A STUDENT GUIDE TO STUDY ABROAD powered by Unipupil

INTRODUCTION

WHY STUDY ABROAD CHALLENGES THAT YOU MIGHT FACE

WHY UNIPUPIL

Table of Contents

Introduction 4

Why Study Abroad? 5

10 reasons to study abroad 6

Challenges That You Might Face 11

Where should I go? 12 How do I start? 13 Will it ever get over? 14 How do I find an accommodation? 15

Why UNIPUPIL? 18 Features, Advantages, Benefits served by Unipupil for International Students 20

Index

Studying abroad helps broaden your horizons on educational aspects as well as other things like social needs and interpersonal development. Studying abroad not only benefits you in educational terms, but also helps in adapting and experiencing new cultures, broadening job opportunities, and in developing the ability to speak another language—but most importantly, it gives you a lifetime of experience that you will never forget.

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Gain a new outlook on life: Studying abroad can help you understand the views and experiences of people the world over and will help you develop and improve your own ability to learn and grow from experience. Not to mention the wonderful opportunities that international creates!

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colours. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”

-Terry Pratchett

Introduction

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Why Study Abroad?

10 Reasons to Study Abroad 1.EXPERIENCING NEW CULTURE

Studying in a new and different environment is the best way to learn about culture and cultural exchange! These lessons will temper how you adapt and react to various new and challenging situations in life, future studies, business dealings, and social situations. With this experience, it helps you value and respect other cultures and get the most out of time spent traveling. It is also highly recommended (and fun) to familiarise yourself with local formalities that are the norms in your selected country. 2.MAKING NEW CONNECTIONS

Foreign travel and study is one of the quickest ways to create business contacts and make lifelong friends. By meeting people from diverse backgrounds, it can improve your people skills and generate a better understanding of how different people conduct themselves around the world. You can meet people that have been in your situation before and can offer you advice and guidance.

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ABILITY TO LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE

In learning a new language, a student can become more diverse socially and on the job front. This gives students more opportunities to explore and understand more about their chosen countries, and possibly even their field of study! It makes it easier to communicate with locals by not only reducing the language barrier, but also by demonstrating a sincere effort to fit in and respect the existing cultures. Not to mention all the jobs seeking multilingual applicants!

3. CREATES JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Studying abroad not only looks great on your CV but it gives you the absolute best opportunity to work in the country you studied in. By incorporating the connections you made and studying in the native language, you can work in that country as easy as working in your home country.

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OPPORTUNITY TO VIEW THE WORLD DIFFERENTLY

By mixing with people’s attitudes and views, you tend to become more open minded and well-informed about your previous views on all aspects of life. Studying abroad gives you a cultured and cultivated perspective of the world!

BUILDS PERSONAL GROWTH

When you travel to a different country for the first time, and study in a different educational structure or in a different language, it can seem like a daunting and frightening experience. Stretching out of your comfort zone can build your confidence, improve your risk-handling skills, and overall reduce anxiety in the long run. This can build one's maturity as well as teach you to adapt to the most diversified situations.

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EXPERIENCE NEW EDUCATIONAL METHODS

Every country has different educational methods, both institutional and cultural. By being exposed to these methods, you will learn to conquer problems with a number of new solutions inspired by these different styles of learning. This can be transferred into the working environment easily!

TRAVELING ACROSS THE WORLD

When you meet the university requirements, you can travel to study wherever you want—and possibly multiple different locations! Being in one or more different countries stimulates the mind and decouples you from the stresses of your home country. Continued travel, both to new and familiar locations, will help keep the stress at bay and your productivity high!

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ACQUIRE & DEVELOP SKILLS

While acquiring the new skills inherent to studying in a new country, you can continue to develop your current skills that you bring with you in your mental toolkit. These are not always related to educational and business environments; they can involve social and life skills like cooking, or sports and exercise skills that bring communities together.

UNFORGETTABLE LIFE EXPERIENCE

With all of these points for studying abroad, you can be sure you will gain a lifetime of experience and value. Students who spend the time researching their options typically have no regrets during their study abroad because it literally opened up the world outside their native country So go ahead, and take that big step—we assure you it will be worth every second!

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Challenges That You Might Face

THE STRUGGLE OF THE DESTINATION

One of the first difficulties that you’ll encounter if you decide to study abroad is to choose the destination. It is not always easy to find the city where you’ll spend your year—or longer! You may feel a lot of pressure and be scared of regretting your choice in a city that doesn’t fit with what you expected—so, how can you be sure of your destination? Start by asking yourself a few questions:

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Do you prefer big urban sprawls or small cities? Dynamic or quiet? Then, what are your personal interests? Each city has a very different personality and some of them may be tailored to precisely what you like. Are you interested in art, sports, history, or food? You can also choose a city that is completely different from what you have known up to now. Then, ask yourself if the city fits with your graduate career objective. If you plan to stay after your studies, is the job market growing? What are your social and professional opportunities? Finally, all the cities have a different cost of living. Capitals are often less affordable than other cities of the country.

