Researching and choosing your study abroad options
Hi, I’m Caitlin and I studied for a year at Lund University in Sweden.
With the academic year in full swing, you will have started to discover where you can go on your year abroad, through various events like the Go Global Fair where students shared their experiences from a range of partner institutions. But with over 300 universities to choose from, how can you narrow these options down and pick the best one for you? Whilst this task may seem overwhelming, preparing your choices and statement of research don’t have to be stressful. By sharing my experience, I hope to give you some motivation to approach this stage with enthusiasm and excitement.
Before you begin, think about why you wanted to go abroad in the first place. Everyone has their own reason; it may be to travel, live in a different culture or experience education in a new setting. This will help to personalise the research process to your own values and goals for the year abroad. Secondly, remember you are choosing seven universities, from at least three different countries and from different bands, so don’t pin all of your hopes of being admitted to one university. Be open to a variety of possible futures but properly researching your options will make you feel comfortable with whichever location you end up in.
My research process started with choosing five countries where I was interested in potentially studying and looking at the partner institutions based there, offered through university wide and school specific programmes. Choosing a country will require research about practicalities such as the language spoke there, the distance to home, and the cost of living. There are a range of websites on the My Global Story canvas page to conduct this research and compare these areas with the UK, as well as safety and security advice for a range of social groups according to government guidelines. For example, I knew I had to study in an English-speaking institution but wanted the opportunity to also learn a new language informally. Luckily, Sweden offered the best of both worlds, as it often ranks highly in English Proficiency Indexes, and my university also provided an introductory language course to be able to communicate in Swedish in everyday life. You should consider the language requirements for your course as well as your proficiency in the native language.
Another thing to think about is how easy it is to go home if you want to. You may prefer regular direct flights home or be comfortable with long distance travel and not want to return to the UK as often- it is personal to everyone. But the time difference between your host and home locations is always important to consider as staying in touch with home helps to reduce homesickness. You may also want to consider which region of the world you’d like to travel and explore during your year abroad and how accessible this is from your university options! Finally, studying abroad doesn’t necessarily have to be an expensive decision, and costs of rent, groceries and other essentials will vary from place to place so it is important to find places that fit your budget. Initially, I was offput by Sweden’s high-cost culture, but once I realised how much less in rent I was paying there, I was spending monthly around the same as I was in the UK.
Once you have shortlisted your countries of interest, use the Go Global interactive map to see the partner institutions located there. I used the factsheets that UoB have produced and attached to the map to learn a bit more about each university and where it was located. These are a useful resource to make an initial judgement on if the institution offers something that meets your needs, and then explore further using each university’s website which often includes information about life as a student and the courses they offer.
Important factors to consider when selecting universities are their academic and cultural aspects. Some universities will have minimum grades and language requirements that you must meet to be eligible to apply there, whilst others may not offer courses in your degree subject- both are pieces of information that you must seek out to know if you can study there. You are expected to study 50% of modules on your year abroad that fit in your degree, so make sure there are enough. For example, I am a joint honours student and Lund University offered no undergraduate sociology modules but lots of politics ones, which was acceptable and motivated me as I would be able to learn about new topic areas such as media, religion and Swedish politics. The academic style of an institution is also important to learn about beforehand, as each university may have different ways of teaching and assessing to UoB. Sweden intrigued me as they teach one course at a time in short, condensed learning periods, and there was a wider range of exam methods than I was used to at Birmingham, which definitely challenged me but also expanded my skillset. And whilst I knew it was a highly ranked university as it was in the A band, I also found out about the country’s focus on work-life balance, so knowing your preference for rigour or relaxation is important before you commit to studying somewhere new.
Choosing an exchange university which helps you adjust to living in a new country is also key, and researching about the student culture at each institution will give you a better insight into which will suit your interests and expectations for a year abroad. You may want to live in a big, bustling city or prefer a smaller university in a more remote location- I applied to both, but you know best which environment you thrive most in. University websites targeted at incoming exchange students will detail the facilities, accommodation, student groups and support services on offer. To illustrate, reading about the student nations (social clubs) and international student network at Lund University solidified my choice, as I knew I would be welcomed there and be provided lots of opportunities to make friends from around the world.
I collated my research in one big document and organised it according to my criteria of practical, academic and cultural factors, to be able to compare each university. I also found it helpful to talk through my options with a family member, but you may have a friend or exchange tutor who will discuss your thoughts with you and help you come to a ranking of universities that you are satisfied with. Not only is this research important to select your choices, but it informs your statement of research in which you write a couple of sentences about each of your seven universities and why they are well-suited to your aspirations and values. Think about what stood out for you when researching each institution and make sure to include that- it may be a specific cultural tradition you want to engage in or a module that caught your eye. Just be sure to tie your interests and goals back to how the study abroad experience will aid in your development and select a range of universities which represent your diverse personality traits, requirements and motivations.
Ultimately, the selection process is personal to everyone as you know best the type of place you fit in and thrive. But hopefully these research tips and criteria are useful as you undergo this next stage of your study abroad experience- it will all be worth it!