Immense freedom, abundant money, lots of food and traveling, extreme joy, and an adventurous and carefree life… this is what people think “living in the United States” means, which is true to some extent. This is one of the reasons why many students look forward to working and studying in the US. The US has many top-class Universities which are not only prestigious but are also recognized globally like Harvard University, Stanford University, and California Institute of Technology.
According to the Institute of International Education (IIE), more than 1.1 million people are drawn to the idea of studying in the US every year. And, Asian students make up nearly two-thirds of international enrollment in the US. Overall, international students account for about 5% of the 20 million college students in the country.
There are numerous reasons why people love to pursue their degrees from American universities, some of them may be a “great college” life or “a lavish lifestyle”.
But that is not everything US education offers. There are several other benefits of pursuing higher education from US universities. In this article, we will see some key points which will explain how studying in the US can shape your career and make you ready for facing the ever-increasing competition in today’s world.
- Quality and flexibility of the education system
Degrees from US universities are valued globally, which ultimately increases the chances of getting a good job after your graduation.
Also, you will have a variety of options and flexibility for exploring different courses according to your interest at the undergraduate level itself (which is generally not seen in other education systems), and afterward, you can declare your major course at the end of the second year.
This is one of the main reasons why Asians prefer studying abroad, as they are not bound to choose subjects from a given set of options. Also, they provide a practical approach to the syllabus which helps the students in conceptual learning. The teaching system also uses many technologies which help in better understanding and interactive learning. Students are not indulged in rote learning. They are constantly updated about the ongoing events and are forced to involve themselves in activities and research projects based on the course they are studying. This helps them in developing a deeper understanding of a certain subject or topic.
- Access to world-class technology
The US is highly urbanized and has the most advanced technologies and research units. Universities also offer research and training opportunities to students at the graduate level, which boosts their knowledge and confidence, before entering into the actual field of work. Not only this but graduating from a prestigious university and working under the guidance of good faculty will surely help you build a good resume. Experiencing a different education system and approach to learning might seem difficult at first, but when you manage to adapt and evolve within that system you end up realizing that you can accomplish anything once you put your mind to it.
The resources at your disposal, in terms of technology, will help you acquire coveted skills and transition into a wanted professional for the market. We all know that finding a job in today’s competitive society is quite hard and getting selected is harder, but not when you are well prepared under the proper guidance. Working with these technologies will surely help you in preparing yourself for interviews unknowingly and eventually for a prosperous career.
- Enhancing your personality on different levels
Our personality is an important aspect of our being and college life with American culture can play an important role in enhancing it. Unlike many other education systems around the world, US universities offer a wide range of extracurricular activities that help in not only polishing your skills but also inculcating new ones and widening our perspective on life. You can study and master different skills while simultaneously completing your graduation. Many students even earn their pocket money by doing things they are good at or love like writing, singing, dancing, etc.
When we are out of our home or say that when we are not in a familiar place we tend to be more conscious about ourselves. This consciousness is something that helps us in improving our personality, as we start paying attention to our negative behavioral traits and we try to overcome them and leave our bad habits or convert them into good ones. Staying in a new place also makes us bold and confident, as living away from the comfort of our home requires a lot of patience and courage.
- Professional Traits & Cultural Enrichment
Studying in America helps you develop the personality traits that you need to survive in the professional world. You can’t live and study somewhere without adjusting and adapting yourselves according to the circumstances, which often seems critical at the initial level but with time you start to develop flexibility in your attitude and react independently according to the environment and circumstances. And more importantly, this quality of adjusting and working efficiently is very important for anyone who wishes to work in the corporate sector or say any other sector.
Moreover, you get to study with students from different social and cultural backgrounds and this gives you the opportunity for understanding and enjoy different cultures and their cultural events, you can learn different languages from different people and most importantly, the social interaction which is generally in English is quite helpful in improving our language and communication skills. You can learn English from anywhere but the fluency which you acquire by interacting with native people is beyond perfection. Because we know the English language is a must in today’s era and a candidate with good and fluent English is always preferred over a candidate with just understandable English.
