If you are an innovative scientist with a focus on sustainable development and you want to prove yourself with research that can be the next big idea to change the world, you are a perfect fit to participate in DAAD Green Talent Competition for International Students in Germany.
Studying abroad is often regarded as an opportunity with numerous rewards, however, the amount of risks associated are mostly disregarded. Living away from your homeland, in a completely different country, with their own set of values, traditions, culture and language could be a difficult bullet to dodge for students and learners. But do not worry. If you are planning on becoming part of the international student community, here are 7 tips for students to stay safe in a land and culture you have no clue about.
The first and the foremost step is to gather information about the destination you are planning to select, by researching important facts about the place. Travel advisories can help students to get a know-how of the local demographics, which parts of the country are safe, what modes of public transportation are available and what scams and frauds one should avoid getting into. Guidebooks can also provide you with authentic local information about the country’s cultural values, customs, history, practices, etiquettes and language.
While researching about the destination, pay close attention to the customary practices and statutory laws of the country. A number of countries have strict laws which could potentially lead to trouble and punishments. In some countries, alcohol is permitted, while in some countries it is banned completely. Similarly, in some countries pork and beef are banned, while in some countries eating such type of meat is permitted. Moreover, in some countries raising discussions on sensitive topics is illegal. Hence, living in a completely foreign land, with different cultural norms will also impact your ways of interacting and raising discussions in the public sphere.
Always make extra copies of important travel documents including passport, hotel documentation and visa details, and set them aside from your original documents. You should also keep a digital copy of these documents in your laptop, tablets and smartphones. In case, your original documents are lost, stolen or misplaced, keeping a copy can speed up the process of acquiring documents again from the authorities. Note down or save important emergency numbers, including police, embassy or consulate, before leaving your homeland. Try and learn some basic phrases in the native language so that you can communicate and ask for the help of locals if needed.
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention maintains a website to guide travellers about the common medications and vaccinations while moving to other parts of the world. If you are travelling to a country, get the medications and vaccinations recommended by the authorities. Seek help from medical professionals or experts who can advise you about how to make it through regular infections like flu and cough. If you are diagnosed with a specific disease, take stock of medications along that will last the trip. Also make sure to check with local authorities about health and safety insurance and get a plan for your stay as a student, for getting medicated in a foreign land without insurance could mean the end of your finances as well as your studies.
Before heading out to a foreign land for studies, it is a good idea to secure your smartphone and other digital devices with passwords. Get apps like Apple’s Find My iPhone or Google’s Find My Device that can help you locate your phone or at least erase your phone’s memory in case it is lost or stolen. In some countries, particularly ones where hacking is rampant, or the use of the internet is highly restricted, take a throwaway phone along, so that you can easily erase the memory after returning to your homeland. Majority of countries allow you to buy pre-paid SIM cards to contact your loved ones back home. Carry a mobile hotspot with roaming services instead of relying on open Wifi services.
Pick-pocketing and baggage theft are some of the most common crimes that travellers fall prey to, particularly ones who are negligent of the things happening around them. Keep track of your personal belongings and always keep an eye on them. If you are travelling via road, avoid travelling at night time. Be wary of overly kind strangers who offer to help you about the new place. Such scammers can spot a newbie from miles away and trusting easily could land you in major trouble.
Avoid moving to countries that are undergoing political or civil unrest. If you somehow land in such a country, steer clear of demonstrations and protests. Although such demonstrations can provide insights into local politics, but chances of them turning violent are always high. Regularly monitor local news and social media for drawing important information about the country you are planning to travel. Travel insurance policies can help you with getting out of a particular country in case situation there gets out of hands.
Inspiration from QS Top Universities.
Exchange schools have been the backbone of culture exchange in countries dedicated to improvement of academic standards. Council of International Educational Exchange (CIEE) is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to promoting international education and exchange since 1947.
Berlin is considered the ideal place to be an entrepreneur in Germany. The city has a thriving startup culture and welcomes innovative ideas with open arms. But against many successful entrepreneurs in Berlin, there are hundreds of stories of failure that go around. In order to make entrepreneurial matters clearer for any of our readers who wish to do their own thing in Berlin or even Pakistan, The Academia Magazine talked to Michael Katzman. Katzman works with investment banks and also trains entrepreneurial students for corporate recruiting and startups.
Once Warren Buffet was asked about the secret to his success and wealth, to which he replied that he read 500 pages on a daily basis. This is the magic of reading books, they open doors to an imaginative world, build a connection of the fictitious realms with everyday realities and possess the power to melt your heart and evoke emotions. Books are the best guide, motivator, influencer and friend; the one that can change your perspectives and outlooks towards life and can help you to delve deeper into the mundane affairs of life, love, relationships, death and self-identity.
