STUDYING ABROAD

by Anastasia Gorgieva

Nowadays, it is becoming more and more common that young people choose to continue their education abroad. Studying abroad is a wonderful experience that can shape your future and your outlook on the world. So if the chance is there, should you go for it? The majority of high school students start thinking about what university to go to in their third of fourth year and while many consider the opportunity to study abroad for a year, not a lot of them decide to actually study in another country. Going to university is an already big enough change, so it is natural that moving to another country can be very scary. Many Slovenians decide to study in Austria or Germany as it is a bit more familiar alternative to studying in the USA or in the UK, for example. That is a quite understandable fact and it makes perfect sense to study there if you wish to apply to a foreign university but still wish to be close to home. However, in this article I will talk about studying in the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom students from the EU are accepted under the same conditions as their own. So in this sense Slovenian students are classified as the EU residents and have fewer difficulties when applying than other non-EU students or international students. All students apply through UCAS, which is an online application system that processes applications and forwards them to the universities to which an applicant has applied. You can choose up to 5 courses or universities and a certain fee is payed based on how many you have chosen (13 or 24 pounds). After that you wait for the responses and the universities will contact you if you have or haven’t been made an offer. Many offers are conditional, which means that you have been offered a place but you have to meet the conditions in order to obtain it. When given the offers you choose the one you like the most and voila! You become a UK student. However, many people apply to the UK so the entry requirements can be quite high and it is not guaranteed that you will receive an offer. The major difference between applying in Slovenia and applying in the UK is that in your application to the UK you must include a personal statement explaining why you wish to study a certain subject and what your abilities, experiences, hobbies, etc. are.  You also need to add a reference from your teacher or some other person.  If your grades are not that great, you can wow them with your statement. It is true that studying abroad is a very rewarding experience, but it might also be very expensive. The option to apply for a scholarship is definitely there, but you should really consider all factors before applying. At the end of the day, should you be declined or if you yourself decline all the received offers you have nothing to lose but 24 pounds you have paid for the fee.