Studying abroad has to be planned properly with due stress on country and college selection. Ironically though US universities appear to be very expensive on paper, a student pursuing Masters in America or Canada, from even a moderately reputed university should not have to spend more than 7 lakhs in the worst case scenario, irrespective of the projected amount written on the Brochure.
For Australia/ NZ the amount is anything between 8-14 lakhs, for UK it may go up to 20 lakhs if one plans to pursue his/her degree from a decent institution, in Germany though there are no tuition fees, living expenses are more than compensate for it.
It should be remembered that a good education abroad need not be expensive, in fact often the converse is true, some of the best universities, especially in the USA have a unwritten rule that an offer of admission should be compulsorily accompanied by an offer of financial aid.
The good news is extremely soft student loans by the Nationalized banks in fact have made it extremely easy for students with even the meager means to study abroad.
The Bottom line?
Following the herd is often more counterproductive than beneficial, one should things out for themselves and analyzing them. Though being skeptical is a part of the process but often enough we are skeptical to the point of underestimating ourselves. It has to be understood that the universities abroad believe in a process of selection, contrary to the process of elimination that we follow in India.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
READING CAN BE TOUGH ON GRE, GMAT & SAT !!!!!
Reading of late has become a hard nut to crack on all competitive exams.Even the best of the students find themselves at their wits end when it comes to reading.But the point to debate here is,Is reading indeed an insurmountable arena? Is there no way to make it an all attainable arcade? Don`t you get disheartened guys!!! "there is always light at the end of the tunnel" & reading is no exception to this.All
it needs is loads of commitment & focus towards your preparation & a conscious effort to develop faster reading.Right from day one,when you decide on taking any of the above tests,think of reading extra stuff as the first step towards your goal.
Here is how you develop faster reading habit:
1.To begin with even a newspaper would do.Read stuff like the editor`s column & note the time taken to comprehend it on day one.
2.On the second day read another such column but taking a few minutes less than what you had taken on first day.Continue each day with as much less time possible to comprehend.
3.Religiously & consciously reading new stuff coupled with proper time management would slowly but steadily help you bud into a fast reader.
4.After one or two weeks try to grab some fiction or non fiction books but mind you never you fall in love with the books & get immersed into it.Instead have a practical approach to it from exampoint of view. Hence a strategic & well planned technique would surely put you in a better frame of mind glowing with confidence to take up any challenging passage in your stride.
it needs is loads of commitment & focus towards your preparation & a conscious effort to develop faster reading.Right from day one,when you decide on taking any of the above tests,think of reading extra stuff as the first step towards your goal.
Here is how you develop faster reading habit:
1.To begin with even a newspaper would do.Read stuff like the editor`s column & note the time taken to comprehend it on day one.
2.On the second day read another such column but taking a few minutes less than what you had taken on first day.Continue each day with as much less time possible to comprehend.
3.Religiously & consciously reading new stuff coupled with proper time management would slowly but steadily help you bud into a fast reader.
4.After one or two weeks try to grab some fiction or non fiction books but mind you never you fall in love with the books & get immersed into it.Instead have a practical approach to it from exampoint of view. Hence a strategic & well planned technique would surely put you in a better frame of mind glowing with confidence to take up any challenging passage in your stride.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Role of Consultant while going for foreign education
With globalization becoming worldwide phenomena, and global compatibility becoming more of a norm than an exception, the purpose of going abroad to pursue higher education is no longer succeeded by a “why” but a “how”.
What role do consultancies play in helping students pursue their education abroad? Is it an absolutely a must?
The question should would better read as “ what role should consultancies play “. The purpose of a consultancy is not limited to just getting students admitted to an institution of higher education abroad.
Given the vast number of apparently enticing quick fix choices on offer, it has become imperative to be highly selective about the destination country, the institute and the courses on offer, else there is a good possibility that a student may find himself in a redundant career after having invested a lot of time and money in the venture. One should learn to distinguish between agents and consultants. An agent is one whose chief source of income happens to be the commission he gets from the universities he has ties with, thus his loyalties and are more likely to lie with the institutions abroad rather than the student in India.
A consultancy or consultant is more of a career maker i.e. it should offer solutions that do not cater to just short term needs but should take into consideration the long term perspective, that is future career prospects, student aptitude and interest and in short advise students about the best course of action rather than the easiest course of action, because often the end result of the later is frustration.
The efficacy of a consultant must not be judged by its ability to produce admits with least input from students, students should be made an active part of the process providing constant inputs and feedbacks.
The major purpose of consultancy is value addition. So while choosing a consultancy the focus should be on the actual benefits he/she stands to gain rather than the ad-ons. In other words the experience, knowledge and credibility of the consultant in question, but credibility being a matter of perception therefore the student should go about with an unbiased mind. For example many consultancies like other businesses, high light success stories, but twenty students with full financial out of the two thousand who availed their services does not speak of a great record, rather go for a consultancy where for example 50% of the twenty students acquired financial aid, even if the number of students enrolled were comparatively paltry. Second they should look for a personalized consultancy service, often enough, the entire process of consultancy becomes a check list of assembly line processes, with each process adding little value to the application, there being no concerted effort to build the student as a brand and focus on his/ her USPs.
