Students studying abroad must strike a balance between study and social life
Studying abroad means striking a balance between the books and your social life - and making local friends is key.
Hannah Hye-eun Yang was born in South Korea, and that's where her parents, brothers and grandparents still live.
But she has always felt a strong urge to explore the world. So when her mother suggested that she study abroad, Yang jumped at the chance. Now the 20-year-old is in her second year at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra.
"I was lucky, because I started learning English at about age five, so the language wasn't a problem for me," Yang says. "I had a choice between studying in New York and Canberra. I chose Canberra because I wanted to embark on a journey to a place I had never heard of."
Students like Yang have settled into college life in a strange land well. But many others feel overwhelmed by the challenges it can pose: will they be able to fit in and make new friends, keep up academically and cope with being homesick?
"It is challenging for all students to leave home, develop independence and make decisions," says Linda Magnussen, a certified planner with education advisory firm The Bertram Group.
"But an international student may well be adding a layer of language and cultural adjustments, too. There may also be academic structures and expectations that are very different from those at home.