|
Why Study Abroad
Application Process - Steps
Selecting Universities
Requesting Application Forms
Application Requirements
Recommendation Letters
School
Records/Transcripts
Essays/Statement of Purpose
Admission Stage
No
two applicants have the same reason(s) for studying abroad. For one it could be as simple
as not getting into the right college/university in India and for the other it can be
because there are not very many job opportunities in his/her field of study and for many,
an easy way of a secured future.
Whatever your
reason for deciding to study abroad you will find that higher education abroad adds
considerable value to your professional development. A good degree is a stamp of
excellence that marks you for life. It can enhance your career and prepare you for
leadership in your country or anywhere in the world. It can broaden your horizons and
expose you to a variety of perspectives, the latest technology, and state-of-the-art
research and training. You can make contacts with colleagues abroad which may lead to
collaborations with leading international researchers after you return to your home
country. With the large number and variety of colleges and universities outside India, you
are certain to find one that matches your needs and interests, no matter what your
criteria.
And what's more,
with the right kind of planning and guidance, you can study abroad at very low costs
and even free on a scholarship. Application process makes the vital difference and is the
most important criteria.
The
application process for studying abroad is time consuming and requires applicants to start
preparing well in advance of their anticipated start date. It is very important to begin
the admission process early because in many cases application deadlines are far in advance
of the start of the semester (sometimes as many as ten months). You also need to allow
time for scheduling any standardized tests needed for admission and then having the
results of these tests sent to schools. There is no uniform world-wide application system.
Each college or university establishes its own unique policies.
The 6 basic steps
for applying abroad are:
Identifying
country, universities and the course of your interest
Request
universities for Application forms
Taking various
required tests
Arranging and
preparing Essays and recommendation letters
Completing and
Sending Application forms along with required documents
Reporting various
test scores to the universities
For a detailed and
printer friendly format calendar and checklist of applying abroad process to help you with
your college admissions planning, Click here
Selecting
universities is a very time consuming and important process not only from the admission
point of view but also because applying to universities is very expensive by Indian
standards. Hence it has to be restricted to around 6 or 8 universities which are best
matched for your requirements.
The best university
for you may not be the famous ones, but those that offer you your field of study as well
as meet the other criteria important to you. The range of academic options as well as
available universities are so wide that it is not possible to select the best in one go
and it may take some time.
The basic steps
involved in the process of selecting universities are :
| Level |
Criteria for short-listing |
Number of colleges
shortlisted |
| I |
Self Evaluation |
50 |
| II |
- Academic Eligibility
- Academic Record (Grade point Average)
- Standardized Test Scores
- Financial Aid Considerations
- Other issues
|
25-30 |
| III |
Application Stage (After
receiving prospectus & forms) |
6-8 |
For
more details, check out Selecting
Universities
This
is the first stage of your application process. At this stage, you can write to the
selected 25-30 universities. You can directly request application materials from the
universities.
There are two ways
to get application forms:
Requesting
Application Forms via email : You can request application forms from the
universities website. Most universities have a form on their website which can be
completed online to request application material.
Downloading
from the university website : Many universities have a downloadable and ready to
print versions of their application forms on the net. These can be used for applying just
as regular forms.
Once
you start receiving application forms and material, go through the material in detail and
check the application deadline, minimum scores required in the standardized tests,
recommendation letters needed and other such information.
Tabulate all these
requirements and compare them with your objectives and group the universities under three
categories :
- Schools that seem to match your
requirements
- Schools that are not suited to your
needs
- Schools that do not completely fit
in any of the above two categories
Eliminate schools
in Group 2 and check out in detail again the universities in Group 3. You can try and
focus on departments that you would most like to attend and the school rankings in that
field. And any special facilities that the school may offer you in that field. Try
and make a list of schools on basis of fresh and more specific criteria like :
- Objectives of the program and kind
of methodology as well as approach
- Admission / Entrance requirements
- Availability of assistantships and
funds in the field of your choice
- Research facilities
- Location Profile of students
enrolled
Narrow down your
list to about 6-8 universities to whom you intend to apply.
Infozee can help
you select universities that are best suited for your requirements. Click here to find out
more
Once you have
decided on the universities to apply to, you have to start filling up the application
forms. The forms will ask for your personal details, academic record, official
transcripts, various essays, personal achievements, extra curricular activities and
recommendation letters. We discuss here the three most important criteria for admissions -
Essays, Academic School Records / Transcripts and Recommendation Letters
Letter
of reference or recommendation letter plays a very important role in the admission process
especially for Master's and Doctoral courses. A recommendation letter is a signed
statement from a person who knows you well professionally or has taught you in a subject
that is related to the course you are applying to. It should list your positive and
negative qualities, strengths and weaknesses, your character and integrity and other such
information.
