HOW SOCIAL MEDIA HELPS INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS?

Like other many students, I came to Ottawa as an international student and the journey so far has been a rollercoaster. From being homesick to finally being able to call Ottawa as my home is an experience in itself. Social media is one such platform where we are able to connect with our families, friends, and relatives who are far away in other land. Social Media has made the life of international students much easier than before. Back in the days, we were able to talk to our families using international calling cards, FaceTime or Skype Video Chat but in today’s date, there are much more options out there which can bring your loved ones one step closer.

WhatsApp: WhatsApp is one of the newer versions of chat and connection. Before you were able to send messages but now you are able to make a video call from any part of the world using your phone number. To some people, it may not look like a big deal but for people, like me and other international students, this is a blessing. Whenever any student miss their family, they have the ability to call them and see them right there and for their parents, living abroad, it is an opportunity to see their kids growing year by year. All those years that they live separate from each other, they have something that they can use to share their experiences, journeys, or their personality development. It also help students to deal with the emotional distress, depression or loneliness.

Community Pages: I have my maternal family in Canada so I guess it was little bit easy for me to adjust here but for people who have no connections or relatives, it is harder but now community pages have removed that barrier too. There are many different pages on social media like Facebook where students get to know and meet with people with similar background for any kind of help, be it educational or work or personal. Algonquin College Indian Students and South Asian Connection Ottawa are one of those community pages where students can ask others for  accommodation, food or school. International students are able to connect with these pages before moving here and make arrangements with people which also gives a peace of mind to their parents, and families back home.

LinkedIn: One of the most underutilized tool is LinkedIn for international students. Many of them are still not aware but other students familiar with the LinkedIn would agree with me that it has helped them professionally. From listing your qualifications, skills to experience, everything can be done in one profile. Employers are always looking for people who are avaliable on LinkedIn as it helps them to pick candidates for the jobs without going through all the resumes. Some of the companies even offer to create the online profile using LinkedIn as they can pick and transfer all the important information from LinkedIn. It helps international students to build their future career professionally and personally.

Personally, I have used all these platforms to educate myself, and for personal and career growth. I strongly believe that, if social media was not there, I would not have been able to stay here and call Ottawa Home.

 

Twitter Post:

#socialmedia&internationalstudents

#connecting families

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Facebook Post:

How social media helps international students?

 

Platform connecting families.

 

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Social Media and MyLife

Social Media is the new trend esp. Instagram and Snapchat and for many people, it is a source of entertainment and social interactions but for me personally, it has been more of a learning platform.  How? Lets see

For background, I was always anemic by birth but it was not until 2010 when I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism, that the root cause of my anemia, i.e. Thalassemia was discovered. Thalassemia is basically a rare blood condition in which red blood cells rupture while they travel in your body and it is typically either Major or Minor and thank God I have Thalassemia Minor. There is no cure for this but you can maintain a diet to help you deal with this. This big word was so scary for me as I never heard of it till then.

We all know how long the doctors take with every patient; sometimes not even five minutes so I was unable to get the information that I was seeking. I started searching thalassemia &  hypothyroidism on google and there I was reading day and night about these two humongous conditions. It not only helped me to learn more about the cure and treatment but also to accept it and move on with life. There are so many instagram pages, pinterest, blogs out there that are spreading the awareness about these conditions. I was always so upset and depressed but now that I know there are people out there who are sharing their knowledge and diet plans to help out people like me. It was mentioned in Forbes,”Social Media is a lifeline for Patients with Rare Diseases” and I firmly believe it with my whole heart.