Study abroad 101: 8 tips for students preparing for fall admissions

As fall semester admissions approach, thousands of Indian students are gearing up to study abroad. This exhilarating journey demands meticulous planning for academic arrangements, lifestyle adjustments, and effective finance management.

This comprehensive guide shares eight essential tips to help you navigate the preparations and ensure a smooth transition to your studies abroad.

Top tips for students planning to study abroad

Let’s take a look at all the preparations you need to fulfil your dream of abroad education –

1. Budgeting and financial assessment – Once you decide that you will study abroad, you can follow these steps –

○ Shortlist your preferred institutes

○ Assess the affordability of the stay and the course

○ Find out the cost-of-living differences by talking to present or former students

○ You can also check the cost-of-living index of the country online

2. Financial readiness – Once you have clarity on all the expenses to be incurred for education abroad, calculate your financial readiness. For a student, the primary source of finance is the education corpus built by the parents. However, you may also look for additional sources due to the costs of pursuing a higher education. A higher education loan is a popular option. If you don’t have a credit score, you can also enlist one of your parents as a co-applicant.
 

3. Cultural readiness – Adapting to another culture can be challenging for a young person. Prepare for the new culture by researching it in advance. Basic language skills, social etiquette, primary rules and regulations, etc., should ideally be well understood. 

For instance, before an education stint in the UK, a refresher on local customs and social etiquette can help you in your small talks with the locals. 

4. Visa and documentation – Keep the documents ready before your travel –

○ Passport

○ Visa (e-visa, stamp and/or invitation letter)

○ Travel insurance

○ Flight details

○ Academic transcripts from the overseas institute

○ Passport-size photos 

A student visa is required for students who plan to study abroad. The documents needed for different visas may vary from each other. Besides, you must also ensure that your passport expiry date covers the duration of your degree. 

5. Accommodation planning – When you plan to study abroad, you may be offered hostel facilities. For comparison, you may also want to check alternative accommodation options. Students who study abroad also stay in homestays, private student halls, private apartments, or shared accommodations. Apart from costs, you should also consider the house rules. Finally, you can choose an accommodation that fits your budget and lifestyle preferences.  
 

6. Emotional preparation – When you set out to study abroad, you leave behind the comfort zone that you had become so used to. You can prepare for the homesickness and the academic pressure in advance. Set goals for your studies and your life in a different country. Ensure that you can pursue your hobby or passion while you study abroad. It will help you deal with your overseas stay successfully. 
 

7. Packing – While packing, consider your needs and wants carefully. Keep the airline luggage limits in mind while doing so. Here are a few things that you should keep in mind while packing –

○ Pack all necessary medicines and toiletries

○ Check the local weather and pack your clothes accordingly

○ Pack your cabin luggage and checked baggage separately. This will help you avoid the charges applied to excess luggage

○ When it comes to electronics, ensure to carry country-specific adaptors and gadgets. Keep your power bank, headset, phone, etc., fully charged for the journey

8. Setting up overseas finances – You might want to sort out a few financial formalities before you leave to study abroad. This includes –

○ Notify local bank- Notify your bank in India about your overseas stay. The bank will accordingly convert it into a non-resident account in due course. Your account may otherwise be blocked if the bank notices a series of international transactions without your prior information.

○ Remote banking- Make sure your mobile banking app and net banking profile are functional. This will help you access banking services remotely and instantly report lost cards and suspicious transactions.

○ Scholarships and grants- You can also explore the scholarships and grants offered to people who study abroad. It will cover parts of your education expenses and ease your finances. You may even have an advantage as many of these scholarships and grants remain unclaimed as people overlook them.

○ Cash- Carry sufficient funds in the local currency to meet the day-to-day expenses upon reaching to study abroad. You can opt for currency exchange kiosks or withdraw from an ATM upon reaching.

○ Credit cards– Cash cannot be the sole payment option when you study abroad. Having a convenient payment option is important when planning to stay for a long time. You can select a student credit card that is ideal for international use. While getting the card in India, keep the international transaction charges in mind. Many cards charge 3-4% forex markup, which becomes impractical for everyday use. With 0% forex markup, FIRST WOW! Credit Card is ideal for overseas Indian students. Besides, you can also avoid currency exchange hassles with the FIRST WOW! Credit Card, thanks to its compatibility across over 150 currencies. 

A convenient payment option for regular use

For Indian students planning to study abroad, FIRST WOW! Credit Card can be the ideal financial tool. Thanks to its features like zero forex markup, reward points, and more, managing expenses becomes easier for someone studying abroad. Some of the attractive features include –

1. Easy to obtain – Most students are too young to have a credit history. FIRST WOW! Credit Card comes with no documentation. Simply furnish a fixed deposit (FD), and you can withdraw 100% of the FD as the credit limit.

2. Zero forex markup – You can use this card during your stay abroad without incurring foreign transaction fees.

3. Global acceptability – You can transact in over 150 currencies with your FIRST WOW! Credit Card. So, you can transact in most countries without currency exchange.  

4. Cash withdrawal – You can withdraw 100% of your credit limit in cash. This is interest-free if repaid within 45 days.

5. No fee – There is no joining or annual fee on the FIRST WOW! Credit Card. 

6. Benefits - This card allows you to earn up to 4X rewards on your transactions. You can also receive discounts of up to 20% at over 1500 restaurants, up to 15% discounts at over 3000 health and wellness outlets, and offers across over 300 merchants.

7. Stay insured – There is a personal accident cover of ₹2 lakhs and a lost card liability cover of ₹50,000.

8. Easy EMI – You can convert your outstanding balance into easy EMIs with a flexible 3-18 months repayment tenure.  

Study abroad with ease

As you gear up for admissions for this fall semester, a little preparation can make your overseas stay delightful. When it comes to payments, choose the FIRST WOW! Credit Card for all the everyday convenience that an overseas student needs.