Planning to study in United States of America but have no idea about application process and education system?

Here is how:

Apply online or email: You can request application forms from the university websites. Most universities have a form on their website which can be completed online to request application material. Many universities have a downloadable and ready to print

Post your application: You can send a request by airmail for application material. The request should contain a brief description of your educational background, academic objectives, and source of financial support, English proficiency and standardized test scores.

Eligibility

In USA, minimum of 16 years of formal education is required. In the Indian context, it implies qualifying in a professional four-year degree like engineering or other such courses.

If you have completed a three-year degree program in India, the advisable plan of action to maximize eligibility for U.S. graduate schools is to apply for a Post Graduate degree here in India.

Application Requirements

Academic Records

Your past academic record is one of the most important deciding factors in securing admission to a college abroad. Most schools require you to have a reasonably good academic record especially for programs and courses offering a master’s or doctoral degree. Each university has its own minimum requirement for its programs, which are flexible depending on the candidate’s profile.

Universities in USA have their own marking and evaluation systems, which are considerably different from the Indian system. They follow the GPA (Grade Point Average) system which is based on the 5 points scheme - A, B, C, D & F.

It is advisable not to convert your marks in the Indian system of grading to the American Grade Point average system or any other system since the conversion may not be accurate. You may attach an explanatory note from your college to indicate your rank in your class and/or university.

Standardized Tests

You need to take one of the standardized tests like GRE, GMAT along with English Proficiency tests like TOEFL, TWE and TSE.

English Proficiency Tests

TOEFL: TOEFL is mandatory for International students applying to a Graduate course or University in US.

Other Tests: Different programs require you to take certain standardized tests for admission and there is a certain minimum score required in those tests to get admitted to those universities:

The various tests are:

GMAT: For Graduate Courses in Management.

GRE: For Graduate Courses in fields other than Management.

LSAT: For Admissions to Law Schools.

USMLE: For Admission to Medical Colleges.

Work Experience Details:

A number of professional and vocational courses require relevant work experience.

Letter of Recommendation

Letters of reference or recommendation letters also is important for your admission especially in courses that earn you a masters or doctoral degree. 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 other such information.

Statement of Purpose

The personal essays, and/or statement of purpose, 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. This section is the key to distinguish your application from other suitable candidates and a chance to market yourself.

A personal statement should include your reasons for choosing a particular course, the suitability of your education and experience for the chosen course, your personal interests and career goals.

Financial Support

The evidence of financial support is required by universities to issue the documents needed for visa application. Although it is a requirement for application, it is usually not taken into consideration into factors that determine admission. Most universities make their admission decisions without any regard for the source and amount of financial support.

You would be required to submit documentation of your family’s financial resources to help schools assess your need. Most of the universities have their own financial aid form, which you would have to complete.

You would also be required to submit a bank statement demonstrating your financial capacity to support your education. Some US state institutions, offer tuition waivers to international students in return for some type of educational contribution.

Interviews

Interviewing prospective candidates is getting common in the US admission structure. A few universities may take your interview to know you better. The interview could be with a college representative or a third party representatives, staff, faculty or alumni of the college or simply a telephonic interview. These interviews are usually informal and more of an opportunity to exchange information. The interviewer will try to judge your abilities and interests.

After the attacks on Indian student in Australia, many student who were planning to their master from there are now reconsidering. Students are looking out for different options for oversea studies. Singapore in recent times has become a education hub with so  many international university putting  their campus.

Students are shifting from Down under to Next door. It’s cheaper and being in Asia itself it makes most of the student feel at home. Most importantly personal safety is not at risk. Working conditions are also very good in Singapore.

FAQ:

Q  Is Singapore safe for our student?

A. Singapore is a very safe destination for our Indian student. Singapore has many Indian community and tamil is one of the language that is being spoken in Singapore. Student will very much feel close to home.

Q  Where to you place Singapore compare to USA, UK and Australia?

A: Going to Singapore for education is easier compare to UK And US. Visa is just a formality. Education and syllabus pattern are very similar to our Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE). Hence, Indian students easily adjust to studies there. After passing out of class XII one can opt for a Bachelor’s degree in vocational subjects like tourism development or hospitality management.

