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Studying
Abroad
For many Indians, going
abroad is the ultimate ambition. A visa to the USA is much
coveted and the country attracts students from all fields.
With countries like Australia and Canada too beckoning
students through large advertisements published in Indian
newspapers and holding career seminars held in various
cities, people have found viable alternatives in their quest
for a foreign degree. This feature describes how to get
admission, especially in universities in USA, and the tests
one needs to take, including TOEFL.
The first step if you want to go abroad is to get full
information about courses and universities. This is an easy
task, as a number of agents of foreign universities in India
provide all the information you need. Be selective in
choosing universities, since one has to pay a fee with every
application. Also, ensure that the university you are going
to is accredited by the Council of Post-Secondary
Accreditation (COPA). This will be helpful if you wish to
change your school in mid-term. A ranking of the universities
is also available based on the number of students applying to
those admitted. A higher figure would show which universities
are sought after.
To study in America, first you must determine the subject you
want to study. A university may have a very good engineering
programme, but a poor business programme. So, if you are
interested to study business, you may not want to go to that
university. Also, a university may have had a good reputation
20 years ago, but today it may not be as good. Two books are
important reference material: The College Handbook Foreign
Student Supplement and The College Handbook. Both are
published by: College Board Publications, Box 886, New York
10101-0886, USA.
How to Apply
The process of applying to foreign universities must start at
least one year in advance. Application forms are to be
filled, tests taken and admission ensured. Then, visas must
be ensured without which the entire process would come to
naught. Select the country you wish to apply because there
may be different procedures to follow for different
countries.
For the USA, the first step would be to get a list of
universities and writing to them for information and
application forms. Some useful directories for this purpose
are : Directory of Graduate Programs and Petersons Guide to
Graduate Programs. These directories are available in the
offices of the United States Educational Foundation of India
(USEFI).
You must write to the institutes along with a Pre-Application
From, which should contain the following information:
Course Applying for:
Name:
Address:
Date of Birth:
Citizenship:
Academic Record:
Work Experience:
Tests Taken: (TOEFL/GMAT)
Financial Requirements.
After receiving your Pre-Application form, the universities
will send you their detailed application forms. It is
advisable to select 6-7 universities, fill in their forms
very carefully and send them. Simultaneously, take the TOEFL
and other tests. Your scores will be sent to the universities
directly as well as to you so that you can assess your
chances.
If the requirements match, you will receive admission offers
which you can then evaluate. Apply next for a visa and this
is a crucial stage because the rejection rates are very high.
The whole process will take 12 to 18 months so it is
advisable to start early.
Cost: It must be remembered that applying to a foreign
university is an expensive proposition. Taking tests would
cost you around Rs 6,000. The GRE/GMAT scores are sent free
to four universities and two other universities at an expense
of $ 13. Write a good Statement of Purpose describing your
career goals, academic record and why you wish to study
abroad. The average application fee per university is between
$ 20 to $ 80. The total fee in an American university is
about
US $15,000 to $17,000 per year.
Some students look for scholarships to be able to meet their
study cost, at least partially. Working on a part-time basis
is another option. While getting a scholarship is becoming
increasingly difficult, some teaching assistantships are
often available. A student can study and teach at the same
time and also meet his expenses. However, while applying for
a visa, one must be able to show sizeable assets in ones name
so that one can meet the cost on ones own, should any help
not materialise. In most cases, the student must be prepared
to spend over Rs 5 lakh for an overseas degree.
A student may also have to return after finishing the
studies. In US and Australia, a scholar visa is valid only as
long as the course. After that, the student usually has to
return to his country. So an offer of admission may not
necessarily mean that a person can settle permanently in a
foreign land. Most universities will require that you submit
bank statements and other documents to prove that you or your
parents have enough money to pay for your education and
living expenses. Some universities require that you make a
bank deposit directly to their account or pay the tuition fee
in advance.
