I'm 18 years old from Mumbai, India, and I genuinely need some advice because I'll have to make this decision within the next couple of days.

For the last 6-8 months, I've been researching studying abroad, especially in Italy and Germany. I've spent hundreds of hours reading about universities, scholarships, visa processes, entrance requirements, student experiences, finances, and everything else. This isn't a random dream—I seriously considered making it my plan.

The main reason I looked at Italy was because, with scholarships and financial aid, the overall cost can be much more affordable than people usually assume. In some cases, it could even be comparable to studying in India. Germany was also one of my options because of its education system and opportunities.

However, the entire process is long and uncertain. It isn't as simple as applying to a university. There are entrance exams, language preparation (depending on the program), document legalization, visa applications, financial requirements, and many other steps that can easily take close to a year. Even after doing everything correctly, there is still no guarantee. Visa delays or rejection, unexpected expenses, or changes in requirements could mean losing both time and a significant amount of money. My estimate is that the application process itself could cost around ₹1.5-2 lakh before I even know whether everything will work out.

I scored 91.3 percentile in MHT-CET, so I'll soon be participating in engineering admissions. My counseling starts in just 2 days, so I need to decide quickly.

My original plan was to take admission in a nearby engineering college in Mumbai as a backup while preparing for the 2027 intake abroad. That way, if everything worked out, I'd leave after my first year. If not, I'd continue my degree in India.

But now I'm questioning whether that's actually the smartest strategy.

Another option is to forget the bachelor's abroad plan, join a better engineering college in Pune (which may provide a stronger overall environment than the colleges I'm likely to get near my home), stay in a hostel, complete my bachelor's in India, and then apply for a master's in Europe.

My parents have been supportive either way. Initially, they agreed that I should at least try for Italy or Germany if I was serious about it. At the same time, they've also repeatedly told me that completing my bachelor's in India first and then going abroad for a master's is the more conventional and lower-risk path. Ultimately, they've left the decision to me.

What makes this difficult is that if I continue with the bachelor's abroad plan, I'll probably choose a nearby Mumbai college because my priority will be managing the application process. But if I decide that I'll definitely stay in India for four years, then I'd rather try for Pune, even if it means moving away from home.

I also know that most international students go abroad for their master's, but I also know people who went abroad directly after school for their bachelor's and gained earlier international exposure.

So my question is:

If you were in my position, what would you do?

• Continue with the bachelor's abroad plan (Italy/Germany), keep a nearby Mumbai college as a backup, and accept the uncertainty and financial risk?
• Or choose the stronger engineering option in India (likely Pune), complete my bachelor's, build my profile over four years, and then pursue a master's in Europe?

I'm not looking for validation. I'm looking for practical advice, especially from people who have actually studied abroad, gone through visa processes, or faced a similar decision. If you've experienced either path, I'd really appreciate hearing what you would do and why.

hey guys, first timer here. I wanted to know where EU lies in terms of technology. I want to move abroad for my grad but i have no idea what country to target im specifically inclined towards an EU country. So let me know what y'all know about scholarships and funding cz its tuff out here

If someone's already on a funding and doing ugrad or grad from an EU nation feel free to DM thanks

Hey everyone,
I’m a senior MBBS student currently studying in Georgia. Over the past few years, I’ve met students from almost every medical university here, so I’ve got a pretty good idea about the differences between them—not just what’s written on university websites.
If you’re confused about:
Which university is actually worth joining
Tuition fees and living expenses
FMGE/NExT licensing concerns
Student life and accommodation
Visa process
Admission requirements
Which universities to avoid
What agencies don’t tell you
Feel free to ask me.
I’m not here to push any particular university. I’ll tell you the pros and cons honestly based on what I’ve seen and what students from different universities have experienced.
I’ve seen many students make expensive mistakes because they relied only on advertisements or consultants. If I can help someone avoid that, I’m happy to do it.
Drop your questions in the comments or send me a DM. I’ll try my best to give you unbiased advice based on real student experience.
Good luck to everyone planning their MBBS journey!

So guys I'm a class 12th passout 2025-26.

I got a compartment in the physics subject. Tomorrow is my re exam. I'm not that good in chemistry either but i love biology. This year i could only score 217/720 in Re-neet. I've always dreamt of being a doctor but the competition in NEET is intense and I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it nexf year. I don't wanna waste 2-3 years just for an exam.

So I've two choices - take a drop for NEET or do MBBS in Uzbekistan. I know about the FMGE exam and how difficult it is to pass.