EEA Nationals

If you are a national of an EEA country (European Union plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) you can enter the UK as a student with a minimum of formality, you do not require entry clearance or a visa. You may be asked to show evidence that you have been accepted on to a course, and that you have sufficient funds to support yourself whilst in the UK. You will also need your passport.

Non EEA Nationals

If you are not from the EEA (European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) you will have to meet certain immigration requirements. Nationals from many countries are required to obtain an entry visa or certificate before coming to the UK. They can do this at the British Embassy, High Commission or Consulate. Nationals from countries where an entry visa is not compulsory such as some Commonwealth countries should also consider applying for entry clearance before leaving home. This is to ensure a Right of Appeal in the unlikely event that entry is refused. To check if you need a visa look at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office web page at http://www.fco.gov.uk/travel/imm_visa.asp

To come to the UK as a student you will have to produce the following documents

* A passport

* A letter of unconditional acceptance for a full-time course

* Evidence of your ability to meet, without working in the UK, the costs of your course, accommodation and maintenance and to support any dependants accompanying you.

Student visas are normally granted for an initial period of one year, usually determined by the length of the course to be studied.

When you arrive in the UK, an immigration officer may question you, so take all relevant documents in your hand luggage.

You may take part-time or holiday work but you must not:

# work for more than 20 hours per week during term time unless your placement is part of your studies, has the agreement of your education institution and leads to a degree or qualification awarded by a nationally recognised examining body

# do business, be self-employed or provide services as a professional sportsperson or entertainer

# work full-time in a permanent job

Can I switch to Work Permit employment when I am in the UK?

You may be able to switch if:

you have completed a recognised degree course at either a UK publicly funded further or higher education institution or bona fide private education institution which maintains satisfactory records of enrolment and attendance

• you hold a valid work permit for employment
• you have the written consent of any government or agency which is sponsoring you
• you have not broken immigration law

Can I bring my husband, or wife and children with me?

Your husband or wife and any of your children under 18 can come to the UK with you during your studies as long as you can support them and live without help from any public funds.

The authorities must also believe that you are a genuine student, that you intend to leave at the end of the course and that you have the required qualifications to take the course. It is a good idea to keep all documentation in your hand luggage during travel, as it may need to be produced on arrival in the UK.

If you are issued with a visa for more than six months it will be the equivalent of a multiple entry visa. If you are a national of a country where entry clearance is a requirement and your course is for six months or less you may want to consider applying for a multiple entry visa in order to leave and re-enter the UK during this time.

Important note: Do not enter the UK on a visitor?s visa with the intention of changing to a student visa at a later date. This is because unless you are from a country whose nationals do not need to obtain a visa before coming to the UK, you will not be able to change to a student visa and will have to return home to make an application

In self-contained flats, your rent will usually be payable monthly and your landlord or landlady is unlikely to live on the premises. Any rules you are required to keep will be written in the lease or agreement you have signed which is legally binding. The lease will usually be for specific periods and once you sign you are committed to renting the flat for that length of time. So study the lease carefully before signing, and if necessary take legal advice.

Passport stickers, stamp and length of stay

If you apply for a visa at a British Embassy, Consulate or High Commision outside the UK, you will receive a sticker called a vignette, in your passport with your conditions and length of stay. When you arrive at the airport, you will receive a stamp to show when you entered the UK.

If you are applying for entry at a port of entry (you can only do this if you are from a non visa national), you will receive a stamp in your passport with your conditions and length of stay.

Most overseas students (from outside the European Union) are initially given the right to stay for one year. Do not worry if you know that you will need to stay longer than this as you can apply to extend your stay as a student later.

Source: Graduateshotline

Argentina is said to have the best higher education training system in Latin America.  It has 103 undergraduate institutions attended by over 15 lakh students.  The students comprise of studying in state-run institutions and private universities.

Extending all over the country ´s regions both universities and institutes feature an academic offer targeted at foreign students and welcome roughly 25,000 young students on an annual basis. Studying options involve pre-graduate, undergraduate and graduate courses of studies. With respect to pre-graduate courses of studies, they are short-lasting, do not take longer than a four-year term and offer technical degrees.

