Indian students at International schools abroad are exposed to diversity of cultures and they have to be tolerant to different culture and mannerisms in the school environment.  It is a great opportunity for students to get exposed to global culture and get to understand different people much closely. In such a diverse educational scenario English language is the universal language and the only medium of bonding with new students and understanding their culture.

With the diversity of culture comes the challenge of different countries and different time zones.  Each student would connect with their parent at leisure time.  The difference in time zone may force student to talk to their parents either early in the morning or late in the night.  The room mates sharing rooms must be aware of this and be more understanding and cooperative with their room mates.

Open minded:

International high school definitely provides an opportunity for students to learn a lot and also gain exposure to global culture.  At the same time, it could take a while for the students to understand the cultural differences and appreciate each other.  Students should come with an open mind that they have to co-exist with all the differences.  They have to be friendly, give more space to their co-students and try to work around problems. Shambavi Jayaramaiah, IB Year-I student at EF International Academy says, “There is lot to know about different cultures by being at the high school than one could ever read on the internet.  I’m privileged to gain such an experience earlier in life so that I would be more prepared in my university years”.

Academics:

International high school programmes abroad attract students from different countries.  The Education system in each of these countries vary from each other.  Indian students with strong basics when they move abroad for their high school education will find the initial classes very simple and easy.  Whereas, a student from another country might not have had a similar education system in his country.  Teachers have the challenge of getting all the students to learn at equal pace and students also need to understand that it gets tougher as it goes and do not let over confidence creep in. Denby Christ, Student Guidance Counselor at the EF International Academy says, “Some students come over prepared for the IB Grade 11^th and 12^th. If astudent feels that the initial classes are not challenging enough then the student can seek his teacher’s advice on taking up more challenges through academic clubs.

Self-Responsible and Self- Reliant:

Students’ aspiring to study their high school abroad, need to have a defined goal to pursue after their high school education.  International boarding school atmosphere definitely gives student their space and be more focused and responsible.  Student’s performance at the high school becomes a cruicial factor for university admissions. A student gets lot of freedom to come out as a more responsible and self-reliant person.  The school always guides the students on the kind of choice that would best fit the students. Students grow up to be aware of their responsibilities and strictly adhere to the school policies and guidelines. This atmosphere fosters independent thinking, reasoning and decision making skills in students.  At EF International Academy students prepare for SAT Exams very weekend and also tour their first choice university and understand the admission process to be able to achieve their educational goals.

By Sunitha Perumal, Country Product Manager, EF International Academy