Studying outside Spain: training for work and travelling for a better future
Around 40,000 Spaniards are studying Master’s degrees, university degrees or postgraduate courses abroad,
These are official figures from the Ministry of Education.
The main destinations are the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States and France.
According to the Círculo de Formación, almost 9 out of 10 young Spaniards would be willing to develop their professional career outside Spain.
And around 65 per cent are thinking of studying for a Master’s degree beyond Spain’s borders.
The trend is growing: studying abroad is already one of the first alternatives for Spanish university students.
If we count students in secondary education, the number of young Spaniards abroad is around 120,000.
Brazil: a university destination on the rise
Brazil receives 100,000 students from abroad every year.
According to the Times Higher Education Latin America University Rankings, 43 of its universities are among the 130 best in South America.
Currently, 5,000 Brazilian students and researchers come to Spain every year and 1,000 Spaniards cross the Atlantic Ocean to Brazil.
Today, Brazil is the eighth largest economic power in the world, ahead of the United Kingdom and France, and following in the footsteps of China, the United States, India, Japan, Germany, Russia and Indonesia.
It is the leading power in Latin America and the second in the Americas.
Advantages of travelling for training
- It opens the mind to new life scenarios and increases cognitive capacity.
- Getting to know new ways of thinking and entering into other cultures increases tolerance and respect for the other and the unknown.
- Reduces or eradicates prejudices and stereotypes about cultural differences and customs of other societies.
- Interpersonal relationships are multiplied while individual social skills are increased.
- People who study abroad become more autonomous and independent.
- Taking control of your private life eliminates existential fears of leaving the familiar comfort zone.
- The process of maturation and self-knowledge is accelerated.
- One’s own culture is valued more highly.
- Being away from home makes you more sensitive, assertive and empathetic to other people’s opinions and points of view.
- Studying abroad fosters critical thinking and the ability to engage in dialogue and consensus-building.
- You learn new languages on the spot
- Improve your CV at prestigious international institutions.
- Expand your academic and professional networks.
- You get more job opportunities and the possibility of working anywhere in the world.
- You become a cosmopolitan citizen open to all possible futures.
As the Persian poet, mathematician and astronomer Omar Khayyam once said, “life is a journey and he who travels lives twice”.
Initiatory journeys
In all times and in all cultures there are myths about journeys.
Journeys in the real and metaphorical sense, going from one place to another, both to the outskirts and to the depths of the soul.
Many of the initiatory journeys are loaded with a strong cultural symbolism.
They are often momentous rites of passage in people’s lives, especially from youth to adulthood.
Heroes learn on the journey who they are and what their mission in life is.
In a way, studying abroad is a special rite of passage: leaving the family home to embark on the adventure of fending for oneself and learning about life without outside help.
The Greek philosopher and father of the scientific method, Aristotle, said that “adventure is worth it”.
A well-planned journey of initiation, with serious and specific study objectives, brings immediate benefits:
* Personal and social maturation
* Expansion of consciousness
* A journey full of diverse adventures
* Increased self-confidence
* Practical learning to persevere in the conquest of the proposed goals.
Ulysses and Don Quixote de la Mancha are two illustrious fictional characters who undertook their particular initiatory journeys for very different personal reasons.
In any case, both needed to fulfil themselves as transcendent and moral beings.
The journey was their life: the lifelong learning of our times.
Learning never quite ends.
Tips before you go abroad
You’re one step away from making the most important decision of your life: going abroad to study.
But you still have a lot of doubts.
And fears, why not say it.
You’re forced to think about a lot of things and your head is spinning.
Stop, take a deep breath and simplify.
What should you think about?
* About the culture, language, customs, gastronomy and accommodation systems of your destination country.
* Opening a global bank account to avoid problems and unpleasant surprises with your credit and/or debit cards.
* Taking out universal and efficient health insurance so that in the event of illness or accident, you will receive quality health care.
* To weigh up the possibilities of accessing public or private scholarships or grants.
* Having your passport in order
* Going alone or with other acquaintances or friends?
* You must choose a postgraduate, master’s or university degree that can be recognised in your country of origin.
Dental specialties
It is best to choose options that include a clinical residency.
The most sought-after specialties internationally are:
* General implant dentistry
* Tissue regeneration
* Dental aesthetics
* Advanced oral surgery
* Oral and maxillofacial surgery
* Zygomatic implants
Not sure what to choose?
Don’t worry, inspiration will come to you when you least expect it.
Think like the writer and logico-mathematician Lewis Carroll, who said that “if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there”.
So, enjoy your study stay abroad.
The destination is waiting for you.
Go with everything and you’ll come back with much more.
Travelling, learning and training have the same goal: to live life more and better.
More intensely.
And with better prospects for the future.