How is life abroad

We expected depth to be more important than breadth because the longer people live abroad, the more opportunities they have to engage in self-discerning reflections; in contrast, whether these experiences occur in a single foreign country or in multiple foreign countries should be less important. A study involving MBA students confirmed our prediction and found that the depth—but not the breadth—of living abroad experiences predicted a clearer sense of self. What implications might these findings have for the corporate world?

One possible consequence is that a clearer sense of self might produce a better alignment between how people see themselves and how others see them, both of which are captured in degree feedback systems. A high level of congruence indicates that students view themselves in a similar way as others view them. Congruence is related to self-concept clarity because when people have a clear understanding of themselves, they are more likely to project a clear and consistent self-image to others.

In line with the results of the previous study, we found that the depth—but not the breadth—of living abroad experiences predicted higher congruence between self- and other-evaluations. Our work also has important implications for career management.

Surveying a sample of 98 international MBA students, we found once again that the depth rather than the breadth of living abroad experiences predicted a clearer sense of self. This heightened clarity about themselves then translated into a heightened clarity about their post-graduation plans: Those who lived abroad for longer were more likely to say they were clear about what they wanted to do with their careers after their MBA program. Overall, we found consistent evidence for the positive effect of living abroad on self-concept clarity across different groups online panels and MBA students from many different countries , methods correlational and experimental , and measures of self-concept clarity self-reports and degree ratings.

One caveat is that we cannot conclusively rule out the possibility that the effect could also go in the other direction and that a clear sense of self can also predispose people to live abroad.

The most stringent causal test of our arguments would entail randomly assigning people to live abroad or to remain in their home country and then tracking their levels of self-concept clarity; not surprisingly, this type of design was beyond the scope of what we could do with these particular studies.

One interesting direction for future research would be to explore when living abroad does not lead to a clearer sense of self. It is plausible that if people never overcome this anxiety, living abroad would likely be an alienating and bewildering experience that prevents them from developing a clear sense of self and reaping the range of benefits that come with it.

Most people, however, eventually overcome this phase. The choices you make will decide the kind of future you have abroad so make sure you plan and make decisions carefully. Good luck! Article Source: Jobstreet. What's life like in abroad. New-found Freedom Working or living abroad will help you experience a new-found freedom. Meeting new friends and leaving old ones behind While you meet new friends, it is also inevitable that you lose old ones. New stories to tell The stories you experience and pick up during your stint overseas will help shape your own personal adventure.

Many people suggest that you pick one night a week to reach out to loved ones and still stay in the loop on what's going on at home, but try to spend the rest of your time making new friends and seeking out helpful connections. You find the perfect accommodation, and you even have an internship at one of the top startups in the city. When you live in a new city, there will always be a learning curve.

Like with all things, living abroad gets easier with time. Now that you have more information on the benefits of working or studying abroad, you may be ready to apply for business opportunities or to exchange programs, find accommodation and pack your bags!

Whether your plan is to work abroad or study overseas, this is sure to be one of the best adventures of your life. The latest on travel, languages and culture by EF Education First. Back Topics. By Isabelle. Home is where the heart is When you move abroad, you will join a special club: You will have two addresses, two languages, and two currencies in your wallet.

Care packages start to mean a lot Even though we can order almost anything online these days, getting a care package a box of treats from back home is better than perfect hair on your birthday. Goodbyes get easier sort of Even though hardly anyone is good at putting the good back into goodbye, farewells do get a little easier over time.

Friendships intensify Moving away and putting a large body of water or land between you and people you care about is hard. Challenges look different Sure, living by the ocean is amazing. The show goes on with or without you Tough love: Exciting things will happen without you — friends will get married, babies will be born, and legendary parties will be thrown. You start doing as the locals do Little by little, you will become a local.

Live abroad while learning a language Learn More. We'd love to stay in touch Get the latest on travel, languages and culture with our newsletter. Helena St.