Top Tips for Students Planning to Study Abroad – Part 2

A large number of students have a dream to study abroad. But because of different situations and financial restraints, they are unable to fulfil their dreams. If we check out the global education program, we can see that many countries are going up and beyond to facilitate international students. Accordingly, the number of students who want to pursue their degree or higher education overseas has increased because of the opportunities they are given. Undoubtedly it is a life-changing experience for native students and they must take advantage of the facility and opportunity being provided. Yes, the first thing that comes to mind when pursuing abroad studies is the matter of dealing with different expenses. The high rate of foreign exchange adds a burden for the students. Often overseas students become miserable by facing various financial issues because of the fluctuating currency rates.

If students who are studying abroad take the help of a forex card to meet up with their daily expenses (paying tuition fees and buying essentials, foreign currency, and more), then they can end up saving quite a lot. The forex card will make living and studying overseas affordable. We at Thomas Cook have brought other such convenient ways for students who want to pursue their higher study or Ph.D. overseas. Here we will discuss those convenient ways or must-know tips for studying abroad so that you can plan for it accordingly and accurately.

Top Tips for studying abroad:

Connect with students who are pursuing their studies overseas

While you are planning to study abroad you need to know information from a reliable source so that you can plan out your overseas study fruitfully. Thus, you should start connecting with students who are already there. Their testimonies will help you because they will be based on their practical experiences. They can give you the best tips to pursue your study overseas. Make strong connections with the students from different departments of your abroad college campus who will be helping you as you can also take their help for your first few months and settle down faster. Most abroad colleges/universities have student forums that you can access to converse and seek guidance from their current and past students.

Confirm your accommodation

After getting confirmation from University, the first thing that you should do is to figure out your accommodation. You can get on-site university halls that accommodate bedrooms, kitchens, and shared bathrooms. But as usual, that might be more expensive than private or shared rented accommodation. So, check out all options available near your campus or college to see which is the cheapest yet desirable option for you. 

Managing Finance

The biggest hurdle in your plans to study overseas is the huge tuition fee. Studying abroad for Indian students or students from other countries becomes very difficult without any scholarship or grants. Thankfully, various scholarships/grants are available that are designed specifically for international students. So, your planning for overseas education should include researching the scholarships/grants available so that you can take advantage of them and be able to afford and manage the other non-academic expenses required during overseas studies.

Using Thomas Cook’s Forex Card

For students who are about to set foot in a foreign land for the first time, our forex card is a must. Even if you get scholarship support from your selected university, you may still face problems in dealing with the other expenses that you have to bear while living and studying abroad. The challenges will double as in this new place you also have to be concerned with the fluctuating exchange rate when making any transactions. Don’t let yourself be confused and distressed regarding foreign exchanges and expenses.  Our Student Forex Card (Single Currency and Multi-Currency) can help you to handle any abroad expenses with ease with the feature of locking in the exchange rate. Only the exchange rate at the time of loading of the forex card is considered and applied. It is not only convenient but also safe as many steps have been taken to protect overseas students and their finances.

Sometimes it becomes tough to manage daily expenses with the help of cash and debit cards or credit cards as they are associated with high bank and ATM withdrawal charges. Our Forex card is more affordable than paying with foreign cash or bank cards. You are not required to link your forex cards to your bank account which will save you a ton if you make transactions using a forex card only. The card is also acceptable at Visa or MasterCard ATMs which can be used to withdraw cash with negligible ATM withdrawal charges compared to bank cards ATM withdrawals. 

When it comes to daily living expenses abroad, a forex card takes a crucial place in an international student’s life as it provides the ease to send and receive money from one place to another online in a short span of time. You can use the Forex card while transferring and receiving money overseas or pay far more than interbank prices as it demands no charges for foreign transactions. 

Thomas Cook provides you with travel insurance coverage for students, pin-secured forex cards, and most importantly no foreign transaction fees. Thus, with our help, you can spend your money everywhere you want for non-academic expenses without any hassle in a fruitful way. 

Applying for Student Visa 

It takes a long time to approve student visas and the process is quite complicated. So, proper steps should be taken to ensure you have the correct student visa to ensure your overseas education goes without a hitch. Thomas Cook can remove all the complications with a fast and accurate student visa application process. You just need to follow 4 easy steps that are mentioned below:

1. You will get a quote when you fill in the necessary visa details
2. Make payment through an online transaction or debit card or credit card
3. Next, you need to submit the required documents online to Thomas Cook or you can go to the nearest Thomas Cook branch to submit your documents physically
4. Continuous and transparent communication via different mediums will be sustained until you get your Student Visa

Air Travel

An important part of overseas study planning is getting the best deal on air travel to ensure your journey is smooth and affordable. Thomas Cook offers the best deals that will save you a lot of money. We offer great discounts on your airfare. You will get various options to select airlines within your budget and can also exceed your baggage option.

Buy local currency by using Forex Card

One of the most important things that should not be left out of your planning is finding a reliable source for purchasing foreign currency. Our forex card makes it easier to pay without converting money, a feature that is not possible with a debit card or credit card. Now you can go for Thomas Cook’s Student Forex Card which will compile the rate of other currency providers, help you make the right decision, and reduce your additional burden. Buying forex is made easy with the help of our Student Forex Cards.Thomas Cook’s Forex card can make your expenses more affordable during your educational period abroad. It is designed to help you save money which ensures you do not face any financial burden when studying overseas. Students planning to study abroad are requested to browse our website further to get our services at their convenience for the required help to plan out for abroad education effectively. Thomas Cook wishes you all the best for overseas education!