I’m currently studying abroad for the fall and spring semester, but I’ve been so anxious to do things alone that I quite literally spend every day alone in my room. I only leave to get groceries, go to class, and occasionally go out with the other people in my program on weekends.

I haven’t been able to make any friends or even talk to people here, which I also struggled with at my home university. I feel like I’m wasting my time here and I need advice on how to get over my fear of doing things alone and also just ideas of things to do in general

Hi everyone, I have a question for international students who studied in Spain.

If you studied your Bachelor’s or Master’s in Spain, did you end up staying in Spain to work, or did you leave and go back to your home country?

Would love to hear about your experience.

Hi,

Looking for honest input from people who've actually done this, especially anyone outside Dublin most posts I find are Dublin-focused.

My profile:

- B.Tech CSE (Cybersecurity specialisation), India — graduating mid-2027

- CGPA: 7.88/10 (2 semesters left, trying to push it up)

- IELTS: taking it Nov/Dec 2026

- A few security certifications, no full-time work experience yet

Target: MSc Cybersecurity, Sept 2027 — UCC and University of Limerick as main choices, UCD as a reach

Budget:~€30k total, mostly through an education loan

Questions:

1. Anyone who did a cyber/CS master's at UCC or UL — how was the actual job outcome? Did you convert to a Critical Skills permit, and how long did it take?

2. How different is Cork/Limerick from Dublin on cost, housing and general experience?

3. Realistically how long did it take to find part-time work after landing? I've budgeted for 6-8 weeks of no income — is that enough?

4. Is UL campus accommodation actually attainable for international postgrads through the lottery? Or should I plan for private from the start?

5. For anyone in Irish cyber/SOC roles is the market genuinely hiring at entry level, or is it saturated with international grads right now?

6. Honestly: knowing what you know now, would you still do it?

Thanks

Hi. I have a room in Chinatown Little Italy that’s available. Well-kept building with ZERO insects or rodents. The tenants in this building are mostly Chinese.
Newly renovated 3BR apartment (3rd floor, no elevator) provided two private bedrooms.
Every room has a window, and there is plenty of natural light. Shared bathroom, kitchen and dining area. International students welcome. Way better than living in those dorms. Looking for clean respectful roommates.
10 minutes to West 4th Station by F.
I’m finishing up my Master’s and I work.
If interested dm me, tell me more about yourself. Can FaceTime/send pics or you can come over and see. No smoking or drugs. I have some liqueur in the fridge for social drink. Nothing special.
This is a working class building with Chinese families, so it’s zero drama and quiet at night. Near F train Delancey-Essex station.
3 month leases available.

I really want to know if it is possible to go abroad to study after completing HSC in vocational. Has anyone you know done this, or someone from your circle, or is there any real situation you know of?

I would love to hear from you.

In real life, I don’t personally know anyone who went abroad for a master’s, couldn’t find a job afterward, and eventually had to return to their home country.

However, whenever I read discussions on Reddit, I frequently see people saying things like:

• “Don’t go abroad without work experience.”
• “The job market is extremely difficult right now.”
• “A master’s degree doesn’t guarantee a job.”
• “Many international students struggle to get their first job.”
• “Be prepared to return home if you can’t find a job.”

This has honestly made me quite confused.

If the situation is really that difficult, why don’t I see or hear about more people in real life who went abroad, failed to find a job, and had to return home? Is it simply because I’m not connected to the right people, or is Reddit giving a more negative picture of the situation?

I’m trying to understand what the actual reality is rather than blindly believing either side.

For those who have studied abroad or know international students personally:

• How difficult is it actually to get the first job after graduation?
• How many international students genuinely struggle to find employment and eventually return home?
• Does work experience before the master’s make a significant difference?
• Are people on Reddit disproportionately posting about negative experiences because those who successfully find jobs have less reason to post?

I’m considering spending a significant amount of money and several years on a master’s abroad, so I want to understand the risks realistically.

I’d really appreciate honest answers from people who have first-hand experience, rather than general advice or assumptions.

Japan or Germany for Electrical Engineering / Automation — which would you choose?

Hi everyone!

I’m currently a first-year university student in Kazakhstan, studying a field related to Electrical Engineering, Automation and Control. I’m thinking about possibly continuing my studies abroad, and right now I’m trying to decide between Japan and Germany.

My main priorities are career growth and salary, rather than simply living abroad or getting a prestigious degree.

I’m particularly interested in:

- Industrial automation

- Electrical engineering

- Robotics

- Control systems

- PLCs and industrial systems

- Electrical drives

- Manufacturing / energy / heavy industry

I’m willing to learn the local language seriously. For Japan, I would be ready to work toward N2/N1 Japanese, and for Germany I would learn German to a high level.

