Studying abroad is an exciting as well as a transforming experience for students who want to explore the international world and expand their academic horizons. So, several students want to study abroad nowadays. It is not only those students who have done their graduation that are interested in studying abroad but also those who have finished class XII. So how should one go about planning to study abroad? Here are the steps to take.
The first step in planning an education abroad is to decide on your objective. Is it that you want to do a job or research there? Or is it just studies before you come back and take up a job in the industry in India? Is it about doing higher studies abroad so that you can come and teach in India? Or is it simply the acquisition of geographical and historical knowledge of the country where you want to study or get a feel of the culture and life there? Whatever be it, it is important to be clear about your objectives for wanting to study abroad.
2. Decide Your Subject/ Field of Study/ Knowledge Area
Ensuing from your objectives the next thing you need to decide is your course of study. At the undergraduate level it is a question of deciding the major and the minor at the post-graduate level it is much more specialized. There you have to decide the area of specialization within a major. You may already know what you want to study or may have a few things on your mind and be still undecided. Whatever it may be, this might be high time to figure out what course you want to go ahead with and commit to. You can research the subject, its intellectual challenges, its future growth .and what drives you.
3. Plan Your Budget
Studying abroad is definitely exciting and opens up new vistas of knowledge but is not exactly cheap. However, not all study destinations are out of reach and unmanageable financially. So, it is important to cast one’s budget and see how things can fit in. There is scope for meeting a large part of the entire cost of education by taking a bank loan in India. There is scope for managing expenses that fall outside the university fees by taking up a campus job or a part-time job. But all these can be planned once there is a budget in place.
4. Decide Your Location
The next thing you need to finalise is where you plan to study. It may be cities in a single country which means under graduation in one city and post-graduation in another city in the same country or multiple countries. What you may also want to consider is how affordable is the place and whether it offers campus and other part-time jobs to the students. Another thing to consider is whether the country is English-speaking even though the course is being taught in English. Further, you may want to look at how cosmopolitan the place is and whether it has students of multiple nationalities. Another thing you may want to consider is whether you would like to stay in a large city or a small quiet town. Further, you may want to evaluate the importance of social life and extracurricular activities to you.
5. Shortlist Your Universities
The first thing that you should evaluate when it comes to choosing your university is the programs it offers, what will be taught in them and how will it be taught. The next thing to check out is the credentials of the faculty. Further, you should work out the cost of attendance which is the tuition fee plus the cost of books and stationery, the room rent and the cost of living; and the quality of services, such as career counselling, academic advising, counselling and mental health services, career counselling, and health and wellness services. Then you should look at the availability of financial aid and how it compares between the different universities.
Now that you are clear about the key parameters that need to be considered, shortlist 6 to 8 universities among them for applying and keep 3 of them as aspirational universities – ones that need a stretch in your performance for you to get admission; 3 among them as realistic universities whose requirements meet your performance and 2 contingent where it is easy for you to clinch an admission.
6. Apply for Admission
Many universities offer one or multiple study programmes in the same discipline. Each programme has a specific curriculum and its own academic goals which differ from each other. You need to be very careful while making a choice — you don’t want to realise halfway through your first year, that you’ve registered for the wrong degree. The simplest way to avoid this is to always check the overview or list of courses of the programme. See what you’ll study and how. Some degrees are more focused on theory, than others which are more practice based. Have any questions? Never hesitate to contact the university. A representative will be there to help you.
7. Finalise the university
Once the applications are processed, you will hear from the universities you applied to. If your application is accepted, you will be sent an acceptance form and an offer letter. Go through the letter carefully and understand everything that’s written on it. If you have received an offer letter from multiple universities, thoroughly consider your options before making a choice. Wait for at least 2 or 3 days and clear up your mind before you make a decision on which course of action is best for you.
8. Accept the offer
After that, make sure to send an acceptance letter back to the university you have decided to join and ascertain they have received it. You may be asked to send more documentation or official copies of documents you have submitted earlier both during and after this process. It is important that in your acceptance letter, you take care of the following issues:
- Positive response
- Attachment and listing of the attached documents
- Expression of appreciation to the admission committee
- Grammatical and semantical correctness
- Confirmation of acceptance clearly and without any doubt
We hope by now you have had a good understanding of how you can go and study abroad, plan your application and expenses, and other steps. In case you need any guidance and/or support in actualizing your goals of studying abroad, do not hesitate to reach out to us at +91 9811666817 immediately or Contact Us.
Visit our Study Abroad consultants in Delhi page to begin your journey of studying abroad.
