Video: how to choose which university or country to study in
One prospective and two current international students share the criteria and methods they used to find the best university (and country) to study in
Published on March 30 2021
Last updated September 12 2023
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While having lots of choice is no doubt a good thing, having too much choice can often feel overwhelming.
If you鈥檙e just starting out on your study-abroad journey and have no idea where to start in choosing a university or even a country, the tips below may help. Two current international students and one prospective international student share how they narrowed down their choices and the ways they researched their universities.听
Bianca, undergraduate student听at Florida International University, from Spain
You鈥檝e got the world as your stage and know what you want to study鈥ut where?听I听developed a听three-tier priority ranking to narrow down my choices.听
My first priority was figuring out which听language I wanted to study in.听I鈥檓 trilingual听but preferred to study in English.听My next preference was studying in Spanish, so I included Spain 鈥 my home country 鈥撎齣n my search.
The second priority was deciding which countries and climates I would enjoy living in.听This helped me narrow听my options down to the UK, the USA, the Netherlands听and Spain.听I knew I would听enjoy a warm, sunny climate not too far from my family, so I listed the south-east听US and Barcelona, Spain, as my top two regions.
My third priority was recognising which of my options were both听the most economically and academically feasible.听I would have loved to study in the UK, but I couldn鈥檛 afford it 鈥 so it was ruled out.听Unfortunately, the same thing was true of听the Netherlands.听
Now, all I had left to do was apply to universities within my grade range.听Of course,听include a few schools just out of your reach!听I made sure to apply to universities I would enjoy attending.听This听allowed me to relax a bit听because even if I got accepted in my 11th option, I鈥檇 be happy to study there.
Thankfully, I was accepted into my first choice, studying international relations at Florida International University.听Despite having done my freshman year via Zoom from Spain, I听love听my school and everything it offers.听This three-tier priority ranking worked for me.听I hope it inspires you to make your own!听Enjoy the process and听when in doubt, make choices that will make you happy.
See more about Bianca鈥檚 three-tier approach in the video below:
Elena, undergraduate at University of California, Los Angeles, from Indonesia
Choosing a place to spend听three to four听years of your life听is听hard听鈥 it鈥檚 even more so if you鈥檙e indecisive like me. In my case, I had to make the difficult choice听between the US, the UK, Canada听and Singapore. I ultimately chose to study business economics at the University of California, Los Angeles (almost 15,000 kilometres away from my home town of Jakarta, Indonesia).
The main question I asked听myself听was: 鈥淲hat do I hope to gain from my university experience?鈥澨
On further research, I found that different countries (and even cities) have vastly different cultures, degree structures听and education norms. As I was more interested in a flexible curriculum where听I could听explore different majors, I narrowed down my options to the US and Singapore, as my offers there provided a liberal arts curriculum.
Academics aside, the overall 鈥渧ibe鈥澨齩f the city is equally important, so you听enjoy your out-of-class experience. With the intention of having a good school-life balance, I researched听extracurricular opportunities. As an international student, I sought to find a community of fellow Indonesian students on campus to听ease听my adaptation to the new culture. Asking current students is an excellent way to gain insight.
It is imperative to decide which factors are most important to you. There are many considerations, including changing听political climate, how the pandemic affects ability to enrol, scholarships听and your future career goals (so many that it would be extremely complicated to consider them with equal weight). Ultimately, you want to make a decision that you鈥檙e content with.听
See more about Elena's decision-making process in the video below:
Ben, gap-year student, from Spain听
As a gap-year student from Spain still navigating the college admissions process, I鈥檝e spent countless nights scouring the internet to weigh the pros and cons of multiple locations. My heart was originally set on the UK because I qualify for lower tuition fees as a British citizen living in the EU. However, I knew I could go down a more adventurous route after stumbling upon YouTube videos听on how universities in the US听and Asia award need-based scholarships to international students.
I鈥檓 now torn between the US, Singapore听and the UK. With college decisions just around the corner, I鈥檝e narrowed it down to two key criteria: a听holistic education and supplementing rigorous academics with non-profit work.
As much as I enjoy handling test tubes and studying the life sciences, I鈥檓 also keen to branch out into other fields like education policy and human rights. That鈥檚 why听I鈥檓 drawn towards liberal arts colleges in New England and Yale-NUS in Singapore. Their open-ended curricula will put听me in听the driver鈥檚 seat.听听
Pinpointing the perfect destination doesn鈥檛 happen overnight, let鈥檚 be honest. So please don鈥檛 rush the crucial planning stages! Give yourself ample time to build your college list.
I have ended up selecting schools that offer plenty of civic engagement initiatives, undergraduate-led research programmes, and paid internships. I鈥檝e zeroed in on the US and Singapore because I want to be听challenged, miles away from Europe. But never rule out the back-up options that are closer to home!
Most importantly, you should choose a university that鈥檚 financially viable for you and your family.
All three students are tutors and/or editors at IBlieve, a community of IB students worldwide.听
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