Study abroad

My journey to the American University of Sharjah (AUS) was a complicated one. 

During the semester before studying abroad, I took a choir class with a professor who previously taught at AUS and worked with a choir he created in the UAE. I made friends in that exchange, over Skype, who studied at AUS, and who ultimately convinced me to come here.

Coming to the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) in 2012, after graduating from high school in Toronto, Canada, was my first time coming to Europe. I never thought that I would find a place as culturally diverse as Toronto, but I was proven wrong when I came to RCSI.

UK students believe their university experience will lack cultural diversity if the numbers of international students were to decline, research from the National Union of Students has found.

The NUS undertook the survey in December 2016 in response to the announcement of a consultation on the entry requirements for international students at the Conservative Party conference earlier that year.

The aim was to find out how UK students thought their university experience would be affected if there were reduced numbers of international students.  

Six months have gone by and I am still surviving in a foreign country, trying to make family, fellow citizens and my sponsor back at home proud. The idea of studying overseas is extremely appealing to many, and the Netherlands is a student-friendly country with an environment that enables you to adapt quickly and remain on your feet, despite the many challenges you may come across. 

I had the idea to study in Japan during my second year of high school. Having been drawn to Japanese student life through movies and dramas, I especially liked the idea of school festivals and club activities – most Chinese schools don’t have similar events. So after the final examination in the second year of high school, I started to learn Japanese by myself and shared my idea of studying abroad with my parents.

This will probably sound like a cliché, but studying overseas can broaden your mind, your views on the world and make you feel as though you’ve grown as a person. This is especially so if you live in a country like Japan with its unique culture and society. I have experienced many “culture shock” moments, many of which gave me a sense of admiration for Japanese people.

Studying the media today means exploring global issues: the echo chambers of social media in the times of Trump and Brexit need analysis and understanding.

But too often, “global” implies a smooth, even connection of media around the world, like the “global internet”; whereas media are different in different places, affected by particular laws and cultures.

Nowadays, students seem to select their study programme, as well as their university, more carefully than in the past.

Big name universities or programs are certainly more aspired for, hoping that the big name will support shaping a future career.

That trend is still continuing, but surprisingly, a parallel trend has emerged over the last years.

Elise Thrale is a second year French and Italian student at the University of Bristol

I began my degree completely unacquainted with Italian. After arriving late to my first ever seminar, my tutor asked me in Italian what my name was. I just stared at her until she spoke to me again in English. 

When I was 17 and putting together my UCAS application, I only applied to London universities.  I could not be swayed by well-meaning teachers or sensible family members who encouraged me to keep an open mind and explore the whole of the UK. London was the only place I wanted to be a student. A few years on and now London has just been named one of the best cities in the world to be a student, I would say I made the right decision.