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5 Common Study Abroad Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

Studying abroad is a dream many students want to pursue keenly in contemporary times. Needless to say, the decision to study abroad can be a make or break decision for anyone’s career. Moreover, the exorbitant cost of overseas education leaves very little margin for error.
Yet, students end up making some huge blunders in their study abroad decisons only to regret later. In this blog, I am going to underline the common mistakes that students or parents make while planning overseas education
The whole purpose of this blog is to help parents and students realize their mistakes and refrain from making them. So, let’s get started with discussing these mistakes one by one.

Study Abroad Mistakes You Must Refrain From

Not Thinking Through the Choice of Course
I can say this from my experience, that for a large number of students, course isn’t the priority. They are rather more considerate of the location, and availability of peers or just fascinated by the idea of moving abroad.

Eventually, students will end up choosing a program that will leave them with little to no employment prospects. Neither would they develop the in-demand job skills in a randomly picked course nor would they find a job thereafter.

Further, choosing the right course may also be an outcome of trusting random advice. So what happens is, despite investing all that money, the student ends up without a reliable career. Imagine spending INR 30 lakh to INR 40 lakh on overseas education besides the living expenses and still not finding a promising job! 

Hence, I would rather recommend that parents and students think through their choice of courses. While choosing a course, you need to be sure of its relevance, demand, career prospects, industrial exposure and other determinants. The more thoughtful the choice of course, the more promising the employment prospects will be. 

The best possible way to avoid it is to do enough research or seek professional advice. There is nothing like expert advice when the stakes and costs are too high.

Can’t decide which course is best suited for your career aspirations? Speak to our expert counselors now! 

Not Understanding Profile Requirements

Another common error that Indian students and parents make is not understanding profile requirements well. In India, the education system is very grade centric and admissions are largely subject to entrance tests or high cut-offs.
However, Indian parents and students must understand that this is not how it works for most universities abroad. Universities abroad especially the premium ones look at the student’s overall profile while making admission decisions.
Now the question is, what does it mean to have an impressive profile that can attract the attention of premium universities? So, here is a reality check for you. Yes, most premium universities would want a student to have 80 percent and above at high school.
However, having high grades might still not help with top ranked universities in Canada, the UK, and so on. Admission officers will also see how much has the child engaged in extracurricular activities, volunteering, passion projects and so on.
In India, the parameters of student success are very different and revolve around examinations. There is little to no emphasis on what the student has done beyond academics.
On the contrary, top universities in the US, Canada et cetera will see how well rounded a student is. They will assess if the student has followed a passion keenly, has leadership aptitude and has bright skills. They also want to see if the student represents any social cause and is committed to making a positive difference.
In fact, the benefits of having an impressive and versatile student profile go far beyond admissions. Did you know that students with impressive profiles also stand a chance to bag handsome study abroad scholarships?
Most premium universities have profile-based scholarships for students with extraordinary profiles. These scholarships can be as high as USD 100,000! So, the fact of the matter is that every extracurricular engagement, every volunteering experience and every achievement counts.
If a student is planning to make it a premium global university, they should lay equal emphasis on profile building in addition to academic excellence. Don’t make that typical mistake of seeing extracurricular engagements as redundant!

Trusting Rumors & Myths

We live in the age of information where every kind of information is at our fingertips within seconds. However, this extravagant access to information also makes us highly vulnerable to misinformation.
In contemporary times, most countries are revising their student visa and immigration norms. Canada is one very relevant example in this context. The Canadian government has made a flurry of changes in immigration and international student norms of late.
What that has also led to is a chain reaction of rumors and misinformation. For instance, there is a general opinion now that Canada no longer has any opportunities left for international students. Now students and parents feel there is no scope left in Canada as a study abroad destination.
However, that is entirely untrue. Changes in Canadian immigration policies are only meant to screen international students. It is rather good for students who want to go for degree programs with a genuine intent of building a career.
The bottom line is, people are buying rumors and misinformation on overseas education. Moreover, they are committing the mistake of letting that misinformation dictate their study abroad decisions.
Before you act on any information you come across from people or the web, consult the experts. People who are well-connected with global universities and have real expertise in overseas education can tell you the best. Seeking professional advice does no harm! It only gives you credible and trusted information to supplement a worthwhile decision.
Don’t trust anything and everything you hear or read from random sources!

Prioritizing Location Over Opportunities

I have mentioned this above as well but I would like to put it forth as a separate mistake altogether. I see students preferring a certain location because their cousins, friends or relatives reside there. I understand that it’s for the initial comfort and moral support that inspires this consideration.

However, what if that location where your cousin resides has little to no part time jobs left? What if you are very unlikely to find an internship relevant to your course in that city or province? What if there are hardly any job prospects for your field in that location?
So, the goal should always be to choose an institute, city or province that will offer you enough opportunities. You must ensure that your preference of city or provice has enough experiential learning and exposure relevant to your field.
In order to avoid this mistake, you may not even need expert help. This is a work of research you can do on your own. You can read through university websites, and articles or watch videos on YouTube.
Being in an opportunity laden city without a cousin is far better than finding no opportunities while living with them. You would anyway have to challenge your comfort zone and venture out of it. The sooner the better!

Getting the Documentation Wrong

It’s good that some students and parents want to take it upon themselves to facilitate all applications. However, it happens so often that they end up making mistakes in terms of prerequisite documentation.
Parents or students need to realize that the documentation for visa filling can be quite complicated. From proof of funds to income tax returns and academic transcripts, there is a broad spectrum of documentation to submit. It is hard to decipher which documents are needed and how to ensure their authenticity. In fact, a small mistake in terms of documentation or proof can attract a visa refusal.
In the broader sense, lack of documentation or improper documentation can close doors forever. Having said that, documentation is a process parents and students must be very cautious and considerate about.
This is where expert or professional assistance will matter the most. Expert counselors know the intricacies of study abroad documentation in and out. Moreover, they make sure that their information regarding the latest norms is up to date. This expertise is exactly why study abroad consultants or experts exist after all!

So, that’s all about the common study abroad mistakes parents or students are likely to make. I have elaborated extensively on each possible mistake so that you don’t end up committing a similar blunder. When you are investing so much money and putting your career at stake, the decision must be well informed. 

Also Read
7 Ways to Secure a Job After Studying Abroad: 2025 Edition 
International Students: Navigating Cultural Challenges
Picture of Author Bio : Shivam Garg

Author Bio : Shivam Garg

As an entrepreneur working in the domain of education with the vision of empowering young learners to be future leaders, I love to share my insights and views quite passionately through my pieces of content which too are aimed at bringing a positive difference. With 10 plus years of experience entrepreneurship, mentoring and writing, there is a lot I have to share with the youngsters around.

shivam.garg092@gmail.com

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