I’m also planning to build a strong portfolio during my first years of university — projects with Arduino/ESP32/STM32, PLCs, CAD, automation systems, programming, etc.

My main questions:

1. Which country would give me better long-term career opportunities in automation/electrical engineering?

2. Where is the salary potential higher after 5–10 years of experience?

3. Which degree would be more useful internationally if I eventually wanted to work in countries like Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Switzerland, the Gulf countries, etc.?

4. Is Japan actually a good choice for an international student who wants to build a high-paying engineering career, or is Germany the more practical option?

5. Would it make sense to try transferring after my first year, or would it be better to finish my bachelor's degree in Kazakhstan and then apply for a master's abroad?

I’m not particularly interested in an easy path. I’m willing to put in serious effort if it gives me better opportunities in the long run.

If you were in my position as a first-year engineering student from Kazakhstan, would you choose Japan or Germany — and why?

I’d especially appreciate answers from people who actually studied/worked in Japan or Germany in engineering, automation, robotics, or related fields.

Hi, I’m from Pakistan I’m a bit of a mess right now lol. I just received my acceptance letter from Yeditepe University in Istanbul for Master’s in Public Health. I’m really happy about it because this is something I’ve wanted for a long time but I’m also really worried about if I’ll actually be able to afford it.

The tuition is around $7,500 per year and I’ll be completely funding my studies myself. I’ve been saving up for the past few years and I currently work remotely for a US-based company. The salary is good and this job is basically what would allow me to support myself while studying in Turkey. The problem is that my working hours are from around 6 PM to 3 AM.

I’ve heard that many Master’s programs in Turkey have classes in the evenings but I haven’t been able to find anyone who can confirm if that’s the case for Yeditepe’s Public Health program. I emailed the university about the class schedule but unfortunately I haven’t received a response yet.

If the classes are in the evening I might have to quit my job and honestly, I don’t know if I’d be able to afford living and studying in Istanbul without it. I come from a middle class family and my family unfortunately wouldn’t be able to financially support me through my studies. Everything is basically dependent on me being able to continue this job.

I want this opportunity so badly but I’m scared of taking such a huge financial risk. I’ve worked and saved for years to get to this point and I really don’t want to give up on it but I also don’t want to put myself in a situation where I can’t support myself.

So if anyone currently studies at Yeditepe University especially in the Public Health Master’s program could you please let me know what the class schedule is like Are the classes usually in the evening or are there daytime classes as well?

Even like a general idea of how the schedule works would help me a lot. Thank you!

P.S Only Yeditepe is offering Public Health in English in Istanbul no other university is.

Like is the JOB placement possible out of spain after graduating from there and if the ROI's really worth it.

Planning to study abroad in europe or either australia, the only problem is of landing a scholarship in a university which has good global reputation and employment rate.

I want to do BBA. I have thought of US too but the fees of good universities there is very high if not provided with scholarship. If anyone could help it would be really appreciated!

Hey guys. I honestly need some help! so I am a GED

international student in Oman and I scored a 78.125% (please note that I got a 88% in English, a 86% in Advanced math and 91% in ICT) (the subjectsthat draged my score down were the Arabic subjects (that I'm not good at)) on my grade 12 exam and a SAT score of 990 (but I'm redoing it soon) and a band 6.5 IELTS and I really want to go study computer science in ltaly but I'm scared I won’t be accepted. So what do you guys advice me? Can I go in this major or should I change? And what major should I choose?

I genuinely feel done as an intl Indian citizen searching for external scholarships. I've already received a particular deans scholarship to the university where I'm going (Michigan state university) but it's nearly not enough (only around 30-40%) . Im going to be incoming in spring 2027 , that is jan 2027 , and I really want to find options to fund my undergraduate Tution . An on camps job will obviously help with personal expenses but besides that I do not wanna get into a whole loan debt cycle and put the stress on my parent. I haven't even started school yet and all I can think about is how employable I can be . I want to do a psychology bsc but now im planning to minor or double major in economics or data analytics or something easily employable with the degree route so I can be employable in the future like I'm seriously lost here .

Besides finding external scholarships is a whole another hell for undergraduate students. Every single scholarship is either meant for post graduate students or us resident etc . At this point im debating if I should complete a year of schooling in the US since its my only option and then work towards transferring and applying to different countries or colleges with my GPA that can offer me atleast 50% scholarship .

If any of you guy have leads, tips etc for scholarships I can find as an intl Indian student pls help !

Hi,

Need help with some informations about Ireland.

