Different challenges can impact your overall experience while studying abroad. Academic challenges, cultural differences, homesickness, discrimination, and financial issues are some major problems that a plethora of students face every year. While you cannot eliminate the challenges while studying abroad, you can easily manage them by being mentally prepared in advance.
This article has shed light on different challenges you can face while studying abroad. The entire purpose of this article is to make you aware of everything so that you can mentally prepare yourself in advance. If you currently need assistance applying for your USA study visa, you can approach reputed US visa consultants in your locality.
Challenges faced by students while studying abroad
Here are the problems that every international student faces in the initial phase:
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Cultural Shift
Without any doubt, a cultural shift is a major challenge that is faced by every international student while studying abroad. You will feel different cultural values and social norms after moving abroad. In addition, different food and different celebrations will also be experienced by you. It will be hard to adapt to a different culture all at once. It will take some time and patience to understand everything and indulge in it. Some students feel isolated because of different social norms and cultural values. However, this only makes them stressed. So, it is better to accept the cultural shift and respect their culture, enjoy their celebrations, and so on to make your life easy while studying abroad.
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Language Barriers
Almost 50% of students face language barriers while speaking to others or understanding anything in a different language. Even though you are good at language, you can find challenges related to slang, accents, and idiomatic expressions. The only way to tackle this issue is to improve your language abilities before moving abroad. Spend extra time learning the language and also take the language test to test your abilities. By doing so, you will not face any issues while listening to the lectures or interacting with others.
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Homesickness
Students usually miss their families and friends back home while studying abroad. Apart from that, adjusting to a different country and making friends there feels difficult in the beginning. As a result, students spend their time living in their homes. They feel hesitant to move outside because no one is there to accompany them. This way, they feel homesickness which impacts their mental health. To avoid homesickness, make sure to interact with others, make new friends, and move outside to explore the country.
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Social Abuse
It is so traumatic that many students experience social abuse while studying abroad. This includes discrimination, prejudice, and harassment. Students experience these issues at universities, malls, workplaces, hospitals, and many other places. Hence, they feel unsafe in the new country and find themselves unable to receive assistance from anyone. This impacts their mental health in a way that some students commit suicide while studying abroad.
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Financial Problems
The cost of living abroad is extremely high compared to the cost in your home country. While studying abroad, earning opportunities are less and the cost is why which leads to financial problems. Students fail to manage their money wisely and in the end, run out of their money. Sometimes, they convince their parents to send them money which makes their parents stressed. So, to avoid financial issues, it is important to make a budget plan from day one. With a proper budget plan, you will get an idea about where you should spend money and where not. Moreover, you can easily know how much money you should spend in a month. By following this plan, you can save a lot of money to pay your tuition fee for the next year.
Are you aiming to land abroad but are confused about which college and study program you should choose? If yes, then you can seek help from the best immigration consultants regarding your study visa process.
Wrapping Up
To wrap up, do not worry if you find any of these challenges while studying abroad. Just stay strong and deal with every situation calmly by discussing everything with your parents.
