Gearing Up for Success: Must-Have Tech for International Students

Being a university student is challenging, especially in the current economic context. Besides these difficulties, students must also be prepared to face the high tuition fees and costs for the educational materials teachers provide. 

But international students have it worse, so they must be prepared for any possible occurrence, from the obvious language barrier to social and cultural differences. Indeed, universities are proud to have an increasing number of overseas students, but they should better provide them with decent learning conditions and environments. 

Taking the steps toward higher education isn’t easy, but now students wonder if their degrees were worth the struggle since they find it difficult to get employed in their area of study. 

However, students still need to make considerable efforts to graduate with excellent grades to get opportunities for which they need proper technological support. So, here’s what devices or gadgets you may need if you’re learning at an international university. 

A durable and reliable smartphone

Technology is a vital part of the learning process in the modern day, so a proper smartphone will help you significantly during your studies. It can be used for online classes, reading documents and creating projects, so you won’t need a laptop if your smartphone is advanced enough. Still, regardless of your device model, when going abroad, it would be best to have an eSIM card so you can stay connected online and on the phone without unknown costs.

Choosing a sturdy smartphone isn’t easy because so many models are on the market. Still, it’s best to choose between Android and Apple phones because they’re the best brands. For example, the iPhone 14 is water-resistant, has an aluminum build and a qualitative display, so it will last you longer. However, Apple is known for smartphones with slow charging speeds.

If you’re a Samsung fan and your study field involves creativity, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra model comes with an S Pen for taking notes or drawing sketches and has considerable storage for all your school documents. Another great Android smartphone is the Google Pixel 6 Pro, of which battery will last you a lot during longer classes. It’s also compatible with Google Fi eSIM, so you’ll have the best network connectivity when studying.

Noise-canceling headphones for studying

Universities tend to be a little noisy, especially when you’re on campus since most international students live there. It might be difficult to concentrate on reading or writing a report when there’s a party near your dorm, so the best solution is to invest in qualitative noise-canceling phones.

They will also be great for calls with your family from your hometown.

If you’ve been on TikTok for a while, you may have noticed the trend of wearing the WH-1000XM4 Sony headphones as an accessory, as their sleek design looks great with every outfit. But besides the looks, these noise-canceling headphones are some of the best on the market.

Their premium features of industry-leading noise-canceling optimizers will help you concentrate anytime. They operate through touch control, have a battery life of over 30 hours and have a foldable design to fit almost anywhere. Still, they can be pretty expensive.

The JLab Go Air Pop is a better fit if you prefer earbuds, especially if you’re on a budget. The model is comfortable, has a light design, and has decent noise-canceling features. These are best if your environment isn’t always noisy and you prefer studying with music in the background.

A smartwatch to stay organized

As an international student, you may feel overwhelmed with the amount of homework and projects you need to do daily. Classes are also all over the place, and besides, you also have to take care of your health and hobbies, so organizing your daily tasks is the best. For that to work, you need something discreet to remind you of future plans, such as a digital watch that comes as an extension to your smartphone. Such a device will help you stay focused on essential things to do so you won’t lose time by scrolling on social media.

Of course, some of the best smartwatches come from Apple and Samsung, so you may want to consider the Apple Watch Series 7 model since it has a large display and features capabilities. At the same time, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 has an elegant design and includes a variety of trackers. Still, before buying a smartwatch, you must consider the device’s battery life. Moreover, features like NFC and communication opportunities are nice to have for a student.

A compatible folding keyboard

So, you’ve got yourself a nice smartphone, but what if you need to write more complex projects and haven’t got a laptop? Then, you might want to look into foldable keyboards compatible with smartphones. You can take them anywhere, even in class, to keep up with the professor’s lecturing, and also keep these documents on your phone, where they’re easy to read, send and edit.

There are many versions of these foldable keyboards on the market, from models with touchpads, multi-device jockeys and ergonomic designs. Know that most of these keyboards are pretty affordable, but if you want to use them extensively, maybe invest in something more expensive.

However, know that you need to get used to typing on them since they’re usually smaller than regular keyboards. At the same time, some users revealed they’re pretty slippery, so keeping the keyboard in place may be challenging, depending on the surface you write on. Overall, it’s a great alternative if you don’t want a laptop yet or don’t want to have a lot of baggage when traveling abroad to your university.

What do you think about these device examples?

International students face a lot of challenges when they travel to another country to study. Besides the pressure of getting excellent grades, they must blend in with the locals and maintain a decent lifestyle to maintain a certain level of well-being and combat stress. So, these gadgets might help you track your studies and life.