Study abroad

Recent research by Cturtle, an employment network for international graduates and alumni who have studied in the UK, Australia, USA, Canada and New Zealand, has explored what international students deem the most important factors when choosing a university.

When considering prospective universities, testimonials from fellow students can bear a significant weight on your final decision. After all, who better to evaluate an institution’s teaching, social life and amenities than the students who are experiencing it first hand?

This is for all of those students who are deciding and preparing to go on a year abroad. 

It’s the kind of gap year in your degree that isn’t really a gap year. Universities will handle study abroad in different ways, but my university (University of Leeds) offers you three options: find an internship of your own choice, find a university and study, or work in a German school as a foreign language assistant in English. I chose the last one. 

Studying abroad is one of the biggest things you can do as a student. But even though it can be a hugely positive experience, surviving your first year abroad isn’t the easiest thing to do. There may be language barriers, money issues, and differences in teaching styles that might make it harder to settle in. To help you through this difficult period, I have prepared a list of nine tips for surviving your year abroad.

1. Don’t miss a chance to make new friends

You could be mistaken for thinking that moving to Berlin would not be a radically new cultural experience from the UK. Like any other large, Western capital city, the English language is frustratingly prominent. And there is still an abundance of hipster-run coffee shops furnished with the same mismatched furniture. It’s basically the same place as the UK, just without those wholly unnecessary pleasantries we English preside over.

Times Higher Education has produced a student-focused ranking to determine the best universities for teaching across Europe. 

Instead of placing a focus on research output and quality, as many international university rankings do, the 2019 Europe Teaching Rankings determines the best universities for teaching quality and learning opportunities for students. 

From attempting to pack everything that you could possibly need for a year, to filling out the correct forms, to choosing classes, there are a number of things you need to remember to do before heading off on your year abroad.

Doing a study abroad stint is exciting, the opportunities and the skills that you can learn are endless. And now the options for where you can go are endless too. 

However, there are so many things to remember that it can be overwhelming to know where to start. 

Taking your degree overseas will open you up to a whole new range of experiences, allowing you to see the world while furthering your studies and career prospects. Many students find studying abroad appealing; it enhances employability, develops language skills and offers the chance to travel.

There are lots of aspects of international travel, residency, and tuition to take into account before settling on a location. Here are eight things to keep in mind when deciding where to study abroad. 

Times Higher Education has once again released the Asia-Pacific University Ranking to reflect the region’s growing strength in the higher education sector.

THE’s Asia-Pacific University Ranking 2019 analysed universities across East Asia, South-east Asia and Oceania. The overall ranking features more than 300 universities from 13 different nations.

When it comes to studying abroad, the world is truly your oyster. With international travel getting easier and universities developing exchange programmes all over the globe, you will be spoilt for choice when deciding where to study abroad.