Concerning undergraduate courses, they include bachelor´s degrees, some teacher training colleges, courses of study such as medicine, law, and different engineering majors, among other options. As regards graduate courses, options comprise a wide scope of disciplinary fields. Fees are generally paid and some universities offer scholarships to foreign students.

In this scenario, Argentina is positioning itself as an increasingly more enticing destination for foreign students to choose. In fact, it is a vast, multicultural and safe country offering a very diversified scope of cities, settings, and study centres.

Furthermore, Argentina is said to be endowed with a one-hundred year old educational tradition in all levels involved. With respect to state policies, they have focused on making sure that all inhabitants may have a free access to a high quality education, which has therefore resulted in Argentina having a highly educated and literate population.

Recession or no recession, Indian students are still flocking to foreign universities in hordes.

And Australia remains a top choice for them.  It may be due to peer pressure or kin-calling, but either way, Indian students are quite keen to explore greener pastures abroad. With a Permanent Residency (PR) top on their minds, they forget certain vital issues while studying abroad.

Experts feel that though there is a job crunch in most countries, Australia does not seem to be affected so severely. This is evident from the fact that the number of Indian students going to Australia is still increasing. However this is also true, feel experts, that Indian students do follow their friends and relatives. But this could be the case with anybody in any country. In fact, this can happen only if the students who have gone earlier are happy and satisfied with their institutions and living conditions there.  The word of mouth is so strong for Australia, that it has become one of the most favourable destinations for students.

There are eight universities out of a total of 41 which can be compared with any world class universities, and all of them are considered to be in the top 100 universities in the world. The Australian government legislation requires that all its institutions be registered and meet quality assurance measures. It is upto the student to choose institutions which fulfil their needs and aspirations. All Australian universities have a very important role in research and development.

There is a big attraction for Australia’s PR, and many education agents in India and Australia have used this as a tool to market Australian education.

A word of caution from the experts is that Indian students should be very careful while choosing a course and an institute. They should not compromise their career just for the sake of friends or relatives. So happy studying!

Advantages of a foreign education

You have many more courses to choose from.

You work on a lot of projects.

The amount of real world applications you are exposed to is tremendous.

Universities also allow students to do internships or co-ops, so that they can gain real world work experience while working towards their degree.

Therefore, you come out well prepared to start your career, without needing much training from the company you join. Under the co-operative programme, students divide their semesters between college and work.

For example, in a university that follows a two-semester system, students can study for two semesters, start their co-op during the summer, and continue with it through to the fall.

Then, they can come back and complete their course work. Mostly, if an international graduate student is doing a co-op internship during the fall or spring semester, s/he also has to complete a thesis.

This rule does not apply for the summer internship.

How to earn while studying?

A majority of the Indian students find work on campus to pay for their monthly expenses.

These jobs range from working in a library, at a residence hall helpdesk, as a computer lab operator or in a dining hall, among others.

The average pay is between $6 and $8 ( approximately Rs 262  to Rs 349) an hour. You can choose to work between 12 and 20 hours a week, depending on the course load is for that semester. You cannot work more than 20 hours a week.

During the summer, if you are not taking a course, you can work up to 40 hours per week.

You also have paid internships or co-ops.  

Graduate students are mostly eligible for research or teaching assitantships, though the number of positions available will differ from university to university, and from department to department. 

For undergraduates, scholarships are available in few colleges, so get in touch with the administration to find out more details.  

For example, some might support partial tuition fees, some will have complete funding that takes care of the tuition, salary, health insurance, etc.

Quick preparation tips

An important suggestion: learn to cook at least the basic daal-chawal. It will be of great help once you reach here.

Make sure you get in touch early enough with the Indian Students’ Association in the university or college you are joining, even before you actually get there. 

They should be able to help you with packing, airport pickups and temporary accommodation.

They will also give you an idea about finding permanent accommodation, the financial aid scene in the college, and typically, even your department.

Student lifestyle

Weekdays are by and large spent shuttling between college, course work and your part-time job.

Weekends are for usually reserved for grocery shopping, sleeping late, playing cricket, watching movies, and maybe cleaning.

 Warning: People in US rely heavily on weekends to complete household chores and have fun.

