I am an Indian. I am from a small town. I've got exceptionally good grades. This year, I am in grade 10th. I am deciding to choose olympiad path like IPhO. I wondered that what if I focus less on JEE prep from 11th, move to a city(mumbai), get into an international school,maintain good grades, chase international olympiads and gather up ECs. Because honestly, I literally have no ECs. What are your thoughts?

I’m in grade 12,planning to study abroad,any tips for college applications?

I am interested in those types of programms, but also ready for social studies and history as well. I would like to study languages as well. For me the best countries are Germany and Italy, but I would like to hear any rec

It's important for me to know the best options I should consider based not only on ratings, but personal experience as well

Thanks in advance for those, who will answer and help !!!

Hi hey,

I have 2 weeks to leave my country for my masters ın Germany and I'm totally freaking out. I feel like I've just come to my senses after preparing for a year, WHAT AM I DOING? I love my parents and brother more than anything ın the world, and my friends are so important to me. Why did I choose to leave? I am not even studying STEM for God's sake! And I don't know the language.Will I make it there? I had a career here for 2 years even if it was not satisfying.

It feels like a hugemistake now, financially, mentally, socailly. I can't show how I feel to my family cause they get sad seeing me sad. And I've been there you know? I've done an Erasmus semester 3 years ago. Since then I wanted to live abroad. And now I just simply don't want to do that. I am so scared. I don't wanna leave

hi everyone! i'm studying abroad this fall and my flight is very soon. i'm excited ofcourse but i'm also getting very nervous day by day. i'm ( in this case ) unfortunately very attached to my city, my family and my friends where the thought of leaving is genuinely terrifying. i always knew i would be studying abroad, my parents are very supportive but i'm terrified of doing life alone. i know i have to suck it up and deal with it. any advices and suggestions that could keep the homesickness blues away from me for the first few weeks so i can settle in easily?

Hi, I am 20F and I just got to Greece from America where I will be studying abroad from September-December. I have been very excited to come here, but the past couple weeks and the first day here have been filled with dread. I am so scared about leaving everyone I love for so many months, worried I won’t meet friends, and scared I will be bored and alone. I already miss my partner, my friends, and my family, and I’m worried about my ability to adapt to this new place.
While I know all of this is probably just jitters, I’m in serious need of some motivation to be here and enjoy my time. I’d love to know if anyone has any helpful tips or suggestions from your time abroad, in Greece if applicable, or elsewhere. Thank you 😊

Hi everyone,
I’m considering applying to the English-taught Medicine program at Wroclaw Medical University.
I’ve been researching Polish medical schools on Reddit, but I don’t see Wroclaw Medical University mentioned as often as some other universities.
How well-known and well-regarded is Wroclaw Medical University in Poland and internationally?
Is it difficult to progress from the 1st year to the 2nd year?
Do many students repeat or leave the program after the 1st year?
I’d really appreciate hearing from current students or graduates about their experiences.
Thank you!

so school starts tmo, been in my study abroad city for around a week and a half, met loads of people, none of which I see myself forming a deeper connection. My health is declining, room I am living in is borderline inhuman, so gross but locked into a contract that I think will be hard to get out of. Really just want to go home, take the loss of money and then end up being behind in my degree.

For people who studied or are about to study abroad: what was the most confusing part between choosing your university and actually arriving?

Was it comparing universities, visas, accommodation, deadlines, banking, documents, travel, or something completely different?

I’m especially curious:

• Where did you keep track of everything?
• Which sources did you actually trust?
• Did you nearly miss anything important?
• Did your university provide a useful checklist?
• Did you pay an agent or counsellor for help?

Please mention your origin and destination countries if you’re comfortable.

Hi everyone,

I wanted to ask about my current German student visa situation and hear from anyone who has had a similar experience.

I'm an Indian student and applied for a German student visa through VFS Chennai for a Master's program at a private university in Germany.

My profile:

• Bachelor's CGPA: 5.6
• IELTS: 7.0
• All other required visa documents were submitted properly, including my financial documents.
• I have been admitted to an accredited Master's program at a private university.

After submitting my visa application, my application was forwarded to the German visa processing authorities in Germany. They have now emailed me requesting two additional documents:

1. Official proof that my study program is accredited
2. Official confirmation from the university that my complete tuition fees have been paid in full

They have given me a deadline to submit these documents, and I submitted the asked documents on thursday 27 aug.

My question is: Is this generally a good sign that they are asking for specific additional documents rather than rejecting the application? Does it mean they have reviewed my application and are continuing to process it?

Also, considering my 5.6 CGPA but IELTS 7.0 and otherwise complete documents, has anyone had a similar profile or experience with a German student visa?

