There’s a question that every prospective Indian student asks themselves, or should ask themselves, before even exploring the option of studying overseas – and that question is “why study abroad?”
Even though there are so many great universities and courses in India, and the option to study an overseas course online is easier than ever, students are still interested in studying abroad. In this article, we focus on the obvious question but it’s one that we assume many people who study abroad would have thought about, but in our experience, they often have not and by not fully understanding the reasons and beginning their journey not having done this research, it can be a costly mistake.
With so many great universities in India, we asked ourselves this question too: so, why should you study overseas? We identified 5 key reasons.
Reason #1. The course or university is highly regarded
Our time is precious, every time we decide to do something, we are making a decision not to do something else: some alternative thing that we could have done with our time. If you choose to spend your time studying abroad, you will want to make sure you make the best use of your time and choose a course that you are going to get the best out of.
For many who have the opportunity to study abroad, gaining any overseas qualification is fine, but for others, it has to be the right course and at the right university. This decision is either down to the status of the university or the course, and in other cases it’s because the course is accredited by a professional body which means you can practice in that country or it could even be because it is a specialist course that very few universities offer.
Take your time deciding which course and institution to study at – do not simply opt for the course that you have been directed to look at, or one that your friend or another family member attended.
Reason #2. Connection to a country
You may have a connection with a particular country or have heard great things about the institution and have always longed to study there. It may be a place you have always wanted to visit, and perhaps eventually live and work in – so why not visit, live and study there at the same time.
Arianna Huffington, the co-founder of The Huffington Post, in a recent interview about her life, indicated that she dreamed of studying at Cambridge after she saw a picture of it. At the time she was living in Greece and could not speak English, but this did not deter her – she was determined to succeed. She studied at Cambridge and went on to become a highly successful author, columnist and businesswoman.
In some cases, the country or city that you wish to study in is the central hub for the business you wish to enter. For example, Silicon Valley in the USA for IT, Milan in Italy for fashion, and London for many courses, but business, law and architecture to name but a few.
You may also have personal, family or business connections with a country, so if you studied there you would have a support network you could draw upon.
Reason #3. Investment in education
It’s the sad truth, that regardless of the quality of the course, an overseas qualification often holds greater value with employers in India.
There’s an assumption amongst many Indian employers we have spoken to that quality systems in institutions abroad may be better; this includes the way students are taught and the rigour of the assessment process and the expectations. In part this is because courses in places such as England are overseen by a regulator – the Office for Students (OfS) – so employers can be assured of the quality of learning that has taken place.
In the UK, universities and institutions that offer professionally accredited or vocational programmes include medicine, law, architecture, accountancy, civil engineering – may not allow overseas students onto their programmes due to the conditions that the accredited bodies apply on them, so it is best to check with them before applying. This is one example where an education advisor can be particularly useful.
Education is an investment and your choice of course and place of study will depend on the funds available to you. For many Indian students, the investment in a child’s education is also an investment for the family, so the decision to study abroad will be a wider one that involves the decision makers of the family.
Reason #4. Financial ability
Studying abroad can be costly, in fact it will almost certainly cost you more than studying in India, due to the course fees, living and travel costs. The opportunity for Indians to study abroad is clearly one for the privileged few, so is dependent on your family’s ability to fund your studies abroad.
For some families, a child holding a qualification from an overseas university will be prestigious and put the family in higher regard. This can bring kudos to the family so many do what they can to raise funds to send a child abroad as this will increase their child’s marriage prospects upon return. However, many such families may also borrow money that they eventually have to pay back, so there may be a lot of pressure on the child to secure a well-paid job after graduation, and regardless of how good the course or university is, a successful career can never be guaranteed.
Reason #5. Independence
Higher education study comes at a time in a young person’s life when they are looking to explore themselves and their interests, living away from home is one of the ways that they can do this.
As many Indian families still live in extended joint families, this gives young people little space for the freedom to explore their interests and understand themselves. Studying abroad can offer them space and time to develop, grow and learn about themselves. However, this requires confidence and an ability to look after oneself, so if you are considering study abroad, carefully consider how your personality will be suited to this.
Know your reasons?
All of these reasons will result in factors that pull or draw you to studying abroad or they may make you consider twice about taking up such an opportunity and push you away from the idea.
To help you understand your reasons write a list of what is pulling, drawing or attracting you to study abroad, and what is giving you reservations, or pulling you away from the idea. Take the time to write these down, as seeing them on paper will help you decide, and you can keep referring back to this list in those moments when you might forget why you ever chose to study abroad.
✅ SUBSCRIBE to our podcast. It’s easy to do, just hit the ‘subscribe’ button on your podcast listening platform.
✅ SIGN UP for our newsletter so you can be the first to hear about new articles, podcasts and updates for Indian’s wishing to study abroad, those who are currently studying abroad or those who have completed their studies abroad.
✅ DOWNLOAD our FREE study abroad checklist – a comprehensive guide that will help you with every step of your decision making.
Picture credit: Photo by Sharon McCutcheon from Pexels