Would you buy a car without test-driving it first? Would you rent a flat with viewing it? Or would you buy an expensive dress without trying it on? If the answer is no, then how come you would invest on your BA, MA or MBA study abroad program without having “tested” it first?
The reality
University students dropping school is a pretty big issue in most of the countries. Times Higher Education reports that the rise of the UK university dropout rate was disappointing for 2016 as based on the Higher Education Statistics Agency data, six per cent of young first degree entrants fail to advance to second year.
The same for Australia: According to news.com au, the amount of the Australians making the wrong decision about their future keeps increasing and the university dropout rate is worsening with around one in three students failing to complete their studies.
The advice
If you are a student planning to move on with your studies abroad, you don’t need to get too worried about the above data, but you definitely have to take it into account in order to do your research as extensively as you can. How? Search online and then visit the academic institution to explore the campus, get a sense of what the university life is like and learn more about the program you are interested in. You can’t do that due to limited budget or time? No problem:
The Online Open Day
Don’t worry, there’s always a solution and here is our recommendation: Attend an Online Open Day, a no cost 1-hour live webinar with a university or business school of your choice about all the academic, professional and social aspects of your selected program.
The feedback
To give you some insight, The Study Abroad Portal asked its international students how the Online Open Days have helped them to make the right decision and why not taking advantage of the opportunity would be a mistake:
Why not attending an Online Open Day is a big mistake?
#1 As professional as it should be?
First of all, an Online Open Day is the window to the university’s professionalism. Does the university deliver an excellent informative presentation that conveys quality, seriousness, decication and expertise? You wouldn’t invest your money, time and efforts on an institution that cannot excell at that, would you? (Jia Zhao, 31, China, MBA)
#2 Engagement counts
An Online Open Day shows you if the university really cares about your future. Who is representing the school? Are any current students invited? Do they take the time to answer your questions during the Q&A session? An Online Open Day is a great chance to make conclusions on the engagement of both staff and students and missing it would be a mistake.
(Alina Gayazova, 24, Russia, Master´s in Marketing)
#3 Ask the right person not just the one available
Normally, the team assigned to answer your questions about a specific program is the admissions or recruitment department, but when you are serious about your studies you really need to talk with the right people, the professors, and that´s the case on an Online Open Day. Not going for this great chance is something you might regret in the future. (Maxime Desarmenien, 20, France, Master in Economics)
#4 No more stress please
The university research is a stressful process but an Online Open Day saves you money, time and energy. You can login from home, school or work and you can also always attend the recorded version. By ensuring quick, comfortable and stress-free access to info normally difficult to find, it takes away the pressure and help you make the right choice with a calm mind. So why let stress overwhelm you when there’s a webinar to take it off?
(Joan Kaloudi, 29, USA, Master in Applied Mathematics)
#5 Innovation drives the world and me — what about my university?
Personally, I´m interested in studying Product Design and Innovation so it´s very important to know that the university I´ll choose for my studies abroad leads by example by using the innovative tools available, to market their own product, in this case, the online webinars. Technology is key for me, so is great to be able to do my research following the latest trends and not doing that would be a clear sign of have been left behind.
(Demetra Michael, 17, Cyprus, Bachelor in Product Design)
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