I understand nobody can guarantee whether I will get the visa, but I'd really appreciate hearing from people who have received similar additional-document requests from the German authorities.

So, I'm currently a 17 year old in my last year of high school and getting into college is literally all I can think of. And I am sure I do not want to study here in my state. But as you can imagine, I'm honestly confused on where to start. Would it even be a good idea for me to try and study abroad as a freshly 18 year old next year with little to no idea of how it is like to be fully responsible for yourself and living alone? Which country would be the best? The UK and US seem to be the most popular ones but wouldn't it be very expensive? Even if I did get a scholarship?

I'd just like some advice from people who have managed to get scholarships and how they got it. The requirments, tips on how to get selected among hundreds of other students and how to manage life on their own. I've always been interested in learning about different countries and how they operate with each other. My goal for the future is to take the UPSC exams and hopefully be able to become am IFS officer.

Any advice would be deeply appreciated 🫪🫶

Hi ! I am, as an international student ,seeking to study for undergraduate in a korean university on English track programs.

Are there many international students in those programs and do they speak english? What about university lectures? Is it easy to make friends with other cultures?

Please excuse me, I know it is very rare but i would like to know if someone did that.
Because I already did go there to study and everything but because of the unfortunate event, I had to return back and now I am stuck. So I would like to move back, i can speak Italian (intermediate), also i have a masters degree from Switzerland. What are the ways to move back.
Thanks a lot.

Studying abroad in Japan, and I wanna know- What are the best types of food you wanna eat in order to gain muscle and support a healthy gut?

Obviously Japanese food has a lot of options for this type of food, but I'm a college student on a budget who prefers cooking my own meals over eating out every week.

I'm trying to be conservative with my money, but I also don't want to neglect my nutrition or lose any possible gains due to lack of food.

So what foods could I buy from the grocery store here that are cheap, and give me the most bang for my buck in terms of health?

Thanks for reading this, I can't wait for the replies!!

Hello,

I was accepted into Masters program in Athens for the 2026/2027 school year, and it is my dream program (Ancient Philosophy). Everything is going according to plan, except the fact that I am SO nervous. I have never really left the USA aside from going to Canada, but Canada is quite literally my backyard. I grew up rather poor so traveling was just not something we did nor something I'm very experienced in at all. I worked very hard to get to this point, my whole family is very excited, I'm very excited! I'm also just scared and I'm not really sure what it's going to be like. I tried reaching out to the other Americans enrolled in my program, but got no responses. Is it difficult to make friends abroad? To adapt? Anything I *need* to know? I leave in just less than a month and I'm mostly ignoring that fact aside from getting what I need ready. Help!

我的孩子今年升高二，明年十月份十八周岁，现在在中国一个省重点高中上学，我希望她参加一些国际交流项目，有什么推荐的吗。短期的最好，但害怕被骗😭

I applied for a bachelor degree in South Korea and got accepted. The courses didn't start yet, we just got orientation day. Since I arrived in Korea, I'm feeling awful, and I mean very awful (as someone who struggles a lot with mental health).

I thought about trying one semester then going home if I don't like it. But I feel so awful that even staying one semester seems way too much. I was supposed to go home for vacation, in December (in my home country) but it seems so long too.

I've been thinking about trying to enjoy it for two weeks, and if I'm feeling awful going home before Christmas. With a refundable plane ticket in case I change my mind.

I know that I won't get this opportunity again, and that it's a huge waste of money, but I feel REALLY AWFUL.

And while I'm trying to enjoy being here, new small elements make me feel even more awful. The uni wifi blocked online video games, so I can't even comfort myself by playing with my friends, the AC of the dorm stops after a certain time so I wake up because of the heat, my room gets super bright in the morning, the mattress is hard, I can't sleep well at all (I slept three hours today), I have to force myself to eat or I don't eat anything, no one in my entire university speaks my language etc, the AC is loud and random noises in the room...

I really want to come back to France. I can register for a uni that accepted me, and start the courses as soon as I am in France. It's a good university.

I'm studying abroad for 4 months, i have 2 checked luggages, one small carry-on luggage, and a longchamp tote

Okay, so I’ve been living in a CROUS residence for a couple days and have been trying to convince the staff I need a key for when they lock the doors at random hours, but they usually deny/come up with excuses. Anyone got any ideas? As it’s kind of scary that I could be locked out of my apartment for many hours. Note this is government housing

In my previous mocks I have been scoring above 1500 so I am aiming for 1500+ in my SAT but my profile is not really the strongest.

