How to cope with stress arising from leaving home to study abroad?

Going away from home to a university in a foreign country is exciting, but it may also be a bit worrying. It might be the first time in your life that you will live far away from your family and friends, in a different country, where people speak a different language and where, at first, everything is unknown. Do not fret! You are not alone, hundreds of foreign students arrive in Poland every year to study. We are here to help you and guide you along the way. During our webinar, we will talk about all these matters and answer any questions you might have.

Meeting focus

Our expert, cross-cultural psychologist Radosław Stanczewski, Ph.D., will talk about the most frequent stressors related to moving away from home to a foreign university and how to cope with them. We will focus on the following topics:

• Most common stress triggers associated with moving abroad to study at a university
• Dealing effectively with the worry related to being alone far away from home
• Effectively managing anxiety arising from the need to communicate in a foreign language or insufficient proficiency in a foreign language
• Dealing with fear of loneliness or rejection
• Dealing with concerns related to the cost of living and finances
• Fear of loneliness and rejection
• Strategies for minimizing stress and coping with stress. Tried and true tips on how to prepare for the move to a foreign university from a psychological perspective
• How to approach your move to a foreign country with optimism

Our experts

Expert

Radosław Stanczewski

Cross-cultural psychologist

Radosław Stanczewski is a cross-cultural psychologist, specializing in international education, global mobility and university partnerships. He is also Sustainability Officer and Member of the Governing Board of the GLOBAL MINDS Consortium of Universities that offer a Joint Master's Degree in Psychology of Global Mobility, Inclusion and Diversity in Society.

Host

Dorota Słowińska

International Admissions Officer, psychology student at SWPS University

“Working with candidates and students from around the world gives me a lot of satisfaction. I graduated from a secondary school in Dublin, Ireland, so as someone who has experienced the process of moving to a foreign country as well as learning in a foreign school, in a foreign language, I know how important the support of the institution and its employees is for the newcomers.”

This project is financed by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange under the Welcome to Poland programme