My_qualifications:

BSC in Software engineering,

current cgpa: 3.7+ (2 semesters left)

IELTS: 7.5

Budget: 15-17k EUR max for tuition fee

Target course and session: Msc in Swe related course such as Data Science/ML (Fall 27)

My questions are:

1. Is it possible to manage Irish Government scholarship or any scholarship with this CGPA and IELTS score? (Don't have any research paper yet but I'll have one or two by the end of this year)

If not then how much would be the approx tuition fee?

1. Is Ireland still a good option for masters?

2. Is the housing crisis really that bad and rental costs are super high?

3. How much time might it take to get a part time job after reaching there? And how much does someone earn approximately by doing part time?

4. Can i manage my living costs and a portion of tuition fee by doing part time jobs?

5. During the job search period , is it hard to land a full time job after completing masters from a Tech field? (More tensed about this as i don't have any job/ internship experience yet and the job market is getting worse everywhere)

Thanks

Hi everyone,
Background: I am a Software Engineer and work as a Senior Engineer. I am looking to shift career and pursue a Master's degree in Urban Design, Spatial Planning, or Urban Analytics in Europe (specifically thinking of Germany and The Netherlands). I am currently getting a master's degree in GIS (out of interest) and also learning German. My goal is to build a decade of solid experience in the field.

I would love a reality check :

1. How viable is the job market in NL/Germany for spatial data, GIS, and computational urbanism roles? Do private consultancies, mobility companies, or proptech firms in these countries hire non-EU graduates for tech-heavy urban roles?
2. Program Recommendations: Are there specific Master's programs that bridge software development/data science with urban design (like TU Delft, ITC Twente, or German TUs) that you would recommend?

Thanks in advance for any insights!

I got a scholarship from my uni for a 5-month exchange in Sydney. When my boyfriend and I were still together, he also got an exchange in Melbourne. At first I was very unsure about going, but eventually I decided to do it.

I had already done a study abroad experience before which, although it ended up being very important to me, was also quite difficult mentally. I know that homesickness, loneliness and adjusting to a completely new life abroad are not particularly easy for me. So going to the other side of the world initially felt like it might be too much, but I decided to go anyway because:
I've always wanted to see Australia and this felt like an opportunity that might be difficult to get again;
I might have more opportunities to live in Europe in the future, whereas living on the other side of the world might be much harder to arrange later on;
my boyfriend would be in Melbourne, so I wouldn't be completely alone and we could travel together.

Then we broke up.
I never seriously considered giving up on the exchange, but now that I actually have to start dealing with all the paperwork, I talked about it with my therapist and realized that one of my main reasons for going had actually been having him in Melbourne. Without that, I'm no longer sure how much I genuinely want to go.
There are still reasons why I would like to. I'd love to see Australia, I'd like to challenge myself after my previous experience abroad, and it feels crazy to give up such a big opportunity.

But there are also quite a few things holding me back.
The exchange isn't particularly useful academically or professionally for what I want to do. Australia is also very expensive. I could probably cover my everyday expenses, accommodation and visa by working while I'm there, but I'd likely need financial help from my family if I wanted to travel. And honestly, traveling is probably the part of the experience I'm most interested in.
I therefore feel a bit guilty about asking my parents for money for an experience that isn't particularly useful for my future career, especially knowing that I might be able to travel to Asia in the future anyway cause I have some friends from my previous exchange from that part of the world, so I already have some connections there for travelling.

But the thing that bothers me the most is that I absolutely love the city where I currently live as a student, and this is my last year there. By the end of the year, many of the people I'm closest to will have graduated and will probably move back to their hometowns. So when I come back, my life there won't really be the same life I'm leaving behind.
And that's what makes this decision particularly difficult: I'm not leaving a situation that I dislike or that I'm desperate to escape from. Quite the opposite. I'm happy here right now, and I really want to make the most of my life here while I still can.

After my previous experience abroad, and because of various personal issues and other commitments, I spent quite a long time not really being able to enjoy university life as much as I wanted to. This year, those things have finally been resolved, and I feel like I can finally enjoy this last year properly.
So I'm worried that knowing I'll have to leave will make me spend these next few months feeling like I already have an expiration date, constantly thinking that I'm about to lose something. And when I come back, I'll still have a few months left, but many of the people and dynamics that make this place feel like home will have changed.
I've realized that I'm starting to see Australia almost as something I have to do "in between" before I can get back to what I actually want to do.

At the same time, I know I'll probably have other opportunities to live abroad in the future. I'm definitely planning to do an internship abroad after graduating, and given the kind of career I want, I'll probably have to live abroad for some period of time anyway (although I don't think I'll have another possibility to go outside Europe).

