The ones who lived or studied abroad know that spending your months or years in another country, within a totally different culture makes you stronger and more confident, and broadens your horizons. On the other side, this great experience has some trade-offs as you start to miss (or have already missed) your beloved including your family and friends ones at home.
In this blog post, I will be talking about the process which leads to opening the doors of studying in another country, and the challenges that may occur during such process. But why is studying abroad important? As we all may know the world is becoming more globalized day by day. And you may have probably heard about the notion of “becoming a world citizen”. Studying abroad, my friends, is one of the ways of feeling the internationality deep inside, and in the end makes you a true world citizen. The aim here is not adding the name of a foreign university in your CV, but having a life changing experience which will completely take you out of your comfort zones. For me, the process leading to studying abroad all started with a decision and motivation to move to another country. I had a dream: I did not merely want to become a lawyer who works at least 50 hours a week at a law office by putting my passions aside, but an academician in human rights law who works for the good of people at an international environment. Well, where and how to start then? Firstly, you can start with deciding: Do you really want to study abroad? What is your motivation and reason? Asking these questions to yourself will also help you to write your Statement of Purpose, or motivation letter or whatsoever in the following period. Secondly, decide which universities, in which countries, and what master programs you’d like to apply. This is a crucial step as most programs require application fee from non-EU students. And remember: the more you apply, the more you increase your chance of being selected. After deciding which universities you will apply, then check the criteria they require, and the documents they want during the application process. Then you need to ask for references from your professors. The professors who are most likely to give you a reference are the ones who know you well, and/or from whom you took courses, and/or with whom you worked with. Well, this a huge step in your application, and do not give up in the first or second trials! So keep trying! If you’re rejected by some of your professors, that is not the end of the world. Ask another one. During my application process, I was rejected by one of my professors, but didn’t give up from asking to other professors. Remember that in the end, you will get a reference from any of your professors. Most universities also require a motivation letter or Statement of Purpose (SoP). Yes, this step is kind of boring and challenging but believe me, you discover new things about yourself! You can think this way too: It is a way of communicating with the selection committee and you. You need to talk about your skills, academic and social background, and how these shaped your motivation and decision to apply that program and university. Keep in mind that while writing a motivation letter or SoP, you need to be clear on your statements, and about the reason you are choosing that university and program. At the beginning of my master’s application process, I was really unsure about the difference between a CV and a motivation letter of SoP as I found writing the latter as useless. But when I started to write an SoP, I saw that words matter a lot and designating yourself in the right way is very crucial. Then I focused on what I really should tell about myself. For me the most important part of applying for master’s programs abroad is looking for scholarship opportunities. Getting accepted by a university is easy if you meet the criteria, but finding scholarships is the hardest job of the application process! If you are planning to be a self-funding student, that is totally fine. But if you need financial support plus coverage of tuition fee, you need to search for scholarships. Some universities or alumni at some universities may provide scholarships of their own. But if not, you can look for the scholarships or grants provided by other institutions such as the Chevening scholarship by the UK, or Swedish Institute Scholarship. But be careful: In the last few years, getting a full merit scholarship for a master’s program has become more competitive. Therefore, you also need to apply for scholarships as much as you apply master’s programs in order to increase your chance. Well, last year has been very hard for me. I was collecting the necessary documents, searching and applying for master’s programs, studying for my exams, managing a social entrepreneurship project, getting engaged with student club activities at the same time. In short, my two feet were literally in one shoe! At some moments I was unable to stop myself from crying, and sometimes I thought that I would not be chosen by any of the programs I applied to. Yes, you’ll probably have similar concerns. But remember: every true effort has a gift. If you struggle, I am sure that you’ll make the best of yours! Fingers crossed! 🤞😊
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About MeHey there! I am a travel enthusiast, who was born in Istanbul, and now studying in Finland. I am a part-time traveler, but would like to become a full-timer soon! Categories
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