The document outlines 10 common mistakes students make while studying abroad and provides advice to avoid them. The mistakes discussed are: excessive reliance on technology; low awareness of host culture; not changing habits to assimilate new learning; calling home everyday; working part-time; thinking learning is always fun; feeling homesick; worrying excessively about expenses; staying aloof and not networking; and traveling too much instead of focusing on studies. The document advises students to find the right balance between study, recreation, networking, food/travel, and sleep to be successful while studying abroad.

1. 10 COMMON MISTAKES
STUDENTS MAKES
WHILE STUDYING ABROAD

3. 10 Common Mistakes Students
Makes While Studying Abroad
 To err is human. We all have grown up hearing this quote multiple
times in our lives. As such believing that we are perfect enough to
not commit any mistake is to be naïve. Developing awareness of
situations may, however, prevent us from big troubles, which may
be overcome with much ease. The present article is an effort to
delve into the 10 most common mistakes a student makes while
studying abroad and ways to avoid them.

4. Excessive Reliance On
Technology
 Technology is like a power-point presentation. If you rely entirely on
it without any introspection and insight, you will fail to strike any
appeal on the listeners. Similarly, it is with technology. Excessive
reliance on technology makes us a victim to it. In fact, you should
rule the technology rather than technology ruling you. Take a case
in point. Which option is better? Reading a map or really walking on
the road. Without a shadow of the doubt, it can be well reasoned
that travelling actually on the road will be far better than having just
an idea. In fact, doing the things for real eliminates the fear factor.
Likewise, borrowing ideas from secondary sources like internet and
journals though may be good, real-time discussion with friends,
seniors, and faculty members are way more productive and
insightful. For technical subjects like mathematics, computer
science, and engineering, it is by really working on the problem and
applying the mechanics that you will learn more and become
effective in problem-solving. Smart learning apps are meant for
assistance and not the replacement of traditional learning methods.

5. Low Awareness Of Host Culture
 In our previous article, we said that over 80% of success depends
on our psychology i.e. how we interact with ourselves and others,
while the remaining 20% can directly be linked with our knowledge.
As a result, understanding the host country culture and human
relations is imperative to career growth. After all, evidence-based
research shows that job hunting and career success primarily
depends on sound professional networking. Understanding the
host culture and entering into their world will help you avoid the trap
of assuming that only academic excellence is required for
professional success. Academic performance will assist you in
getting an entry into the professional world, but it is awareness both
personal and professional that will make the growth sustainable.

6. Gravity Of Habit
 Change is hard. We all understand and have felt that. But if the
change is rewarding enough in the future, we should be willing to
pay the price for it. Just going overseas for higher learning isn’t
going to provide you with a bountiful harvest, until and unless you
put in your sweat and effort by utilizing your intelligence and intellect
toward assimilating the subjects and creating ways for application of
your learning. If you just go on learning without applying your
learning in practical ways, chances are your standards will remain
the same even after increasing the number of your degrees. How
do we know, if we have learnt anything great?? This can only be
answered in the affirmative if there’s radical behavioural change.
Yes, if you have changed, you have learnt. If not, the learning was
wasteful.

7. Calling Up Home Everyday
 Look, it may sound harsh though, are you in a foreign country to
learn or to have fun. You and your parents both have to understand
that to reap any measurable return on investment, you’ve got to be
a serious learner. There’s a price to pay for everything under the
sun. Core fundamentals of life don’t ever change. Calling up home
every day will waste a great deal of precious time which should be
utilized in your studies and developing networks. If you are inclined
toward getting back home after 2-3 years, you still have that choice.
If you want to work overseas and design a great career that again is
a great thing. Either way, your parents will be happy. Talk to your
parents and friends in the home country only once or twice every
week. Rest of the time build on your future. The 2 years will soon be
over and in the end you’ll have to leave the college/university.
Schedule your tasks way ahead and give it a priority number in
terms of frequency, urgency, and importance. This way you will reap
the maximum benefit out of your study abroad experience.