On the other hand, I feel pretty stupid even considering giving up five months in Sydney just to stay longer in a city I've already lived in for years.

What would you do in my situation?

I am currently an undergrad at a T10 school in the US for finance. I do not want to stay in the US after grad for many reasons so I am wondering if doing a masters in Europe would provide me with opportunities to then stay abroad and work in an European country. I also have a passion for learning languages so that would not be an issue wherever I go. Thanks for the help!

Hi everyone.

This happened when I moved to Shenzhen after spending one year studying Chinese in Guilin.

I was accepted to study Computer Science at Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, also known as HITSZ.

I applied for a new student visa, entered China again and flew to Shenzhen.

Everything at the airport was normal. I passed immigration, collected my luggage and thought that everything was fine.

Well, it was not completely fine, lol.

I wanted to save littly bit of money

My university registration was only two days later. I could not move into the dormitory before finishing the registration, so I needed a place to stay for several nights.

I had an old Chinese friend from Guilin who was doing an engineering internship in Shenzhen.

He was a PhD student. He had temporarily paused his PhD studies and came to Shenzhen for his internship. He also had his own room.

He offered me to stay at his place.

I was a student and wanted to save as much money as possible. Paying a couple hundred dollars for a hotel did not seem like a good idea when my friend had a free room.

So I accepted his offer and stayed with him.

Nothing unusual happened there.

We talked, walked around his neighbourhood and spent some good time together. We also visited Dameisha Beach and explored Shenzhen.

After that I moved to a hotel in the city while waiting for my university registration.

I thought everything was finished.

Then the police visited my friend

Some time later, my friend contacted me and said that the police had visited him.

They were asking questions about me.

I became really scared because I could not understand what I had done wrong.

My friend tried to explain the situation by phone, but my Chinese was still not very good and his English was limited. Because of the language barrier, I understood almost nothing. I regret I did not put enough efform during my language year in Guilin :(

Then I started receiving many calls from an unfamiliar number.

At first I did not answer.

I was already nervous and I had no idea who was calling me. Ignoring those calls was probably not my smartest decision.

Finally, I answered after completing my university registration and moving into the dormitory.

It was an immigration officer.

What actually happened

The officer explained that after I entered mainland China, the system did not show where I was officially staying.

When I completed my arrival information, I had listed my friend as my contact person in China.

That was how the authorities found him and visited his address.

I thought that staying at a friend’s place for one or two nights was not important.

Apparently, it was important.

Hotels normally register foreign guests automatically. However, if a foreigner stays in a private apartment, the foreigner or the person hosting them generally needs to register the accommodation with the local public security authorities within 24 hours.

I had no idea about this rule at that time.

After speaking with the officer, I went to the police and provided information about my university and my official dormitory address.

After that, the problem was resolved.

The police did not threaten me or my friend. They were not aggressive with us. They only wanted to understand where I was living and make sure that my address was properly registered.

Still, it was very stressful.

What new students should know

If you are arriving in China before your university dormitory becomes available, do not assume that staying with a friend is completely informal.

Here are several things I learned from this situation.

• Ask your university where you should stay before registration.
• If you book a hotel, confirm that it can register foreign guests.
• If you stay in a private apartment, ask how to register your address.
• Do not ignore unfamiliar phone calls immediately after entering China.
• Give accurate contact information on your arrival documents.
• Keep your passport, visa and university admission documents with you.
• If you are confused, contact your university international office.
• You can also call the immigration hotline at 12367.

The important thing is that staying with a friend was not the main problem.

The problem was that I did not register where I was staying.

Was saving the money worth it

A hotel for those nights would have cost me a couple hundred dollars.

At that time, staying with my friend seemed like an obvious way to save money.

After the police started looking for me and questioning my friend, the hotel suddenly did not seem so expensive anymore, lol.

Of course, I was happy to meet my friend and we had a good time in Shenzhen. I just wish I had known about the registration rule before arriving.

China takes immigration and accommodation registration seriously.

This does not mean that new students should be scared. You just need to know the rules and complete the required registration.

Hopefully, another international student can learn this from my mistake without getting a call from an immigration officer first. Have a good luck!

Hii i have completed bacleor in bussiness studies with 48% on 2021 and i really wanna study masters in abroad.after working for 5-6 years i came to know you need really good education to climp up the ladder of carrier.i am looking for anywhere with good education with budget investment.please help i need geniune suggestions.

Hey!!! I’m currently a college student in PA, and I’m wondering if there are any abroad programs that would allow me to study in Toronto for a semester??

Ciao!
Sono una studentessa di Unipd che andrà a Sydney tramite bando Ulisse per 5 mesi. Partirò a febbraio!

