Lakshay Singh is an ardent 12th grader, who has pulled up his socks and has “buckled up” rather than “buckle under” the pressure that comes with an Indian student’s most testing times- The HSC or Higher Secondary Examination, more commonly referred to as the 12th boards in common parlance.
He is the quintessential student who represents that spectrum of the population of Indian students that are about to jump the bridge to reach to the WORLD OUT THERE, only to leave behind the cocoon of their school life.
He has rigorously swamped his NCERT’s to aim for a perfect 95% in his board examinations, has sloughed off all his weekends in going to competitive coaching classes that wouldn’t as much as dare to think below the IIT’s. All in all, he had a gruelling two years preparing for what comes after grade 12th, running like a hamster in the wheel. The same wheel that his peers are running, the one that the elder cousin had ran a few years back, and the elder brother had run who has an MBA now, and the distant second cousin who is the most oft-quoted example in social gatherings at his place, about you know, the boy who lived. Through IIT-Delhi, of course.
That is what Lakshay was supposed to be. Yes, after all, what else could there be. Right?
Right?
WRONG?
WRONG.
It probably takes one click on the internet, one hand-on the-heart, aha-moment to realize you are probably not made for the rut.
As Lakshay browsed deeper into IELTS scholarships in one of his not-so-mindless, late night internet browsing, he saw his diffused ideas about his future career prospects almost physically crystallize into something more concrete, something more than just another, something. Procrastination had never been so fruitful, really.
Whether you are shooting for an undergraduate degree or planning to cross the seas for your higher education, we, at career guide are here to chart out that perfect roadmap for you with the help of psychometric career test, so that you make more informed decisions than you would otherwise make.
From the wide range of requirements to realize one’s plans for studying abroad, the issue that strikes as a primary concern is the funding or monetary issues. As 1 USD equals to 68.63 against Indian rupee today, it sure must not be a cakewalk managing the travel, visa accommodation and living expenses in a foreign land with a foreign culture.
On brainstorming into this aspect of education, one can easily look into options like
- Fully –funded or partially-funded scholarships
- Teaching assistantship or Research Assistantship- job roles on the campus
- Paid Summer internships-on and off campus
- Freelancing, self-employment
For more details of how to garner funds to support yourself for higher studies, keep tuned to more posts from career guide dealing with particularly that, in greater detail.
Also, funds depend largely on the country you would choose and the program therein that you wish to chart a career in.
A very promising prospect is that of higher education in Germany. After an intense political tussle, the German higher Education system, constituting an odd 400 institutions, banished tuition fees throughout the country’s public institutions, irrespective of the origin of the students.
Along with arranging for one’s funding, the tricky issue of meeting the visa requirements, clearing the interview and getting the visa in hand, on time is largely a prerogative of the embassy of the particular country you apply to. Yet, keeping oneself abreast with information about the right kind of visa to apply for is very necessary. By understanding the differences between J-1 and F-1 visas for the states and Schengen Visa for countries like Germany , France and Sweden, one would be in a better position to translate the Visa procedure into appropriate action, which would serve to be one’s way out of last time delays and deferrals.
Once the major issues like Visa and funds are resolves, the next big steps are choosing the right school and the right course.
As subjective as this issue seemingly is, some ground rules that need to be kept in mind is to ensure that one chooses from a range of schools, and not just a cluster of ivy leagues and top ranked schools.
Since every school has different pre-requisites for different areas of study, applications have to be tailor made to suit the requirements against which the selection committees judge the applications.
Most schools from the United States and Canada demand a GRE or TOEFL score and exhaustively review the score on those exams, transcripts of grades from one’s previous held education as well a statement of purpose backed by Letter of Recommendation from a reliable, esteemed source.
Germany, has an offbeat procedure of accepting international students, wherein a prospective candidate needs to get their degree recognized as equivalent to a German diploma and then contact bodies like uni-assist or the university itself with their applications. . A direct correspondence with the university is done in case one’s previous university is not recognized by the body- Uni-assist.
Even if the diploma is deemed as not equivalent to a German degree, most schools in Germany have an ignition program that lasts for one year, after passing which, one is eligible to pursue their earlier desired program.
Though studying abroad has its own set of counter-arguments, it is but inarguable that one’s avenues expand manifold with an international experience in one’s career timeline.
Clearly, a thorough research into the pros and cons of studying abroad has to be illustrated before initiating the procedure, to ensure a smooth journey into undergraduate/ graduate or doctoral programs, without any hiccups.
Another facet to the prospect of studying abroad, in greater interest of the country as a whole, is to ensure a system of checks and balances that makes sure the talent pool of India is not drained out completely.
Brain- drain of the best minds from the country is a very plausible counter-argument to encouraging an international education, as it siphons out the talent from the roots, only to flourish the grass on the other side.
Yet, where there is a will, there is a way.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Development, by intervening in the short listing of candidates for events like the Commonwealth Scholarships, ensure that a candidate being sent abroad has the concept of getting back to the roots ingrained in his character. For which, interviewers ensure that they are convinced about how the candidate’s foreign stint will be fruitful to the parent country.
All in all, an international exposure of reasonably good minds of the country will only foster international relationships, and felicitate a two-way traffic of exchange of ideas, technologies and innovations.
For more insights into cracking an international education, keep tuned into CareerGuide.com
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