Friday, April 20, 2018

The experiences and journey abroad - #DefinitelyPTE

Most of us know from experiences of friends, families, social media platforms, movies, etc  that traveling is never a flawless art, especially for students going abroad.

No matter how on top of things an individual may believe oneself to be, students are still eligible for curve balls when studying abroad in a foreign land with vastly varying forms and norms of culture, languages, and ways of life.

If one encounters a problem while on the study abroad trip, one should not panic as these things happen to nearly everyone at some point, should they venture out into a country with which they are unfamiliar.

Here are some of the most common study abroad problems one may face - 

a) Language and communication issues - 
One might have studied Spanish for 6 years, but one finds that once the individual steps off the plane in Barcelona that one can’t understand anyone around oneself. This is likely because there’s no real way to teach someone a language such that they can understand every idiom and every element of regional slang that native speakers are used to using. And this might stress the individual considerably, seeing that communication is imperative when one is on their own in an entirely new environment far from what one knows.

b) Fear of being left out and missing - 
When one is meandering around the new city struggling just to find a good breakfast place, it’s easy to feel like an outsider. One must not let the fact that one is new to the country get spirits down if basic tasks become much harder in the new environment. It’s understandable that one will need time to adjust to such a different environment than one usually operates in.

c) Currency issues - 
If an individual has never left the country before, using a new form of money can be really odd at first. One starts wondering how the usual currency translates into the new currency, how to use a new type of currency, and most importantly, if one will have enough money to last the whole trip.

d) Home-sickness - 
For many students who embark on a study abroad trip, it’s their first time going somewhere far away on their own, and it’s their first time being so far from their closest friends and family. Anxiety can become a huge problem abroad if one feels less than confident about taking care of oneself in a brand new place especially when the usual support group cannot come over to comfort overseas.

e) Managing finances - 
Like all students, one will find it hard to stay on top of the finances from time to time. When one is living abroad, it can be harder as one is often juggling one's living expenses on top of study expenses. Worries about the finances can really drag a person down, and make one feel alone or stressed.



Thus, we can see that growing up is a tough process and being on our own during such a sensitive period is another inevitable milestone one has to reach. Sometimes, being a student’s feels like this never-ending experiment some prodigy has invented, and enjoys piloting over our life. Once a person gets a grip on that joystick, one will face and beat all of the challenges that one won’t be able to avoid once one steps foot on this foreign land of opportunities.

PTE Academic is the world's leading computer-based English Language test of English for studying abroad and immigration.

  • FastPTE Academic typically delivers results in five business days, so the test taker does not need to worry about waiting for results.

  • Flexible Test Dates - The test is run into sessions 360 days of the year, at one of over 200 locations worldwide, so one can choose a time and place that suits the individual.

  • ApprovedApproved by the Australian and New Zealand governments for visa applications and accepted by thousands of institutions in the UK, Australia, USA, Canada, New Zealand, and Ireland, including Harvard University, Yale University and INSEAD.

  • SecureEnhanced Security measure at PTE Academic including palm-vein scanning, randomised test forms and data forensics – give universities confidence that the scores can be trusted.

  • Unlimited score referrals - Candidates can send their scores to an unlimited number of institutions without additional fees via their secure online account.

  • No bias - The test is scored by computer so it doesn’t matter where test takers come from or what they look like, PTE Academic only tests their English skills.

The structure of the test is
PTE Academic consists of three main parts and there are 20 different question types. The test is an integrated skills test, each question type assessing one language skill or a combination of language skills. Question types are task-based, representing the range of functions and situations that students will encounter in an English speaking environment.

The Scoring Pattern/Evaluation - 
PTE Academic is scored against the Global Scale of English, a granular scale from 10-90. The PTE Academic Score Report includes the test taker’s overall score, communicative skills scores and enabling skills scores.

Preparation
Like any test, test takers should prepare by becoming familiar with the test format and learn how to tackle questions correctly. Pearson offers test takers a range of resources designed to help maximize their scores online: pearsonpte.com/prepare.


The above points make it imperative for an individual to chose #DefinitelyPTE.