What Studying Abroad Will Be Like In A Post-COVID World

The COVID-19 pandemic has gripped the entire world, paralyzing almost every aspect of our daily lives. One of the least spoken about sector, which has taken a major hit is education. Educational institutions have been shut down for months, all academic and career events are suspended. Students planning to study in the U.S. 美国留学, Europe or anywhere abroad have been indefinitely delayed. However, what is most alarming is that even when this pandemic passes, the post-COVID world is likely to have a very different normal, especially when it comes to studying abroad.

Mandatory health check

Schools are highly likely to make their students, especially international students, go through COVID test before they are allowed to return to the campus to continue their classes. Not only that it is anticipated that a thorough health checkup, especially COVID test might become a standard procedure for any student before they secure admission in any institution abroad. Once vaccination develops, it might become a mandatory condition for admission as well.

Stricter visa rules

It is highly likely that visa regulations might be subjected to changes, post-COVID. Chances are that anyone traveling internationally might be required to undergo more stringent health checks, every single time they enter a country. For over millions of international students studying across the thousands of universities around, this could spell a complete change in plans for their future or return. It is also likely that a number of restrictions will be imposed on foreign travel, especially for those who are studying or working internationally.

Altered academic session

For those students who are stuck in the middle of a degree, once the schools reopen, academic sessions will probably be altered around, and holidays curtailed to make up for the loss of time. If needed, several programs might need to cut down on their syllabus to ensure that their students can complete the degree on time. Depending on the situation, the whole academic calendar might even be shifted around, which can be a bit of a hassle for international students as academic sessions might not align as it did before.

Change in classroom education

The good news is that not all is bad in the post-COVID world. The entire concept of classroom based education has gone for a toss, which could mean that revolutionary changes to the education system is in the pipeline. The concept of online classes are becoming more normalized and if in the future, it becomes the norm, international students can manage to access a major part of their education remotely and short offline sessions as needed. This helps them spend more time with family, as they would need to spend shorter time abroad.

Future and career prospects

Those graduating this year, sadly, might have to wait around till things get a little better, before they can secure a job or a higher education opportunity, especially in a different country. However, as working remotely is gaining momentum, there is a huge probability that more chances of employment will crop up, and borders will not matter anymore.

Every nation is currently reeling from the ravages of COVID-19, but it will not be long before international education bounces back again. Only this time, we will carry the lessons we have learned and come back stronger.