Avoid These 5 Common Mistakes While Applying for Grad Courses Abroad

The world has become largely interconnected. Students often move to different countries to pursue an education in their desired field. Pursuing grad courses from a foreign college or university has been quite common these days. But there is a world of difference between studying in your own homeland and studying abroad.

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You set out to take a career leap, invest in your academic life, connect with the people and ideas from across the world and get ready to give wings to your dreams. But it is not as easy as it sounds. If you have decided to pursue your studies abroad, there are a few things to keep in mind and a few mistakes to be avoided before you go. Let’s take a closer look at these things that one should take care of while applying to a foreign university:

1. Not doing enough research

While applying for a foreign university, one should bear it in mind that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Many students do not indulge into proper research beforehand. They usually haven’t researched about the key academic programs, financial aids, accessibility, cost of living, accommodation etc. Doing a grad course abroad should never be a haphazard decision. One needs to invest proper time and do a good amount of research about the college or university that they are seeking admission into. After all, you are going to invest a lot of money and time in this endeavour. Take your time to make the best decision for yourself.

2. Procrastination:

If you have made your mind about pursuing your graduate degree abroad, chalk out a plan about how everything will be done. Stop procrastinating things and find out what all groundwork you need to do before you apply for the university. Most good universities abroad look for a good score in competitive exams like GRE. In such a case, the candidate will have to study for this.

Simultaneously work on gathering superb letters of recommendation. Ideally, it takes at least 6 months to get admission in a reputed grad school abroad, so plan accordingly!

3. Not writing the essay properly:

The essay that you write for admission into grad school will be the only thing that will speak about you personally and is very critical for the selection of your application. Hence you cannot afford to take a chance with the essay or write it at a subpar level. Another thing to note here is that your essay should not be your resume paraphrased into a fancy language. It should be realistic and should exactly convey why you want to do the grad course at the institute you’re applying to. Lend a personal perspective to the essay without bragging too much about yourself. The most important of all- proofread and edit your essay. Never submit an essay with errors and typos as it casts a very bad impression in the minds of the evaluators.

4. Not taking a note of the directions:

The admission committee gives you directions to be followed and not to be ignored. Give them what they ask for and not what you want to give them. Follow all the directions that they tell you and give specific details and examples of all the answers that you are writing. Just remember that not sticking to the guidelines provided by the admission committee will directly land your application in the pile of rejection.

5. Picking the wrong recommenders:

 It is not an easy task to find the right people for recommendations. This is one of the main reasons why we advise you to do proper research and take some time to fill/ apply for a grad school abroad. Give yourself some time and get recommendations from good professors or professionals who can vouch for your intellectuality, creativity, diligence, punctuality et al. Don’t just run behind big names or brands, rather look for people with reputable positions in your institute or job. Remember, the more authentic recommendations you have, the better are the chances of selection of your application.

All the above-cited points are the pitfalls that most aspirants tend to ignore and eventually fall into. You should always take these pointers into consideration while starting to plan for a grad course abroad.