Study Abroad Checklist and Tips

Studying Abroad is as exciting as it is daunting. If you want to make sure that your trip to a foreign land where you go to secure your higher education goes smoothly, then make sure that you take a look at this checklist and all the tips that our top Overseas Education consultants have to offer.

1. Documentation

Even after you get your student visa, you must keep all the documents that are needed by the university in a proper dossier.

Tip: To make sure that your documents are in place and your first day at your university is absolutely simple, ask for a list of documents that the university requires when you join. Once you have the list, prepare a dossier with all the documents. Remember to get a soft copy of all these documents so that you can get a printout whenever needed.

2. Plane Tickets

This is one thing that people often keep for the last moment. However, plane tickets need to be purchased on time. Don’t wait for the joining date to come closer for the tickets to be finally booked.

Tip: Try to book your tickets as early as 3 months in advance. This will help in ensuring that you can get the best deal and don’t end up spending a fortune on your tickets. Also make sure that you look at the different timings of the flights. It is not a wise idea to book for a plan that drops you somewhere in the middle of the night. Give yourself enough time to get acclimatized to the new surrounding before your first day.

3. Travel Insurance

This is a mandatory requirement to obtain any kind of Visa. Some universities even mandate it for admission. Carry your travel insurance documents in a soft copy on your person at all times.

Tip: Compare the different types of student insurances before you settle on one. There is a lot of information available on the internet. Research well and then finalize an option that meets your requirement. Alternatively, you can speak to any of our expert counselors. They will give you all the options and the way to go about them.

4. Good Walking Shoes are a must

This sounds like a very silly thing to pay attention to, but when you are in a foreign country, you’ll have to do a lot of walking. Don’t make it harder for yourself by being ill prepared.

Tip: Always make sure that you give our shoes a trial run before you take them abroad and rely on them for your daily walk. Sometimes, even the best of brands can have shoes that aren’t very comfortable for you. Give your shoes a good walk for a good number of days. Once you are sure that you are comfortable in them should you pack them for your trip.

5. Particular medicines

If you have a particular condition that requires a particular medicine, make sure that you stock up on it.

Tip: While you can find drugs with similar compositions anywhere in the world, it might be difficult to get the exact drug of the exact company in your new country. This is why it is always advisable to pack an initial supply for a few months. When you go there, you can start searching for a similar medicine.

6. Know the country

Every country has areas that are best not meddled with. When you travel abroad, make sure that you already have a list of places that you should probably avoid.

Tip: Contact the embassy when you reach there and get a list of all the important numbers that you might need when in an emergency or trouble. Also, do some digging and find out what are all the places within the city that have a higher crime rate and be weary of going there.

7. Cultural and Religious sensitivity

Understand thoroughly what the various cultural and religious tickers for your country are. This is to ensure that you don’t end up hurting anyone’s emotions or disrespect anyone unknowingly.

Tip: When in doubt, be polite and apologize. Explain to the people how you are new to the place and that you genuinely did not wish to disrespect anyone. That should be helpful.

On the whole, it is a great decision to study abroad and if you can make the most of your trip in a foreign country, when you come back, if you do, you will come as a much more enriched and wiser person. Not only will you increase your prospects of work, you will also be able to grow much more as a person.