Making Plans To  Study In Canada,United Kingdom & United States : 9 Things You Need To Be Aware-Of

Do you want to study abroad? 

We want to prepare you properly for the journey you are about to embark on because it is a dream come true,  you will need all this information to guide you from your first flight to starting your educational pursuit.

For anyone traveling overseas for education, you must apply for a passport which is the first thing.

Get a medical certificate from your health provider (a recognized health insurance service provider is needed too).

An affordable plane ticket should be what you want during planning, check websites that offer cheap plane tickets.

When packing, less is more!

Knowing the customs and culture of the country you wish to study abroad in is very important because this would be your new home.

planning to  Study Abroad: 9 important things you should know. 

After choosing what you what and where to study then you apply, the next big thing is getting accepted, if you have been accepted, congratulations you have taken your giant step. a question that comes to your mind should be.

What do I need to bring along?

Should I get travel insurance?

How do I use my money and phone overseas?

Depending on the country you apply from for your passport, usually, it takes 6-12 months to make sure you begin the processing early.

1. you need a passport 

Without a passport entry into other countries would be impossible so you should get a passport if you are getting it for the first time, during the application process you are advised to come with a birth certificate. And if you have a passport before make sure it won’t expire in the next 6 months. 

In us for instance it takes 6-12 months to process a passport, getting within a short period attracts more money than you are advised to get in  time, they can be gotten from the selected post office or state department passport agency  and state or federal court 

You will be coming with a recent passport

Valid means of identification (national identity or drivers lenience)

Written application 

Means of payment (payment )

Renewing a passport would entail you keeping your birth certificate in exchange for the new passport.

Adding to that you would need to have a visa added to your passport  to enable you to travel overseas for studies every country with its visa requirements  so  you will need to know what is required from the country’s embassy or consulate for information and it usually takes some time for processing, hurry and apply to avoid been delayed  

You should know the type of visa you are applying for if your studies won’t extend 3 months you are likely to with a tourist visa because most countries will allow you to stay on that visa for 90 days Also read, Cost Effective Way For Studying In Other Countries (Abroad)

2. check your medical consultant 

Make an appointment with your doctor to ensure you are in good physical condition before you leave to ensure you are in good health. Bring along a copy of your medical records in case of an emergency and you should also store them in your google drive, or email we all know health issues are unpredictable.

An appointment with your medical doctor is very important before your departure to check your physical wellbeing, and prepare a medical record showing your health status in case of emergency and should be brought along 

In addition to that, you should ensure you have been immunized according to the health regulations of the country to be visited you should get more information on what type of immunization will be needed from the country’s diseases and control department to get fully immunized before leaving your own country 

The amount for tickets can have a big difference depending on when you are traveling and where you are making purchases for tickets.

Also, if you are a student with a critical medical condition that requires prescription drugs you may want to carry enough with you that will last and be enough during your entire stay abroad (if feasible ). Prescription drugs must be carried in correctly labeled containers to prevent being mistaken for illegal drugs. It’s also wise to bring a  note signed or a prescription from your doctor.

In case you are on a specific medication, it is advised you come along with it, these should be done in the right way, furthermore prescribed drugs should be well labeled in a good package and a doctor’s note or prescriptions should be added to avoid any form of misunderstanding for illegal drugs.

3. getting travel insurance

It’s of the essence to have a dependable accident and health insurance policy while you are studying overseas, as well as scope for emergency evacuation and repatriation (but let’s hope and believe it never comes to that!).

Having a reliable health and accident insurance policy is very good and important during your stay overseas 

There are things health insurance doesn’t cover that your travel insurance will  cover  for instance 

Stolen personal belongings

Lost luggage

Coverage if your flight is delayed/canceled

When unforeseen situations like natural disasters and emergencies lead to evacuation 

 You can get travel insurance through providers like WorldNomads

4. Buy a Plane Ticket

Getting a cheap ticket is not as easy as it used to be, ticket fares vary very much as mentioned earlier it depends on when and where you are traveling to and where you are buying the tickets to, Skyscanner, can help you search for cheap tickets.

Sometimes getting a cheap ticket can start from being under the age of 26, and student travel agents can help you secure one example of such agents is student universe the help you get a discount for their ticket. 

