Should I Study Abroad If I’ve Never Left My Country Before?

Studying abroad might be your first opportunity to leave your home country. But it might feel really intimidating to commit to a semester, year, or full degree program when you’re unsure whether or not you will even enjoy living abroad. If you’re asking yourself: Should I study abroad?, this list is for you. Take a look at these five challenges of studying abroad that you might face if it’s your first time away from home - and five reasons why you should still take the plunge!

Challenge 1: You’ll lack a few essential international survival skills

What do you do when you accidentally take the wrong bus and end up in a city you can’t pronounce the name of? How do you avoid getting ripped off by street vendors? No matter how much you read up on the challenges of studying abroad before your trip, some unexpected situations will happen. There are only so many Google searches a person can make!

Why study abroad? You’ll become an awesome traveler almost overnight

Sure, you might lack some international travel skills at first, but like many new travelers, your youthful spirit, the kindness of strangers, and learning from your mistakes will carry you through. Beginner’s mistakes are completely normal.

Studying abroad is a crash course in traveling and living abroad that will equip you with some nuanced yet useful talents. You will understand how to navigate unsafe neighborhoods safely, where to get the cheapest plane tickets, which travel apps to use, and how to haggle at the local markets.

You will not only learn how to get from one place to another, but you’ll also find that the local people and your fellow travelers can be your greatest resource if you know how to ask for help. Some of your new talents might just revolve around letting things go and moving with the flow, but this is also an essential skill when living internationally!

One of the greatest reasons to study abroad is to learn how to travel, and to take your new skills with you to even more new destinations and cultures.

Challenge 2: You’re nervous to study abroad in a country with a different language

Have you ever been somewhere where you could not read, speak, or understand anyone? Get ready to feel confused and a bit frustrated. You might find yourself in some situations where everyone forgets that you can’t understand what they’re saying. Classes that are supposedly held in your native language may involve long discussions in a language you’re not fluent in. Finding the nearest bathroom might get a little embarrassing as you try to act out what you need to someone who doesn’t understand your words!

Why study abroad? You’ll get a crash-course in a foreign language in the most practical way possible

When you study abroad in a language that you have studied in a classroom, you take your knowledge of the language to the next level. Whether you want to be able to chat with locals at bars or just be able to order dinner and a cab, studying a language through immersion is the perfect opportunity to practice.

Are you wondering: Should I study abroad even if I’m not so interested in language? While learning a little bit of the local language is important to navigate the city you’ll live in as an international student, the reasons to study abroad extend past language learning. There are many benefits to learning another language that could potentially be useful in further travel or a future career later on.

Challenge 3: You don’t know how to deal with cultural differences

If studying abroad is your first time outside of your home country, you might find yourself raising your eyebrows at cultural norms that seem downright wacky. If you meet and spend time with friends that are more well-travelled, you might get asked if you’ve ever traveled before as you adjust to cultural differences. It can take time to adjust to a new country and culture with a new way of life and a different way of doing things.

Why study abroad? You’ll come to feel at home in different cultures

Remember, your own culture can seem a bit strange to others too! Your new friends and professors will help broaden your horizons. You might start to think more about your own culture- and where it overlaps with the culture of your study abroad country. If you’re still asking yourself: ‘Should I study abroad?’, consider the personal growth that will extend beyond your program and into the rest of your life.

Chances are, many of the things you thought of as standard are just that way because you’ve grown up in that world. One of the best reasons to study abroad is discovering a different side to yourself with new habits, favorite foods, and friends from backgrounds that you would never have met otherwise.

Challenge 4: You may not feel prepared for a different academic style

One of the typical challenges of studying abroad for every student is that your home country’s education system and academic culture is going to be different from other countries. These differences can range from different standards and expectations to an entirely different course format. You could be expected to write an original thesis, expand on (unfamiliar) academic theories, complete weekly check-in assignments, or you might not even have to take a test until a crucial final exam. Studying abroad will add another dimension of new experiences.

Depending on where you’re from, what courses you take, and where you’re studying abroad, these differences could be shocking. International students sometimes need to pay extra attention to what their professors expect in the classroom in order to keep up with their classmates.

Why study abroad? You’ll learn how to perform to different expectations

In your adult life, no one is going to spell out exactly how you can succeed. Your first boss will expect you to come to your job already prepared to meet their expectations. When you study abroad and are thrust into a completely new academic system, you will develop your soft skills along with the content of the courses you take. You’ll become an expert at adjusting to what is expected from you in different work environments while also proactively understanding what you need to do in order to be successful. These are true skills for life.

Challenge 5: Making international friends might be tricky at first

It can be hard to make new friends, but feeling like you have nothing in common with others can be extra challenging. Perhaps you’ve never had a friend from outside of your own culture before. You might be worried about offending someone, not understanding them, or just being too different to get along.

Why study abroad? You’ll become quite talented at making new friends!

As long as you are approachable and interested in making new friends, you will not have a problem. There are plenty of ways to meet new people when studying abroad, and sometimes your differences make the best subject of conversation!

Making new local and international friends during your study abroad experience will give even the shyest wallflower a solid set of skills for making more new friends in the future. While there are many reasons to study abroad, international friendships that continue past your program will be one of the most enriching experiences. When you return to your home country, you might be surprised to find yourself seeking out even more international friends to widen your old social circles!