You have to take all this into account when choosing a city, and should definitely read the feedback from other international students. How much did they like the city? Was it easy to adopt its way of life? You may sometimes have a biased opin- ion against certain—but it is crucial to be as objective as possible during this process. Learn all about the different cities. What are they known for? How is the weather? How do the people live? Where can you travel nearby?

Where should I go?

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CHOOSING THE RIGHT PROGRAM AND INSTITUTION

If you already have a very clear idea of the city you’d like to study in, you may then ask yourself what program and university you should choose. The program choice is very personal, and can be the continuation of your previous studies or a new sector that has always attracted you! You can also choose the program by looking at how the concerned sector will grow in the next number of years and the number of opportunities you’ll expect to get after you graduate.

Many cities have several universities, and each of them may vary in terms of the quality of education, the number of programs offered, the opportunities after- wards, and certainly the fees. You can consult the national ranking of universities and the reviews from former students to get a better idea about how each one ranks according to your values. Each program very often publishes an informative booklet where you can learn in detail the content of the course, opportunities after graduation and reviews of alumni.

How do I star t ?

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THE NEVER-ENDING PROCESS

Many students are discouraged by the long and complex process you have to go through in order to study abroad. Furthermore, it can be even more difficult according to the distance between your native country and the country you’d like to study in. Knowing that, you should start doing research as early as possible. Once you have the destination and the program, check the application deadlines and follow the instructions on the program’s website. The entry requirements may vary depending on each country but usually, you’ll be asked to provide the follow- ing documents:

Paperwork. Will it ever end?

• Evidence of your secondary education completion (certificate and transcripts of your grades) • Evidence of graduation (when you pursued your graduate programs) • A statement of purpose (explaining your motivations and your personal and professional projects) • A resume (your education background, professional experiences if you have any and your personal skills) • References or recommendation (from your former teachers, employers, coworkers or any person that

would be relevant) • For non-native English speakers who want to study in an English country, you’ll be asked for a

proof of English level

For non-EU students, the administration process isn’t finished yet. While EU students can study in another EU country without any difficulty, the non-EU students will have to ask for a student visa. For more information about this step, visit the consulate website.

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HOME AWAY FROM HOME Unfortunately, the "studying” part is not the only difficulty! Finding accommodation is also seen as a very daunting process by many students. We can consider 3 main solutions:

How do I find an accomodation?

1. ON-CAMPUS ACCOMMODATION Most universities offer this service, and at an affordable price. However, student accommodations are often full very quickly. Once you’ve decided upon the city and the program, pick an option as early as possible if you want a chance to get one. You’ll find all the necessary information on the university website.

2. RENT A PRIVATE FLAT This is certainly the most expensive solution—but it is convenient if you wish to be totally independent and to be sure to stay in a quiet place. The prices can vary a lot depending on each city. The main points to look at carefully are the different costs outside of the rent (electricity, water, bins, etc…), the quality of the location, and the nearby commodities (shops and transportation).

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Try typing “[your nationality] in [the city you’re interested in]” or “[the city] accom- modations” in the Facebook search bar. You can also ask around you once you’ve arrived in your new city. This type of housing is very often a great experience for the international students. They have the opportunity to meet new people, often other international students, from all over the world. At the very least, this is usually the most affordable solution of the three discussed here.

3. SHARED ACCOMMODATION This is a very convenient way of housing with many advantages. If you come studying with some of your friends, you can share a flat with them. Otherwise, there are several possibilities to find a place to share. Before coming, you can start searching for accommodations on social media such as Facebook. Many groups have been created by foreign students to help the newcomers.

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BOOK ONLY WHEN YOU LOOK Most of the students prefer to have accommodation before coming, which is understandable. However, in case you decide to wait until your arrival to start looking for accommodation, you can stay in hostels or in homestays for the first few weeks. You’ll be able to visit the accommodation and avoid any unpleasant surprises. Be careful, though, as international students are often seen as easy prey for scam artists and other ne’er-do-wells. These students are new to the area and thus don’t know the practices for housing, transportation, or shopping. Remember to never give money without any guarantee!

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Why Unipupil ?

Unipupil’s main goal is to provide an enjoyable and efficient experience for students in the process of choosing educational opportunities both nationally and globally. Unipupil supplies an online portal for students to help navigate them through the decision-making process by providing them with all information about various educational institutes across the world and relevant to their interests.

By doing this, students can easily compare and contrast institutions and find the one that tailors to their specific needs. After choosing the institution and making the payment, students are then provided with all the important information they need about the college, course outlines and other information to aid them in starting their studies in a different country. Service providers will be advertised within each country so students can easily find the services they require.

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Our Mission

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