Additionally, before buying a ticket make sure you know how flexible those airlines are and how flight dates are changed because you don’t want to be compiled to buying a new ticket in case you add more time on your stay overseas, most airlines will allow you to change for $100.

We advise you to go earlier than the start date of your program to enable you to prepare and adjust to the environment, sometimes early arrival can bring immigration issues. 

5.   investigate Your Destination’s  culture, people, and Local Customs,

Explore the environment you intend to study in, getting familiar with the place will give an added advantage during your stay in the host country knowing about the government culture and way of life of the host country will help you richly 

Get in touch with people who have been there, discuss their experience and watch movies from that country (it will help you avoid those foreigners with trouble)

Speaking some lines of the languages of host countries would go a long way to helping you stay comfortable on arrival.

6. Money

There is some tread  to take into consideration in finances before heading off:

Open an account online.

If you do not have an online account you should try opening one because it is the simplest way to manage cash while you study overseas most travelers use their debit/ATM  card to get money in local currency. 

Inform your bank about your traveling to enable you to use your card overseas. 

Letting the bank know of your studies abroad will give the knowledge about the card usage outside its sores so it does not look like fraudulent activities are carried out on the card 

Hold some money extra 

When you arrive for the first few  days getting cash would be extra work so we advise you to hold at least $100-200 of the local currency, getting it from the airport is advised as ATM points are available there, banks, and ATM points would be available at the host country 

7. Refresh Your Language Skills

Knowing the language of the country you intend to study could help you on arrival, getting apps that translate the indigenous language is good, and enrolling in programs that teach the host language and asking fluent speakers to teach you. you should consider downloading this Duolingo

8. Start Packing!

Make sure you don’t pack too much or heavy luggage as it would attract extra costs at the airport, check the airline’s luggage cost to know more about the cost of extra luggage. 

One checked bag.

a backpack (as your carry-on.)

a personal item, e.g. purse.

Seriously carrying two bags can make your trip stressful complete usually you are advised to carry a bag that won’t weigh more than  46kg, it should carry enough to last you 2 months to 2 years, 

Some other useful packing tips include:

Bring along some portable toiletries to last you 1-2 weeks on arrival before you purchase new ones.

Carry 3-4 pairs of shoes if it is necessary.

Don’t forget to carry adapters for your electronic devices.

 leave your nice stuff at home as to getting new once,  because of voltage difference in Europe it will get burnt.

pick something that will keep memories of home along, as it will help you from being homesick.

for those who wear glasses, you are advised to carry a least a pair or more when traveling.

make enquires from your program source, as to know what you will be packing when traveling .stuff you would want to bring are available abroad .try to know the weather of the country you are traveling to so you would know if bring tick jackets /coat as winter can be tough in some countries.

Come along with pictures and some food recipes and other things that would keep you from becoming homesick. 

Carrying some jotters and a writing pad to put down the experience of your study country won’t be a bad idea and bring some gift items so you can share with new friends and family and try to make new friends too.

9. communication gadget 

How you keep in touch back home is important as your friends and family would want to know about your new environment. : With a laptop or phone.

Getting a new sim card in the study country can be helpful and cheap as bringing your sim from home can be expensive, you can get a sim as you arrive at the airport and is pay-as-you-go plan can be activated its good you will have a local number and that can help to make new friends easy!

Leaving loved ones can be a hard moment as you don’t know what you are going to meet, preparing for the unexpected should be on your mind too.

For those who are using the most recent phone from 2005, unlocking these phones for international use would be necessary, you can do that by calling the cell phone manufacturer to unlock the phone.

Texting is usually on the high side cost can be much, so using skype and WhatsApp may be a brilliant choice try and make sure your loved ones once back at home are already on your list before leaving.

Mental preparation

Leaving loved ones can be a hard moment as you don’t know what you are going to meet, preparing for the unexpected should be on your mind too.

You would meet people with diverse personalities and concepts .wiliness to learn would be good quality and don’t be judgmental. In these diversities, you would add value to your own culture 

People you meet when you leave your country would want to know about your country’s policy and other things .make sure you are well informed about your country’s current affairs and foreign policies. Giving your family and friends adequate knowledge of where you are going will be necessary. Making and having a strong background would help you cope in a strange land far from home.

Though you can never expect to be fully prepared, we are sure you have the basic knowledge that would help you kick start! Recommend How To Find The Right Student Accommodation For You