You do ALL the chores like cooking, laundry, cleaning here by yourself, a far cry from the lazy (or shall I say luxurious) lifestyle in India.

As a result, you become much more independent because, even if you were working and managing your finances back home, it’s not likely that you were also doing your laundry and cooking, in addition to scrubbing the bathtub, ALL on your own!

Indian students generally stay in apartments off-campus as they are cheaper than on-campus accommodation.

They use either public transport or college buses to commute to campus. 

What about racial abuse?

There have been stray incidents of racial abuse, but chances are rare that one will face it.

America has been a land of immigrants, and people in general are well behaved and welcoming.

The laws here are strict but, even then, don’t expect to take a stroll down some deserted or unsafe area late at night and not get robbed.

It may not necessarily happen, but you can see for yourself what the odds are.

A home away from home

Indian Student Associations organise events like Holi and Diwali.

So enjoy the festivities even though you are no longer in India.

Most big cities have Indian grocery stores where you can buy Indian condiments and rent DVDs or VHS tapes (yes, they exist!) of Indian films.

Indian students also make fortnightly trips to ‘Indian places’ close-by, like Indian restaurants where you can revive your tastebuds with yummy dosas, chaat, sweets and other delicacies you miss and wish you could whip up with your limited culinary skills.

If you are not visiting any friends or relatives in US during holidays like Easter, Christmas, July 4 (American Independence Day) and Thanksgiving, you can also take trips to nearby beaches or go for camping.

Needless to say, these take place once you have enough money, people and time to spare from your courses and job.

In my four years of stay here, it has been a complete learning experience, career-related and otherwise. It has been stressful and demanding at times, yet enriching in its own way.

-Anamika
Rediff. 

Though US is still the favorite destination for Indians looking at education abroad, newer destinations such as Ireland, Germany, Taiwan and Hong Kong are also emerging as attractive options for Indians to study overseas.

Courses ranging from master’s programmes in fields such as economics and humanities in the UK to film management, animation and hospitality in Singapore are gaining currency among Indian students.

Most Indians looking to go abroad do so at the postgraduate level and the most popular choice is a master’s in business administration, according to Amit Rao, who heads the Ahmedabad-based Rao Overseas Consultancy Pvt. Ltd.

But new courses often lead to unconventional career moves once students come back.

Vineet Sharma, who finished his MBA in 2007 from Chung Hua University in Taiwan, returned to India to set up a pneumatic tools importing company. Around 250 Indian students went to Taiwan in 2008, up by 100 students from the year before, according to the India-Taipei Association in Taipei.

Another Indian student abroad, Amrita Mondal, followed a degree from the Delhi School of Economics with a global studies course offered in English by universities in Germany and Austria.

For many students, the most attractive factor is cost. Business schools in India charge around Rs8 lakh for a two-year postgraduate course but their graduates can expect around Rs4 lakh per year as the starting salary, according to John Gabriel, chief marketing officer at coaching firm IMS Learning Resources Pvt. Ltd.

In Singapore tuition fees for a one-year programme are roughly the same and a graduate can expect a salary around $2,000 (Rs97,200) per month and can live comfortably in the country while still saving up to $500 per month. “That’s half the salary you are going to draw in India and you complete the course in half the time,” says Gabriel.

An MBA in the UK, on the other hand, will cost around Rs15-18 lakh for one year, including living expenses.

Singapore, with a reputation for safety, proximity to India and large Indian population, make it a popular choice, but other countries such as Spain, France and Thailand have also made visas relatively easy to obtain for students.

Some countries such as Singapore and Canada make it easy for international students to stay and provide them a path to permanent resident status.

And governments ranging from Taiwan to the European Union (EU) countries offer full scholarships to attract foreign students to their universities. The EU-sponsored Erasmus Mundus scholarship, for example, provides funding based on academic merit for citizens of other countries to study at a consortium of schools in continental Europe.

Students in non-English speaking countries do run into language problems but, they say, their hosts try to make the transition easier. Consultants say the choice to go abroad isn’t for everyone. It doesn’t make any sense to go for any second-tier college globally for MBA if you don’t get good options or a good mix of students in a batch. But with the number of interested students far outweighing the number of open slots in India, countries outside the US are becoming a more attractive option.