Financial Aid and Visas
There are some universities that offer financial aid to
students from countries other than USA. Very few offer
complete financial aid. Some universities have employment
opportunities on campus for international students. Students
who get F-1 student visa may not work off-campus during the
first year of college. After the first year, they may apply
for permission to work off-campus, at a part-time job to help
pay for their expenses. Permission is granted by the
international student office at the university and the US
Immigration Department.
Once you are accepted, the university or language center will
issue you an I-20 form. This allows you to apply for a
student visa at the American embassy or consulate in India.
It does not guarantee that you will receive a visa. The
consulate determines if the reason you are applying for the
visa is genuine and that you will return to your country once
you have finished your education in the US. Many students are
disappointed when the embassy refuses the visa and they
cannot realise their dream of going to America. If this
happens to you, contact the school that issued your I-20 form
and try to re-apply for a student visa, either immediately or
at a later date when you have addressed the concerns of the
US consulate officer.
TOEFL and other tests
Students wanting to go abroad will be required to take the
TOEFL, GRE, GMAT and the SAT-I tests, depending on their
objectives. The TOEFL is a Test of English as a Foreign
language and has to be taken by all Indian students who want
to go abroad. The test is conducted four times in a year, but
one should not delay taking it beyond October. The purpose is
to test the English proficiency of people who are non-native
speakers of the language. Many American universities require
foreign students to take the TOEFL to ensure their English is
sufficient. The test has three parts: Listening
Comprehension, Structure and Written Expression, Vocabulary
and Reading Comprehension. Most schools require a 500 or
higher test score. Graduate programmes require 550-600 or
higher.
If you have average test scores and can pay the fees, it is
not difficult to be admitted. The better universities, like
MIT, Princeton and Harvard are, however, very competitive.
Some universities may also admit students without a TOEFL
test.
The Test of Spoken English (TSE), is administered with the
TOEFL in October and March. It checks the proficiency of a
student in spoken English. A score of 45-55 out of 60 is
considered good. The test is required for those who plan to
teach or do a Ph.D.
The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required for
admission to post-graduate programmes in technical areas. It
is also conducted four times a year. There are six sections
in the test, consisting of Maths, Verbal, Analytical and
Logical Resoning. A minimum score of 1500 out of 2400 is
required for most American universities. Details of the GRE
can be obtained from the USEFI offices in India.
If you are aiming for a management degree in the US, the
Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is essential. It
consists of Maths, Comprehension, Sentence Correction, Data
Sufficiency and Reasoning. Since 1994, GMAT has two 30-minute
essays as well. It also has an experimental section which is
used for research purposes and may not be counted at all, but
this is not known and it is not advisable to leave any
section. Each section has to be done in the allotted time and
you cannot go back and forth in the paper. The GMAT is also
conducted four times a year. A score of 600 to 650 out of 800
is considered good by most universities.
The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or the Achievement Test
(ACT), is required for undergraduate studies by US
universities. It tests Comprehension, Maths and Verbal
Ability. Masters and doctorate programmes require the GRE
while a study in law may require the Law Scholastic Aptitude
Test (LSAT).
Educational qualifications obtained in India may cause a
problem, as the CBSE or the AISCE exams are not accepted
universally. In UK and Canada, the GCE A level examinations
are accepted, while in Australia one may have to do a
one-year preparatory course. A universally accepted
qualification is the International Baccalaureate Examination.
This is a two-year programme which is recognized internationally.
Most tests are conducted by Educational Testing Services (ETS)
and scores are sent directly to the universities that you
have opted for.
Some useful addresses are:
IPEM, 119/25A, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Allahabad211 001.
USEFI, 12 Hailey Road, New Delhi110 001.
The British Council, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi110 001.
International Baccalaureate Office, University of London,
Institute of Education, 18, Wabtern Square, London WC1H ONS,
UK.
Prospects
What are the prospects of a person with a foreign degree? Who
should apply to foreign universities? What are the prospects
for those who get a foreign degree and return to India?
First, it must be remembered that the top institutes in India
are considered as good or even better than many universities
abroad. If one can get in any such institute, one can get
quality education right at home, and at substantially less
cost.
