Unpacking the whole study abroad myth

A formal education is something that we, as Indians value a lot. It’s no surprise that a lot of students think about pursuing a postgraduate education from a foreign institution in order to broaden their skill-set. Getting an education abroad is beneficial in many ways; you get to learn about a different culture, are forced to integrate and you get to pick up the best practices that are being followed in other parts of the world.

Things have become a little difficult as of late though. With rising tuition costs, increasingly stringent visa requirements and uncertain employment prospects, many Indians are left in a dilemma as to how best to maximise their return on higher education.

It helps to start by identifying your goals early on. Why do you seek an education abroad? Is it to experience living in a different culture? Do you hope to involve yourself in cutting-edge research? Or do you seek to improve your current living conditions by moving to a different country? These are some of the many questions that you ought to ask yourself before you begin the process of shortlisting Universities to apply to.

Once you’re clear about what you want, the next step is to define your budget. Students often make the mistake of choosing a program first and look up financing options later. It’s better to define a range within which you’re comfortable and then start looking for options that fall within your defined range. That way, you reduce the likelihood of choosing programs that may not offer a high rate of return.

After having outlined your interests and your budget, you should find yourself with a list of universities that tick all the right boxes for you. The next step is to collect as much information as you possibly can about these programs and the Universities that offer them. Forcing yourself to sift through tons of data pertaining to research output, student body profile, employment prospects and living conditions should address any and all queries that you might have about these places.

Furthermore, it’s also important to understand what these Universities require you to provide during the admissions process. Most universities tend to ask for standardised test scores, academic transcripts, letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose. Depending on what the requirements are, you’ll need to plan ahead and ensure you have everything you need in order to apply.

Everything that’s been written above is best done over the course of a year. It’s recommended that you begin the process as early as 15 months prior to the beginning of a program so that you have ample time to collect and organize the material that you need.

Studying abroad can be an extremely rewarding experience and you might often end up getting more than you asked for. The trick is to plan ahead and make calculated choices so that you don’t end up with a sub-par experience.

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Should You Go to Grad School after Bachelors?

How to Apply?

Should You Go to Grad School after Undergrad?

Considering Grad School after Bachelors?

So, you’ve done it! After devoting close to twenty years of your life to formal education, you’ve successfully come out with a high-school diploma, a great undergraduate experience and if already graduated, a job with a decently reputed company to boot. You are – for all intents and purposes – a sorted individual.

A year or two into your current job, you might start re-evaluating your career path. You may ask yourself: ‘Is this job right for me?’ or ‘Do I need to get extra certifications to advance my prospects?’. If you’re a fresh college graduate (or one who’s set to graduate in the next year) you may be extremely worried about the current job market. You might have burning questions like “Is it better to do a Master’s, or head for the job market?”.

These questions are all too common among many ambitious twenty-somethings who seek to scale greater heights in their careers. In the olden days, going to grad school after bachelors was considered an outright favorable decision. Unfortunately for us modern yuppies, things are not as straightforward as they used to be. The forces of demand and supply have worked their “wonders” over the years. As a result, they’ve led to a severe crisis of over-inflation in the world of higher education. Today’s sad reality is that degrees aren’t guaranteed to get you a job anymore. Moreover, they’re only getting more expensive by the day. This begs the million-dollar question: should you go to grad school after bachelors?

Options to Consider

If you’re a working professional, you should speak to the senior employees in your company. They can provide you credible insight on what the corporate landscape looks like. Similarly, if you’re a student, you can reach out to seniors and even professors for advice. Many would be happy to share their insights because of their connection with you. Some might even offer you a few pointers on what you could do to advance your prospects. Additionally, you could also look at picking up skills in your free time; there are tons of (free) online resources you can use to learn new technologies that the market demands.

If you’re considering taking a hiatus and enrolling in a full-time course, you should reach out to current students or recent graduates of the program(s) that you’re looking at. Current students or graduates of a course that you’re interested in, usually tend to give honest feedback about it. Connecting with alumni can prove really beneficial because they can help you uncover facts that college admissions teams ever so desperately try to hide. Your best bet is to be extremely thorough in your research. Evaluate your program(s) of choice from every possible angle that you consider critical.

Here’s a list of all places you can contact if you’re considering studying abroad.

Money Matters

When searching for loans to fund your higher education, don’t take risks that you don’t fully understand. Money gets way more complicated and serious when you attend grad school. In the United States alone, student debt totals at a whopping $1.4 Trillion. If you have even the slightest of doubts about the financial viability of a program, it is best to hold back for a bit and consider alternative options. Moreover, it also helps to look harder for loans that are more student-friendly. Your neighborhood bank might tempt you with short-term incentives to lure you into a high-interest education loan, and hand you a zero buffer period after graduation. But, you should think twice before taking such offers. There are many organizations out there that offer a better deal overall, and it is only a matter of time before they show up in your search results.

If you’re looking for a comprehensive guide to student loans, here’s one.

Don’t fret too much! Our generation is saddled with a newer and more complex set of problems than the ones before us. Fortunately, we’ve also got the tools to solve them. It’s easy to determine whether you should go to grad school after bachelors. All it takes is time, patience and a whole lot of ingenuity to make the right choices. Be wary, follow your gut. You’ve got this. That said, you’re more than welcome to reach out to us for any and all further assistance over at GradRight. We’ve got your back!