When students study abroad, it’s an opportunity to experience a new place or culture. For international students, however, the process – and the experience – is different.
International students “must ensure that they are in compliance with the regulations associated with their U.S. student visa,” Malik Blue, senior associate dean of the College for Study Abroad, wrote in an email to the Herald.
Overall, “the process and requirements for applying for a student visa vary depending on the country of the passport the student will use to travel for study abroad,” he added.
Falak Pabari ’26, from Gujarat, India, needed to obtain a residence permit to study in Budapest, Hungary, next semester. After being accepted to the Aquincum Institute of Technology-Budapest, Pabari was instructed by AIT to “make an appointment at the Hungarian consulate in New York,” she wrote in an email to The Herald, describing a brief process to collect the necessary documents, travel to New York, and return.
Hiyo Kobari ’26 had a different study abroad experience. As an international student from Tokyo, Japan, she was able to stay in Dublin for 90 days without a visa. She participated in the Brown Semester Internship Program, which allows students to work in an internship while taking classes at Brown.
Blue said that study abroad advisors have worked with international student offices at Brown to create a website to “address common concerns and considerations for international students planning to study abroad”.
While some might say that international students are already studying abroad by attending Brown, Blue noted that he “encourages them to consider places that are different from their home culture as well as the culture they will encounter while studying in the US.”
“A lot of people just say, ‘Why do you want to go (abroad), because this is already abroad for you,'” Pabari said. “Europe is a completely different experience. … Brown is getting a bit exhausting for me, and (I) might need a semester away from Brown.”
Siji Soetan ’25, an international student from Nigeria currently studying at King’s College London, knew he wanted to study abroad since his freshman year at Brown. He chose to do so in London because of the many “family members and family friends who live there,” he said. “I knew it would be easier to fit in, rather than feeling uncomfortable or unfamiliar.”
“In the U.S., I probably have relatives who can make sure I’m okay, but if I go to a completely different country, there’s nobody [there],” Pabari said, adding that this is why she considered the safety of potential locations.
Personal relationships, academic interest and safety are all factors students consider before going abroad, they said.
Both Pabari and Kobari cited their academic interests as reasons for studying in their respective locations.
“The Dublin programme was more flexible in terms of options for what kind of internships we could do,” Kobari said. “It’s really tailored to your interests and preferences.”
Kobari mentioned that worries about going abroad “too early” or “too late” shouldn’t hinder the decision to study abroad. Soetan recommended that students “start planning early for logistical things”, such as “bank accounts and transportation”, and “maintain relationships with people on campus and people you came with”.
Both Kobari and Soetan said they had positive experiences abroad.
“Living in Dublin for three months helped me grow as a person and gain more experience in terms of my career,” Kobari said. “I think that experience was one of the best memories I’ve had in my life – I really liked the country.”
Soetan travelled to “Amsterdam, Paris, Turin and Barcelona all within two weeks” and said it was “a bit overwhelming” but “worthwhile”.
“Studying abroad as an international student gives students the opportunity to add another cultural perspective to their education,” Blue wrote. Enriching “not only their own educational journey, but that of their peers on campus and connections back home”.
