Traveling to a new country for the first time is often a daunting task. Students are exposed to strange climates, accents, food, cultures, and curriculum. In spite of the internet and films, books and television series, acclimatizing to all of it at once is a challenge.

To help students from India who are traveling to the United States, the most popular higher education destination for Indians, Qatar Airways has partnered with the United States India Educational Foundation (USIEF) for the Pre-departure Orientation.

The orientation programme is expected to reach out to more than 2,500 students across seven cities in India. During the sessions, the students will get an opportunity to interact with USIEF experts and receive the most updated, relevant and authentic information about the education programmes, systems and processes of several American institutions. This will be an incredibly useful experience since education in the US is mostly a solo endeavor. It demands both discipline and creativity. Students are expected to be self-motivated, lateral thinkers, willing to go well beyond the text book, although not completely off it.

While Universities often have welcome sections on their websites, and staff dedicated to easing the passage from a student’s home country to a new one, such initiatives are very welcome. To be well prepared for a momentuous journey is to begin well. And as the old proverb goes, well begun is half done.