Studying abroad is full of opportunities: to learn new skills, make new friends, build your independence and get ready for your future. It’s also a big step, which brings with it new pressures and moments of uncertainty. Thankfully, the ability to cope with stress and uncertainty isn’t something that you either do or don’t have — it’s a skill that you can practise and build over time. That’s exactly what Kaplan’s Resilience in Practice programme will help you to do.
What is resilience?
Many people think resilience is about just ‘pushing through’ challenging or stressful periods and putting on a brave face so that people don’t know you’re struggling. But we believe that resilience is a skill that you can learn, practise and strengthen over time.
Kaplan’s Resilience in Practice programme gives you practical tools to navigate life’s challenges. Through six evidence-informed online modules, you’ll learn what helps you to stay feeling calm and steady, so you can improve your general wellbeing and thrive in your studies, your future career and your everyday life.
The programme was founded by Kate Mishcon, a mindfulness and resilience educator, and designed in collaboration with Kaplan’s award-winning learning and innovation teams. It’s delivered by Kaplan Resilience, which is part of Kaplan — and as educators who have been supporting students to achieve their dreams for over 80 years now, we know what you need to succeed.
What skills will I gain?
Over six engaging, interactive modules, you’ll build these key skills:
Focus
Sometimes life gets overwhelming. But things like study and work don’t always stop when life feels challenging. Whether it’s a deadline, an exam or a difficult week, Resilience in Practice gives you the tools to stay focused on what matters most.
Faster recovery
A big part of resilience is being able to recover after a period of stress. Whether that’s studying for exams or struggling with an essay, you’ll learn how to bounce back more quickly and get back to feeling like yourself.
Emotional steadiness
Rooted in the practice of mindfulness, resilience isn’t about suppressing negative emotions — instead, it encourages you to recognise and acknowledge your negative thoughts without letting them take over. Eventually, you’ll discover the negative feelings no longer have so much control over your mood.
Self-trust
Confidence is something studying abroad can help with enormously. But for an extra boost, with Resilience in Practice you’ll learn how to back yourself so you trust your own judgement, even in difficult situations.
Clear decision-making
We all have to make tough decisions sometimes. From choosing a module to navigating life’s bigger moments, you’ll learn how to think clearly and respond effectively, even when you feel under pressure.
Stronger communication
Good communication skills are essential in your studies, in the workplace and in your day-to-day life. The Resilience in Practice programme will help you to enhance your skills in listening to and understanding others, and handle even difficult conversations with empathy.
These aren’t just abstract concepts you need to study. They’re the skills that will help you get through exams, settle into a new country, build friendships, and show up even when things feel hard.
Building these skills early won’t just help you get through university, but prepare you for everything that comes after too. Resilience is key to success at all stages of life — in fact, in a survey, employers listed resilience as the 5th most important skill they look for in potential employees (World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs Report, 2023).
How does it work?
Resilience in Practice isn’t another extracurricular activity you need to find time for. Instead, it’s built around you and your schedule.
It’s 60–90 minutes of study for each of the six modules, and you can access the material online whenever you want, at your own pace, so it fits around your life, not the other way around. You’ll explore both resilience theory and more than 25 mindfulness-informed techniques. Just 15 minutes of practice a day can help you build habits like awareness, attention and emotional regulation, that improve your resilience and general wellbeing.
Plus, because your learning is designed to build progressively through practice, reflection and application, your skills develop naturally over time rather than feeling like another thing you need to memorise.
The result? Practical tools you can use straight away, and habits that stay with you long after the learning ends. But don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what Thabang Masilompane, a graduate of the University of Glasgow had to say:
The mindfulness skills I acquired continue to benefit me long after the programme ended, serving as valuable tools for navigating life’s challenges with ease and resilience.
Find out more
When you study a pathway course with Kaplan, you’ll get access to Resilience in Practice.
If you want to learn more about the programme or how a pathway course can help you achieve your study abroad dreams you can contact us, or check out the Kaplan Resilience website.
