There are 10,000 universities in the world, but students all around the globe only aim for the 25-30 that you hear about on the internet all the time. That is less than 0.005% of the possible universities. It's the usual Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Oxford, etc. In high school, it sounds cool to be going to these universities. But in reality, multiple factors go into making that decision.

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First of all, you need to uncover what your priority is. Is your preference to move abroad for education, show off your school name to others, or find an institution with good financial aid opportunities? Consider it a step-by-step process. Sometimes if you try to skip steps, you get nowhere. If your first step is to move abroad to a university that fits your budget, go for it. Sometimes several students only apply to IVY league universities and end up getting rejected from everywhere and having to give up on their studying abroad dreams. But there could be a fantastic institution somewhere else that could serve your purpose and help change your life.

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On the other hand, you might accept offers to go to a university that wasn't your top choice to start your study abroad journey. In most countries, you can easily transfer universities if you'd like, so that's never too much of an issue.

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You must carefully explore all your opportunities and avoid getting locked into only what feels or sounds familiar. Just keep moving, analyzing, and uncovering what makes sense for YOU! 

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