Higher Education is sought by a considerable fraction of students, the reason for which is self-apparent. The opportunity to learn and excel in a highly condensed field of interest is not awarded to everyone. Therefore, the process of application should not be taken lightly and must be given required occupation.
The applicant must have a good level of interest in the field in which he wants to obtain a higher education. This is required when it comes to proving your worth and adequacy of your candidature among thousands of other applicants. This is shown by :- projects done in that field, internships and opting required basic courses on that matter. It hardly matters what your department is, what matters most is the time you have given in building your knowledge on that field.
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From the perspective of major proportion of undergraduates, who want to secure a prestigious job in a highly specific field, it is advisable that they choose an institution that has a well - developed framework in terms of training for that field. It may happen that the institution is not well-known for other fields and thus not be a popular choice among general applicants. Therefore, it is indispensable to be really selective about institution.
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There are several online resources and forums where students may refer to get information about potential programs, requirements, potential for career/research after completion, and may get in touch with other applicants or alumni. Examples of such forums include r/gradadmissions, GradCafe, and Quantnet.
Some key points to take care are:
- Time Crunch : It is not advisable to procastinate when it comes to apply for higher education. It helps if one has a ample buffer time to go over remaining formalities after submitting SOPs and required documents.
- A Proper SOP : A SOP is to make you stand out among the rest of the applicants. Your SOP should make the reader convince of your competence for selection.
- Need for experience and LORs: It is important to have apt amount of experience in your applied field. This can be done by taking related courses in that field or obtaining internships in that subject which solidifies your background. Moreover, LORs (Letter of Recommendation) from achieved people strongly helps in that direction.
- VISA Process: It is advisable to start applying for VISA two-three months before start of the course.
- Monetary Aids : Based on the candidature of the applicant, many private and government banks provide student loans. There are many ways of being financially stable once the course is joined such as being a Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant or an intern somewhere. Having a longsighted approach really comes in handy when it comes to paying the bills in higher education.
- Higher education is undoubtedly more academically challenging as the courses are exhaustive. Simultaneously, there is considerable freedom in choosing courses, therefore, it is advisable to prioritize choice of such courses that are directly linked with your field.
- How grades are translated: GPA matters. Some institutions use a certain minimum GPA merely as a eligibility criteria, while some are more “GPA-centric”. Above all, what matters the most is your background in the field for which you have applied. Therefore, even if one has less GPA, but a strong background in the field chosen, his/her application is given due attention.