The author or
teacher must indicate his position, how long he/she has known the applicant and in what
capacity. He/she should briefly discuss the need, importance and usefulness of the study
the applicant proposes to undertake. Authors are usually asked to rank applicants in their
letters of recommendation, which helps admission officers to interpret the academic
credentials of foreign students. Students should obtain letters of recommendation (often
on the prescribed forms sent by the institutions) from teachers who know them as a person
as well as a student. You may like to request your author to give concrete examples that
may show your qualities and help your case.
Many universities
have their own format and questions that have to be answered by the person who is giving
the letter of recommendation on your behalf. Letters, which do not give enough
information, can jeopardize a candidate’s chances of selection.
For more details on
letter of recommendations, formats and tips, check out Letter of
Recommendation
The
transcripts of your academic record are absolutely essential to the evaluation of your
academic abilities. Your official transcript or academic record is the objective part of
your application. Academic records greatly vary from one education system to the other.
Systems of evaluation or grading and the formats used to present this information also
differ widely.
Undergraduate
: Students who are applying for a Bachelor program or any other undergraduate
course would be required to submit a secondary school report and transcripts (report
cards) of the final exams. The report form should be filled out by a school official like
the principal, counselor or headmaster. This form should introduce you in the context of
your whole school experience in relationship to the other students in your class.
Admission committees will be interested in learning how you have performed in your own
educational system. The school report should talk about your accomplishments and provide a
statement of your chances for success in university-level studies.
Since there is a
variation between the styles of scoring used abroad and the ones used in India, ask your
school to include a guide to the grading standards used in your educational system and
your school. If your school ranks students by their level of academic achievement, make
certain that the ranking is included with the other details. Also send the school / junior
college leaving certificate as and when it is available.
Graduate :
Students applying for Graduate courses (MBA, MS etc) are required to submit an official
transcript from each college or university that they have attended after secondary school
with complete details of the subjects, credits involved and other details like
correspondence courses, diplomas etc. Most universities ask for the transcript to be
sealed in an envelope and signed and attested across the seal by the registrar. This
procedure is to be done for each and every college that you have attended. Some
universities may ask for more than one transcripts but most require only one.
If the transcripts
are in a language other than English, then it must be translated into English only by the
issuing authority or university otherwise it may not be acceptable.
The
personal essays, and/or statement of purpose, also play a very important role in the
process of evaluating your application for both admission as well as financial aid because
it gives the faculty assessing your application their most significant impression of you
as an individual.
For MBA candidates
this is probably the most important criteria. Check our special section on
MBA applicants
In the statement of
purpose, which must be concise, the student must define his or her academic goals, and/or
research plans, It should include justification for choosing the academic program and
specialization, and for selecting the particular college as well as the advantages and
benefit of studying that particular course.
For more details on
various essay topics, tips, sample essays, check out our Essays
section
Admission Stage
Universities
usually inform students of their admission decisions well in advance of the beginning
term. If you have received admission in more than one university, you will have to decide
which one you want to attend. At this stage, you should compare a few objective and mostly
more subjective criteria. The points you should focus on :
Objective
Criteria
- Best program curriculum, length of
program, choice of courses
- Best funding offer or best program
with respect to costs
- Cost of living
- Strength of related
departments/program
Subjective
Criteria
- Overall reputation of
university/department/program
- Location-region, safety of
neighborhood
- Climate
- Social life
- Facilities available
- Accommodation & housing
Basically the
decision factors at this stage would be mainly three points :
- Best program
- Best funding offer
- Best for your personal goals and
needs
It is essential to
do a lot of research on the universities and their offerings. Colleges and universities
offer varied educational packages. You will have to find out which of these are likely to
meet your goals by spending time in the reference library. The more time and effort you
put in and the better you utilize your researching skills, the greater are your chances of
achieving your goals.
What to do
once you have been accepted :
Each college will
tell you exactly what steps to follow to confirm your acceptance of their offer of
admission and how to prepare for your first term. This information will be
included with the letter of admission or in materials that will be sent to you shortly
thereafter. You must respond with a "yes" or "No" for each offer of
admission. You may also be required to submit a financial deposit to the institution that
you plan to attend. This is to guarantee your place in the class. Make sure you do not
miss any deadlines.
If you are
in the waiting list :
You may receive a
letter that informs you that you are on a ‘waiting list’. This generally means
that the admission office determined that you were qualified for admission but there was
not enough room to admit all qualified applicants. If you are placed in the waiting list
of a college you wish to attend, you will be asked whether you are interested or not. If
you say yes, you may be offered admission if space becomes available.
If you are placed
in the waiting list of your first choice college and confirmed in the second choice
college, you may do the following steps to remain on the safer side :
- Accept the offer of the second
choice school and pay the deposit
- Accept the offer of remaining in the
waiting list of the first choice school
If you get
admission later in your first choice school, you can join that but you will have to
forfeit your deposit (usually around US $50-$500) otherwise you can decide to study in the
second choice school.
Applying for
student visa
Each country has
its own procedure for visas.
For more details,
check out the requirements and formalities of each country :
|