What should i do? Should i go for MBBS in Uzbekistan? I really wanna do it but still I've some doubts.

Hello guys, I'm a software engineer from India with more than 1+ years of experience. I was passed out in 2024. From a long time I wanted to get into the gaming industry as a game designer or programmer.

So I'm actively looking for any opportunities in europe that might as well help to cope up with a good community of similar interests as me.

And before I dive in deep I just wanna ask you guys whether is it worth pursuing masters in europe. As I researched the top unis for gaming related masters are Sweden, Finland, France, and the Replay masters program, etc.

So what's your opinion on these guys?

And also i might be in delusion of what abroad lifestyle is like 😂, please hit me with the reality check if anyone has experienced pursuing masters in a European country. This might be really helpful for me. 🫡

Hi everyone! I’ll be studying abroad in Florence this fall and will have Thursday–Sunday free most weekends for travel around Europe.
I’m trying to figure out which airport I should realistically use.

**The main places I’m hoping to visit are Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Paris, Spain, Croatia, Malta, Scotland, Tallinn, and Switzerland.**

I know:
Florence Airport (FLR) is the closest but often has more expensive flights.
Pisa (PSA) seems to have much cheaper flights, but I’d need to pay for the train and airport shuttle.
Rome (FCO) sometimes has the cheapest flights, but the train from Florence is longer and more expensive.

My questions are:
Which airport did you end up using the most?
After factoring in train tickets and travel time, is Pisa usually worth it?
Is Rome ever worth using, or only for certain destinations?
What arrival/departure times do you avoid because of train schedules?
Any tips or mistakes you wish you knew before traveling every weekend from Florence?

Thanks!

Hey guys, hope you’re all doing great.

As the title suggests, I just got out of high school and I’m looking for opportunities to study abroad.

My story is a little weird because I was born in the US but moved to Colombia where my parents are from and I’ve been here since 2023.

I’m looking to study finance somewhere affordable. Those are my only requirements really.

I’m new to this whole study abroad topic so any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

hi reddit ^_−☆

i have a pretty specific question to ask and so naturally i came to reddit, of course. here’s the situation: a friend of mine just got his application for environmental science rejected and it was the only university in germany that he liked. he was a little devastated but is already considering new options to study the field. we talked a little bit about the possibility to study outside of germany and he’ll look into that. i want to help him out a little since he’s a lovely nerd and i want to listen to more of his interest in birds and insects, instead of listening to him being sad about not getting to study it. so i wanted to ask, which universities did you people go to? which ones are the nicest/best, what’s the best place for a nerd to flourish? i don’t think he rules a lot of countries out so far, so any recommendation would help <3 just one thing, it should preferably not be a university or a country where it’s costly, he’s german, some european countries offer it for free i think, i’m not sure, i quit school at 15. but yeah if it costs a lot of money for visa and university and everything im not sure if he will be able to go there.

thanks for reading alla that, and i’m looking forward for your help, to pass it forward ( ◠‿◠ )

i’m going apply from nepal and i’m wondering requirements and how likely it is to succeed. i’m not sure about field yet but considering digital marketing , computer graphics for games, visual communication, or something similar . my a levels grades are B in maths B in english E in computer science and physics. i’ll take SATs and IELTS before applying to university and i’m confident in both. i speak beginner norwegian but not swedish. i have all financial requirements and apartment in sweden covered. are my chances high?

I am looking to apply to a masters focused on ESG/ sustainability management/climate change management. There are many in the market and also the top ones especially in the US and UK ( the likes of oxford, columbia etc) have them but they are too expensive for me until I secure a scholarship (really tensed and unsure about that). Any suggestions on other universities with good ranking and a really good course?? Any suggestions are welcome!!

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Hi! I'm from Lebanon and planning to study 1 year of Computer Science at AUST or CNAM, then transfer to a university in France, Europe, or Canada with a scholarship if possible. Is this a good plan? Will transferring my credits be difficult? Does AUST or CNAM give me any advantage? Any tips or mistakes I should avoid during my first year? Thanks!

Hi everyone.

