Gone are the days when international education was only about studying and working in a foreign land. For over a decade, students' expectations of studying in developed countries like Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the USA, and the UK have been transforming radically. Students yearn to meet new people, experience the culture, and indulge in other social activities to keep them busy and moving forward.
Students today wish to indulge in a truly international lifestyle; from sipping soft drinks at blue beaches to experiencing food festivals, trekking, camping, and partying with fellow international pals, the needs and interests have shifted over the decades.
If you dream of studying abroad or if you've just landed overseas to study at your favourite university, then this is an informative read for you!
To help you get to a location you are looking for, finding a spot to spend your weekends, meeting people of your choice, finding a valentine, you'll find many versatile and savvy mobile applications while studying abroad. We have listed below a few popular apps that will help you live and explore your study destination, and spice up your study abroad journey!
Whether you are an android user or an iOS user, having a google browser can help you surf when other browsers are malfunctioning. Google Translate is one of the products of Google, aiding people to convert the text of a language to another instantly, just in time. For international students like you, the written communication on billboards, flyers and standees would be challenging to understand when written in other languages; be it understanding whats written on a restaurant's board, the public transport, pubs, university notices, community places, the written communication on billboards, flyers and standees, this app will help you understand and learn the local language.
Google translate also allows you to capture the text via a camera scanner and convert it into the language of your choice. This app enables you to convert over 100+ languages.
Though hundreds of one-to-one communication apps are available worldwide, WhatsApp is now one of the most reliable apps out there, with over 175 countries accepting it. You can send messages to your loved ones, share images, videos and make video calls seamlessly with better quality (from around the world). When you are far away from your friends and family, group video calls on WhatsApp may make your days and nights better. On the other side, you can also send and receive pdf study materials from your fellow students through WhatsApp.
Available in 120+ countries, XE is a currency converter and global money transfer application that helps international students see each country's real-time currency value and compare/convert from one country's currency to another. This app comes in handy when you hang out with your fellow university friends, and you need to quickly convert a product's or a piece of clothing's cost to your home country's value. Besides, you can also diligently plan your budgets and finances with this app.
Another added advantage is that you can send and receive money globally through this app. Whether you need to receive money from your family or send money to anyone in your home country, this app comes across as a super handy tool for students.
Mint is one of the most favourite international students' apps owing to its customised money management & budgeting feature. Right from managing your monthly bills to automated reminders to pay bills on time, this app is perfect for newbies living overseas.
Mint aids international students to create a customised budget specific to their needs, based on everyday spending and other essentials. And guess what? The budgeting feature is fantastic for planning your weekly trips with your friends and helps you to plan & prepare for solo trips.
As an international student, learning a new language is necessary to communicate with people and also an opportunity to converse with native speakers. For instance, if you prefer homestay to university accommodation, you can chat with the host family every day. But if you need to learn more and master the language, then Duolingo is a must-have app. This top-rated app helps you write, read, speak, and listen in 25+ languages using a gamification theme to enable learning fun and straightforward.
If you are studying in Australia or wish to study in Australia, you shouldn't miss visiting the beaches across the country. Guess what? There are over 10,000 beaches in Australia. So, whether you want to surf or rejuvenate yourself, you can find beautiful beaches such as Whitehaven Beach, Shelly Beach, Brighton Beach and much more.
Beachsafe is an indigenous app created to find nearby beaches, which helps check if a particular beach is guarded by surf lifesavers and monitors all the beaches' real-time security status in Australia. This app is available in 72 languages, making it easier for international students to access and benefit from it.
Circle of Six is a unique app that allows international students to stay connected to their friends. For instance, you can locate your missing friend while at a concert to check out how far they are from you and seek help if anything goes wrong in contacting him/her. In order to use this app efficiently, you should set up the app with 6 of your much need people or close friends number, and seek help instantly in an emergency.
There's no wonder that Tinder finds a spot on this list! With over 50 million users, this app is an ideal tool for meeting people online and dating in the territory you study in. With the recent Global Mode, you can search and swipe people of your choice, and surprisingly, you might find your valentine in your dream study destination.
One of the best options in Tinder is that it allows users to link the Tinder account to their Instagram account. The proximity and distance setting also helps you filter the geographical area you are looking to search & swipe.
It's always a lot of fun meeting new people overseas with similar interests, right? Meetup is a community social app that has groups of diverse niches. Most groups in this app accept international students to meet, explore places and share their experiences. There are instances where you can meet people of remarkably similar interests, become friends, and stay together to experience a new lifestyle. Some of the most common niches include, diet groups, nightlife, students in Adelaide, gamers, and LGBT.
Ever wondered about talking to an unknown someone you've seen from afar on-campus? Missed seeing your new crush at the library in the blink of an eye? Well, then you can avoid such scenarios with this app! You can make everything happen your way with the Happn app.
Happn allows users to view the people they have crossed during the day. So, whether it was at a packed party or in a busy lecture, you get another chance with Happn to connect and create an impression. So go on, stroll over, and strike that conversation with your new interest!
Do you wish to clear the noise and indulge in a new diverse social app? Bumble is the solution for you! While the working principle is similar to Tinder, Bumble is a unified app to meet friends, professionals and also to date a person of your choice. One of the desirable features of this app is letting women initiate the conversation and put them in the priority seat!
The app shows people of varied interests with geography limits pre-set by the users when it comes to friends and business mode. Whether you want to connect and hang out with a fellow international student or communicate with a professional in your industry in business mode, this app serves as a brilliant 360 degrees solution for international students like you!
Here are a few tips to securely use dating apps in a foreign land:
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