The Important Steps to Studying Abroad

Foreign under-graduation opens up a wide range of career opportunities, however, the process of applying, getting admission and, finally, going abroad is long and needs meticulous planning. Here is a step-wise guide to making it work.
The top six countries -- the US, Canada [Images], the UK, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand emerge as the preferred destinations.

Choose your field

By the time you are through with school you should have an idea of the area that you want to build your career in and/or what you are good at. The choice of the exact course and specialisation can then follow.
Do your research - Before starting off, a student should go through the information that is available on various websites." It may be time-consuming and confusing, but there is no substitute to being well informed.
Another effective way of doing due-diligence is visiting educational fairs of different countries. "At such fairs, many colleges come in and tell you what exactly they have to offer; even the faculty of the colleges is present.

Guidance and location

The next place to go to would be the official educational representatives of the countries in India. Alongside, you can take help from agents and/or educational counsellors, who can guide you throughout the entire process. Sircar advises caution here: "Check if the counsellor is an approved agent. You can even check with the colleges concerned. Do a background check. You can also tap into alumni networks and contact Indian students who have used an agent to get recommendations."
Charges. -The services of the official representatives are mostly free. Agents, however, make money from commissions from colleges and service fees from students. Some take a refundable deposit that you lose if you do not take admission through them. US universities don?t give agents a cut, so counsellors often charge a package fee for five to six universities. You can budget for around Rs 10,000 for these services

Choose the place

This is a bit tricky. Ideally, this should depend on where the best course in your field is offered). Singh, who also wears the hat of the president of the Association of Australian Representatives in India (AAERI), says: "While the US is known for research, the UK scores in pure studies, and Australia in applied sciences and vocational courses.

An Indian student who did his Bachelors in Business Administration and HR Management from Keene University, UK, says, "The UK is one of the best places for management education; you get exposure to an economically advanced business environment."
Costs. Herein comes the question of what you are comfortable spending since you are likely to be paying your way through. Course fees and living expenses vary across countries. Often, the duration of course will be determined by the country you are going to. The longer it is, the higher the costs. So please do the maths before you choose


Part-time jobs.

If you are borrowing to finance your studies, you would want to earn to keep your liabilities down. You might even want some cash in hand to live a little better. Pachisia, for instance, works as a computer lab assistant for $10-11 an hour but he cannot manage all the 20 hours allowed per week because of semester timings.
Working after graduation. International job exposure looks good on a CV in today's globalised environment. If this is priority, your course should be in a country that allows you to stay on. New Zealand is the best place for this. Australia, too, welcomes foreign students. The permanent residence application system is very transparent. The US and the UK are a bit stuffy in this respect. If you are planning to stay on in the UK, you are barking up the wrong tree, the route is tedious. Some people who are not familiar with city life prefer to experience the traditional English Life. If you have such preferences, factor them too.

Courses and applications - Select the Course

Whether you will take this step before or after you have chosen your destination will depend on your priorities. You could even get lucky and find the best course in your preferred country. If the course is more important than the destination, you could find yourself grappling with a range of admission and visa requirements.
However, admission into a top programme makes it worth the trouble. After you go through the eligibility and other criteria, try to narrow the list down to five.
While doing this, check how well the degree is recognised across the world and whether it opens doors in the job market or academia, depending on your preference.
Also check out the course and university rankings. The admission process can throw up surprises, so it's better to apply to more than one university unless you are sure of yourself.

Apply Early

Now that you know where to apply, the sooner you do so the better. Always remember deadlines are sacrosanct. While most countries would have paper forms, you need to go though UCAS (www.ucas.ac.uk) to apply to UK colleges. You must craft your statement of purpose well and provide recommendations from your teachers.

Take the Tests

You should have started preparing for the tests you need to take about the time you started your research. Now that you know what you are applying for, it is time to take the tests. You would almost certainly need an English language proficiency test, International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). An IELTS score is mandatory to apply for an Australian visa. SAT GRE GMAT CAT aer some of them

Obtain a conditional offer from the University. Based on your marks in English in Class XII (at least 80 per cent), it may waive your test requirement and send you an acceptance letter or wait to do so till they get your score. Either way, they will let you know if you need to take a test. In addition, US universities would require the score of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) of reasoning while some would also ask for the SAT subject test score.

Organize Your Funds

Self-funding or Sponsorship. This is often the key since you will likely pay for yourself. "The student's parents or sponsor needs to prepare 6-9 months in advance. Ready funds (liquid assets) should ideally be 6-8 months old at the time of applying for a visa. Recent transfers of large amounts must be explained with documentary proof of source. One should remember not to rely on a shoe string budget. Rather it is recommended that you defer plans if there is a financial problem. You need to show proof of assets for the first year of study and plans for the subsequent years. Australia, however, needs proof for the entire course duration.
Loans. Banks give loans for studying abroad, but only for professional or job-oriented courses. You would have to give an assessment of future income at the time of borrowing and start repaying six months after the course ends. This may not work if you are are going for higher studies.
While loans up to Rs 20 lakh are available, collateral is needed for loans above Rs 7.50 lakh. Maheswari got a Rs 20-lakh loan from Allahabad Bank for his Bachelor's course. He, however, had the advantage that his father was with the bank for the previous 30 years.

Insurance and visas

Get insured - You will have to show proof of health insurance when applying for visas to most countries. In any case, you must have a cover since medical costs abroad, especially in the US, are high and can completely throw your finances out of gear should you need to incur them. You can buy insurance in the country you are going to, or in India. The latter usually works out cheaper. Though Policies purchased in India work out cheaper. Most countries do not accept these policies and one can easily be confronted with a near hopeless situation while in an alien country. Though policies in US, UK and other Countries can be a bit expensive. In the long run you will be the gainer and will have smooth treatment.

Apply for a visa

This is the final hurdle and moving early helps here too. Apart from a required set of documents that are similar for all countries, an interview is mandatory for the US visa. You should be able to convince the consular officer that you intend to go to the US to study and then return. You should use the correct Forms while applying or you can land yourself in an uncomfortable situation. It is always better to ask the front desk before you go ahead and use the wrong forms. While Australian visas can be applied for online, for the rest you need to pay a visit to the visa office. Marina Gandhi, head, Education UK, East India, British Council, says biometric details will be taken at that time for UK visas. Most embassies want proof of funds for the first year. Australia needs them for the entire duration of the course, before it issues a visa.

Accomodations and departure

Once your visa comes through, you need to arrange for a place to stay when you get to your new college. There are usually many choices in terms of costs and facilities, but the ones closer to college work best. Most Universities guarantee accommodation for International students if they apply by the deadline. This would be a good option initially since the facilities are usually good. Once you get the feel of the land, you can rent a place off campus along with other students. This usually works out cheaper and gives you more flexibility. Sharing an apartment teaches one to be independent and share chores. However staying on campus has its own advantages and you can make many friends.

Before leaving

It is advisable to attend pre-departure briefings. You also have to arrange for travel and carry some foreign exchange for the first few days till you can open an account and deposit your travellers' cheques. Admittedly, a foreign college education doesn't come cheap. But the benefits can far outweigh the costs. For starters, the exposure that a top college gives has no substitute. For places such as Singapore, the costs are not much higher than in India. So,if you have the inclination and,of course,the funds, you can follow your heart and study wherever you want. Strike out and put the your first step forward.