Okay so... Dubai. Where do I even start with this place?
Everyone keeps sending me those Instagram reels with the fancy hotels and the gold everything and I'm like — yeah that exists. But when you're actually studying abroad in Dubai you realize real quick there's this whole other side that nobody posts about. The real stuff. The confusing parts. The "wait what do I do now" moments.
I landed at DXB at like 2 AM on a Wednesday. Or Thursday? Honestly I was so jet-lagged I couldn't tell you. Had my two giant suitcases, my acceptance letter printed out three times because I'm paranoid, and this feeling like I totally knew what I was doing. Spoiler — I really didn't.
Dubai's Cultural Thing (It's Complicated)
So studying abroad in Dubai is basically like... imagine dropping yourself into this bizarre mix of really old Arab traditions and also the future? It's wild. You'll be in some mall that looks like someone designed it in a video game, and then you turn a corner and there's this spice souk that smells like it's been sitting there since forever.
The people here though. That's the crazy part. Your classmates are gonna be from everywhere. And I mean everywhere — India, Pakistan, Philippines, Egypt, Nigeria, Europe, South America. It's intense. Sometimes good intense, sometimes "I have no idea what anyone's talking about" intense.
This is actually where StudyIn helped me out big time. They already knew about all this cultural maze stuff because they've done it with like thousands of students before. So instead of me wandering around confused for three months they just... told me what to expect. Saved me a lot of awkward situations honestly.
The Clothes Thing (Kinda Awkward to Talk About But Whatever)
Alright so... Dubai has rules. Like actual real rules that people care about.
I didn't really get this at first? Because Dubai looks so modern and stuff. But when you study abroad in Dubai you figure out pretty fast that Islamic culture is the foundation here. And that means covering up in public. Not like full burqa or anything — but shoulders and knees covered is the smart move. Especially if you're going anywhere official or like traditional neighborhoods.
Okay so here's my super embarrassing story. Week two. I'm still figuring everything out, right? And I decide to go to Dubai Mall because I heard it's huge and has an aquarium inside which sounds cool. I wore these shorts that I literally wore all the time back home. They weren't even that short — like, mid-thigh? Normal shorts.
Security guy stops me at the entrance. I'm confused. He points at my legs. I'm still confused. Then he basically tells me I can't come in dressed like that and I need to go buy something to cover up first.
So embarrassing. I had to go to this random store and buy a long skirt for like 150 dirhams which I definitely didn't have in my budget. Wore it over my shorts just to walk around the mall. Looked ridiculous. Lesson learned I guess?
Pack modest clothes. Trust me on this.
Oh and another thing — you can't really do the whole PDA thing here. Public displays of affection. Holding hands might be fine depending where you are but like... kissing in public? That's actually illegal. Not kidding. You can get in real trouble for that. So yeah keep it chill when you're out.
Ramadan Is... Different
If you're here during Ramadan the whole city just changes. Like completely. Everyone's fasting from sunrise to sunset which means eating or drinking anything in public during the day is super disrespectful. Some restaurants put up these curtain screen things so you can still eat inside without being visible to people outside. It's weird at first.
The prayer call happens five times a day and you hear it everywhere. From mosques, from speakers, just... everywhere. First time I heard it I thought something was wrong? But then you realize it's just part of life here. Actually becomes kinda beautiful after a while. Some shops close during prayer times though so that's annoying when you're trying to buy something and everything shuts down for 20 minutes.
StudyIn does these cultural orientation sessions before you even get on the plane which honestly? Saved my butt so many times. They cover all the Ramadan stuff, the prayer stuff, all the things you'd probably mess up otherwise.
Language Stuff (It's Actually Fine)
So good news — English works here. Like pretty much everywhere. All the signs have English under the Arabic. Your classes are in English. Random taxi drivers speak English. The guy at the shawarma place speaks English. You're good.
But okay here's the cool part. If you learn even just a couple Arabic words people get so happy about it? I started saying "shukran" which is thank you and "marhaba" for hello and you'd think I just spoke fluent Arabic or something. People smile, they're way friendlier, it just makes everything better. "Yalla" is another good one — means like let's go or hurry up. You'll hear it constantly.
