Why Study In The UK?
Find out why studying in the UK can be one of the most fulfilling experiences in your life
We’re happy to hear you are excited about studying in the UK. Aside from a quality education, there are lots of unspoken benefits from the cultural immersion, the experience of living abroad, as well as the connections made overseas. Here is why studying in a boarding school in UK can be a great experience.
Complete acceptance, care and understanding
Pupils of all religious faiths and background are welcomed at boarding schools and they fit it straightaway owing to the understanding and mutual respect which staff members and other students have in abundance.
Knowing that children will have the best pastoral and academic structures in place, parents can relax in knowing that the school will act in the role of the parents with great compassion and skill.
Every boarding school has a set of core values which need to be researched to avoid any unwelcome surprises. Many schools are of a religious foundation with a particular spiritual code and this may have an impact upon the type of education offered.
Those who are non-religious in faith-based schools may be required to the follow the customs a particular school promotes. A large number Hong Kong and Malaysian students do attend secular schools.
Overall, the boarding school is one big, happy community with a caring environment which is geared towards providing each child with the opportunities needed to develop their personal talents to the full.
A thriving youth culture
The UK has a dynamic and thriving youth culture. Previously reserved and unconfident Hong Kong and Malaysian students do come out of their shell in a culture which is well-known for its creative capacities in multiple spheres of life which a student may become interested in.
The opportunity to participate in world-famous media, traditional British sports and music events gives Hong Kong and Malaysian students the chance to show their true colors and developing personalities.
The benefits of cultural awareness
Living and studying in the UK creates the opportunity to experience something new – to be much more than a tourist. The benefits that Hong Kong and Malaysian children will gain from a period of study in this cultural hotspot are wide-ranging and everlasting. One of the main advantages is developing a sense of cultural awareness – a process where comparisons between the children’s own and host culture are made.
Children can be taught to embrace diversity and to be inclusive at home and at school. However, allowing them to discover and witness first-hand traditional beliefs, meanings of words, phrases, gestures, customs, significant holidays and rituals in Britain itself, will have a lasting impact on their character development and appreciation of both positive and negative aspects of cultural differences.
Certainly, the acquisition of analytical skills is an important part of this personal growth, and children will be able to suspend judgments and lessen their dependence on stereotypes.
In becoming culturally aware, our children will realize that there are multiple ways to reach the same goal and to live their lives. It is crucial to reach this ‘My Way and Their Way’ level of cultural awareness because, when people know that tasks can be carried out according to both their own behaviour patterns and those familiar to another culture, a reasonable solution can be adopted according to the situation.
Eventually, the final stage will be met where people from different cultural backgrounds are brought together to create shared meanings and new rules to meet the needs of a particular situation.
Overall, there are several levels of cultural awareness, and the optimum stage can be encountered after a period of study abroad.
Our experiences, our cultural backgrounds and our values lead us to see and do things in a certain way. Enabling children to step outside of their cultural boundaries in order to realize the impact that their culture has on their behaviour can again have a great influence on their personal development.
They can only really do this by living in a foreign country.
However, what is considered an appropriate behaviour in one culture is quite often inappropriate in another. Children will learn to be to be conscious of judging other people’s behaviour and beliefs according to the standards of their own culture. Comparisons cannot always be made, which is why tolerance is key when it comes to cultural diversity and cultural exchange.
Finally, we need to be one step ahead of the rest and think about the future.
By studying abroad at prestigious institutions, we believe that our students can develop the character and abilities they will need to become the next generation of leaders. And – what about entrepreneurs?
They need to be able to understand differences in behaviour, and subtle dynamics of social space in each culture. We all have ambitions for our children, and fully respecting the value of cultural awareness will go a long, long way when it comes to your children’s future.
Experience tells us that, after years of studying and living abroad, a deeply rooted multicultural ethic can be found, honored and maintained.
The Adventure Element
We Britannians all concur that a major reason families should send their children to the UK is because of its unique culture. The learning experience is not just confined to the classroom. There really is so much to discover in the UK.
Whether you are looking for a secondary school, a university or just looking for a summer of fun and a taste of the most fascinating island in the world – Britain – we make all the arrangements so that Hong Kong and Malaysian students can settle into a wholly new and exciting environment immediately and in complete comfort.
Everything we do is about creating an exceptional experience for students while they study abroad. We respond to each student’s specific needs. From the first moment you make contact with us, you can be assured that we will be working closely with you – only offering well-informed and thoughtful advice, from your children’s study path right through to the best IPhone app to call home.
We would like to make the application procedure for Hong Kong and Malaysian families as least stressful as possible. Step-by-step, we can take you through the process, and assist you in getting your children on the academic ladder of success. This includes assistance with transport arrangements, translation of documents and reports, guardianship recommendation, and special pre-departure sessions for students.
At Britannia, we like to go one step further and put ourselves in the shoes of prospective students to take the pressure off families. This explains why we carry out our services with precision and care, using all of our collective experience as former students ourselves with moving to and living in the UK.
Now that we have built solid and surely lasting relations with over 300 leading UK independent schools, we are the number one choice to help Hong Kong and Malaysian students shine and get the most out of their time in the UK.