Some universities and institutes of other countries are well
known. Persons with degrees from these institutes would be
much sought after here as well. On the other hand, there may
be some colleges or universities which may not be well known
here. A person with a degree from such colleges would
certainly be at a disadvantage with employers in India.
Moreover, some multinational companies prefer people from
Indian institutes because they are attuned to the local
environment, traditions and customs.
Tests you need to take
Students wanting to go abroad will be required to take the
TOEFL, GRE, GMAT and the SAT-I tests depending on their
objectives.
The TOEFL is a Test of English as a Foreign Language and has
to be taken by all Indian students who want to go abroad. It
checks proficiency in written English and comprehension. A
score of 550 to 600 from a total of 677 must be aimed at. The
test is conducted four times in a year but one should not
delay taking it beyond October. The Test of Spoken English,
or TSE, is administered with the TOEFL, in October and March.
It checks the proficiency of a student in spoken English. A
score of 45-55 out of 60 is considered good. The test is
required for those who plan to teach or do a Ph.D. Another
test of English Proficiency is the Business English
Certificate, BEC, which is conducted by the University of
Cambridge. Details of this can be obtained from the British
Council offices in India.
The Graduate Record Examination, the GRE, is required for
admission to post-graduate programmes in technical areas. It
is also conducted four times a year. There are six sections
in the test, consisting of Maths, Verbal, Analytical and
Logical Reasoning. A minimum score of 1500 out of 2400 is
required for most American universities. Details of the GRE
can be obtained from the USEFI offices in India.
If you are aiming for a management degree in the US, the
Graduate Management Admission Test, GMAT, would be essential.
It consists of Maths, Comprehension, Sentence Correction,
Data Sufficiency and Reasoning. Since 1994, GMAT has two
30-minute essays as well. It also has an experimental section
which is used for research purposes and may not be counted at
all, but this is not known and it is not advisable to leave
any section. Each section has to be done in the allotted time
and you cannot go back and forth in the paper. The GMAT is
also conducted four times a year. A score of 600 to 650 out
of 800 is considered good by most universities.
The Scholastic Aptitude Test, the SAT, is required for
undergraduate studies by US universities. It tests
Comprehension, Maths and Verbal Ability.
Educational qualifications obtained in India may cause a
problem, as the CBSE or the AISCE exams are not accepted
universally, in UK and Canada, the GCE A level examinations
are accepted, while in Australia one may have to do a
one-year preparatory course. A universally accepted
qualification is the International Baccalaureate Examination,
the IB. This is a two-year programme which is recognised
internationally.
Most tests are conducted by Educational Testing Services (ETS)
and scores are sent directly to the universities that you
have opted for.
Some useful addresses are:
IPEM, 119/25A, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Allahabad211 001
USEFI, 12 Hailey Road, New Delhi110 001.
The British Council, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi110 001.
International Baccalaureate Office, University of London,
Institute of Education, 18, Wabtern Square, London WC1H ONS,
UK.
GRE
The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE). The general Test
measures verbal, quantitative, and analytical reasoning
skills; the Writing Assessment and the GRE Subject Tests
measure achievement in 14 different fields of study.
ETS administers GRE tests on behalf of the Graduate Record
Examinations Board, an independent board affiliated with the
Association of Graduate Schools and the Council of Graduate
Schools, which establishes all policies for the GRE Program.
FORMAT
There are two parts of a GRE test-General Test, Subject test.
The General test is offered on the computer and measures
candidates Analytical, Verbal and Quantitative skills. Thest
test is conducted on computer in most parts of the world.
The Subject test are offered only as paper based test and are
given in 14-subject areas which measures candidates specific
subject areas and his/her excessive background in those
disciplines.
A new Writing assessment test has been introduced from
October 1999. The assessment consists of two analytical
writing tasks: a 45 mins. Present your Perspective on an
issue task and a 30mins. Analyze an Argument task.
Scoring the GRE
The three major parts of the General test are scored
independently. You will receive individual scores for verbal,
math and logic sections. Each score ranges from 200 to 800.
