The Benefits and Drawbacks of Studying a PhD Abroad

With this post I thought I’d talk about my experiences of studying abroad and the good and bad it comes with.

Being originally from Russia, in a sense my studying abroad commenced at a very early age when my family moved away. After finishing high school in America, I decided I wanted to continue to move about and get a change of scenery, so I made the slightly odd decision (for some) to do my undergraduate in Scotland. After I graduated, I personally didn’t see a reason for me to return either back to America or Russia, so I decided to try and establish myself further in the UK by doing my Masters in London, where I’m now currently working on my PhD.

To be honest, when I first sat down to write this, I struggled a little bit. For me, it no longer feels like I am ‘abroad’, even though I don’t originally come from the UK. So, I have tried to sit back and recollect some of the ups and downs of the past five-going-on-six years I’ve been in the country.

In fact, I guess that statement leads me to my first benefit of studying abroad. . .

I may be speaking from a place of good fortune and privilege, having had the opportunity to solidify opportunities in a place I wanted to be, along with meeting really amazing people along the way. But I am of the honest opinion that a person can establish themselves anywhere they want to be. And why shouldn’t you be able to?

After all, a PhD is slightly different to some jobs – you are pursuing one because you love the topic of your research and are prepared to dedicate 3-5 years of your life to it! So why constrain yourself to the one area of the world where you are currently located?

If you find a local research group conducting work that you’re passionate about that’s great, but you don’t have to settle for something less just because it is in your exact vicinity. When setting out to look for possible opportunities, focus your research on the topic you want to focus on, browse global PhD opportunities, and, if there is one out there in the world across the ocean from you, consider pursuing it!

That being said, some PhD study destinations are going to be easier to access and adapt to than others (aside from immigration rules and funding restrictions). A big part of this will depend on your familiarity with the country’s language.

These days many projects and programmes are delivered in English, which means you may not need to learn a(nother) new language in order to be accepted by a university. But don’t overlook the importance of knowing the local language for other reasons.

When I moved from Russia to Canada, I spoke very minimal English and I remember how challenging it was for me. As I was a kid, it was still within the social norm to try to communicate through the drawings of stick figures in the sand in the school playground, however, I appreciate that as an adult (and a PhD student!) that is no longer acceptable. But humans are remarkably adaptable, and I know that when push comes to shove, a human opens up a textbook and learns a language. Although easier said than done, the best way to overcome this is just to put yourself out there.

It doesn’t matter if at the beginning you confuse tenses, pronouns and verbs, but rather that you actually put in the time to speak in the native language to the people around you. Your language proficiency will come in time, and it’ll be another new skill you would have probably never achieved if you hadn’t made the decision to go abroad!

I’ve found that, even when you speak the language, other barriers can still crop up.

Often this comes from limited familiarity with the local culture: the TV shows, the politics, the knowledge of each other’s home towns, the old children’s cartoons that everyone watched, the list goes on and on. My point is that, when you arrive in a new country, chances are you’ll be out of the loop on some occasions, which can make settling in and establishing yourself a bit more stressful and make you miss your family and friends from back home a little bit more.

This may not be something you think about it until you are in that situation, and you only stop feeling that barrier the more time you spend in the country and assimilate to the culture around you. I think what really helped me adjust was that my undergraduate university was quite international; there were people from all around the world which softened the impact of the ‘cultural shock.

Although its not always possible to control, I’d recommend seeing how international the universities that you are considering are, and if this is your first time going abroad, select the one with the biggest international outreach.

Without a doubt, studying abroad can allow you to end up seeing places you never thought you’d see.

I really started to appreciate it when I ended up in a small little Scottish coastal town. The beauty of the scenery that I saw throughout my four years there became something really special to me, and I wouldn’t have been able to experience it or even know about it if I didn’t move from America. I’ve had the chance to spend time in little towns scattered around the UK and during those times often catch myself thinking, if I saw a snapshot of myself now four or five years ago, I’d be so surprised, and a little bit confused.

But I think that’s the whole point, travelling abroad has played such a big role in moulding my life into something so completely unexpected for the past me that I wouldn’t change it for the world.

On a more studious note, going abroad for studies also opens you up to a number of different teaching styles and approaches. You learn how to think and approach even the simplest of problems from a number of different perspectives, which in a PhD, I’ve come to realise, is an invaluable skill to have. I think having experienced a variety of teaching styles from different countries over the years have definitely made me more capable of thinking critically and more ‘outside the box’, which is what at the end of the day, each PhD student strives to achieve!

Overall, my advice would be to definitely consider studying abroad for your PhD if you can. At the end of the day, your home shall always be your home, but you can widen your circle of friends, relations, and knowledge by trying something new in different places.

It might be hard and uncertain at first, but it’ll be something that you cherish the most!

I hope this blog was helpful! I wish you guys the best of luck!

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