Pre-Departure Checklist for Students Moving Abroad

The move to study abroad is nothing short of an overwhelming ride. There are numerous aspects that a student has to take care of and it is quite natural to miss out on a few things in the process. However, skipping handling certain essential things can prove to be immensely problematic during this time. As a student trying to cope with multiple situations, we understand how desperately you need a guiding hand. Worry no more because we have curated a pre-departure checklist for you that you can seek help from during your move abroad. So, take a deep breath and read on!

Make A To-Do List

Writing is the most efficient way to organise your thoughts and subsequently plan your actions to ensure that you don’t skip over anything. The way to begin your pre-departure schedule is to curate a comprehensive to-do list. Personalise your list as per your requirements, there is not right or wrong way to do it. Just make sure that you spend the required amount of time with it so that you can put together everything that you need to take care of.

Organise Your Documents

The next essential step in line is to organise your documents. You must make sure that you have easily accessible, well-curated folders both digital and physical of all your documents. It is important to understand that your documents are your proofs of academic and other qualifications and for you to meet the requirements, you must be able to instantaneously present whatever is required. Here’s a list of common documents that you need to check for.

·         Letter of acceptance

·         Letter of enrolment

·         Flight tickets

·         Student ID card

·         Payslips and fee receipts

·         Bank statements, salary slips, and other financial documents

·         Rental agreement if your accommodation is already arranged

·         Attested copies of academic certificates starting from your high school mark sheets to GRE, TOEFL or GMAT scorecards

·         Scholarship certificate, in case you have received a scholarship

·         Vaccination certificates

·         Medical reports and history

·         Blood group ID (not compulsory, but recommended)

·         Health insurance documents

·         Passport

·         Visa

·         Travel insurance

·         Driver’s license and other identification documents

·         Residence permit

·         Medical fitness certificate

Research About The Country

Now that you have your documentation organised, you must proceed with packing essential supplies that you might require in the country you are traveling to. In order to arrange those specifics, you need to conduct your research along the following areas-

·         Climate

·        Neighbourhood

·        Food

·        Laws

·        Culture

·        Local customs

·        Living arrangements

With your research all done, you can get a grip of what supplies you need, and also what practices would you have to inculcate in your conduct to keep up with the requirements and culture of the country you’re traveling to.

Arrange Necessary Medication

While moving abroad to a new culture, temperature and way of life can be hectic, it can bring along a range of ailments which are likely to fade away as you adjust to the dynamic of the place. However, keeping necessary medication close can help you combat any such illnesses with ease. Here’s a list of common medicines that you can consider taking along.

·        Cold, Fever – Crocin

·        Body Pain – Crocin

·        Indigestion, Gastric Problems – Gelusil, Zantac

·        Throat Infection – Erythromycin

·        Allergies – Avil .25

·        Vomiting – Avomine

·        Tooth-Ache – Combiflam

·        Cold, Headache – Crocin, Vicks

·        Stomach Pain – Cyclopam, Metrogyl 400, Norflox Tz

·        Sprain – Esgypyrin, Relispray, Moov

Pack Kitchen Essentials

Cooking is an absolutely indispensable part of moving abroad and it is also a cord that can still make you feel connected to your culture whilst being placed in a foreign land. As you attempt to shift your taste buds to the palette of your chosen country, you are bound to circle back to good old homecooked food. For you to comfortably prepare meals, it is important to prep well in advance. So, when packing essentials, don’t lose out on kitchen essentials. Here’s a quick list to help you out-

·         Pressure cooker

·         Spoons

·         Saucepans

·         Coffee mugs

·         Herbs and spices

·         Snacks

We hope our list made your pre-departure time a little easier and braced with this information, we hope you can progress forward in a planned manner. Good luck to you for your new journey!