Blogs

Sponsored content: created in partnership with the Toronto School of Management.

Studying abroad can be an experience that is rich in opportunities for gaining new skills. But it also comes with plenty of unknowns, from navigating visa requirements to finding accommodation in an unfamiliar city.

The idea of studying abroad started early for me. When I was a child, my parents would take me to France in the summer and it became my second home. When I started studying French and Italian literature at LMU Munich I knew that if I got the opportunity I wanted to spend a term in France. 

I come from a small village in Uttar Pradesh surrounded by lush green crops and mango orchards.

My father works as a farmer and my mother is a homemaker. Like my family, the major occupation of people in my village is farming, and had VidyaGyan School not selected me in 2012, I would not be sharing my study-abroad experience here.

I grew up wanting to explore the world. I knew that if I travelled, I would meet people with different cultures and languages. I would see what connects us all as human beings. 

As an anthropology student, I believe our values and beliefs are best developed by seeing the world and experiencing new things. This attitude led me to travel out of China and into Europe.

International education focuses on the application and practice of knowledge, the development of critical thinking and the enhancement of soft skills, which is what I wanted. 

Why Europe? Why the University of Amsterdam? 

I always knew I wanted to live abroad. During my junior year, I studied in Sydney, Australia and completely fell in love with it. My time studying abroad had such a significant impact on my love for travelling and learning about other cultures that I knew I wanted to experience that again. As I approached the end of my senior year of college (fourth year), I started researching how I could find my way back overseas. 

I first thought about studying abroad during the second year of my bachelor’s degree.

I was studying international relations and modern languages, specialising in Spanish and Chinese. Since my Spanish was getting pretty good and I wanted to pursue my studies at the postgraduate level, I started researching for master’s degrees in political science or international relations that would take me to Spain or Mexico.

Studying abroad is a rewarding experience for multiple reasons ranging from intercultural experiences to developing self-reliance.

However, sometimes language barriers may create hurdles for students that could prevent them from exploring their full potential. Getting acquainted with a new language, and sometimes culture, can be stressful and daunting.

Sponsored content: created in partnership with the University of Sydney.

Universities across the world have their own exam traditions and superstitions that come with the promise of exam success. 

Whether you believe them or not, it's interesting to see what kind of traditions have been passed down across generations of students on university campuses. 

However, it's important to note that you won't ace your exams simply by following these superstitions - nothing can replace hard work, preparation and a few good study sessions. 

Sponsored content: created in partnership with the Università della Svizzera italiana.

As communities transition out of the restrictions introduced in response to Covid-19, universities are once again able to celebrate their multiculturalism with face-to-face learning. This return is particularly celebrated by the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), one of the most international institutions in Europe.