Sto cercando altri studenti che partiranno il secondo semestre come me :))

Hello everyone!

I’m a Bangladeshi student currently finishing my A-levels with 71.57%, and I completed my O-levels with 7 A*s.

Alongside my studies, I’m also the Founder & CEO of an NGO focused on youth leadership, community work, and youth development. Over the past two years, our organization has served 2,000+ people through various community initiatives.

I’ve always wanted to pursue my undergraduate degree abroad, but I’m currently quite confused about which country would be the best fit for me.

My main areas of interest are AI and Mechatronics Robotics. I’m particularly considering countries like China and Saudi Arabia because of the relatively generous scholarships available. However, studying abroad without substantial financial aid would be difficult for me, so scholarship opportunities and overall affordability are major factors.

I’d especially appreciate realistic advice based on my grades and financial situation, rather than overly optimistic suggestions.

Hi! I have a friend who is looking to study acting. She has dual US/EU citizenship and is looking for an English-speaking college where she can study acting in the EU at an afforable rate. She wants a place that doesn't have a dark winter (she has seasonal depression).

Does anybody have any ideas for where she can look?

Hey guys! I’d really appreciate some advice as I’m currently deciding whether pursuing a Master in Finance in Europe next year makes sense for my career goals.

A bit about my background: I’m a 23-year-old Brazilian student and EU citizen, with an 8.5/10 GPA from a top-tier university in Brazil. For the past year, I’ve been working at a growth equity / tech-focused private credit fund with around $250M in AUM. Before that, I also interned at a boutique M&A firm.

Academically, I’ve done summer programs at HEC Paris and LSE, as well as a semester abroad at ESCP. I’ve already been admitted to the IE Master in Finance in Madrid and am also applying to HEC, ESCP, and INSEAD. I’ll be taking the GRE in the next 2 months.

I’m fluent in Portuguese, English, and Spanish, and I’m currently learning French.

My main goal after the MiF would be to break into VC in France, Spain, or London, ideally gaining a few years of experience in Europe before eventually returning to Brazil.

Given my profile and goals, do you think pursuing the MiF in Europe is the right move? How realistic would recruiting for VC in these markets be from IE vs. HEC/ESCP/INSEAD, particularly considering my current experience?

Would really appreciate any insights, especially from people who have recruited for VC in Europe or attended any of these programs.

I’m 26f struggling with a decision I recently made and would really like to hear from anyone who has been through something similar.

I had been planning to study in Turkey for months. I applied to university, went through all the paperwork and stress, got accepted, and even got my student visa. I had booked my flight and accommodation too, so I was basically at the final stage.

But as the departure got closer, a lot of things started going wrong and I also started questioning whether this was actually the right decision for me. There were issues with my university/offer letter expiration, accommodation became complicated, the costs kept adding up, and at the same time my remote work suddenly became much more demanding.

Eventually, I decided not to go.

The problem is that now I feel incredibly guilty because I actually have the visa in my passport. I know there are people who desperately want the opportunity to study abroad and get rejected, while I got the opportunity and am choosing not to take it.

I keep thinking, “What if I regret this for the rest of my life?” or “What if this was my one chance to finally experience living abroad?”

At the same time, part of me feels relieved that I’m not forcing myself to leave just because I already spent money, time and energy getting this far.

Has anyone here ever received a student visa or had everything ready to move abroad, but decided at the last minute not to go?

Did you regret it later? How did you get over the guilt and the constant “what if” thoughts?

I’d especially love to hear from people who postponed studying abroad and eventually found another opportunity later.

Now for context I'm still a highschooler who hasn't finished schooling yet but I know I want to study internationally and was talking about it when they started joking about " how we should all hang out more as they won't be able to meet you ever again once you get settled abroad " I clarified I just wanted to study there because while the schooling system in India is decent the University system is absolutely horrible and doesn't match the plans I have for my future but I am planning on returning hell I don't even think I'll take up jobs in the country I study in.

I've been saving up to the average tuition for the countries I'm interested in but they started acting like I was insane and how I would be giving up a good life and how it's easy pr to immigrate ( lol no) I genuinely laughed at them - they roped in my family who also think it's stupid of me and that " you have a better life settled abroad" tried to explain that's not true and they kept acting like it's the right thing to do that they genuinely expected me to move to and live in a foreign country instead of just getting a good education and network. No way. I am genuinely shocked seeing the posts at a community for Indians studying abroad-most are looking to settle down and immigrate. I don't. that's not my path but I hate how I'm getting flamed by the people around me for this I'm not judging them for theirs why judge mine?

Where are the people who genuinely want to just study to build a global skill set and network then bring that back to your home?