The time after you receive your admission/offer letter is undoubtedly overwhelming. You will be busy packing, booking flight tickets, and meeting your friends and relatives for one last time before flying to an unknown land.
However, in the midst of preparations and farewells, there are few other important things that you must not forget to do before you fly abroad.
Make a quick checklist of important documents
Make a quick checklist of important documents like your visa, passport, admission offer letter, health/travel insurance, IDs, credit cards, etc. Make sure you put them in your bag without fail. You should always have these documents ready at hand in case any emergency arrives. Also make copies of each so that even if you end up losing any original document, you will at least always have a backup.
Pack a medicine kit
There might be some medicines that might not be available in the country you are going to study. So it is always advisable to carry your own sets of medicines. You must especially do this if you have allergies. Pack your medicines in good quantity that will suffice for the time of your stay there. Besides, you are going to be new on foreign land. It is possible and normal if you experience some minor ailments like a headache due to jet lag. This is when your ‘carried-from home-medicines’ will prove to be helpful.
Gather knowledge about the basic local laws
What is acceptable here (in your home country), might be a cognizable offence in a foreign country. This won’t go down well. Thus, it is important that you know the basic local laws of the city/country you are travelling to. Read up online, ask your consultant/counsellor, or even the alumni, to learn about the laws. This will only help you stay out of avoidable unnecessary problems.
Know the basic local terms
Just like Mumbai and Delhi and other cities have a different local language of their own, cities of a foreign country too, have their own local language. Even though the country will be an English speaking nation, the phrases and tone used in each city will be different. Now, it is not completely possible to know the local language, but you can surely get a gist of it if you manage to talk to the international student alumni of the university.
Exchange your currency
Sure, you can get your currency converted once you land abroad, but it is always better if you get some amount exchanged in your home country itself. This way, once you land, you will have cash at hand and you won’t have to worry about staying moneyless. Additionally, converting currency abroad can be a little expensive.
Get a chance to meet the alumni before you fly
Interacting with the alumni can greatly help you in clearing all your minor as well as major queries. They will provide you with first-hand experiences. If you have applied through some education consultancy, them meeting the alumni will become easier. An alumnus who belongs to your country and has returned back from studying in the country you are all set to study in will be able to give you helpful information related to grocery shopping, ways to acquire part-time jobs and internships, methods of studying, sources of acquiring notes, etc. You can also contact the alumnus via the university’s or institute’s official website.
The above-mentioned points, though small, will add a great beneficial value to your studying abroad process. It is always better to land in a foreign land with complete information and preparation. With this on your side, you will find the initial days of your shift less difficult.
