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The journey of going away for studies is not one that simply takes you from your home to the university. It is a far longer journey that leads you to become an evolved version of yourself. Your course and semester subjects are not the only things you will learn. There are skills and experiences that this journey will leave you with.
You may like it or not but there is no refuting that there are some life altering benefits of living and studying abroad.
You Will Be More Patient In Things You Do And Expect
A new country. A new city. Strangers around you and not a single known face. These are enough to leave you clueless and stressed out. You will need help more often than you would like to expect. When you’re walking this tightrope of emotions, impatience in another’s behaviour is sure to push you off. Naturally, you will evolve into a more patient being because that’s what you expect from others (even though you may not always receive it).
Your World Will Seem That Much Bigger
When your entire universe begins at your parent’s home and ends at the highschool a few miles away, there is only so much you can explore. The world remains limited to the view from your bedroom window! But one benefit of living and studying abroad is the expansion of your horizon. Your world will become much bigger and your understanding of it, much more evolved. The realisation of having so much to experience is humbling enough to keep you striving for bigger and better things.
You Will Become More Accepting Of Cultural Differences
It is easy to say one is open to racial and cultural differences when your race is the only one you know. One apparent benefit of international education is that you will be in a living, breathing melting pot of cultures. This will not only expose you to differences you wouldn’t have imagined but also make you more accepting of them. It will be a fine line to navigate and properly understand these differences. But this navigation will leave you better equipped at understanding multiple races and cultures and dealing with their differences than most others you know. It could be as simple as respecting your roommate’s beliefs and giving them space to practice a certain religion.
You Will Develop An Ache For Travelling
Let’s be honest. There aren’t just academic benefits of studying abroad. You will be living in a whole new country, a new city, a new neighborhood!
How exhilarating was it for you to travel to your favorite spot back home and spend hours simply doing nothing? Now imagine how exciting it would be to have a spot in different cities around the globe! Studying abroad will also help you explore the city you live in and this exploration will create a yearning in you to explore more. It’s like they say, “Travel is the healthiest addiction”.
You will learn a new language
It’s going to be an exciting ride learning a new language especially if it’s your first time learning a foreign language even if it’s just the basics that you’re learning. You’ll learn speech patterns and new slangs and this is going to be a fascinating experience because in today’s interconnected world, knowing a foreign language is a vital skill that gives you the opportunity to connect with the world in a more meaningful way. Not just that, it can also prove to be a great competitive advantage for you that sets you apart as compared to other monolingual peers.
You Will Become More Independent. Even Financially!
Living without the safety net is going to be…difficult. Teaching yourself things that you didn’t think needed to be taught will be a challenge much like your semester exams. You will realise how much salt is too much salt and what is the correct way to fold laundry. This independence can only come with living abroad and away from home.
This independence also reflects in your financial abilities. You will become more adept in handling and managing money and personal finances. Saving money for rent over a night of drinks with classmates will be decisions you will make and they will leave you proudly responsible.
Whether you agree or not, more than the academic benefits of studying abroad, you will experience life altering benefits of international education. And that will only create a more evolved human out of you!