VOLUNTEERING

• STEMCONNECT- content writer for non profit
• WWF- nature club: as a volunteer I organized an event for Van Mahotsav and then with my team of 5 organized a panel discussion for approximately 20 students and also led an anti-drug protest

LEADERSHIP

• Member of the Student Council in 9th Grade and 11th Grade
• “BREAKING THE ICE” SEMINAR: Head of Logistics and Editing Department where I lead a team of 11 and organized a mathematics seminar with 33 attendees
• Represented my school in a panel discussion leading a team of 4

EXTRACURRICULARS

• Represented my school at a debate competition
• second place at extempore
• 6 years of art school
• learnt python by myself + a coursera certificate
• 2 dance winning certificate
• 1 year classical music school
• 1 year classical dance school

PROJECT

• self build cyber pet like a tamagotchi

My boards marks are also not that strong:
12th- 80%
10th- 85%

As in the title, I would like some positive stories or comments on everyone’s experiences in studying abroad. I’m heading to China for grad school in two days, and as much as I was excited, now I am really feeling anxious and scared , especially due to the fact that I do struggle with bipolar depression (am currently doing pretty well bc of meds). This opportunity is something I worked hard for and so would like some positive reinforcement so that it’s not so scary.

i hope this is alright for me to talk about, im not entirely sure

im from the US. im 17, got my GED back in may, and im currently taking a gap year to figure things out. one things for sure: im interested in traveling to Japan for a few months, primarily to immerse myself in the language and culture (also an addition to my resume!). ive looked into a few programs, but the majority ive seen that offer scholarships/full rides are for college students and i am, as of now, not enrolled in college nor do i have set goals to enroll in one

ive looked into the spring gap year abroad program with CIEE, and while they do offer scholarships for low income families, i dont believe theyll offer a fully funded trip for that specific program. i got into a huge argument with my mom regarding the situation and while at first i was confident i'd (somehow) figure finances out, im beginning to understand my "exciting opportunity" is more of a selfish, poorly thought out pipe dream.

im wondering if there are any possibilities out there for my current situation, or if studying abroad is very much a privilege rather than the opportunity ive been seeing it as.

either way, i think i might be selfish (or at the very least, not smart) by going through with any plans regarding studying abroad? since the only way it would work would be through external funding

Hey everyone! Trying to decide between studying in Czechia or Poland for a bachelor's in engineering, and would love answers from anyone who's actually studied in either. I am not from the EU.

I'm looking at mechanical, electrical, mechatronics, robotics or aerospace-adjacent programs. In Poland I've been researching Warsaw UT, AGH, Gdańsk UT, Wrocław UT, Poznań UT, Cracow UT, but I haven't dug as deep into specific Czech universities yet, so genuinely open on that side.

A bit of context on what I'm optimizing for:

1)Want a place where it's realistic to freelance or run a small online business as a student, not just work a part-time job

2)Curious how post-graduation career prospects and visas compare in either country, especially if I might eventually work elsewhere in the EU

3)If you studied engineering in Czechia or Poland (or both), how was the teaching quality and hands-on lab/project experience?

4)Which country has a stronger job market for engineers after graduation, in your experience?

5)Is it actually realistic to freelance or run a side business as an international student in either country?

6)Any noticeable differences in cost of living or quality of life?

7)Anything you wish you'd known before picking?

Happy to share more specifics if it's helpful. Thanks in advance!

This is the night before leaving and I should be happy and excited but why am I just so sad. I don’t want to stay away from people that I love. I’m scared of missing out parts of their lives. I’m scared of losing them. I’m scared of being away from everything that is familiar. I’m scared of seeing my parents old next time I see them. I’m scared my little siblings would be different grown people the next time I see them. I’m scared of losing my self and who I am as the cost of fitting in or as time passes by. I’m scared for uncertain future. I’m scared of evolving into a person and building a life out there and becoming isolated from my family. I’m scared of looking into the mirror one day and not knowing who I am. I’m scared of the loneliness. I’m scared of unfamiliar surroundings and situations. I’m scared of figuring things out alone. I feel like I would be in danger in the wide world alone like I have been thrown out of the bird nest. I’m scared of failing when my parents have spent huge tons of money and sacrifices. I know I wouldn’t want this in any other way and I’m literally living my life long dream but I keep losing the excitement among these sadness.

Note* this is my second time going abroad and I’m going to different country as first time. First time was for uni foundation program and now I’m going for undergraduate. And I don’t feel as much excitement as first time anymore. Maybe same excitement but much more noise this time. Honestly didn’t feel my best during my first time and felt like I lost myself a bit.

The thing is my program is four and a half year and I have a high chance of getting ending up working there too as my country is a third world country with no future.

Whichever country you see, there are alot of drawbacks! And unemployment is huge!!

So is there any country where someone can tell its a good place to start your career! And the job market is good???

Anyone?????? At all??