Graduate School -- Dos and donts of applying

This is from a view of an Indian student.

Most students after graduating want to make the most of the opportunities available to them and so they opt to study abroad.
Some benefits/reasons of wanting to study abroad are:

• More Universities as well as wider range of subjects and degrees to choose from.
• Get to learn in some of the worlds best universities and so meet some very distinguished faculty.
  
• Not as competitive as the top universities in India, not that hard to get into provided one has a first class on all the exams from school to under grad.
  
• They are taught based on how one chooses the course work to be and can also be employed by the same university on the teaching or research side if interested(since it is a good university one gets into, the research quality is generally top rated and more advanced than most universities in India.
• And for whatever other personal reasons.
  

Here are some tips and dos and don ts when applying to universities abroad.
Dos
First and the foremost thing to do is to look up some websites that can give you information on what kind of degrees in one's course are offered in a particular country you want to pursue your higher studies in. For e.g. Some commonly offered masters USA pro gs. include M.S M.Engg, MBA. M.lit, M.S + PhD)and so on . Some UK pro gs. are Msc, Msc in MBA, M.tech, Mres. so on. So the best thing to do is to look through each program carefully and see how they require you to go through it, what kind of course work is required to complete it and how long each program is(This is important because if one cannot complete it with the course duration he'll have to extend the duration or sometimes quit. So better search for a course one is confident of finishing with in the course duration). Universities abroad have a ranking system that sees the number of students graduating with a good honours degree so the universities usually do not want students who cannot clear exams early to re-sit again and again. What I am trying to say is better be sure the course is in your interest and you are not doing it so you get a job with good salary(which you wont anyway without your degree).Even if it was one of your under-grad area which was not to your interest. Its better to avoid such courses because one is not ready for them, you waste your money and time.

If you are planning on shifting from your under-grad major to some other major in grad-school it should be thought about very carefully. And the department or course convener should be contacted so you are aware of the difficulty level of the new program. Remember that the courses abroad are usually much more intensive and heavier than the ones in India and you compete with people who might be from a related under-grad major and therefore you have to put in twice the hard work which will leave you with no time to do anything else. However if you are interested and want to pursue your further studies in a different field you are totally eligible to do so (eligibility should however be checked out on the university's website to be more sure).

It is always better to apply well in advance before the programs starts and also see to it that one completes ones current degree at least four months before they leave to do their masters. Applying as early as 1 year before the start of a course is the best thing to do. This means all the required documents and tests' scores should be ready by then and planned accordingly. Under-grads who are in their pre-final year of their course can also apply without their final year results but it is best to provide a course completion certificate (This is a certificate which states that you have cleared all your exams so far and most likely will complete your under grad on so and so date or month, taken from the principal of their current institution).

Benefits of applying early(considering one gets admitted early):

1. You will have enough time to research on the type of course work you will do and also have enough time to file for your visa application.
   
2. You will have time to find a comfortable and not-so-costly accommodation close to your university.
3. It allows searching for a part-time job and developing course/job related contacts before one reaches grad school.
4. Might have time to apply to some competitive based scholarships both in India and abroad as well or possibility of receiving one without applying to from your grad school is higher.

Take all the required tests and coaching early(as early as one year before you plan on applying).

Mention extra credits you have like trainings, research publications, projects on your name. These will count towards your experience.


Don ts:

1. Don't ever make the mistake of trying to morph your application transcripts or change the details if you are caught you will never be able to go to that country depending on the severity of the tampering.
2. Never make the mistake of applying to English speaking countries if you are not good with it! Never do this because there were people who were sent back to learn English before they could continue with their courses. You could take classes improve then apply or apply and take classes, either way you should have good scores on the standardized tests like GRE and TOEFL(both based on English).
   
3. Never make a hurried application in the last minute. Some grad-schools take in students every semester so wait look up the next application date and than apply there is not much time you will loose waiting for the next semester.

If one wants to approach a consultancy one should do so at one's own risk! Most consultancies just really make money out of sending you abroad so all they need is you to get you an admission. So they might make some suggestions but you need to do the picking wisely!

Don't delay because if delayed everything in the end is a mess and once you reach there you wont have much time to sort things out as you will get busy with your course. If one cant do applying and giving exams and their current course simultaneously take time off after current course and apply for the next semester intake.

Given all the above dos and don ts you will have to remember that you are paying more than the locals there for your education (nearly thrice the amount) so invest it wisely.
The first things one experiences on reaching is a culture shock which will go away in due time so don't get all nervous instead try being confident of yourself fight any negative feelings and take good care of your health!

Useful links
www.usnews.com
www.gradcafe.net/com
www.guardian.co.uk
good university guide


Rankings play little importance in the unversity selection.
The courses you seek and the reputation of the departments are more important.