1. Change your life for the better

Gain new perspectives

Living abroad is an incredible life experience. You would be hard pressed to find anybody who ever regretted having made such a decision. Certainly, it won’t all be easy, and you can expect to experience culture shock and homesickness initially. Being aware that this is a natural phenomenon helps you to overcome it and progress to the fun, life-changing aspects! Living and studying overseas will enable you to gain new perspectives and broaden your horizons. In the process, you will learn about yourself and your own culture.

2. It’s never been easier to travel

Free from constraints & commitments

The easiest time to live abroad is undoubtedly as a student. Many schools and universities actively help to facilitate the recruitment process for international students and funding is often available, making your dream more affordable and realistic than you might have imagined. It is also easier to take the plunge while you are younger, more mobile and free of other constraints and commitments. Some decisions and choices you make in your life have a disproportionately important impact on the rest of your life. Studying abroad could well be one of the best decisions you ever make.

3. Experience new cultures firsthand

Live like a local

Traveling is not the same as living abroad. Live like a local in a foreign country. Satisfy your curiosity and inquisitive nature in an unforgettable, life-changing experience. Savor the flavors, sights, smells, and sounds of a new country. Taste new foods and enjoy new experiences. In the process, you will gain an international perspective and develop a global mindset. Given how global and interconnected our modern lives and economies are, this is an invaluable asset for the rest of your life.

4. Develop foreign language skills

It could be a necessity for your studies

One of the best ways to really immerse yourself in a foreign culture and to understand the people is to learn the language. If you want to study in an English-speaking country like Australia, the United States or the United Kingdom, this will be a necessity to follow your studies, but even in a country where English is not the first language, you will undoubtedly find yourself improving your English as it is adopted as a lingua franca amongst you, your foreign friends and fellow students. In a foreign setting, you will be forced to use your foreign language skills. Before you know it you will get comfortable and be speaking like a native!

5. Boost your career prospects

Qualifications from leading universities

Your international experience can give your résumé a real boost. Qualifications from leading global universities are looked upon favorably by employers and can help to differentiate your curriculum vitae (CV), enabling you to compete more effectively in the global marketplace or back home. Business is increasingly global and employees who are able to work comfortably and effectively in an international and dynamic setting are in high demand, also because employers know that you are likely to be more adaptable and flexible, having encountered and overcome some challenges during your living overseas experience.

6. Support your further study goals

Studying abroad gives you an edge

Acquire a valued degree from a respected and recognized global university and experience a different education system firsthand. If you want to pursue further postgraduate studies, such as a master’s degree, your studying abroad experience will give you an edge in the application process, impressing graduate schools. For instance, some leading business schools expect this for applicants for well-regarded Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs, again because they recognize the demand from employers for globally oriented and adaptable employees.

7. Make new friends for life

Bond quickly & gain a family abroad

When studying abroad you will meet a diverse range of people, some of whom will become your friends for life. Being thrown together in a foreign setting where you are out of your comfort zone, you bond quickly, making new lifelong friends. In fact, your new friends and fellow students will become like your family abroad. You will find you have a lot in common with other foreign students, and not only those from your home country but the best thing is also making friends with the locals and integrating into your new host country. Thanks to digital advances and social media, it has never been easier to stay in touch, even when your study experience draws to a close.

8. Have fun!

Opportunities to embrace culture or leisure

Speaking of your newfound friends, one of the best things about living overseas is all the new experiences you will have. You will be an explorer in your day-to-day student life abroad and living in a foreign country also provides a great springboard for exploring your new host country or nearby destinations in your spare time. Learn about and play the sports loved by your host country. For example, did you know that Australia has even developed its own code of football called AFL (fondly known as Aussie Rules)? That’s right, they play four codes of football Down Under. Your studying abroad experience affords you plenty of opportunities to embrace new cultural or leisure pursuits, so dive in and have fun!

9. Develop your interpersonal skills

Enhance your soft skills

Being “the other” in a foreign country will help you to appreciate your own culture better and to recognize and understand differences, even in countries which appear superficially to have a lot in common with your country of origin. You will enhance your communication skills and your powers of observation. You will learn to appreciate other perspectives and become more empathetic and allocentric. Your studying abroad experience will require you to take plenty of initiative and you will learn tons of practical life skills like budgeting, time management and organizational skills. It’s also worth noting that employers find these skills pretty handy and desirable!

10. Learn about yourself

Personal growth & development

Finally, without a doubt, the best thing about your studying abroad experience is that you will learn so much about yourself and become more self-aware. Get out of your comfort zone and push yourself into your stretch zone. Before you know it, that stretch zone will become your new expanded comfort zone. Your living abroad experience will support your personal growth and development. You will challenge yourself and build your maturity, independence, resilience, and self-confidence. What have you got to lose? Go on and get started now!