2 Reasons to Go Abroad and Study Now and 4 Not To Go
Are you thinking of going abroad to study? This article is for you.
Between August and September of the following year, ambitious young and mid-career professionals go through tedious processes to acquire scholarships abroad to study their master’s degrees or complete other professional programs. The most sought after are found in the UK, USA, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. The UK offers, for example, Chevening and the Commonwealth scholarships. For the USA, there is the Fulbright Scholarship. The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship is available for those interested in the snowy landscape. Germany admits hundreds of students every year to the DAAD schemes. The Netherlands has the Orange Knowledge Programme for international students. Countries like Russia and Canada offer scholarships too.
These programs are highly competitive but immensely rewarding. The competitive part is always misunderstood by potential candidates. Many think competitive means going against many people which is true, at least from the surface. But it’s better understood from the point of going against one’s own readiness and brilliance to attain and complete such meaningful ventures.
Candidates for these programs always show a lot of energy during the application process and many believe that the program is all they need to succeed. The important question however is, “Do you really need to travel out now for that degree?” Or are you just excited about it? This article explains TWO reasons to apply for studies or professional programs abroad, and FOUR why you may need to reconsider your decision to leave the country.
Two Reasons Why You Should Go Abroad to Study Now
You’re taking a specialised degree, and it is critical for the growth and development of your country. In Uganda and other similar developing states, certain master’s degrees are not offered because the capacity to teach them is limited. The degree may be also available in the country but not good enough to solve the sectoral challenges it is designed to fix. In such a case it is prudent that such training is undergone from abroad. Such degrees include but are not limited to cardiology, architecture, ICT, education and others. If you fall in this category and your degree is paramount, consider leaving the country to gain that knowledge, you might be the only person to obtain the skills needed to change the industry forever.
Your previous degree needs boosting with a stronger degree. The nature of African educational institutions is that many unreliable degrees are offered alongside useful ones. In Uganda for example, Development Studies is one of those degrees that a candidate can complete and not find a job for over 5 years. Creative graduates from this category of courses usually find work in other sectors that are not related to their degrees, and that is how they become relevant. For such a person, getting out of your country to add value to your capacity from a renowned world university is the best idea, and opens the door to other opportunities. Denis, a development studies graduate who had been working as a secondary school teacher decided and applied for a master’s degree to study Education and Development. When he returned, his former degree gained new strength and purpose.
Four Reasons Why You Should Not Go Abroad to Study Now
You are not clear about your goal for studying or do not know how to express it. One thing is always obvious. Extending your study abroad requires that you are seasoned, that you know what you want. Even if you are to pay for your own degree, you will still need to write a letter of purpose that contains what you will do with that degree. Chevening for example will test your goals through these two questions:
“Why Study in the UK and why the three-course choices? (Outline why you have selected your three university courses, and explain how these relate to your previous academic or professional experience and your plans for the future.)”
“Career plan (Chevening is looking for individuals who have a clear post-study career plan. Please outline your immediate plans upon returning home and your long-term career goals. You may wish to consider how these relate to what the UK government is doing in your country.)”
The application process for all these degrees requires expression. The commonest means are essays and videos. Like having a goal, knowing how to express your interest is important. In fact, poor expression accounts for most failures to obtain these programs. Opportunities to add a degree to your qualifications must have clear benefits for you and your society, this must be distinctly and maturely expressed.
You are just excited. The excitement to travel abroad is real and serious. Many young Africans believe that one of the best ways to become successful is leaving one’s country to live, work or study abroad. These degree scholarships have proven to be a way individuals can tour exotic land. Excitement comes from travelling dreams, the desire to change the environment, for instance, experience the four seasons weather. Equally, Africa’s colonial history has made the continent believe that abroad is better than our original homes. This can be explained by the perpetual influx of immigrants in Western countries. If a candidate feels that one of the primary reasons for them to leave their country is to move out and spend a year or more abroad for the sake of it being abroad, then it is likely their priorities are misplaced.
You are critical at home. If you work for a critical sector or are in a period when you are invaluable to a project or the entire industry, it might not be wise to leave your country in the name of attaining another degree yet you are already contributing a lot to the development of your country. During this pandemic, medical doctors and nurses are urgently required. Those in the manufacturing, energy and utilities, food, transportation and ICT are essential at all times. Unless it is absolutely mandatory that you upgrade, the need for another degree might not be a do or die.
Being a critical individual also comes with parenthood or the desire to start a family. If you are recently married or have young children in your care, or plan to start a family, it is prudent to dedicate time to nurture your marriage or children. A degree can wait, but family is a one-time occurrence.
You can take your degree online. COVID 19 cemented an era of online education. Distance learning platforms like Coursera and FutureLearn provide Bachelors and Masters’ degrees. Although not provided with scholarships, FutureLearn has masters’ in education, business administration, construction management, organisational psychology et cetera. Coursera hosts business analytics, public health, computer and information technology and many others. These masters are offered by reputable universities, meaning they are accredited degrees. To learn if a university you like offers online learning for your preferred course, just head to their website and search for your degree. If you are lucky, it might be offered to you with financial assistance, like the way University of the People does, providing tuition-free education.
Deciding to leave your country to study outside is a huge resolution and affects wholly your life and of those who surround you. This is why it is important to weigh all your options before making the final judgement. This article hopefully will help you determine the right direction.
