CHALLENGES OF BEING AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT

Well, becoming an international student is not an easy task. When a student chalks out a plan for pursuing higher studies in a foreign land simultaneously several obstacles are waiting on the way such as opening a bank account, taking a SIM number and so on registration of vehicle are considered as main problems, as well as purchase of something, paying tax, night shifts which further leads to sleep disorders and disturb their studies.

Apart from all these, there are number of questions and doubts which arise in the mind of a student. Somehow, after a long procedure of visa formalities like choosing university, course, finances, medical, tickets, shopping etc, after overcoming and passing through them, height of excitement arises when students lands on foreign land. Number of fears and challenges are there in the mind only, but in actual the challenges and problems faced by international students are innumerable especially in their first year of abroad.

Following is the list of challenges faced by international students along with their description.

1. Language Barrier – Countries like Singapore, Canada, Australia, and America has the highest English proficiency levels in the world. But no matter how well acquainted you are in English, when studying overseas, you would still have to overcome the strong accents, local slang, and the fast pace at which your peers and professors speak. This may hamper a student’s learning progress, cause alienation, or even lower their self-esteem.

In a survey of international students in the U.K., 50 percent of students experienced difficulty in meeting the required standard of English to follow their courses. Meanwhile, 43% said their overall education and grades were affected by language barriers and 30 percent of students had to switch from their main course to English language courses.

• Homesickness – Homesickness is a common experience for international students who are living away from their families and support for the first time. It can be challenging to adjust to a new environment, and students may miss the familiarity of their home country. According to UNESCO, among all the students studying in foreign territories, 92% say that they miss the familiarities of home while studying overseas, with 57 proportions saying it is the sensory experience they miss most, while 74 %specified they miss the sounds of their hometown.

Overall, 99 percent of foreign students confirmed their decision to study abroad turned out to be positive experience. There were, however, some difficulties adjusting to the new environment. 43% reported feeling homesick at least once a week. In addition, 49 % believe that not having family and friends made an impact on their academic performance and 40% say homesickness affected their sleep. The survey also found out that the strongest feelings of homesickness is particularly prominent late at night from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m.

• Culture shock – Culture shock is another significant challenge faced by international students. The culture and social norms of foreign country may be vastly different from what students are used to in their home countries. For example, the way people interact, the food, the music, and the social customs may be unfamiliar to international students, causing them to feel isolated and overwhelmed.

• Financial difficulties – The cost of studying abroad can be steep. Unless they belong to the wealthy class, international students often face financial difficulties during the course of their education. Understandably, tuition fees are much more expensive for them compared to local courses. Even in the case of free universities that one may find abroad, costs can still come in the form of accommodation, food and transportation.

In addition to school requirements, adapting to a host country such as managing daily activities and participating in local cultural events may require additional expenses. Supplemental income may be difficult as foreign with strict study – only visas are usually allowed to work outside the campus or there are limited working hour.

• Accommodation – Housing problems are another challenge for international students. Finding a suitable house in a new country can be difficult, especially if the student is not familiar with the local rental market. Some other accommodation challenge may include: – cost of living, quality of housing and roommate conflicts.

International students may encounter problems with the quality of their housing, such as issues with cleanliness, safety, or maintenance. This can be especially challenging if student is not familiar with local housing regulations or does not have access to legal resources.

• Discrimination – Unfortunately, international student may face discrimination based on their nationality or ethnicity. Discrimination can manifest in different forms, such as exclusion from social activities, harassment or professional settings.

But, campus is the best place to advocate diversity and educate one another on cultural differences; cultivating appreciation and respect for the various customs, traditions and beliefs through sharing personal narratives, showing support, and making everyone feel accepted.

• Health and diet issues – Health and diet are major challenges for international students. Foreign students have a string emotional for food that is both full and familiar, much like they have in their home country. The value of tasty recognizable food in the overall experience of the visiting student has been acknowledged by educators. Students who adhere to rigorous dietary regulations, such as those that are vegetarian; kosher may find this especially true.

Students may face different health risks to which they are used to in their home countries, such as exposure to new diseases due to different climate and weather patterns.

• Climate changes – Different regions experience different climates and weather, and this can be a great challenge for any international student. Some areas are seriously cooler than others, while others are way hotter. Adapting from one climatic condition to another may be quite challenging at the beginning. However, international students are advised to change their dressing style in order to adapt to the new conditions they may be facing. Let your new local friends take you to shopping.

• Psychological Difficulties – Though at increased risk for psychological problems, many international students do not seek mental health serviced. This is often due to stigma, as mental health concerns can be incongruent with their culture norms and expectations. In addition, students may be unaware of mental health services provided on campus or not feel comfortable discussing their emotions.

1. Learning styles and Academic expectations – International student’s transition to a new academic environment can be one of the challenges faced by international students.  The academic expectations in you host country may differ significantly from what you’re used to back home, similar to other challenges of studying abroad. This could throw off your track if you are not careful.

Besides of the above mentioned problems, there are some other factors which can become a challenge for students like assignment pressure, cooking for oneself, burden of paying fees and  lack of knowledge about traffic rules of the particular country.

Solution

Always remember that what you are experiencing is normal and you will get through it. You are not alone – there are many other students around you who are also experiencing the same thing. Keep working hard and try your best to adjust to the new culture! If you don’t love it after you’ve given it your best efforts, at least you’ll know you tried.

With the help of DAVESAR CONSULTANTS you can get proper guidance about the challenges and how to cope up with them bravely.

CONSIDERATION OF PARENTS WHILE SENDING THEIR KIDS TO ABROAD FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

Well there are a few things to keep in mind while sending your child to abroad like a counseling session, preferences, course selection, and country selection, choosing a university, costs, and many others which are detailed in the upcoming paragraphs. It is a great deal to send your ward far away from you to another country. Sending your child for higher education is a meticulous planning; to put things in a right way should be preconceived.

KEY POINTS TO BE KEEP IN MIND BEFORE SENDING YOUR CHILD TO ABROAD

• Here I would start that every parent should know about their child caliber, knowledge and maturity level as well as habits and so on. In the beginning it should be clear to choose country and it’s the main to be as parents and in this aspect, parent’s, relative’s and friend’s reference comes in the list. In the initial stage all kind of support to your child like staying with them for a short time and providing emotional support to a child counts a lot.
• Then comes most difficult key points to be sorted that which country, province, college and university should we choose as it is very important to keep things about your ward’s career in mind as, it would be decided by keeping financial aspect in mind. Then the challenge is to choose course, fee structure very wisely and after accomplishment of course, its demand in settling their child future abroad.
• The next step is to prepare your child emotionally stable. Try not to go for spoon feeding at the time of procedure of visa filing. Moreover, at this point choosing right consultant for visa is utmost important. Consult with a well known agent in order to get hassle free work.
• Some extra skills that need to be taught your child are cooking, driving so that it helps them to become self dependent for their meals. Make them learn to manage their things on their own like folding bed, keeping or laundering clothes etc. To add more, the most important is to make you child learn moral and ethic values which prove to be fruitful over there. Once visa is granted, make them learn basic computer usage which would help in making assignments there. Make them independent regarding finances. Don’t forget spending quality time before takeoff, creating good memories are all part of it.

CONCLUSION

Evaluate the career opportunities realistically, both abroad and within India, before planning for international studies. The potential of getting a job immediately after studies will be different for both undergraduate as well as postgraduate courses. Also, the geopolitical developments play a great role in impacting the same. International education comes at high price, but can be highly rewarding if planned well.