend on the country, the city and the place where you want to live (big house or small room?). Moreover most countries do not allow foreign student to work, so you need to have money before you arrive in the country or have someone from home supporting you. The question you have to ask yourself is: can I afford to study abroad?

6.You are not a genius

Reality is hard, I know. Studying in another country does not mean you will learn English or other languages magically. I remember the father of one of my friends: he was British and uses to live in France for 3 years. But he could not speak French because he never tried to learn it. Of course living abroad will help you to understand the language better, but if you do not talk, you will not improve.  That is why you need to pay attention and study, but be reassured because you live in that country it should make study easier and faster.

Problems in studying abroad

Some More Problems in studying abroad

Yes, studying abroad has not only advantages! It would have been too simple: you go to a  foreign country and everything is wonderful, people are nice, your home is beautiful and so on. Lies!!! Studying abroad is not (always) so nice. You might have to face one or even more problems while living abroad and see some of the Problems in studying abroad.

7. Getting used to currency differences

Getting used to currency differences is also a challenging process. For example, when I was in Costa Rica, I had to remember that 500 Costa Rican colones make one US dollar. And in continental Europe, I have to remember that when something costs €1 it is actually US$1.40.
Make sure you work out a quick conversion system for yourself, so you can mentally figure out prices when buying things, and get to know the “normal” price for staple items – ie. ask locals how much they would expect to pay.
Like most of the Problems in studying abroad, currency differences are one of those things that doesn’t really hurt if you are only visiting for a short time, but does have a big impact if you’re staying for a semester or more. Don’t spend euros as if they were dollars!

8.Reality can be treacherous

First step in that new country and everything seems weird. Differences can be huge between Europe and Asia or small between France and Belgium. Standard of living can be different: more poor people in Eastern Europe than in Western Europe or you cannot expect the same way of life in India than in United States. You will have to face other behaviors, and some can make you feel uncomfortable if you are not used to them: in United State people are going to speak easily with you in the bus, whereas in Europe (read Paris) if you talk to a  stranger you will probably get an angry look or might even scare people away. Everyone knows that Chinese people are different from Americans, Americans are different from Germans, some differences are obvious others are more subtle. We can name that cultural obstacle. Moreover the food is different, you will have lot of difficulties to find local French cheese in US, or local Italian wine etc. if the culture is different, the food will be too, certainly. Getting used to these cultural differences can be a real disadvantage for your study abroad experience.

9. Coping with cultural misunderstandings

As a foreigner, you do not know the local culture and all those unwritten rules (hopefully you have a concept of thewritten rules) of your host nation. Let’s get one thing straight: you will make mistakes, and many may be awkward. Don’t be embarrassed; learn from cultural miss understandings and don’t make them again. Again, given a year or so, you will get to know know all these little unspoken agreements.

One example is the amount of pressure you should put into a handshake; this varies significantly from country to country. In the US, a firm if not painful handshake is customary. A person with a non-bone-crushing handshake can be seen as weak. The same does not work in many parts of Europe or Asia, where someone with a vice-like handshake may be perceived as crude or overbearing.

An easy way to avoid many cultural misunderstandings is to observe what others do, and how they do it. If in any doubt, just ask! You’ll find most people are happy to talk about their customs, and will enjoy sharing their insider knowledge with you.

This might seem like an intimidating list, but don’t worry! It sounds significantly harder than it actually is. The phrase “having failed your way to success” comes to mind. I think all people who have studied abroad can relate to that statement. From university applications, to finding a place to stay and identifying the social norms, we have all been unsuccessful in some if not all of these respects.

But when you push through the challenges, everything will work out – and if nothing else, you will have lots of stories to tell at parties about the time you were kicked of the train at 12:30 at night because you had the wrong ticket… with no trains coming for four hours… Yeah, it sucked.

10.One year lost

For some countries or universities your study abroad credits might not count towards your degree, which of course means your study time will increase, costs will go up and you might be longer dependent on your parents. These  are major Problems in studying abroad. Before you leave and join the next study abroad program, you have to considerate this: are you ok with adding one more year to your studies?  Is it useless? High school students who take part in exchange programs abroad often say that they have already studied what they are taught  abroad or that the class is too difficult because nothing is done to support their special needs. Moreover some say they are excluded, a kind of racism or sometimes they are a star at school. But in both case it can be really hard to live.

11.Hard to come back “home”

When you are going to study abroad you only think about the time you are going to spend away. But you forgot that one day you will have to (well, most of us) come back to your beloved home country. It can be as hard to live in another country as to come back to your own. It is called reverse culture shock. But there might be even more Problems in studying abroad: What if you fall in Love and have to leave the love of your life because your visa expires or what if your boyfriend or girlfriend from back home broke up with you while you were gone? It will only really hit you once you are back and see all the places where you used to spend time with him or her.

12.Last but not least: Your Mom will nag you

Do not laugh! You know as well as me that moms can be really possessive. Oh my little baby is far away, how is s/he doing? She will nag you: you will receive e-mails with hundreds of question and if you do not answer as fast as she wants, retaliation could be horrible. She will create her own Facebook account in the aim to know everything you don’t  want to share with her. Each time you will be on Skype, she will call you. As if your life was hers. You will need to establish rules.

As far as I am concerned I think study abroad is a great opportunity and experience and I am studying abroad since last September. Of course I have no thought about disadvantages when I left, but I certainly had to face one or the other. But at the end, there are more advantages than disadvantages. That is why if you can study abroad, I will say you: “Go! But be prepared”. Do not think that everything is black or white, that the country you are going in, is the greatest of the world or that your home country is the best. Do not have prejudices or false ideas about things. Have only a children view to be curious and surprised and enjoy.

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