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.