My family and I left London for the Netherlands when I was eight years old. I learned Dutch, made friends and went to an international school where I met people from all over the world.
So when I moved back to the UK to study at Warwick University, I was surprised that most students, when I asked where they lived, gave the same answer – “about two hours away”.
According to survey data from Education Phase, UK students travel an average of 91 miles from home to attend university.
A two hour drive is close enough for parents to pick students up at the end of term, but is far away enough that they don’t feel too close to home.
Nevertheless, there’s much to be gained from venturing beyond the two hour radius. The farther away you live from home, the more likely you are to experience a new culture and way of living, and become more independent.
Ines Boussebaa, 19, who has lived in France and the Netherlands and is currently a student at Boston University, says: “Being an international student definitely gives me a different attitude. I miss my family sometimes, but I’m good at being away from home.
“It enables me to focus on creating relationships with the people around me, without being distracted by going home. Many of my friends who go home at weekends are more distracted and have a hard time making friends.”
During my first term at Warwick, I missed the lively atmosphere I was used to at home. I made friends and had university work to focus on, but still felt lonely sometimes – especially when my housemates went home at weekends.
But in my second term I filled my spare time by joining societies and volunteering at a primary school.
Anna Berestova, 19, a student at the University of Sheffield who is originally from Russia, is on her year abroad in Barcelona at Pompeu Fabra University. “Being an international student means that you have a completely different attitude to everything,” she says. “I’m used to travelling and spending holidays away from my family.”
Berestova notes that few of her fellow students on years abroad in Barcelona are from the UK: “Sometimes I get the feeling that UK students are afraid to leave their comfort zones.”
Samantha Clark, 20, who is originally from Redcar in north east England, studies at Methodist University in North Carolina and recognises the difficulties of studying far from home.
“It can be difficult to adapt to a completely new way of life and balance my university workload without my family’s help and support,” she says.
But there are advantages, Clark adds: “Anyone who doesn’t consider moving away from home for university is missing out.
“They could be losing an opportunity to experience new cultures, and preventing themselves from growing as an individual by leaving their comfort zone.”
My comfort zone was my Dutch international school. But most of my fellow English literature students are British, which has taken some getting used to. Arguments between “northerners” and “southerners” were confusing at first, for example.
Karen Jones, an educational psychologist, says that when deciding where to study, students may face different pulls, such as financial and practical concerns. Some may be carers and have family to worry about.
“Studying abroad results in a very different perception of language and cultural barriers,” says Jones. “Some students might feel more inclined to accept challenges thrown at them.”
Abigail Day, 19, studies at the University of Warwick, which is just over two hours away by car from her home in Manchester. She didn’t want to be too close, but doesn’t think she’s missing out by not being farther away.
“Unless it was somewhere like North America, where I’d like to travel anyway, I wouldn’t choose to be any farther from home.”
Sandeep Purewal, 19, another Warwick student, lives at home and values the family time she gains by doing so. “I have two younger siblings and wanted to continue to help them with school work and be there for them.
“Some people would argue that moving out for university is important to teach you about responsibility, but I’m already more responsible than many students I know.”
Moving back to the UK has been difficult for me at times. It wasn’t easy setting up a bank account after having lived in the Netherlands for ten years with a British passport. I also get homesick during stressful times at university.
But I’m glad I chose to study in the UK – via apps like Whatsapp and Skype, I can communicate easily with my family anyway. I enjoy living in two countries and continuing my international learning experience.
Moving far away from home isn’t for everyone, but more UK students should at least consider it an option.
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