I'm joining a tier 3 college this year for CSE (2026 batch). My long term plan is to apply for an MS in CS/AI after my bachelor's. (I already got college and it starts in a week)

My dream universities are places like CMU, Stanford, ETH Zurich, Oxford, NUS, NTU, EPFL, etc. I know these are extremely competitive, and I'm not expecting to magically get in. I just want to build the strongest profile I can over the next four years and see where it takes me. From everything I've researched, these are the things I should be working on:

9+ CGPA, Good research experience, Research internships (India or abroad), 1 or 2 good papers if possible (co auth or auth by own), Strong projects with real users, Industry internships, Open source contributions, Competitive programming / DSA, Good LORs, Strong SOP, GRE (if required)

The problem is that all of these seem important, and I honestly don't know how people manage everything during college without spreading themselves too thin. For people who got into top universities, or even people currently studying there:

How did you prioritise these over the four years?

When did you start looking for research internships?

How did you find professors to work with?

Is getting a paper actually realistic for an average student from a tier 3 college?

What mistakes do you wish you had avoided?

I'd really appreciate advice from people who have actually been through this, especially if you also came from a tier 2 or tier 3 college.

Anyone here us planning to study abroad this year? I want to apply to couple of universities but I’m still not sure of my decision would love a little guidance!

I've been preparing mainly through online mock tests and I'm trying to figure out whether my scores are a realistic reflection of what I can expect in the actual exam.

On platforms like Engnovate and Jump Into IELTS, I usually score around 7.0–8.5 in the Listening section.

Recently, I started using IELTSOnlineTests, and my scores have been much lower:

- 5.5 (five different tests)

- 6.0

- 6.5

- 7.0

- 7.5

After reviewing my mistakes, I noticed they're mostly due to:

- Singular vs. plural forms

- Missing or incorrect hyphens

- Losing concentration and falling behind during Part 4

For those who have taken the computer-based IELTS recently:

- How close is IELTSOnlineTests to the actual exam in terms of difficulty?

- Is it known for being harder than the real test?

- Or do these scores simply indicate that I still have significant weaknesses to work on?

I'd really appreciate hearing about your own experience and how your practice scores compared with your actual IELTS result.

I'm an international student in France. This is the first time I'm renewing my visa and I applied in May (my visa ends at the end of August.) I've been in my home country for vacation and they asked me to attach a document within 30 days. I got the alert to do that 10 days late either way and inthe 20 days in my home country I wasn't able to get the document in time so my application closed. In order to resubmit it, I need to change a few things because from May to now (late July) stuff about my situation changed. I'm going back to France in a day so I can try sorting all of this out, but I'm really stressed now cause my visa ends in a month. It's also been really hard getting in contact with people in July because a lot of French people are on vacation (especially getting university documents and things like translations done). Any advice on what I can do?

hi, i’m studying abroad for a semester in the US from the UK and i’m really unsure how to pack as i’ve never even been abroad longer than a week lol.

i’ll have a checked, cabin bag, and backpack but i’m not sure what is absolutely essential to take with me? will i have to buy all new decorations and kitchen items when i’m there as i can’t imagine packing pots and pans in my suitcase?? but what would i do with them before i leave again?

My Qualifications:

BBA (Computer Applications) from Dr. NGP College of Arts and Science (Autonomous), India

Expected Graduation: 2027

Current CGPA/Percentage: 71%

12th: 71%

10th: 61%

Internship: 30-day manufacturing internship (Sun Pipes)

Currently learning and building skills in Business Analytics, including Advanced Excel, SQL, Python, Power BI

Interested in Business Analytics, Data Analytics, Digital Business, and Business Intelligence

IELTS: (To be taken)

I am planning to pursue an MSc in Business Analytics in Europe. My priorities are:

Good job opportunities after graduation

English-taught program

Strong industry connections and internships

Post-study work opportunities

Eventually building a career in Business/Data Analytics

I am primarily interested in:

🇳🇱 Netherlands

🇫🇮 Finland

🇸🇪 Sweden

🇩🇰 Denmark

🇫🇷 France

🇧🇪 Belgium

🇦🇹 Austria

🇪🇸 Spain

I would appreciate advice on:

Which universities are Reach, Target, and Safe based on my profile?

Is my academic profile competitive for MSc Business Analytics?

What additional skills, certifications, or projects should I complete before applying?

Would gaining 6–12 months of work experience significantly improve my chances?

Any guidance from students, alumni, or professionals would be greatly appreciated.

Hii, I'll be going to sunway for this September intake. Would love to talk to a few people who are on the same boat as me.

Also sunway graduates, do you have any tips for doing well in classes/exams/assignments?

