Before Applying consider following Question?
Why should I study abroad?
There a variety of reasons why you can and why you
should do so, the most important being;
» Academic
credit
» Language
acquisition
» Practical
experience
» Resume
building
» Experience of
a lifetime
What
is the perfect program for me?
Before you decide to leave it is essential that you
know where your interests lie, don't just follow any
direction. Make a plan pertaining to the
universities you would like to join. Do some
studying, find out if they are offering the programs
you wish to pursue. Choosing your majors and
electives can be a tough job if you don't know what
kind of orientation you have in your career.
The
Internet is a brilliant place to start your search,
when looking for a particular program try and look
for the following components;
» Cost
» Time-length
of program
» University
offering the program
» Location
» Description
of program
Once you know these things you will be able to
decide if the choice you are about to make is in
coordination with your interests and your financial
standing.
What
do I need to do before I leave?
1.
To clear your perspective and to get the best
direction talk to your parents, your schoolteachers
or to a career counselor so you know your proper
direction.
2.
Apply for a passport.
3.
As soon as you receive your passport, make a copy of
the front page that has all your identification
information, and keep it in a separate place from
your passport. If your passport is lost or stolen,
the copy will make it easier to get a new one.
4.
Get a Visa- do some research and find out if your
country of destination requires a visa. If so what
kind of visa will you need? Sixty percent of the
world's countries require visas for any length of
stay. If you travel, you may need visas for other
countries. Apply early for visas. Processing time
varies widely.
5.
Once you have your visa, get all your shots from the
prescribed doctor and your medical checkup done.
6.
Make sure to get student discounts with the help of
your student ID card. Getting an International
calling card is not such a bad idea, keep it for
emergency purposes. Plan your budget; know the
conversion rates. Consider the in-country costs
before you go. You should develop a budget and live
by it. Consider the costs of optional excursions,
gifts, school supplies, internet access, in-country
transportation and general living costs.
7.
Learn about your destination- You're going to
experience culture shock, no matter how cool you
are, regardless of how diverse you are, and with no
regard to your language ability you will have
culture shock. One of the ways to have a better
experience is to have realistic expectations. Read
everything you can about your future home.
8.
Pack Light, make sure to pack your patience and
flexibility along.
Before you
decide to send your child you must have an idea
about the following:
Is
your child ready to make the trip?
» What do you
know about academics on his/her study abroad
program?
» How much do
you / your child know about the host city?
» Where will
your child be living and eating?
» Have you made
appropriate financial arrangements?
You need to:
» Read up as
much as you can find on your host country.
» Talk to
people who have been on the program like students or
professors.
» Talk to the
people in your country who are from the host
country.
The checklist:
» Find out the
correct time of the beginning of the course and see
to it that your child's tickets and visa are ready;
don't leave either of these things till the last
date.
» Book your
child's tickets well in advance and re-check/confirm
them 72 hours before the flight. This is mandatory
procedure with most airlines.
» Make sure
that you know the size and weight limits of the
baggage that is allowed and do not exceed the limit.
Your child may have to carry his/her own luggage
pack sensibly.
» Have a
photocopy of your child's passport and other
important documents.
» Make sure
that you know what is the weather presently in the
country your child is going to and what the general
weather is like and pack clothes according to that.
It will be very expensive for your child to buy
clothes or any other item for a while after he
reaches there. Also find out about the inoculations
he/she needs to take and the time period for them.
See that it's over well before he is due to leave.
If the child is are under certain prescribed drugs
make sure he/she has a permit to carry it with
him/her as both availability and cost may be a
problem abroad.
» Make sure of
his staying arrangements. Especially if he/her is
going to reach on a weekend or late at night, be
sure as to who is picking him/her up and where and
also where he/she is to stay (if a weekend) till
they move into the college campus. Have your
contact's phone number and address and give a copy
to your child also. Let him have a rough idea how to
get to his/her host's place from the airport in case
of an emergency.
» Find out the
popular modes of transportation there, whether there
is a reliable public transport or do he/she needs to
make their own arrangements.
» Also find out
if you he/she to meet the school authorities on
his/her arrival to confirm their admission or can
they wait till school begins?
» Explain the
money exchange rates of the country he/she is going
to and the give them the amount of money they might
need and alternate/safer modes of carrying money
like traveller's cheques. Also find out about
opening an account there and ATM and how money can
be sent from here.
» Try to get
them an international calling card before they
leave, as this will help them to get in touch with
you easily and not waste their money that will be
precious to them in a new country.
» Find out
about the consulate of your country nearest to where
they will be staying and ask them to register
themselves there.
Worldwide
Education Net By CCOL
Worldwide School, Collages, Polytechnics, Universities, Libraries & Ministries of
Education etc.
CCOL Global Nets
