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 various universitiies. However there is no uniform worldwide 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
This is the first stage of your application process. At this stage, you can write tot hte 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 universtites 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 categoriesObjectives of the program and kind of methodology as well as approachAdmission / Entrance requirementsAvailability of assistantships and funds in the field of your choiceResearch facilitiesLocation Profile of students enrolled
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.
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, PG 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. 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.
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 coursesBest funding offer or best program with respect to costsCost of livingStrength of related departments/programOverall reputation of university/department/programLocation-region, safety of neighborhoodClimateSocial lifeFacilities availableAccommodation & housingBest programBest funding offerBest for your personal goals and needsAccept the offer of the second choice school and pay the depositAccept the offer of remaining in the waiting list of the first choice school
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