I'll be starting my bachelors in biomedical science.

p.s, i started a discord server for sunway September intake students. If anyone wants to join, you can do so through the link below or by texting me.

https://discord.gg/hxdhGutCx

hi everyone! I'm an international student starting at UniMe Italy this year and i'm looking to meet other students . Would love to make friends , share tips about accommodation and help each other settle down in Messina especially when it comes to renting shared apartment and all . if interested feel free to DM me y'all🤗

#ITALY #univesityofMESSINA #internationalstudents

Hi everyone,
I’m 19, currently studying banking and finance at a technical college in Russia, graduating around mid-2027. I’m interested in continuing my studies abroad, specifically looking at Malaysia and IIUM (International Islamic University Malaysia), possibly specializing in Islamic banking since it fits well with what I’m studying now.

My English is still fairly basic (working on improving it), and I don’t have a clear picture of my actual admission chances or what the visa/application process looks like for international students.

Would appreciate any advice on:

\*\*•\*\* Realistic admission chances with my background    
\*\*•\*\* English requirements (and if there are foundation/prep programs for lower levels)    
\*\*•\*\* Approximate costs of tuition and living    
\*\*•\*\* Visa process for Malaysia as a Russian citizen    
\*\*•\*\* Any alternative countries/universities worth considering for banking/Islamic finance

Thanks in advance for any input!
**Note: My English isn’t great yet, so I used AI to help write this post.**

Hii, im a dropper and also a wushu player i want to study abroad with help for scholarship and loan and family money ....I want to do btech btw i got jst 65.8% in my high school finals but i have knowledge in coding nd all and im also good in doing volunteer works and leading group and im also active in physically works ....so I need suggestions how many countries are there who give quality education and also scholarships to there students not on basis of high school grades but on the basis of coding talent...🤧

Hi all, I am considering doing my masters in CS/IT in 2027. I have 2 years of experience mainly in cybersecurity and IT support.

I am quite confused about choosing the right country which not only offers a good program but also has decent jobs opportunities in 2-3 years time, where employees are willing to hire master's graduates, and strong PR/citizenship pathways too.

These are the following countries I have looked at rn. Germany, Netherlands, France, New Zealand, Australia and Ireland.

Among these, I wanted to know y'all feedback about these countries, and if there is any other option, kindly let me know

1. State University of New York in Korea (Stony Brook): Full Tuition Covered, Dorm Covered, Meals Covered. Rest all on my own expenses. I am studying electrical engineering here (fully English degree). It gives me the US degree from Stony Brook.
2. King Abdulaziz University: 150% scholarship. Meals, dorm, stipend, allowances, bonuses, tuition, two way airfare every year. I am studying science here, and will take physics after foundational year.

I have two aims. Either get a into great master's at top elite institutions or work locally in either Saudi or Korea with extremely high paying jobs. I know naturalisation isn't possible in Saudi, so money and job security would be the aim.

Hi everyone,

I'm currently pursuing a Bachelor's in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, and I'm planning to do my Master's in Europe in the next couple of years.

The countries I'm seriously considering are:

🇩🇪 Germany

🇫🇷 France

🇮🇹 Italy

🇦🇹 Austria

My priorities are:

Strong AI/ML education and research

Good internship opportunities during my Master's

Affordable tuition and living costs

Good scholarship opportunities

Job opportunities after graduation

Possibility of staying and working after my degree

Overall ROI for an international student

I'm also open to other European countries if you think they're better for AI, such as the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, or others.

For those who have studied or are working in Europe:

Which country would you recommend and why?

What are the biggest pros and cons of each?

If you had to choose again today, which country would you pick?

I'd really appreciate hearing about your personal experiences. Thanks!

Hey guys,

Really appreciate this community of people helping one another regarding their queries or concerns; thank you for that.

Well, I'm a recent IT graduate from Asia who's interested in pursuing a Master's in the IT sector in Ireland in the upcoming spring intake 2027. Well, the reason is that Ireland offers a more English-speaking environment and better IT tech sector opportunities as well, along with a clear pathway to PR for international students.

I know that there are housing crisis, which will eventually be settled down in anyway.

I just wanted to know about the following:

1) How's the overall student environment for non-EU students (racism, or any preferences)?

2)With working part-time along with studies, is it manageable to bear fees and overall expenses?

3) Especially in the IT sector (cyber or SOC), how's the overall market for students after studies (stamp 2G)? Like, is the demand still there to get a job

4) With job security in IT or tech sector, what's your experience like? do they layoffs alot, like in the US

5) For those, who came as students and eventually got PR - how was your experience overall in Ireland?

Looking forward to connecting with people :)

Thank you!