If you have your letter of admission with you, you need tips for surviving in a new country. You are quite eager but something keeps getting in the way of that excitement. You have a thought tugging at your happiness. And no, it’s neither amusement nor enthusiasm. It’s uncertainty and that’s because you aren’t sure of how you will survive in a new country.
If you’re heading off to a new school overseas, you not only have the usual things to worry about – making friends, adjusting to a new timetable, workload, and teachers, among others. But you also have extra concerns to contend with, such as adjusting to a new culture and dealing with feelings of homesickness.
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Studying abroad is another way of making big changes in your daily life. Generations of students have found that they go through a series of stages as they adjust to living abroad. This is why they need tips for surviving in a new country.
Besides, there are four stages of adaptation that an international student typically goes through:
- The initial euphoria and excitement: In this stage, you are simply eager about new sights and surroundings. You may even notice similarities and differences between the new culture and your home culture and be intrigued by them.
- The irritation and hostility: The novelty of the new culture has worn off and there is what is called ‘culture shock. The differences you might have noticed in the new culture begin to wear you down. You also become overly stressed out by small problems. Thus, feeling upset and homesick. At this stage, international students find that this culture shock also affects their academic performance if care is not taken.
- Finding perspective: In this stage, you decide to make the most of your experience. You begin to have deeper learning about life abroad and question your earlier assumptions about the world. Without knowledge of articles like this, many international students only adapt at this stage. Often this may be too late into the session.
- Proper Adaptation: If you are open to getting part-time or full-time employment in your new country, you have finally adapted properly. Not many international students are capable of doing this.
The more information you have about studying abroad and adapting to a new country, the easier it will be to plan for future events and develop strategies to successfully adjust to life abroad. So here are 9 tips for surviving in a new country as an international student.
Read: Top 10 Scholarships In The World To Study Abroad For Free (Fully Funded)
Table of Contents
1. Learn about the culture and language beforehand
Prepare for your trip by reading books about the culture, travel guidebooks, and popular websites or newspapers relevant to the region you are traveling to. If there is a language barrier, take language classes or seek out a tutor to make your transition period easier. Hopefully, this is one of the great tips for surviving in a new country.
2. Keep in touch with people at home
Try to maintain relationships with people at home while you are away by keeping in touch regularly. This assures people that you continue to care about them. Also, much as they miss you, you are the one away and prone to homesickness. Yes, you will be extremely busy settling in and learning about your new environment. But make sure to keep those lines of communication open. This is so that long periods between communications do not alarm your family and friends at home. Also, it keeps depression from taking over what could have been a wonderful stay.
3. Be open to new experiences
You’re in a city overflowing with inspiring people, with all kinds of interests, talents, and hobbies. Now’s your chance to sign up to do something you’ve never done before. Only through experience will you understand another culture and if you plan on studying for at least a year in a foreign country, then it is important to learn the culture of its people. You must keep an open mind. You must also leave prejudices behind, to help you observe the cultural knowledge people are using to organize their behavior. With a positive attitude, pay attention to the worldviews of the new culture and be aware of what is taking place around you.
4. Locate the international student body
One of the tips for surviving in a new country is to locate the international student body. The international student associations/offices are great resources for international students. They can provide perspective for you. They are also available to help you with finding a place to live, opening a bank account, getting your documents, and finding a roommate, for example. You may feel like you are disturbing them. But what do you know? Do not hesitate to use their resources before and after you arrive in the country.
5. Join your cultural community
Due to the varying student population, many schools have student communities much like where students came from. Every international student is urged to join one so they can feel less lonely. Depending on the program you are in, you might also have the chance to connect with your community as part of a project. If you are a Master’s or Ph.D. student, you can find ways to connect your research interests with your community. So, joining your cultural community is one of the tips for surviving in a new country.
Read: 10 Most Affordable Countries To Study Abroad
6. Be friendly
The more alone you feel, the more you’ll realize you need to be yourself. In essence, you don’t have to pretend to belong. That is why being friendly is one of the tips for surviving in a new country for you. But don’t just hide out in your room making small awkward talks with everyone. We are not saying you should start conversing with everyone you meet in the streets. However, be friendly and go out of your way to find people you will get along with.
By studying abroad students can easily make friends at school because there will always be someone who wants to help them get by. Choose the ones with very good intentions towards you. If you do meet people, you could find some pretty cool places away from the largest tourist traps. You could as well be able to get some things at a discount thereby saving you more cash.
7. Pack for the weather
In most cities, you’re likely to experience variation in the weather, and you may notice this more than usual. This is mainly because it’ll be a little different from what you’re used to. It’s essential to bring clothes that will keep you both warm and dry in winter. Inclusively, add another few layers if you’re planning to study in places like New York City. Again, add light cotton clothes to stop you from getting too warm in the summer. That means you should remove another layer if you’re headed to study in places like Hong Kong. Be sensible. If you spend a lot of time too cold, damp, or heat-exposed, you’re going to end up getting sick. We ask, where is the fun in that? This is why we put this as one of the tips for surviving in a new country.
8. Plan to do things on time
Eventually, you will learn that you need to conserve your resources (money, energy, etc.) Thus, one way to do that is to smartly do things on time. For example, as an international student new to the system, the public transport will not be 100% reliable. Even worse is if you have to use it. You will have to make plans to always leave early for lectures and important meetings. After the first few weeks, your lecturers will probably stop accepting transport issues as a valid excuse for being late to class!
9. Consider getting a job or internship
Money from parents or guardians will never be enough. Eventually, your standard of living will change to adapt to your new surroundings and you may see the need to have a steady flow of income. To keep their heads above water, study-abroad students can seek out internships and jobs that are available for foreign students through their school’s international student center.
Conclusion
Choosing to study abroad can be a great decision. But that could be only if you intentionally make the most of living at the heart of everything. The above tips for surviving in a new country help to ensure that your trip will be an adventure, wherever you’re headed.
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