Studying abroad can be expensive, irrespective of the reasons. However the variety of benefits and perks that come along with it are numerous. If you ever thought of studying abroad and you are about having a change of mind or plans then this article is for you. If you have never thought of studying abroad before, then these benefits will help trigger that thought for you. And lastly, if you already have dreams of studying and have started making plans towards it already, then these are more reasons and benefits why you should work towards those plans as soon as possible.
The 42 benefits of studying abroad are as follow below;
- It makes Education Adventurous. The conventional education in Nigeria can be boring. Same styles of teaching since primary school. Getting a UK scholarship or Canadian scholarship will launch you into a new realm of things where they have state-of-the art technologies in doing things.
- You will learn to think more critical due to the new exposure. You will think more in-depth and speak more sense, as usually our thoughts and statements are simply a function of our exposures.
- Studying outside your country will give you the opportunity to learn about the art, culture and history of other nations – specifically the one you are studying in and those close to it.
- Unlike in Nigeria or most third world nations, developed countries where you will likely study in have lots of experiences it brings due to their various platforms. Singing classes, dancing crew, instrument band and etc. If any of these has been a constant heart desire of yours, then studying abroad make bring all of those.
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- Luck might find you and you might become a bosom friend with a local who, might offer lots of help – accommodation problems, academic problems, money problems and etc.
- Most young people have a top list of what they want to accomplish. Some have top 30 things they want to do before 30 and lots more. Studying abroad might just be the highway to accomplishing a significant aspects of the list. You can cross off one-third of your “30 things before 30” list.
- You can blow the mind of your crushes, friends and family members with new things you learnt over the years studying abroad.
- You can get a job as a local tour guide for tourists who are visiting the city from your home country with the knowledge of the city and your language skills too over the years. This can become a source of money.
- Through your exposure in different terrains, you can make the world to become a better place. Sometimes, we just need different exposure to different locations to see things from a more global perspective. Then and only then perhaps we can change the world.
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- Studying abroad brings about a new beginning. If you are one who have lost a loved one or had a terrible heartbreak and is looking to start afresh, this can be a major benefit that you can get from studying abroad.
- Opportunity to extend your CV and let it reflect global standard. That little exposure from a global educational institute can go a long way in being that very lift you have always wanted. Your CV become catchy in the eyes of recruiters.
- It can be a source of inspiration. Seeing things from different perspectives is a major paradigm shift that a man can ever get. And due to this multiple scenarios in your mind, coming up with solutions to problem and having inspiration for various artistic works becomes seamless.
- Your professional and academic prospects will keep on being on the rise. The soundness of research carried out in top business schools in the world cannot be compared to that of third world nations. The medical researches and even technical researches alike. All of these experiences tend to increase your prospects in the future.
- It might just be that opportunity you have always needed to practice independence from family and self-reliance. Not until we leave our comfort zones, we usually do not bring out that lying potential.
- You will get good exercise and flexible environment. For instance, you can bicycle around town to keep healthy, look like a local, and fit more into your day. Things like these are usually not conventional in Nigeria.
- You soon will become acting like a local, which is a major benefit. Other tourists will start to ask you for directions, thinking you are a local. And these might just be the leap you need for your permanent residence permit in that city.
- It’s an opportunity for you to now get out of your comfort zone. Back home, you shop at the same supermarket, fill your basket with the same stuff every visit, see the same people and do the same things.
- It gives you opportunity to volunteer either in your local community or further afield to meet new people, practice your language skills and benefit society. These can later be added to your resume which can now show as the experiences you got in a foreign country.
- When you finally get back home, your friends and family will see you watching foreign language films without subtitles or reading foreign books. Just imagine that! It would be really cool.
- It gives you the opportunity to find English-speaking opportunities such as recording voiceovers, writing for the local English papers or invigilating English exams to get more some extra cash and added experiences.
- A major benefit is that you can get your family and friends to come visit or even get permanent residency depending on the country. You are the gateway to a new culture and can play your part in reducing the number of ‘English abroad’ stereotypes getting through customs by teaching them some useful vocab and reminding them that since you now live on a cobbled hill, stilettos might not be the best idea.
- It will broaden your horizons. You will understand why a white man thinks the way he does, why the Hispanic lady talks as she does and why the Chinese kid is very creative as he is.
- You can expand your network of connections which will become very essential both in the nearest future and in the long run. You can make future business partners from this, work colleagues and even future spouses.
- You can now develop your self-esteem if you usually feel less when you are with citizens of other countries. The more you associate with them, the more you understand them and realize how equal everyone is in the world.
- You can now enhance your writing, reading and speaking skills in foreign languages. This is usually an added advantage for someone who wants to work in international relations field or as a foreign consultant of any kind.
- You can now think global but however, modify your thoughts to fit your local environment if you come back to start a business in your home country. You now have a global perspective to things and stop thinking small.
- You become less materialistic. Surviving on an airline luggage allowance (15kg) of stuff helps you realize what’s important to you, and having a relatively small number of belongings means it's easier to pack everything up and go travelling.
- It will give you that platform and opportunity you need to discover, explore and control your spontaneous and impulsive sides. Other countries are often just a quick train ride away, and you have a lot of spare time.
- Your standard of living will change. You might discover a lower cost of living for a higher quality of life. Not all the time that value is a function of cost.
- You will discover the brands you are loyal to or if you even have brand loyalty at all. Some certain products you used in your home country might still remain what you will keep using there.
- It will help you break away from addictions. Usually, what you are addicted to in your home country might have been due to some form of routines. The moment you go abroad to study, those routines break and to a very large extent you might have just broken that addiction.
- You will get the opportunity to go on adventurous journey, Skiing, skydiving, mountain climbing and etc. Especially if the city you go to have lots of adventurous spots and your home country lacks them.
- You can now pick up new challenges, completely different from your routine back home. This will help break boredom and enhance your creativity.
- It will make you look great in an interview. The perspective of recruiters to international students are different from local ones. Their expectations are different and they tend to already even have a form of bias for these students as they assume they are usually better.
- You can now discover and explore new areas, completely different from your usual in the home country.
- It will help you build your interpersonal and relationship skills. The more people from different background and culture you meet, the more you will keep adjusting your mode of relation with people so as not to be perceived as insensitive or one whose conversation or actions are inappropriate.
- Depending on the period, you can take advantage of the current exchange rates to make some extra cash.
- You will have access to new resources such as libraries and cultural centers, for fresh and inspiring information, which is completely different from your home country.
- You can now explore different religions if you have become bored with those in your home country as the western nations usually have a high number of them.
- It’s an opportunity to fall in love again, if you have been heartbroken several times by individuals of your home town.
- You can start a family there and leave back the old ways of your home country if you have been traumatized by some incidences of the past.
- You now know the world from different perspectives. Not restricted to the views of your home societies alone. You can now think globally.