Study Start Guide in a Foreign Country

This article may be more relevant to those who are ready to embark on the journey as a student in a foreign country. Get more practical suggestions to conveniently transition your living in a foreign country from the comfort of living in your home country. Read the article and make a personalized plan for yourself!

Disclaimer: Please consider that this information is subjective. These are based on the information that we have got. Also please keep an eye on the latest update date in this article. Otherwise, the information can be outdated and irrelevant.

Book Ticket! Pack your Bag!

Booking the ticket to the country where you are going to study could be the first step in your actual move after getting the residence permit (or visa). It is fine to plan and do things right after getting a document with a positive decision on a residence permit (or visa). First, make a list of your essential clothes or items that you might want to take with you. Please do not forget the medicines and prescriptions if you have been regularly taking those, or have started to take them recently for some period.

Things in carry-bag

People keep things in carry-bag. They know that the contents inside the travel luggage can break because of the sheer stress they get as non-human things en route. A bump or a drop may not damage the clothes, but medicines and electronics!

Do not forget to carry your academic and professional documents along with your residence permit (or visa) and your passport while you actually travel to the host country. Carry such important documents and your medicines along with transcription in a separate carry bag.

A phone with an adapter, and a laptop with a charger would be another set of essential things in a carry bag. Some students might also keep an external hard drive on the list. Remember to keep the proper cables in your bag. Do some research about the type of electric socket on the wall of the host country. Be sure to bring an adapter with such pins to use with your devices. Be sure not to leave these things behind, especially during airport scans.

Follow the Official ‘Semester Start’ Guideline

Even though your courses might be starting a little later, please arrive a little earlier in the city where the institution is located (or study/research/training). You may opt to arrive 4-5 days earlier than the actual orientation day. Remember, they might call it term start, smart start, or anything else. You may be able to download the practical guidelines of the semester-start from the website of the institution where you would be studying. Your program coordinator can also email you the PDF file of the semester start for your program. You might not even need to read this article if you sincerely go through this particular document. These are prepared with national and international students in mind.

Attend the ‘Orientation for International Students’

This is the key session. Your institution of (higher) education works harder to ease your transition from your home country to the host country, your city, and the institution.

They will guide you on the digital system of the university and other formal processes.

Get the Room/Apartment

Student residences have been mostly offering economic rents for the students. You are free to choose the residence, location, and amenities as per your choice. However, the student residences offered by the companies recommended by the university offer the best price. Virtually not any other company can beat the rent price offered by these student residences. You will also get a guaranteed room for yourself.

You should have applied for the room quite early – mostly after accepting the enrollment into the study program. After getting the residence permit, email the housing companies to inform them about the residence permit. You might get an offer for a room on the next working day. You can also send them follow-up emails if you have not received an offer yet. Remember, you can also move to the host city and stay in a hotel or in a friend’s residence while you wait for an offer from them. If they are not in the capacity to offer you a room because of the long waiting list, you must resort to applying to private companies. They (or your friends) can suggest you some other companies.

Please keep the room contract document with you as a required document. You need this on various occasions. Bank might need this document and so do the local municipality while registering you.

Register yourself to the local authority

After getting the residence permit, please do not think that everything is done. You may also need to register with the ‘local authority’ as a resident. Check the immigration rules of the host country in this regard.

While visiting the relevant offices, please carry documents like a passport, room contract, residence permit, and confirmation from the university that you are a student there. The university can make this document for you. You can also make this document from the online system of the university.

Please do not leave any of your documents while you go to places outside your living space where you mostly keep things safe.

Money Matters!

Yes, money truly matters. If you have achieved a scholarship – that’s great. Otherwise, bring the required money with you – for example for a year. There are multiple ways to bring money to the host country. The best way is to create a bank account in the host country and transfer the money from the bank account in your home country. Another way is making a travel cheque (bank draft) from your home country and depositing that one in your newly created bank account in the host country.

Why to Bring Cash?

If you bring a travel-cheque/bank draft, the banks might take months to deposit that amount in your bank account. Many students from developing countries resort to bringing travel cheques. It’s because their banks do not easily allow free spending of money abroad without a reason. Even to get the travel cheque, they need to submit proper study-related documents. On top of this, it might take months to get the money deposited in your bank account in the host country.

Even if you decide to transfer the money from your bank in your home country, you might need to be physically present in your home country. Going back to your home country again after opening a bank account in the host country is not practical. It takes ‘enormous’ time to be able to get a freely operating bank account in the host country unless you get everything (till the local registration) done. After you get this, you can apply for an ‘e-banking’ service. The banks then issue you an ‘e-banking service’ which can enable you with ‘mobile banking’ service. Mobile banking means ‘freedom’ right?

In such a case, you might want to bring cash from your home country. Please bring the money in the currency of the host country, or USD if the host country has an exchange facility. Bring the amount for at least 3 months of your sustenance in the host country.

Create a Bank Account

Banks in the host country may need to book an appointment for you for every negotiation and process that needs your physical presence there. So, for every process, book an appointment for each beforehand. The phone numbers are available on their websites. You might need to wait for about half an hour to get an operator talking with you.

Smart IT Decisions

• It is a wise decision to download the student ID app and verify your student ID already in your home country. If you do this, you can use a discounted train ticket. The train ticket inspector needs this to verify that you are a student.
• Install an extra authenticator app suggested by the university. In case your SIM card does not work in the host country, the one-time verification codes from the university system might not arrive in your mobile message box. An extra authenticator app can be used to change your mobile phone number. You can also change your mobile phone number using the online system of the university. Or if you have problems or cannot do it by yourself, the IT services at the university can help you. Just be sure to carry your passport for identification. They might look at your face and then the passport and back for verification! You can also purchase roaming services of SIM cards from your home country for your convenience.

Other Petty Suggestions

• Get free items from the students who are leaving the university/city. Such flea markets can be organized by the student unions or departments for international students. You may also get a free SIM card from these offices.
• Register for the language courses as soon as possible if your host country is not in the Anglosphere. Language courses in universities are filled in by an unprecedented number of international students. Otherwise, there can be sections of the municipalities, or other educational institutions that offer language courses. Look for other options not only to learn but also to practice the local language!
• Do not throw beer cans, soda, or water bottles as waste. They can be given to collecting machines by the convenience stores. You will then get a ‘paper coupon’ from the machine which can be used in your grocery shopping!
• If you can ride a bicycle in a city with proper and safe cycle lanes, it’s a wise decision to get a second-hand bicycle. If you negotiate well, a second-hand bike can cost really less, even less than a monthly travel ticket.
• Many banks take fees for operating bank accounts, and some do not. Some banks deposit your travel cheque in your account, and some do not. Choose your bank wisely.
• Do not forget to pay student union fees, rent of your room/apartment, and fees for healthcare insurance by the deadline! All are mandatory if you are eligible to pay these.