Want to Study Abroad? 5 Things to Consider:

A wise friend of mine once told me- 'You can win any war, if you are prepared for it!'

Translating that in the context of this article, know this- you will get an offer of admission from any university you want, provided you spend enough time preparing for your application. So, I am not going to write about how to apply for study programs.

I want to share my takeaways from the whole experience of studying abroad. Here they are:

First: Do you want to kill your Impostor Syndrome?

I always felt that I was good at working with people. I never felt scared by the idea of running a business. An MBA would probably be the right program for me.

However, I always doubted my technical skills. Was I actually good at math? Could I really code when things were more complicated than a class project? I decided that I would get training on things that I felt the most scared by. I wanted to challenge myself. I fought my impostor syndrome, and went for the more technical program of Financial Engineering at Columbia University. Now, I feel confident working on complex financial models, and writing code that powers financial applications- it's a great feeling to know you are enough! You can use it outside the context of work too!

The takeaway for you is this- have a holistic sense of what you think you are good at and what you think you are not good at. If you are going abroad, spending money, you might as well consider pushing your boundaries.

Second: Did you hustle for money?

While I was arranging for my finances to pay for my program, I went to about 18 different scholarship offices in Mumbai. I ended up getting a scholarship from J.N. Tata Endowment, and got very close to getting a scholarship from the Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation. I also borrowed money from a cousin. At the end of all of this, I paid a lot less interest and felt a lot less scared about ruining my financial future.

If you like the idea of saving money- you should definitely consider alternate financing options: scholarships, family loans, loans from your community, and of course, on-campus jobs like tutoring.

Third: Have you thought about returning to your home country?

Some of you might think- for someone considering going abroad for higher education- wouldn't it be too soon to think about returning back? Yes, and no. I am not saying that you have to make up your mind about whether or not you will return. Personally, I always knew I would return. But for those of you who like the thrill of not knowing, I'd advise you to observe.

Going abroad means staying away from family for many years. Settling there means abandoning your roots and making way for the new life. It is not easy. Start asking questions, even if you know you won't get their answers right away. Studying abroad will take two years, and paying back that student loan might take two or more years. Wouldn't it be nice to know what is your hidden intent behind all of this?

Fourth: It is not all about studying!

A lot of us think about studying abroad as a largely academic exercise. It's much more- believe me. I learnt how to cook, file taxes on my own, work at head offices of very large and fast-paced organizations, respect boundaries (something we cross all the time, in India, even though we have great intentions), understand the plights of minorities (I was a foreigner, a minority by definition, and hence was more able to empathize with other kinds of minorities), witness the good and bad of populism and capitalism, and much more. None of this was part of the syllabus of my MS program.

So if you think- 'Nah, I can read all of that academic stuff in a book, or in an online class'- you are right! Books and online courses will only teach you about the academic stuff. If your situation allows you, you should try studying abroad, for a well-rounded experience.

Fifth: Are you open to learning?

Again, I am not talking about the academic stuff. I would really advise you to absorb the new culture you find in that new country you go to. I don't think you should forget what your home country has taught you. It'd be great if you could learn why people behave differently in that new country. You might even start appreciating your own culture, and cut down on some of the fads that you picked while growing up.

And yes, it is ok to go slow on all that absorbing. We adapt at different paces. :)

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So, those were some of my takeaways from my study abroad experience. Would love to know what you think? Please comment and let's keep in touch!

A bit about my background- After graduating from IIT Kharagpur in 2014, I worked as a Research Analyst at Barclays, Mumbai, for 2 years. I fell in love with Finance and coding, and went to the US, to pursue an MS in Financial Engineering at Columbia University in the City of New York. After 5 years of living in the US, I am back in India, working on new projects.

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Photo by Matt Ragland on Unsplash