- More job opportunities
Studying in America means a lot of career opportunities. If you’re skilled enough or willing to learn, the country and its professional world do offer you a wide range of opportunities to grab. As already mentioned, the country is home to some of the finest universities around the world. With coveted degrees from any one of these universities, the task of finding the perfect job gets quite easy. There are millions of employers who are looking for perfect candidates according to the job title and the educational requirements, and with proper knowledge, expected qualification, and good communication skills you are likely to be hired for your desired job. Not only that but you unlock a lot of job opportunities in various countries with your degree from some US-based universities, as told earlier these Universities are very prestigious and the students who graduated from these universities are highly valued and immensely paid, that means you can get a good job anywhere you want.
Studying abroad in the U.S. may help the graduates in acquiring the skills and experiences that an employer looks for while hiring the employee. A study published in 2014 states that many employers value transversal skills like tolerance, curiosity, confidence, and problem-solving attitude, and it is strongly believed that students who graduated from international Universities are likely to possess these personality traits. It is seen that international students end up with superior career prospects and employment skills compared to 70% of all students after having studied abroad.
- Coveted International Experience
The international experience that you acquire while studying in the U.S. also proves to be an advantage when it comes to looking for jobs. Employers find it appealing and thus, it improves your job prospects. And these experiences hold much more value when they are gained from a culturally and professionally diverse environment like the United States. As mentioned earlier, when you live away from as a student, that too, in a different country, you become more responsible and try to be cautious of everything. This eventually leads to you organizing your time to get the most out of it. Your own decisions matter and are responsible for the outcomes. And this aspect is very beneficial when you are preparing yourself for a job.
Besides expanding your cultural horizons, studying in the United States also help you cultivate valuable qualities in yourself, such as tolerance, empathy, time management, etc. These qualities eventually lead to you becoming a healthy team player. Studying with students belonging to different cultures and backgrounds allow you to learn how to work effectively while dealing with others and their opinions. In a way, you get trained for your professional life and explore your leadership skills. Enterprise companies all across the globe constantly need professionals who have a flexible approach and can add to the assets of the organization. So, developing leadership skills will surely help you.
- Support that shapes you
Adjusting to a new place with a different environment and culture may seem difficult but not in American universities. They provide outstanding support and resources to students from academics and career to personal development, which helps a lot in living peacefully and staying focused. At most of the universities in the United States, you will find a good percentage of international students from all around the world. What this means is that you get to live in an environment that is accepting of nature. Unlike studying in other countries, there is no added pressure on the students living in the U.S. In fact, there are only advantages.
As students, you get to engage in various activities along with studies and thus making their college life memorable. Your interaction with new people helps you to see life from a different perspective, and you change your way of thinking, as we all know how much influence our friends can have on our overall thinking and behavior. If you get successful in making a bunch of good friends with a cheerful attitude, you will see its impact on your personality, you will learn more about yourself and the world. Such experiences are very important in shaping your personality as they make you aware of your strengths and weaknesses and teach you about using all the available resources in such a way that benefits you and helps you in evolving into a better version of yourself.
Not only the students but the teaching and non-teaching staff of these universities are always ready to help you with your every problem, may it be related to academics or some other issues, including something related to the resources you are being provided with. As an international student, it’s never difficult for you to find help and guidance during your studying years.
- Value for Efforts
While studying in the United States, the best perk that you enjoy is extracting the best results out of your efforts. During your educational years, you live there on a student’s visa but you can also settle there once you complete your education and start working if you wish to do so, but for this, you must get citizenship which is a bit time-consuming and costly process.
Although the cost of studying in the US can be a big factor for students, especially for those that come from Asia and around. However, the pros of this once-in-a-lifetime endeavor far outnumber and outweigh the cons and disadvantages. The adjustment one needs to make during the initial days can also pose a problem and obstacle; however, once you do adjust, there is no stopping you from making the most of this opportunity. There are already many students from other Asian countries who are either studying or working there, so there is no need to fear the “unknown place” because you will not be the only one from some other region.
Other than all this, a student’s life can be really fun, exciting, and adventurous in the US. You can live your life on your terms, connect with different people, explore new things, work on a part-time basis and enjoy your college years (by following the law of course). All one can say in the end is, in the future when you will turn the pages back, you will surely be happy with your decision of studying in the United States.
