Study Abroad Checklist- Before you Leave - Your Final Checklist

Overseas education fair in Mumbai can help you fuel your dream of studying abroad. A real journey begins the moment you get admission to your chosen university for an overseas course. Just as the days get closer to your travel date, make sure you are fully in-charge of everything so you don’t have to worry. Check your passport’s validity, sort out your student visa, accumulate funding, set a budget, look for travel and health insurance, and learn the local language, etc. Arrange for these things, pack your bag and there, you are all set to go. Here is a checklist that can help you on how to go about this.

Study Abroad Checklist

Passport application and validity:

If you don’t have passport, apply for it at least 6 to 9 months prior to the date of your travel. Or, in case you have this ready, make sure the validity period covers the entire duration of your travels. Some say that if you have an international student identity card, you can get discounts on various things including museum and movie tickets, rail passes, etc. So, you can try to find out how to get this.

Student visa knowhow:

You need to obtain student visa well in advance. Different countries follow different visa policies. For better knowledge, you can get in touch with the embassy or the local consulate of the country where you will go for studies.  Whatever guidelines they provide, make sure to follow them because you may not get all those details on website. Since this process can be little cumbersome for you, don’t hesitate in asking for help from your study abroad advisor.

Funding, budgeting and more:

At least three months prior to leaving for your study abroad program, you should have full knowledge of the payment schedules for it. If you realize you will not be able to pay, then withdraw from the program without hesitation. However, before making any such move, try to consolidate finances by looking for funding and overseas scholarships. Since nowadays a lot of help is available in this matter, you will not have to cancel your plans. But, just ensure that you are prepared. To keep things under your control, do some budgeting. Calculate your expenses and allocate some amount to each, putting some amount aside.

This should cover your flight booking expenses also. For any assistance with this, you can turn to your study abroad advisor or external course provider.

Health and travel insurance:

Having all-inclusive international health insurance is necessary for study abroad students. Some external program providers include health insurance in program fees. However, if this option is not included then you will need to buy one before leaving for your destination. In case you purchase policy from an independent insurance provider, check with them whether your policy covers following areas - accident, health or illness, repatriation, and emergency evacuation. Also, see how much coverage they are providing for each of these instances. Carry all insurance related documents with you on travel.

Local language:

If you already know the language that is widely spoken in your chosen destination, then you will not have to put much effort in settling down there. So, learn it in advance and have a smooth journey ahead.

Packing and departure:

It should be at least two weeks in advance that you start packing your bags. Keep essential medications with you. Get photocopies of your passport and plane tickets and give one copy each to your study abroad advisor and emergency contact. Contact your bank and credit card providers and tell them when and where you will use your cards. Just go through your final course payments once. When everything is ready and you are only one or two days away from flying to your destination, make sure to confirm your flight timings, flight numbers and timing of your connecting flights. Check your bags one last time and ensure that you reach airport about two hours before your scheduled departure.

Summary

This article provides a detailed check-list of things to take care of before you move abroad as a student.