SYLLABUS
ANALYTICAL ABILITY
The Analytical Ability sections are designed to measure your
ability to think logically in a common sense. You may find
the following kinds of questions:
Analytical reasoning questions in groups of three or more,
with each group based on a different set of conditions
describing a fictional situation
Logical reasoning questions based on short arguments or
statements, or on simple graphs or tables, with the questions
sometimes in pairs and sometimes separate Questions on Venn
diagram and Sets can also be asked.
VERBAL ABILITY
The verbal ability measure is designed to test your ability
to reason with words in solving problems. Reasoning
effectively in a verbal medium depends primarily upon the
ability to discern and analyze relationships among words or
groups of words and within sentences. The verbal measure
consists of analogies, antonyms, sentence completions,
QUANTITATIVE ABILITY
The quantitative sections is designed to measure basic
mathematical skills, understanding of elementary mathematical
concepts, and the abilities to reason quantitatively and to
solve problems in a quantitative setting. The quantitative
sections include four broad content areas: arithmetic,
algebra, geometry, and data analysis.
ARITHMETIC
Arithmetic include those involving the following topics: arithmetic
operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication,
division, and powers) on real numbers, operations on radical
expressions, estimation, per cent, absolute value, properties
of numbers (such as divisibility and properties of primes and
odd and even integers).
ALGEBRA
Algebra include those involving the following topics:
factoring and simplifying algebraic expressions, concepts of
relations and function, equations, and inequalities. The
skills required include the ability to solve first and second
degree equations and inequalities, and simultaneous
equations; the ability to read a word problem and set up the
necessary equations or inequalities to solve it; and the
ability to apply basic algebraic skills to solve problems.
GEOMETRY
Geometry include those involving the following topics:
properties associated with parallel lines, circles, triangles
(including isosceles, equilateral, and 30&Mac176; -
60&Mac176; - 90&Mac176;), rectangles, other polygons, area,
perimeter, volume, the Pythagorean Theorem, angle measure in
degrees.
DATA ANALYSIS
Data analysiss divided into two parts Data Interpretations
and Data Sufficiency
Data Interpretation checks the candidates capabbility to
interpret data given in graphs and tables.
Data Sufficiency Check candidates capability to analyze the
data given and based on that gives his opinion whether that
data is sufficient to answer the question given apart from
that questions on mean, median, mode, range, standard
deviation, and percentiles can also be asked.
ELIGIBILITY
Candidate should be at least a graduate
HOW TO APPLY
Bulletins or Information including the registration forms may
be Obtained From the USEFI Officers or from IPEM
Institute of Psychological and Educational Measurement.
25A Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Allahabad 211 001.
United State Education Foundation in India
USEFI American Centre 38-A, Jawahar Lal Nehru road Calcutta
71
USEFI FulBright House, 12-Hailey Road, New Delhi 110 001
USEFI, American Consulate Building, Anna Salai, Chennai 600
006
USEFI, Sundeep, 4 new Marine Lines, Mumbai 400 020
GMAT
The GMAT test checks candidates ability in math, English and
logic reasoning
The test includes two types of questionsArgumentative and
Data Sufficiency. However, the argument and data sufficiency
questions are not inherently hard, and with sufficient study
one can raise performance on these questions significantly.
FORMAT OF THE GMAT
THE GMAT is a three-and-one-half hour computer adaptive test
(CAT). There are four sections in the test. The CAT requires
you to enter an answer to each question and you may not
return to previous question.
Section Time
Writing Section Analysis of Issue Essay 30 minutes
Writing Section Analysis of Argument Essay 30 minutes
Quantitative Section 37 Questions 75 minutes
Verbal Section 41 Questions 75 minutes
VERBAL ABILITY
The verbal ability measure is designed to test your ability
to reason with words in solving problems. Reasoning
effectively in a verbal medium depends primarily upon the
ability to discern and analyze relationships among words or
groups of words and within sentences. The verbal measure
consists of analogies, antonyms, sentence completions,
QUANTITATIVE ABILITY
The quantitative section is designed to measure basic
mathematical skills, understanding of elementary mathematical
concepts, and the abilities to reason quantitatively and to
solve problems in a quantative setting. The quantitative
section includes four broad content areas: arithmetic,
algebra, geometry, and data analysis.
