Making the decision to study abroad could prove to be one of the most difficult but important decisions of your life. There are so many different options within Europe for people to go and study for a few years and come back to the UK (or not) with a formal qualification. A massive plus to all of this is the need for you to learn a new language. Although English is well understood and spoken in most parts of Europe, the UK and Ireland are the only two countries where it is the primary language. Before you embark on your journey there are a number of things you should consider.
Costs
Unfortunately, it is a sad state of affairs but students normally end their studies with a large debt. This can be accumulated from things such as student loans but also the cost of the courses can be tens of thousands of pounds per year. How all of this is to be funded should be a consideration in advance. You will also find that generally students will hold a second job of some sort where they try to earn a little bit of extra funds. It may be advisable to have a conversation with a financial advisor beforehand in order to make sure that you have thought about all the possible expenditure and how this would be funded. Coimbra is not particularly an expensive place to study in when compared to UK studying costs.
Where to Stay
If It is really important that you research your student accommodation options in advance. If you don’t get this correct then you could end up not enjoying your overall experience or you could end up in a bit of a bother with contracts or finances. There are companies such as Collegiate that offer students the opportunity to stay in Coimbra. These accommodations are designed and rented to only students that are studying in this city (or nearby ones). The quality of the Coimbra based student accommodation is extremely good and any independent reviews that you read online generally all give them the thumbs up. In a perfect location in the city, you will be very close to the restaurants, bars but also the university. In addition to this, there are very good transport links nearby in case you are studying outside the city.
Language Barrier
It is very common for a lot of people in Europe to speak English (or at least understand it) but in Coimbra the most common language spoken is Portuguese. If you already are able to speak Spanish then you are half way there as Portuguese is very similar to it and there are a lot of common words. If you don’t have any of this language skill then there are many different apps available to download for free where you can learn basic conversational skills. Otherwise you may wish to attend a course or class in advance or when you are there.
Image Credits: stanislava.kudinova
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