8. Working Part Time
 Yes, you heard that right. Most often we find students desperately
seeking a study abroad destination wherein they have part-time
work permit while studying. From experience, we understand that if
you plan to work in your leisure hours to manage your expenses
during the study, there’s a greater chance that you won’t be much
successful in either of the activities. In fact, though counter-intuitive
it may seem, leisure is an integral part of learning. Leisure time
could be better utilized for professional networking, developing
strong skills in word and excel, business communication, gaining
competency in office tools and applications, or even creating a
relevant industry and company database. We are quite convinced in
saying that part-time work requirement in the majority is borne out
of poor financial management. No country permits a candidate
without adequately checking for his or her financial diligence. If after
all this, if you are still seeking part-time work, chances are that
either you are living beyond your expenses or that you have poor
financial management skills.

9. Thinking Learning Is Fun
Always
 If you too are sold with this idea, you are fooled big time. Learning
isn’t fun, but it definitely can be made more interesting. Even after
all sorts of technologies at the place, real learners have to put in
great efforts to master the understanding of the subject. At times it
will be really tough and boring. Even technology won’t be of much
help. Understanding this truth and anticipating well in advance such
challenges will give you an edge over your competition. We have a
suggestion to make over here. Since time is limited and the
pressure to perform will be huge, you could develop a strong
alliance with your peer group and distribute the topics among
yourselves. Once having mastered the respective topics, you all
then could explain your understanding of the chapters to others and
in exchange receive valuable insights on areas you didn’t find much
time. This way you could all create synergistic outcomes and
experience deep satisfaction.

10. Feeling Homesick
 Look you will be there for a purpose. Your parents will have spent a
big chunk of hard earned money for your growth and freedom. It is
futile to waste time and resources thinking about home every now
and then. First, you’ve to understand that you are far from your
home and won’t be back in a moment. Second, by dwelling on
those things you will lose out on the things you have at the present.
The best solution is to live in day tight compartments. Make yourself
insanely busy with activities, learning, and networking. If you have
enough tasks at the place, you won’t have time to think about the
rest. Eliminate all the clutter in the form of social networking sites
and talking over phones for hours and hours. Start seeing time in
terms of quality and not quantity.

11. Constantly Worrying About
Expenses
 Living alone will give you enough survival skills to manage through
the weeks and months. Problems are always momentary
inconveniences. When we are hard pressed for the solution, we, in
fact, come up with a solution. Worry can only exist till the time you
aren’t ready for the solution on your own and expect the challenge
to go on its own. It is better to plan than worry about finances. Plan
and write a balanced budget mentioning weeks and expenses.
Categorize your expenses under fixed and flexible expenses.
Eliminate 70% of needless needs and also keenly observe the time
you are with friends and times you are alone. It may sound a bit
childlike, but buy a piggy bank and put some money daily to provide
for the rainy days.

12. Staying Aloof!!!
 Networking is absolutely essential for rapid career growth. Rather
than leading an ascetic lifestyle, you should maintain a specific time
when you will engage in serious talks with seniors, local students
and the like to know more about companies, places, and scope in
the host country. Diligence, industry awareness and team playing
skill sets are the most in demand by companies and institutions.
First-hand advice is significantly more valuable than information on
the internet. It’s like the difference in walking on the road itself and
just reading a map. The map is never the territory, the road is. In
fact, all the professional networking and alliances will hugely payoff
during summer internships and final placements. After all, it’s hard
to find a rich hermit.

13. Travelling Most Of The Time
 Make a list of places to visit while staying abroad and then cut it
down by at least 70 per cent. You will be left with only 5 – 6 places
to visit in a span of 2 years. It is both feasible and also the right
thing to do. Unnecessary travel will drain you of both energy and
time. That saved energy and time can and should be divested to
more productive pursuits like studying and networking.

14. Studying All The Time
 All work and no play make Jack a dull boy. We all have grown up
with this quote. In fact, this makes perfect sense. Towards the far
extreme with diminishing advantage is to study whole days and
nights. After all what good will it serve to know the price of
everything and value of nothing? The real objective shall be to strike
the right balance in these 5 critical areas – Study, Recreation,
Networking, Food and Travel, and Sleep – to reap the maximum
output.

15. THANK YOU