Studying overseas and delving into the unknown can be a daunting task for even the most experienced of travellers.

Culture shock is something that many international students experience whilst adjusting to a new culture. Many things bring on culture shock - different food and ways of eating, shops and prices, attitudes of people, customs etc. It is the strangeness, uneasiness or even fear we experience when we move from our home country and familiar surroundings, to live in a new and different society. Culture shock is now considered to be a natural part of the adjustment to studying abroad.

Although it can be disconcerting and a little scary, the shock gradually eases as you begin to understand the new culture. It is useful to realize that often the reactions and perceptions of others towards you - and you towards them - are not personal evaluations but are based on a clash of cultural values. The more skilled you become in recognising how and when cultural values and behaviours are likely to come in conflict, the easier it becomes to make adjustments that can help you avoid serious difficulties. For most Chinese students who go and study abroad it is a rewarding experience.

Chinese students sometimes suffer another type of shock when they study overseas - in Britain, the USA, Australia and other western-style countries. This is a kind of shock, which can be much more serious and potentially damaging to a student's ability to study - we call it learning shock.

Learning shock is the realisation by a student that the way he/she has been used to learning and studying is totally inappropriate to the way courses are taught in overseas universities.

There are many differences between studying in China and studying in a country such as Britain. First of all there is the simple difference of the time it takes to complete a programme. This is most marked at postgraduate level. A masters degree in China takes 2-3 academic years to complete, whilst in Britain it only takes one calendar year. This doesn't mean that there is less work in a British degree. It means that your studying and learning is much more intensive and you have to work much harder in a much shorter time.

And for some of your time you have to work on your own, and organise and direct your own learning. Many Chinese students find this especially difficult, as they are used to having their pattern of study and learning organised for them. In a British university for example you will be expected to plan your learning and organise your time yourself.

The basis of a degree programme in China is to attend lectures, gather information, and show that you have learnt that information by repeating it in a formal examination. International universities recognise that students learn in different ways, and so there are many more elements to an international programme. Also there is much more of an emphasis on how you use the information that you have learnt. So, as well as lectures, you will be expected to attend seminars and tutorials.

A seminar is a small group of students with a tutor where you can talk about any aspects of recent lectures and discuss other issues that have come out of the lectures or from your own personal research. A tutorial is a session between only you and your tutor where you can discuss any issues related to your studying.

You will not always be expected to work and learn just on your own. Some aspects of your programme will inevitably involve group work. The tutor will set an assignment and you will be expected to work with three or four colleagues to handle the assignment together.

Assignments are a very important part of studying and learning. They give you the opportunity to research important issues so that they can be introduced into your arguments and discussions. If when doing an assignment you only include information that your tutor has given you, your marks will be low. He/she will want you to introduce other ideas and arguments - ones that you have found out for yourself.

Did you notice that we have used the word arguments? Many Chinese students find it very strange that they might be allowed, or even expected, to argue with their tutors. The basis of Chinese teaching has always been that the teacher is always right. Not so in overseas - the role of the tutor is to impart basic knowledge and then direct the student in his/her own search for knowledge - and if that means arguing and debating with the tutor, that is no problem - in fact it is to be encouraged. That way everybody learns and benefits mutually. Chinese students do find it difficult to argue with a tutor, and sometimes even ask questions. This can give the tutor the wrong impression of the student, as he/she will feel that the student is not understanding the classes.

But learning shock will only be a shock to you if you arrive unprepared. If you travel abroad expecting things to be different and have a positive attitude that you can change your self to suit your environment - both your living environment and your studying environment - then you should have no problems living and studying overseas. And you will learn a great deal and be a better person for it.

Good luck in your studies