A strict appointment system does not always work in such cases because more often than not numerous course corrections are required before applying, the consultant should be at hand to advise.
Where well established consultancies score over students going about it on their own, are in their vast experience of interaction with thousands of students over the years, because often enough a students source of information happens to be his friend or family circle which is often limited. The inputs are often colored with personal perception and a tendency to justify ones own mistakes by blaming it on extraneous factors, for example the highly erroneous impression that US visas require a twenty to thirty lack bank balance for six months, else it is impossible to come by.
The other factor is analysis, a consultancy with its vast resources and well established network not only draws on data and facts, but also analyzes them to arrive at the real picture. For example, “studying abroad especially in America is an extremely expensive proposal and is not meant for middle class students”. Analyzing the figures officially released, there were around 80,000 Indian students who flew to USA last year to pursue their higher education. Now it is a commonsensical point that majority of these students happen to be from middle class families with parents in service, it is inconceivable that even 10% of these aspiring students let alone 80,000 will have had twenty lack to splurge for education, because this amount often happens to be the life’s savings of an entire middle class family. It may sound surprising but children of State Transport Bus drivers, second grade clerks in MTDC have successfully completed their degree from the US of A, and to clear up the point they were average or above average students, with their parents having no “additional” sources of income.
The answer to the second part of the question, as to whether consultancy is necessary, is It is not a must for any student merely seeking to get away to any country and any institute as long as it is outside India. But it is a must for any discerning, serious, career oriented student, because the repercussions of the smallest of decisions are often felt many years down the line.
What role do consultancies play in helping students pursue their education abroad? Is it an absolutely a must?
The question should would better read as “ what role should consultancies play “. The purpose of a consultancy is not limited to just getting students admitted to an institution of higher education abroad.
Given the vast number of apparently enticing quick fix choices on offer, it has become imperative to be highly selective about the destination country, the institute and the courses on offer, else there is a good possibility that a student may find himself in a redundant career after having invested a lot of time and money in the venture. One should learn to distinguish between agents and consultants. An agent is one whose chief source of income happens to be the commission he gets from the universities he has ties with, thus his loyalties and are more likely to lie with the institutions abroad rather than the student in India.
A consultancy or consultant is more of a career maker i.e. it should offer solutions that do not cater to just short term needs but should take into consideration the long term perspective, that is future career prospects, student aptitude and interest and in short advise students about the best course of action rather than the easiest course of action, because often the end result of the later is frustration.
The efficacy of a consultant must not be judged by its ability to produce admits with least input from students, students should be made an active part of the process providing constant inputs and feedbacks.
The major purpose of consultancy is value addition. So while choosing a consultancy the focus should be on the actual benefits he/she stands to gain rather than the ad-ons. In other words the experience, knowledge and credibility of the consultant in question, but credibility being a matter of perception therefore the student should go about with an unbiased mind. For example many consultancies like other businesses, high light success stories, but twenty students with full financial out of the two thousand who availed their services does not speak of a great record, rather go for a consultancy where for example 50% of the twenty students acquired financial aid, even if the number of students enrolled were comparatively paltry. Second they should look for a personalized consultancy service, often enough, the entire process of consultancy becomes a check list of assembly line processes, with each process adding little value to the application, there being no concerted effort to build the student as a brand and focus on his/ her USPs.
A strict appointment system does not always work in such cases because more often than not numerous course corrections are required before applying, the consultant should be at hand to advise.
Where well established consultancies score over students going about it on their own, are in their vast experience of interaction with thousands of students over the years, because often enough a students source of information happens to be his friend or family circle which is often limited. The inputs are often colored with personal perception and a tendency to justify ones own mistakes by blaming it on extraneous factors, for example the highly erroneous impression that US visas require a twenty to thirty lack bank balance for six months, else it is impossible to come by.
The other factor is analysis, a consultancy with its vast resources and well established network not only draws on data and facts, but also analyzes them to arrive at the real picture. For example, “studying abroad especially in America is an extremely expensive proposal and is not meant for middle class students”. Analyzing the figures officially released, there were around 80,000 Indian students who flew to USA last year to pursue their higher education. Now it is a commonsensical point that majority of these students happen to be from middle class families with parents in service, it is inconceivable that even 10% of these aspiring students let alone 80,000 will have had twenty lack to splurge for education, because this amount often happens to be the life’s savings of an entire middle class family. It may sound surprising but children of State Transport Bus drivers, second grade clerks in MTDC have successfully completed their degree from the US of A, and to clear up the point they were average or above average students, with their parents having no “additional” sources of income.
The answer to the second part of the question, as to whether consultancy is necessary, is It is not a must for any student merely seeking to get away to any country and any institute as long as it is outside India. But it is a must for any discerning, serious, career oriented student, because the repercussions of the smallest of decisions are often felt many years down the line.
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