Oh and StudyIn has these language exchange programs and cultural club connections which... I didn't use at first because I thought I'd be fine. Then I actually went to one and met some local students who showed me around the old parts of Dubai I never would've found on my own. So yeah that was cool.
Money (Ugh This Part Stresses Me Out)
Okay so Dubai is expensive. I'm not gonna pretend it's not. But also... it's not as insane as everyone says? Depends what you're doing I guess.
They use dirhams here. AED. The exchange rate changes but it's like 3.67 dirhams to a dollar or something around there. Most places take cards which is nice. Apple Pay works. Google Pay works. But keep some cash on you because some of the older shops and taxis don't take cards and then you're just standing there awkwardly.
Rent is probably your biggest expense. A shared apartment — which is what most students do — runs anywhere from like 2,500 to 4,500 dirhams a month. Depends on the area. If you're closer to downtown or the Marina it's way more. If you go out to like Sharjah or the outer areas it's cheaper but then you're commuting forever.
Food adds up fast too. If you eat out for every meal you'll be broke in like two weeks. I learned this the hard way month one. Now I cook at home most days. Carrefour and Lulu are the big supermarkets — prices are decent. And street food is your best friend. Shawarmas are like 5 to 10 dirhams and honestly? They slap. Better than most restaurant food anyway.
Metro pass is cheap. Get a monthly one if you're using it a lot. Way better than taxis all the time. Though in summer when it's like 45 degrees out sometimes you just cave and take a taxi because the walk to the Metro station feels like death.
Oh StudyIn helped me set up a bank account here which was... way more complicated than I thought it'd be? They walked me through the whole thing though. And explained all the fees and conversion charges and stuff. Because otherwise you just get hit with random charges and have no idea why.
Get a Student Discount Card Thing
ISIC card. Get one. It's the International Student Identity Card or whatever. Gets you discounts on movies, some restaurants, attractions. Not everywhere takes it but enough places do that it's worth having. Plus it makes you feel official.
Making Friends Here (Easier Than You'd Think)
The student community in Dubai is actually really tight. I think it's because everyone's far from home? So there's this automatic bond. Like we're all in this together kind of thing.
Your university's gonna have a million events. Cultural nights, club stuff, networking things. Go to them. Even the boring sounding ones. I almost didn't go to this entrepreneurship mixer thing because I was tired and wanted to just watch Netflix. But my roommate dragged me and I ended up meeting like three of my closest friends there. Plus this guy who helped me get an internship later. So.
Dubai's super about connections. Who you know matters a lot here. Internships, jobs, even finding apartments — it's all through people you know. StudyIn has this whole alumni network that current students can access which is actually really helpful. These are people who already did the whole study abroad thing in Dubai and now they're working at places you probably want to work at. So they get it.
The Heat (Nobody Prepared Me For This)
Listen. Summer in Dubai is brutal. Like I can't even describe how hot it gets. 45 degrees Celsius. That's 113 Fahrenheit. Your phone overheats outside. The steering wheel in cars will literally burn your hands. June through September you basically just... live indoors. Or in malls.
Actually malls here are like community centers? People just hang out in them for hours because it's air conditioned and there's stuff to do. Took me a while to understand that but now I get it.
October through April though — perfect. Absolutely gorgeous. Beach weather every day. You can actually sit outside at cafes and not melt. That's when Dubai is really nice.
Pack light clothes. Breathable stuff. And sunscreen — the strong kind. I went through like three bottles my first two months. Also drink water constantly. Heat exhaustion is real and it sneaks up on you. I felt dizzy a couple times before I realized I wasn't drinking nearly enough.
Getting Around (Metro Is Your Best Friend)
The Metro here is actually really nice. Clean, air conditioned, runs on time. Gets you most places you need. Then RTA buses fill in the rest. Download the RTA Dubai app — it actually works unlike some transit apps that are useless.
Taxis are safe. Way cheaper than like New York or London taxis. Uber works here. Careem is the local version of Uber and sometimes it's cheaper so I have both apps.
