Why Did You Study Abroad? Real Stories From The Real Students

Name: Mariia Rabyk
Age: 28
Country of origin: Ukraine
Study in: UK, Germany

“While studying my PhD in Genetics in Ukraine, I won a grant from the Ukranian Ministry of Education & Science for my project: “Moenomycin biosynthesis in actinomycetes: new insights into the roles of global regulatory genes in antibiotic production". The reward: A 3-month training program (Nov 09 - Jan 10) at Harvard Medical School, Department of Microbiology & Immunobiology. I was ecstatic! 

I had a blast during my time there. I not only learned so much from this experience, but it also helped open my mind to new perspectives for my scientific undertakings, which I realize contributed to my professional growth. My stay in Harvard helped me learn new techniques which was not available in Ukraine. That learning became the basis of my PhD research and consequently, a printed publication. 

This experience in Harvard allowed me to see the great benefits of studying abroad. It made me plunge into a community of multinational research - mingling with other scientists, establishing professional contacts, as well as exploring a new world outside Ukraine. Personally, it taught me to live alone and to easily adapt to a new environment while broadening my outlook, which made me more confident. 
After defending my PhD thesis, I worked as a research assistant at the Ivan Franko Lviv National University for 2 years. But, all that time, I kept thinking of the fond memories I had at Harvard. So, I decided to apply for a job abroad. Today, I’m working as a postdoctoral fellow at Max-Planck Institute in Marburg, Germany and I couldn’t be happier. 

Name: Mirza Mushtaq Ahmed

Age: 24

Country of origin: Pakistan

Studying in: Manipal International University, Malaysia.

As any other kid in the world, I always wanted to pursue my studies and get a degree. Growing up, I realized that in order to fulfill those needs, it wasn’t going to be easy. There were many routes awaiting me but I just had to select the correct and successful pathway for me. In my case, I was a student doing ACCA and had already successfully passed six papers. That is when I realized that studying abroad will open up more new opportunities than staying back in my home country.

Firstly, I believed having an internationally-recognized degree from an international university would be more valuable for me to look for jobs. Secondly, I’d always wanted to be exposed to new environments and cultures as well as make new friends from different countries. Additionally, studying abroad will offer me an entirely new experience and new life - that was what I wanted. I wanted to learn how it was like to live independently as I felt I was what you’d call a “Mama’s boy.” I believed this would help me learn how to be a respected, responsible and successful person.

Malaysia is known as a “food paradise” which be a valid reason for a foodie like me to consider studying in Malaysia. As a Muslim as well, Malaysia offered a vast number of offerings to accommodate my religious obligations. The safety, stability and modern infrastructure of Malaysia is also well-developed compared to Pakistan. Plus, Malaysia is well-known to offer world-class education at competitive prices. So, I chose Manipal International University to fulfill my dreams of being an actuarist and create a positive impact in the world. I learned many practical and useful skills that is applied in the industry, which further increased my passion to pursue my dreams. On top of the affordable course fees, the lecturers were great as they work hard to help the students. All in all, it was a great decision for me to pursue my education in Malaysia.

Living away from my country for 6 months now, I have experienced many things. The main thing is food. Malaysia, being a multi-racial country holds Chinese, Malays and Indians. Each of them have their own kind of cuisine and it was a great and new experience to taste each one. Malaysia also have many students from all over the world, so it was good to make friends from all over the world. 

Coming to live in Malaysia on my own taught me to set priorities - something I did not do while I was back home. I also learnt the different ways of the world - exploring new cultures, people and personalities. Living abroad truly offers so much life-changing opportunities and has taught me a lot. It also helped me value where I’ve come from and what I have today so much more.