There comes a time in every students life when they think of their higher degree options. What will they be studying once the complete finish their high school? Should they stay in their country and continue with their degree with whatever the options are available or should they consider studying abroad as another option.
If one opt for overseas degree, than when would be the best time to start their procedure or in other words, how and where to start it from?
Well, for everyone the answer is different…
Scenario One
For some students, everything is easy, they have this opportunity to apply for scholarships on the basis of their O’levels or A’level grades. To do so, they are very much helped and guided by their school.
Scenario Two
For some students, who are already enrolled in bachelor’s degree, either they are advised to complete their degree first and than apply for masters program or they have this option to apply for the credit transfer through which they can transfer the courses they have already complete and get exemption.
Third scenario
When students have completed their bachelors and now have two to three year’s gap. In that case, if a student have some work experience for whatever job he/she has done, that can have a positive impact on student application.
Regardless of whatever the scenario is, it’s always a good idea to start your research as early as possible. For some students, their dream of studying abroad may take years to come true, so start searching for the options that are available.
- What degree or what course is it specifically that you want to study?
- What would be the best university that offer that program?
- What are the requirements that will make you eligible to get the admission in that university?
For some students, they might be able to compile and gather all the required documents, for some students it may take some time, as they might not be able to get the required IELTS score that is required by the university.
- So start as early as possible
- Make a list of the courses/degrees that you are interested in
- Search the universities that are offering those degrees
- Prepare for IELTS and get the required score
- Gather/compile all your documents
- Apply for that degree/university you dreaming for
What does it take to study abroad?
The RIGHT MINDSET
In simple and straightforward words, the most important thing is your MINDSET. Having the right mindset and the attitude is really very important, as studying abroad is not that simple and easy? One has to sacrifice a lot, you not only leave your family behind, but if you are travelling for the first time, you are very likely to experience cultural shock. That is very likely to happen specially when you are going to study in countries like UK, Australia, Canada and other western countries.
But the good news is, IF others can do it, than you can do it too!
So, prepare yourself mentally that there will be challenges of studying abroad, challenges like, not able to find yourself a decent part time job, cooking food for yourself, you will have to clean dishes and toilets yourself that you might not have done while living with your family. You will have to make new friends and get used to new culture, their values and laws.
So get ready for the NEXT big adventure of your life, if you start stressing about it, than you are likely to give up and probably don’t go overseas. So have the positive mindset and consider it as a challenge, for which you and only you have to prepare yourself.
Which country should I choose?
When it comes to deciding on which country should I apply for my admission, than the options are many? Majority of the students usually opt for countries like UK and US because the quality of education is great and both these countries have some amazing Universities. Many students opt for countries like Canada, Australia, Norway, Germany, Turkey and so on.
What encourages you to apply for higher education in another country may not be the same reason for other students. So deciding on the country or study destination option is primarily a personal choice of ever student. However, for those student’s, who are not sure, have absolutely no idea about which country to consider for their overseas education. Than the best thing is to consult an educational consultant or a career counsellor, someone who himself has international exposure, someone who has the experience of studying and working abroad. Get their help on deciding the right study destination for you.
We have compiled a list of things to consider, for any student to consider when looking for study destination.
- University Rankings
- Cost of living for students
- Quality of Education
- Cost of Education
- Work opportunities for International Students
UNIVERSITY RANKINGS
Making a decision on study destination, the first thing any student should look into is the rankings of their University, doing that will clearly help in identifying the quality of education being provided by the Universities in those countries. There’s no denying that UK and US has few of the best universities in the world and obviously their quality of education has no comparison. However, not everyone can get into those high ranking universities, as getting accepted in top Universities is not that easy, Universities has some tough criteria of accepting students. If you have exceptional grades in your high school or college, with some great communication skills and references from your school or college than you can apply for the high-ranking Universities.
COST OF LIVING
Cost of living is another factor that students should and must take in to consideration, specially when they are going to fund their studies themselves. For those who are likely to be supported by their parents or governments than they can select any country for their higher education. As countries like USA usually don’t allow students to work while they are on student visa. Where as, countries like Australia and CANADA has comparatively a lot easy terms and conditions when it comes to working rights. So if you have to definitely do a part time job, being an international student, than consider Australia or Canada.
QUALITY OF EDUCATION
Going overseas for international degree, the foremost reason of doing that is to avail the quality of education, as that might not be available in your home country. So which country offers the best quality of education, when it comes to higher education?
Is it USA, UK or CANADA, or countries like Australia and Germany has a better quality of education?
The answer is, it’s not really the country that has to offer the quality of education, but it’s the UNIVERSITY you are enrolled in or willing to get accepted in. Based on the services, its teaching staff and research opportunities that a University has to offer, helps in identifying the quality of education one can expect from that university. Based on many reviews and feedbacks from many students, the quality of education also depends on the lecturer/professor for a particular program. So based on the services, research opportunities and teaching staff, students can find quality of education in countries like UK, USA, Australia, Canada, Germany and Turkey. If you want to be sure about which specific program would be the best, than its best to get in touch with an education consultant.
COST OF EDUCATION
How much an overseas university degree would cost me?
Well it depends on so many things, things like, the country you are planning to study, the course you are planning to study, highly depend on the university and obviously the level of program you are planning to study. A diploma will cost a lot less as compare to an undergrad degree, whereas there won’t be much difference between undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Foundation Year at any reputable university in Australia would roughly cost around $26,000 AUD, whereas an undergraduate degree in Business at the same university would cost $30,000 AUD and Postgraduate degree would cost somewhere around $40,000 AUD. All these prices will vary from one university to another, as that based on various factors.
WORK OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Almost every student would love to do a part time job or on casual basis during his/her studies. That would not only help the student in financially aiding himself, but at the same time that experience would come handy as well. Many students are likely to get full time jobs, once they complete their degrees, on the basis of their internship experience and other projects in which they had participated. But, are students allowed to work or do any part time job, while they are on their student visas? Well, in countries like Australia, UK and Canada, students are allowed to work part time, that is 20 hours per week, where as countries like USA have strict policies for international students. The United States issues different types of student visas, but most international students receive the F-1, a non-immigrant visa for full-time academic study. Because the F-1 visa is only for educational purposes, the U.S. government places restrictions on the employment options for F-1 holders. However, this does not mean that you cannot work if you have an F-1 visa. As long as you understand and follow the legal requirements, you can work on a student visa. So this is another factor that student should and must take into consideration when applying for study abroad program.
