Best Preparation Advice for Indian Students to Study Abroad

Starting a new journey can be daunting and scary but thrilling at the same time. Leaving your hometown and moving to another city is itself a challenge while having to move to another country altogether is certainly not a cakewalk. An overseas study application requires a lot of preparation as you must go through a plethora of steps before you can finally settle down to study in your desired country. Starting from applying for the college entrances such as SAT, and GMAT to applying for a student visa, the process is challenging. Amidst all these rides to your college stairway, there must be several questions preying on your mind such as how to start planning to study abroad? What are documents required? Are there scholarships available? And what are the essentials that you may need? Through this article, we will try to help you with a few of these questions.

Documents Required to Study Abroad 

Understanding and assembling the required documents is the first step to studying abroad. Following are some of the essentials that you must keep handy prior to your academic semester abroad. 

• Passport
• Insurance Details
• Health Records and an insurance certificate of the student
• Academic Certificate: Class X, XII, and graduation along with the offer letter from a college or institution 
• Recommendation Letters from previous educational institutions (at least 3)
• English Proficiency Test Score (most preferably IELTS)
• Financial Documents such as bank statements, proof of funds, etc. 
• Multiple Passport-Size Photos
• Police Identification Document 

How to Plan to Study Abroad?

Planning is the most essential element that you can use as your first step to start preparing for your semester abroad. The path from initially contemplating a college to being on campus may seem fraught with obstacles, but careful preparation and a positive outlook may help a lot. If you don’t know where to start, you can always look for a counselling session to understand the essentials required to study abroad. 

You can easily refer to KC Overseas Education for a free virtual coaching and counseling session and understand how to make a plan that suits your career choices. 

Let us now look at some of the essential points that shall come in handy when you start your semester abroad:

1. Create a Budget: Living outside India can be expensive and if you are moving to a country like America or Australia, it can be pretty steep to manage your expenses. Given the cost of living as well as managing your daily expenses on traveling, food, etc, the whole process can seem to be stressful, even with a student loan. Therefore, creating a budget ought to be a major factor in your decision-making to study in such countries.
2. Apply for Scholarship: Scholarships are one option to significantly reduce the cost. They could cover a full program or just a few hundred dollars in tuition. Don't disregard the minor scholarships as well. You can also apply for the same through some of the fastest growing edtech companies in India, and they can cater to your monetary needs and help you realize your dreams without having to go through an exorbitant financial burden.
3. Health Insurance and Medical Arrangements: It would be a good idea to work alongside your doctor to get any prescriptions you are currently taking filled while you are studying abroad. Also, to avoid incurring huge expenses in case of any unforeseen circumstance abroad, make sure you have applied and avail yourself of the applicable health insurance. 
4. Work on your Communication: Language barriers can be a tricky subject when you plan to study in countries where the first language isn't English. Try to learn the colloquial words of the country’s native language as they will help you adjust and communicate better.
5. Organize your Essentials: This may appear to be a petty item to make it to your checklist, but this is extremely important. Organize your necessities like toiletries, clothes, travel accessories, etc, so that you do not have to pay a fortune for the same things in the other country. 

Final Words 

If you are still confused about the process taking you towards your study abroad goal, you can always avail yourself of free online counselling for study abroad. It is indeed a difficult process, but all you need is a plan of action to set yourself up in a new country. Remember to keep your goals achievable and carefully devise a roadmap for yourself. Take it easy. Communicate, and make connections. This will help you in the long run and will make it easier to survive in a new country. 

Having both digital and physical copies of all your key papers, such as your passport, insurance information, and credit card company information is advisable. Although feeling anxious is common, these preparation suggestions will surely help you. Don’t worry, although it might be a little intimidating, it surely will be a great experience along with a successful foreign degree is something to cherish all your life.