Study Abroad

Study Abroad Made Easy Part 3: Application Guidelines for Study Abroad

Welcome to the 3^rd part of the Study Abroad Made Easy series. This part will cover the application guidelines for study abroad. First of all, let get started with the essential components of the application pack.

Required Documents for Study Abroad Application Process:

Passport
CV
Statement of Purpose / Letter of Motivation / Personal Statement
Letters of Recommendation (Reference Letters)
Academic Documents – certified copies of certificates and mark-sheets (transcripts) of Class 10, 12 and Bachelors (if applying for Masters)
Language Certificate (IELTS, TOEFL or PTE)
Scorecard of Special Tests – SAT (for undergraduate studies), GRE (for graduate level and non-MBA programs), GMAT (for MBA programs)
Certificates of any extra-curricular activities or any foreign language (if applicable)

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Tips for Curriculum Vitae (CV) or Resume:

Mention your full name (as per as Passport) and contact details (address, email-id and phone number) on the top
Include your academic history in reverse chronology (the recent one being on top)
Do mention the subject/modules and marks (percentage or GPA)
Include information relevant to the course you are applying for on the first page. For example, if you are applying for M.Sc. In Drug Chemistry, mention the project or your expertise about molecular modelling or docking software on the first page. Likewise, if you are applying for a Masters program on Digital Marketing, highlight your blogs and your experience with WordPress, Google Analytics or Photoshop.
Do include your extra-curricular activities, hobbies and interests at the end.

Tips for Personal Statement:

Start with your brief introduction and aim
Include what you already know, followed by why you want to study the particular course
Describe briefly why have you chosen to apply to the particular university and the department
Then broadly mention your career goals
Elaborate your work experience (if applicable) and the skills you developed through your job(s)
Tell them little more about your personality – strengths, weaknesses, hobbies and interests etc.
This is a very important component of your application pack. If you have lower grades, no work experience or little less than the cut-off GMAT score – this is the opportunity to impress the reviewers and edging out other applicants.

Tips for Letter of Recommendation (LOR):

LOR is another vital part of your application and it could be a make or break factor for your application. You will need 2 – 3 LORs. So, no need to get a LOR from everyone. Ask someone to write a LOR who knows you really well. A LOR from your Head of the Department would do you more good than a LOR from the Dean or Principal. Likewise, a LOR from your immediate supervisor or project guide would look better than a letter from the Lecturer who taught you in just one semester or a colleague at work place. The referee ideally should comment about your subject knowledge and expertise, motivation for higher studies and research, character traits and so on.

Ideally you should send your application to the universities for overseas education at least 6 – 9 months before the start of the program. If you are applying for a Scholarship along with course, you should definitely apply 9 -10 months before the start of the program. It is also wise not to wait till the last date (or even week) of the application deadline.

In most of the cases, few seats are being offered on the basis of first-come-first-serve. For instance, the application window for X University (for September intake) is 1^st January to 31^st May. Students who apply by 15^th February (or end of February) and fulfil the minimum entry requirements, are very likely to get an offer letter by the end of March.

If you apply in April or May, your application will be judged in comparison to other applicants. In that case, fulfilling the minimum eligibility is not enough; and only the applicants with top most credentials will get the offers. Besides, securing an offer early enough also gives you enough time to sort out finances and work on the visa process and other pre-departure arrangements (booking flight, accommodation etc.).

Here a little bit more help , Download these samples to get you started immediately.

Sample: Sample CV , Letter of Recommendation – MS – I , Letter of Recommendation – MS – Academic – II , Letter Of Recommendation – MS – Professional – III , Letter of Recommendation – MBA – I , Sample CV – II