Educators, academicians and researchers are now much more aware of the problems and difficulties faced by children with special needs and endorse the utilization of technology to support and assist them. Special education needs can refer to the individual requirements of children with learning difficulties and disabilities, including verbal, cognitive, sensory, developmental and neuropsychological handicaps. Special children require additional assistance from teachers and parents in order to perform well in academic settings and new educational trends for special children are emerging across the first world.
Bullying in educational institutes is a concerning issues in almost every country of the world, but unfortunately the malaise receives little or no attention in Pakistan. With the increasing decline of parental interference in schools, bullying in educational institutions of Pakistan has increased significantly in the last five years. In order to know the consequences of bullying in Pakistan we discuss the basic understanding of what bullying is, its reasons, types, legality and above all, the measures Pakistani students can take to avoid bullying at educational institutes.
What Is Bullying?
Disparity of social or physical supremacy distinguishes bullying from normal conflict. All over the world, bullying is a notorious act, where people repeatedly or habitually use physical strength to inflict physical or emotional harm to or threat others. This perceived or real power imbalance due to various reasons empowers some people to harass or threat others both physically and verbally, which is resultantly called bullying. Both who bully and are bullied by others may have serious physiological problems in the long-run and may need additional care and attention to break free of the harmful effects of bullying, whichever end of this social disease they are.
Reasons Of Bullying:
Per a latest report, Pakistan takes 22nd place in a list of 25 countries studied for a research on the rate of bullying. There are numerous reasons researchers consider the root cause for a person or a group of individuals bullying others. These include race, religion, social class, sexual positioning, appearance, physical or mental strength, size or aptitude, social conducts, gender, body type, character, and in many cases social reputation.
Types Of Bullying
Researchers have been studying this abnormal behavior of humans for years and find that bullying can be diverse in nature, which is why bullying has been categories in the following ways:
Common Types of Bullies in Pakistan:
How Pakistani Students Can Deal With Bullying & Bullies:
In the diverse cultural ethnicity of Pakistani society, bullies come in many types, groups, shapes and dimensions. Most of the Pakistani students have had to deal with a bully or a group of bullies as child or as an adult. Recent reports reveal that one in four children in Pakistan have faced bullying at least once at some point during their academic life.
It is the responsibility of government, educational institutes and civil society to spread awareness about how students can deal with bullies.
But as there is a serious dearth of the same, here are some tips students of every age can use to counter bullying at educational institutes
Strive With High Self-Esteem
High self-esteem is the key coping with adversity. It not only stops the cycle of bullying but also helps you see the positivity in worse situations.
In order to deal keep your sanity and self-esteem intact, follow these simple rules of thumb:
Intensify Your Strengths:
In many cases bullies feel comfortable preying on targets who they perceive as weak. So developing a counter-combat impression can help discourage them. To become a deterrent for bullies:
Stop the cycle of bullying:
Many bullies use a mixture of different strategies to emotionally, verbally and even physically abuse you. Despite whatever the type they are using, try to understand the approach and things that trigger them. Stopping the cycle is very important if you want to avoid this behavior of bullies.
Bullying in Pakistan is a serious issue, but it can be solved or at least can be reduced if our government, educational institutes, teachers and religious scholars play a healthy role to teach students about it.
Also Pakistani media, along with social media activists, should step up efforts to highlight this social ill and launch regular public awareness campaigns on bullying in schools, colleges and universities.
A person bullied always feels he or she is the only one who is being bullied. In fact there are thousands of others in Pakistan as well as around the world that face this hardship each day.
Staying strong and not letting someone’s mental ill-health affect you is the key.
We really hope that this article helped you a little in coping with bullying. Maybe it will help others as well if you share it with your friends. We would love you to give us feedback in the comment section.
A PhD is a postgraduate doctoral degree that is awarded to students who complete an original thesis offering a significant new contribution to knowledge in a particular subject. These qualifications are offered for all subjects and are considered the highest level of academic degree a person can achieve. In a conversation with Academia Magazine, Matiullah Tareen, a PhD scholar from Balochistan, Pakistan shared his views to outline how PhD in Germany should be approached by Pakistani students. He is one of the few students funded by a joint venture between HEC and DAAD through a scholarship titled ‘Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan’.
Travelling to a foreign country for studies can be a stressful affair, especially if you do not prepare well for the journey and your stay in the foreign land. To help you get up to speed with preparing for this crucial foray into an unknown world, our correspondent in Germany details the things that Pakistani students travelling abroad you need to focus on while they plan their departure for a foreign country.
Commonly, the term ‘mental health’ is misinterpreted as most of us use it as the substitute world for mental illness. In a nutshell, mental health refers to psychological and emotional well-being that affects how an individual feels, performs and thinks. Mental health also refers to the mental potential of an individual that he or she needs to cope with the usual stresses of day to day life, without affecting their general behavior.