If you want to explore outside Dubai on weekends — Abu Dhabi's close, Sharjah is right there, you can even do Oman trips. Some people rent cars. I took buses mostly because I didn't trust myself driving here yet. Oh and StudyIn does these group trip things sometimes which is way better than trying to figure it out alone.
Emirates ID (Boring But You Need It)
Your Emirates ID is basically your life here. You need it for everything. Bank account, phone plan, gym membership, probably other stuff I'm forgetting.
Getting it is... a process. Lots of paperwork. Lots of standing in line at government offices. Super confusing if you don't know what you're doing. StudyIn walked me through the whole residency visa and Emirates ID application which saved me from going to the wrong office three times with the wrong forms. Which I definitely would've done.
Food Here Is Actually Crazy Good
The food scene in Dubai is insane. You want Indian food? There's probably 500 Indian restaurants. Filipino food, Pakistani, Lebanese, Iranian — it's all here because everyone's here.
Traditional Emirati food is actually kinda hard to find which is weird. But when you do find it try it. Machboos is this spiced rice with meat thing that's really good. Luqaimat are these sweet dumplings. Harees... I don't even know how to describe it but I liked it.
Al Rigga area has cheap food that's amazing. Deira is where you go for authentic stuff. Downtown and Marina have fancier places but you're paying tourist prices. Not worth it most of the time.
Oh alcohol — it exists here but only in hotels and some licensed restaurants. And it costs so much. Like insanely expensive. A beer can be 40-50 dirhams easy. Most students I know don't really drink here just because of the price. I had like two drinks in my first three months.
Safety and Health Stuff
Dubai is really safe. Like... really safe. I've walked home at 2 AM by myself and felt totally fine. Crime rate is super low. There's police everywhere — literally everywhere. Sometimes it feels like too much but also you never worry about safety so.
Healthcare is really good here but it costs a lot. You need insurance. Don't try to skip it. Most student visas require it anyway. StudyIn made sure I had proper coverage before I even got on the plane which was good because I ended up needing a doctor visit my second month and it would've cost like 800 dirhams without insurance.
Pharmacies are on every corner basically. Well stocked. But if you take prescription meds from home bring copies of the prescriptions with you. Customs is strict about medications. Some things that are normal back home are actually illegal here so check before you pack them.
Why I'm Glad I Used StudyIn (Not Sponsored I Swear)
Okay this probably sounds like an ad. But real talk — doing the whole international student thing by yourself in Dubai is complicated. There's so much paperwork. Visa stuff, university applications, finding a place to live, understanding the cultural rules, legal requirements I didn't even know existed.
StudyIn just... handles it. They work with pretty much all the universities here — American University in Dubai, Heriot-Watt, all the international campus branches. They know which forms go where, which deadlines actually matter, what scholarships exist that you probably didn't know about.
But the thing that actually helped me the most was the after-you-arrive support. They don't just get you accepted and then disappear. They do cultural orientation stuff, networking events, career counseling. They helped me find an internship. That kind of thing.
Because here's the deal — studying abroad in Dubai can be amazing. Education is solid, career opportunities are everywhere, the experience is unforgettable. But it's also hard sometimes. Really different from home. Sometimes lonely if you don't know anyone.
Having someone you can message at 1 AM when you're panicking about whether you filled out your visa renewal forms correctly — that's worth a lot. At least it was for me.
So Yeah That's Dubai I Guess
Is Dubai perfect? No. It's crazy hot, kinda expensive, and the cultural adjustment is a lot sometimes. But it's also this weird fascinating place where you meet people from literally everywhere and opportunities just kind of happen and you end up with stories that sound made up when you tell people back home.
My advice I guess... come with an open mind. Respect the culture even when it's confusing. Be smart with money. Say yes to random invitations even when you're tired. You'll mess up — everyone does — just learn from it and move on. And don't try to figure everything out by yourself because you'll just stress yourself out.
Whether you use StudyIn or do it on your own, just go for it. Dubai's weird and challenging and amazing. And honestly? I'm glad I did it.
Even with the whole mall skirt incident.