ARITHMETIC
Arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication,
division, and powers) on real numbers, operations on radical
expressions, estimation, per cent absolute value, properties
of numbers (such as divisibility and properties of primes and
odd and even integers).
ALGEBRA
Factoring and simplifying algebraic expressions, concepts of
relations and functions, equations, and inequalities. The
skills required include the ability to solve first and second
degree equations and inequalities, and simultaneous
equations; the ability to read a word problem and set up the
necessary equations or inequalities to solve it; and the
ability to apply basic algebraic skills to solve problems.
GEOMETRY
Properties associated with parallel lines, triangles
(including isosceles, equilateral, and 30&Mac176; -
60&Mac176; - 90&Mac176;), rectangles, other polygons, area,
perimeter, volume, the Pythagorean Theorem, angle measure in
degrees.
DATA ANALYSIS
Data analysis is divided into two parts Data Interpretations
and Data Sufficiency
Data Sufficiency checks candidates capability to analyze the
data given and based on that his opinion whether that data is
sufficient to answer the question given. Apart from this,
questions on mean, median, mode, range, standard deviation,
and percentiles can also be asked.
ANALYTICAL ABILITY
The Analytical Ability sections are designed to measure
candidates ability to think. The questions will be on
Analytical reasoning questions in groups of three or more,
with each group based on a different set of conditions
describing a fictional situation. Logical reasoning questions
based on short arguments or statements, or on simple graphs
or tables, with the questions sometimes in pairs and
sometimes separate Questions on Venn diagram and Sets can
also be asked.
ELIGIBILITY
Candidate should at least be a graduate from a recognized
university. Students who have completed three years of
graduation are eligible after first year of post graduation.
HOW TO APPLY
Addresses:
Bulletins or Information including the registration forms may
be obtained From the USEFI offices or from IPEM.
Institute of Psychological and Educational Measurment
25A Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Allahabad 211 001.
United State Education Foundation in India.
USEFI American Centre 38-A, Jawahar Lal Nehru road Calcutta
71.
USEFI Fulbright House, 12-Hailey Road, New Delhi 110 001
USEFI, American Consulate Building, Anna Salai, Chennai 600
006
USEFI, Sundeep, 4 new Marine Lines, Mumbai 400 020
SAT
College Universities and Scholarship programmes use SAT
programme test score along with your academic record, extra
curricular activities and recommendations for considering
application of admission. SAT scores help the colleges to
compare the academic achievement of the students across
different schools.
FORMAT
SAT Test comprises of
SAT I: Reasoning Test, which is a three-hour test, primarily
multiple-choice, that measures verbal and mathematical
reasoning abilities.
SAT II: Subject Tests are one-hour, mostly multiple-choice,
tests in specific subjects. These tests measure knowledge of
a particular subject and the ability to apply that knowledge.
Many colleges require or recommend one or more of these tests
for admission or placement purposes.
SYLLABUS
The Reasoning test measures verbal and mathematical abilities
The subject test are held in the following areas. Writing
Literature, American History, World History, Maths, Biology,
Physics and Chemistry.
ELIGIBILITY
Candidate must have cleared the 10 + 2 standard from standard
Board and institution.
HOW TO APPLY
Bulletins or Information including the registration forms may
be Obtained From the USEFI Officers or from IPEM
Institute of Psychological and Educational Measurement.
25A Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Allahabad 211 001.
United State Education Foundation in India.
USEFI American Centre 38-A, Jawahar Lal Nehru Road
Calcutta-71.
USEFI FulBright House, 12-Hailey Road, New Delhi- 110 001
USEFI, American Consulate Building, Anna Salai, Chennai- 600
006
USEFI, Sundeep, 4 new Marine Lines, Mumbai 400 020
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