Needless to say, study abroad preparation is far more complex than we think. It’s not like you make a plan to pursue higher education overseas, board a flight and start the journey. This path comes with a lot of prerequisites, processes, scrutiny of endless documents and more. The hard truth is that your study abroad plans may still end up facing rejection despite all the hard work and running around.
That’s exactly why this blog demands your undivided attention. In this blog, we will break down the complexities, requirements and the study abroad mistakes to avoid. From the study abroad funds requirement to choosing the best-suited country for your career goals, we will discuss everything elaborately.
Subsequently, you can strengthen your study abroad preparation, make the right decisions and get the success you want! So, let us get started without further ado! To begin with, let me first list out the common study abroad mistakes that students make.
Common Study Abroad Mistakes & How To Avoid Them
1. Not starting on time
The commonest of all common study abroad mistakes is to not start early. There are various stages involved in making a study abroad plan. From determining the right course to apply for and deciding the country to visa applications and finding accommodation, there’s so much to do.
Each of the numerous steps will take its own share of turnaround time. Hence, you need to plan strategically and start early. For instance, if you want to pursue your bachelor’s overseas, you should start planning this journey from grade 11th itself. Similarly, if you’re a bachelor’s student wanting to pursue a master’s abroad, you should start in your penultimate year.
Starting early gives you the privilege of time to explore enough, make informed decisions and do things strategically. On the contrary, starting late leads to panic and hurried choices that may not be the best calls to make.
2. Not understanding the fund requirements
Each country has its own share of fund requirements and the manner in which they define proof of funds as acceptable or not. In a lot of cases, students or parents do not understand the exact details of funding requirements and make an incomplete application. You must know that not meeting the funding requirements will surely lead to a visa refusal.
Hence, understanding the prerequisites for funds for the country you wish to apply to is a vital part of your study abroad preparation. You need to understand the fund requirements for UK student visa and the fund requirements for Canadian student visa may be completely different. You need to make sure that you are following the specifications laid down by the country of your interest to the best.
3. Providing incomplete information or documents
The university and visa application processes literally offer no room for error. One wrong detail or one missing document will make rejection inevitable. Having said that, applying without cross-checking the details or providing incomplete documents is a costly mistake to make.
Please ensure that you read through the application prerequisites to understand the requirements. Thereafter, make sure you are supplementing your application with proper and genuine documents. Go through the document checklist for studying abroad time and again to match the documents carefully.
4. Choosing the wrong course or university
Are you choosing a course that is actually relevant to your profile and offers bright career prospects? Gone are the days when you could choose any course to study in Canada to eventually get a post-study work permit and PR. Similar is the case with any other country, for that matter.
In concurrent times, immigration norms are becoming stricter while PR and job prospects are shrinking. Having said that, you need to be absolutely sure about the relevance of the course you plan to take. Do not make the mistake of choosing the wrong course or the wrong university, as the regret will be a little too massive to make peace with.
You certainly do not want to put millions of Rupees into a course or a university that will offer nothing literally in terms of ROI. Choose a course that is in demand, in line with your profile and will not die out in the next 20 to 25 years at least. This is where career counselling becomes important in terms of leading you to the right choice of course.
Similarly, there’s no point putting your money into a substandard university or college. Aim to study at one of the top-ranked universities in the world for their academic excellence, conducive environment and career support.
5. Not seeking professional expertise
Now you know how complicated various aspects of your study abroad application are. The margin for error is negligible; there are technical details to be taken into account and a refusal can hurt your plans forever. Do you still think it’s not necessary to seek professional help?
A lot of students or parents ignore the need for professional help or do not choose a credible expert. Eventually, they get the application wrong or miss out on key documents, only to face a refusal. I say this loud and clear: do not make this mistake! There is a reason why the professional experts are called ‘professionals,’ and you must know that.
Expert counsellors know the intricate details of country-specific prerequisites and follow changes in norms closely. They are directly in touch with universities and authorities and hence, know exactly what goes into an application. They know the study abroad requirements the best and you should leave that to them!
Now, you have a far better idea of the study abroad mistakes to avoid and how to avoid them effectively. In the subsequent section, I will tell you how you can streamline your study abroad preparation to achieve the desired results.
Preparing for Your Study Abroad Dreams
1. Seek Professional Career Counseling
The first step is to find your best fit! The best fit in the context of your study abroad journey means choosing the best-suited course, the best-suited university and the best-suited country. To be able to choose the right course that is aligned with your interests, abilities and aptitude, you must seek professional career counseling.
Career counselling will not only help you realize your strengths but also give the right direction by highlighting key career trends and shedding light on unconventional careers.
2. Do Extensive Self-Research
How far can you go to succeed in your study abroad dream? The most essential part of your study abroad preparation is self-research. Even before you seek professional expertise, you should do your share of rigorous research.
Your research should span across career trends, future employability predictions, immigration norms, courses, scholarships and universities. For instance, let’s say you are planning to study in Australia to build a career in computer science. Now, you should have a clear understanding of which universities in Australia are ranked the best for computer science.
Self-research empowers you in the sense that it helps you compare options and frame the right doubts to clarify via professional help. What doubts will you ask the experts if you don’t know anything at all? In fact, not knowing anything at all makes you vulnerable to manipulation, doesn’t it?
You have the power of the internet with you! You just need to put in the passion for your dream in the research you do.
3. Do a SWOT Analysis of Countries
It’s always a good idea to have options when it comes to choosing a study abroad destination. Some of the top study abroad destinations include the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, Singapore and New Zealand.
One thing that you can do to streamline your study abroad preparation is to do a SWOT Analysis of each country you have shortlisted. SWOT Analysis stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Having said that, you should compare countries based on the current geopolitical situation, employability trends, economic progress, diversity in student population and other factors.
This will bring you to a really good position to make a well-informed decision. Knowing about economic trends, geopolitical stability and current job trends allows you to choose a country that will work the best for you.
4. Seek Professional Help for Visa Applications
As mentioned above, the visa application process is quite complicated, with a long document checklist for studying abroad. Besides, meeting the appropriate study abroad fund requirements specific to each country is one of the most critical steps.
Therefore, to make sure nothing goes wrong and nothing comes in the way of your visa approval, seek credible professional help. Don’t just invest your faith in any consultant but put your money in proven experts.
5. Attend Credible Overseas Education Fairs
Attending credible and highly reputed Overseas Education Fairs can be a great way to start gathering effective information for your study abroad preparation. This is where you can interact with top universities and get first-hand information on programs, scholarships, processes and requirements.
You should certainly attend 1-2 such fairs hosted by credible organizations. What can be a better way to learn about overseas education than asking universities and college representatives directly?
So, that’s all about what I wanted you to know through this blog. Now, you have a great idea of the study abroad mistakes to avoid, things to be considerate of, strategies for study abroad preparation and how to get each step right. Speaking of professional help, you can always reach out to our experts who are available round the clock. All the best!
We’ve empowered you with the right knowledge; now it is for you to act on it in a timely manner and make your study abroad dreams come true!
