The thrill of receiving the news that you have been selected for your chosen course in your chosen university is something that has to be experienced to be understood! The crowning feeling of fulfilment at having all the hard work paying off puts you on top of the world. But then, for the euphoria of being able to study abroad to continue, you need to ensure that you are all set before you can go. Most probably, you will be staying alone as you study abroad and that puts all the onus on you to check all the right boxes and here is a helpful guide to get you started.
Informing the university:
Keep an active communication channel with your point of contact in the university, giving all details of your student visa, the way you will be paying the fees and your travel dates. Do not hesitate to find out the payment options available as most universities make it less burdensome on the students by allowing easy instalments.
Medical preparations:
Each country has a specific medical checklist to study abroad for Indian students and clearing that is an absolute necessity. These include immunisations, student health insurance and doctors’ certificates which you need to carry along with you. Apart from that, it would be a source of comfort and easy on your pocket too if you carry the basic medicines you use for fever, pain, common cold, gastric problems, throat infections, etc To be on the safer side, have a full body check-up done in India itself before you go to study abroad because medical check-ups are expensive.
Travel planning:
Book your air tickets as early as you can to get the best deals. Get a direct flight as far as possible to make the journey hassle-free. Check with your study abroad consultants for other aspirants going to the same university as yours. You could team up with them and get good discounts on group bookings. It will also help you in carrying luggage optimally.
As far as possible carry hard cases to prevent damage to your possessions. Keep in mind the split up in luggage weights. Mostly, you will be allowed 30 kgs for check in and up to 7 kgs as hand baggage.
Packing plans:
Your study abroad consultants in Delhi will advise you to carry a couple of extra pairs of clothes for you to manage till you find the laundry services. Keep in mind the climate and weather conditions in the destination country and pack accordingly. Do not pack blankets unless absolutely essential as they take up valuable baggage allowance. Also keep your toiletries to the minimal.
It would be a good idea to carry some dry comfort food to tide over the initial day of uncertainty. Certain homemade foods like thepla will come extremely handy too. But do not pack cereals or lentils as they will be easily available everywhere. Needless to say, having the knowledge of cooking will be a big saviour and you could even pick up some basic cooking before you leave.
The most critical will be the electronic gadgets – your phone, laptop, ipad, chargers, battery backups, hard disks etc. Many universities are specific about the laptop you need to possess. Check with your facilitator on that.
Documents and Currency:
There are mainly 3 kinds of documents that you will need to pack – university related, educational documents and finally, identification and travel related documents. Check with your consultant if there are any specific documents for study abroad for Indian students.
Most of the students carry about USD 1000 or its equivalent in currency and load up the remaining on Forex cards for safety, convenience and the best exchange rates. It would be best to wire the tuition fees directly to the university.
And last but not the least…
Take some time to study the culture, customs, history, geography, economy and government of the country you are headed to. Importantly, make sure you know (and avoid) the foreigner-follies to avoid embarrassing yourself and others. Pick up a few basic phrases in the local language and that will help a lot as you settle in.
We at Career2Life, guide students for their preparation to travel to the countries and universities of their choice. Don’t hesitate to contact us for a timely and valuable consultation.
