Gerald Sastra/ The Cougar
As a rising junior and a little bit of extra time on my hands, I have started the journey of researching graduate schools, along with my peers who may be on the same path.
Generally students stay in the states for graduate school; maybe somewhere in California or somewhere on the east coast, the options are endless. But has anyone considered going to school across the Atlantic? Should it even be considered as an option?
I think students should consider graduate schools overseas as an option. As cheesy as it may sound, there’s a whole world out there for people to discover.
There are universities all over the world with thriving academics in bustling cities. Rome, Bologna and Madrid are the first ones to establish schools that became the first modern, or western, universities as we know and attend today.
Of course graduate school comes with rigorous academic demands, and studying overseas for two to three years will not be easy but it’s not impossible. The soft skills you will gain will fully prepare you as you head into the professional world.
The number one thing is that you’ll gain international experience. With a rigorous and competitive job market, applicants need something to help them stand out. A graduate degree earned overseas tied with international job experience can open the doors you’ve been working towards.
While pursuing a degree overseas, you’ll learn how to be more flexible as it pushes you out of your comfort zone. Establishing a new life while pursuing a degree is never an easy thing to do, but that’s what learning is all about, you’ll learn as you go on.
Your peers will also be going through the same thing as you. Your classmates will be from across the world, so you won’t be alone. Having peers from across the globe with an array of different backgrounds and cultures will help you learn and adapt to different approaches to life and your studies.
Another reason to consider graduate school overseas is that you’ll have a diverse student body. Your peers will be from a wide range of fields. Making friends with your peers will help you build a network of professionals from numerous host countries.
As someone who is seriously considering doing graduate school overseas, I can list numerous more reasons on why students should consider studying abroad as an opinion worth considering.
The academics, the people you’ll meet and the incredible opportunities that’ll be offered to you will make the memories last a lifetime.
Saira Haque is an anthropology junior who can be reached at [email protected]
