Education is an important part of our self-development, not because we all need to be solving algebra equations before we can complete a weekly shop, but it moulds as into the individuals we become as adults.
Education provides our first truly social interactions with our peers and teaches us to offer respect to those that give up their time for us, i.e. teachers, supportive carers and faculty members. Education teaches us to better ourselves, to always look for the answer and to question everything, even when you think you know the answer.
It’s more than just about parroting back memorised equations and more about forging the ‘grown-up’ shoes that we will step into once we leave education.
Getting to study to a higher level, such as undergraduate or postgraduate degree and to expert levels such as a Masters is a privilege unfortunately not afforded by many, but the one’s that do set their sights on reaching university levels of education, have another important choice to make.
‘To study at home or to study abroad?’
While there are certainly pros and cons for both options, when looking for somewhere to study, it’s important to look beyond the institution you will be attending and what attracts you to that area as a student and developing individual.
To help you along, here are some of the most popular countries offering quality and respected higher educational institutions from around the world and what they offer students.
United Arab Emirates
The universities available in the UAE are some of the most popular with international students and the number of international students in attendance at the top two universities; the American University of Sharjah and the University of Sharjah peaked above others around the world at 83.8% and 60.8% respectively.
United Arab Emirates is a fast-developing country where the sun shines brightly throughout the day and temperatures only drop to 10degrees at their lowest during the winter. Due to it’s exciting cities and large English-speaking population, it has been a popular destination for students for many years. With a large percentage of students coming from surrounding countries including India and Jordan.
Thriving cities cosmopolitans and the most modern of facilities await you in the United Arab Emirates and while there is plenty to shop, see and do. The country does have conservative values, stricter than those seen in other popular university countries in the west, such as the UK and the USA.
Why not to choose UAE as an educational country? It’s expensive. International students need to pay tuition fees which can set you back between AED 48,000 to AED 120,000, have a sponsor to enter the country and pay to have a visa with applications costing from AED 3,000.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom, some consider it the place where higher educational first took hold and its home to the oldest English-speaking university in the world, Oxford University.
The United Kingdom is the smallest country to feature on this list but has more universities that are accepting to international students than any other country in the world, even the USA, which can fit the United Kingdom many times over in just a single state.
Education is of the utmost importance in the UK and a recent amendment saw their younger students expected to sit a further two years of obligatory education, adjusting the school leaver age from 16 to 18.
There is a wealth of culture and history to discover in the UK and a less restrictive culture than anticipated in stricter countries like the UAE. Student towns, such as Leeds and Cambridge, offer a hive of activity for prospective students, from electric nightlife to informative museums and the capital, London, is a destination on many individual’s ‘to visit’ lists for its attractions and sights.
The London Universities consistently have the highest international student population, SOAS University of London last year had an international student population of 56% and the Imperial College of London had 55.4%.
Why not to choose the UK as your educational destination? It’s another expensive location where international students are expected to pay their tuition fees in full to the tune of between £10,000 to £38,000. Some charities and grants exist so students should explore these options if they are committed to studying in the UK and find out if this would be available to them.
Australia
Australia is not typically considered a strong competitor in the higher educational game but in recent years, the country has been doing a lot to make their universities more attractive to homegrown and international students.
Not to mention the country is one of spectacular beauty. Although it’s always wise to research locations before you choose to study there, in particular as Australia is another hot country and has extremely interesting native wildlife, most of it beautiful but some of it deadly.
There is a rich and interesting history in Australia, from the tales of the indigenous people to those that settled there all those years ago. Students looking to study down under have a huge country to explore and discover fascinating favourite locations and it is much cheaper for international students looking to study in Australia with fees expecting to cost between A$15,000 to A$33,000, reaching up to A$37,000 for a masters or doctoral degree.
Why not to consider studying in Australia? It can be quite far from home for some people and have an opposite time zone to many western countries, which can ramp up those feelings of being home sick and make it harder for students to comfortably settle.
Whether it’s time for you to choose where you want to study or you are looking at prospective options for the future, it’s important to remember this is your decision and you should make it according to your wants and interests, rather than external pressures from peers and parents. And even more important than that – you may not get this chance again, so enjoy your educational journey!
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thank you for sharing information for higher study