Neither option is universally better, and cost comparisons that skip total cost of living miss most of the real picture. Here's how the two paths compare, programme by programme.
CPT and OPT aren't the same thing, and using too much full-time CPT can quietly eliminate your OPT eligibility later. Here's what distinguishes them.
Culture shock is not a sign you made the wrong choice; it is the normal arc of moving your whole life to a new country. Here is how to move through it, since fighting it rarely works.
The first weeks in a new country set the tone for the whole experience. Here is how to spend them so the essentials get handled and you start to belong, well past merely coping.
Sending your child abroad to study is a proud and anxious thing at once. This is a guide to helping them leave well prepared, and to knowing where your help ends and their independence begins.
You are moving your life for a year, but you are not carrying your whole life in a suitcase. Here is how to pack for a year abroad, so you land with what you truly need and buy the rest there.
For your first year in a new country, where you live shapes almost everything else. Here is an honest comparison of university halls and private renting, and how to tell which fits your first year abroad.
Arriving in a new country with nowhere settled to live is a stressful way to begin. Here is how to line up somewhere to stay before you land, without falling for a scam or overpaying from a distance.
Health cover is often a visa condition, not an optional extra, and getting it wrong can delay your arrival. Here is what international student health cover is and how to work out what you need.
Opening a bank account abroad often takes longer than students expect, and the gap is where problems start. Here is how student banking abroad works, and what to arrange before you fly.