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Financing your overseas education
Only the very rich in India will be able to finance their children’s overseas education in full. Higher education in countries like the U.S. and the U.K. is so high-priced that those in the middle or even in the higher income brackets in India cannot meet the expenses by themselves. They will have to seek support from scholarship providers. There are certain institutions in India which offer scholarships to our students for their study abroad. But the amounts given are usually inadequate to meet the heavy expenses. Many universities have schemes for providing scholarships to international students. Right at the time of applying for admission, you may indicate to the professor or other admitting authority that you may need financial support for undertaking the study. Of course, students will be able go for part-time jobs subject to the norms of their respective universities. There would be restrictions in terms of the number of hours of part-time work. Even after getting fellowships or scholarships, you may have to go for bank loans. The following are some of the sources for scholarships giving support to students for higher studies. You can get detailed information from the web sites, and later get in touch with the organisations for help and assistance. •Ford Foundation: www.fordfound.org/fields
/education/overview •Fulbright: www.iie.org/fulbright
•International Financial Aid: www.iefa.org
•Bill Gates: http://www.scholarships. com /gates-millennium- scholar.aspx •Sallie Mae (Loans): www.salliemae.com
•Commonwealth Scholarship and Marshall: www.acu.ac.uk
•Chevening: www.chevening.com (UK scholarship) •Adobe: www.iiesf.org/new
/programs/corporate.htm •Edupass: www.edupass.org/
finaid •Rotary Foundation: www.rotary.org/foundation
/education/amb_scho •www.internationalscholars hips.com •www.internationalStudent Loan.com •www.internationalstudent. com/scholarships •http://scholarship- positions.com •Dutch scholarships: www.nuffic.nl/international- students/scholarships •UK scholarships: www.educationuk.org
•US scholarships: www.usastudyguide.com
/Financial_aid.htm •Canadian scholarships: www.schoolsincanada.com
/University-Scholarships -For-International- Students.cfm •Australian scholarship: www.australianscholarships .gov.au •UK undergraduate scholarships:www.scholar ship net.info/undergraduate /uk-international- undergraduate -scholarships •Singapore scholarships: www.moe.gov.sg/education/scholarships •Sports scholarships: www.sport-scholarships.com
•French government scholarships: www.india-campusfrance.org, www.egide.asso.fr, www.cnous.fr, www.onisep.fr, www.cefi.org, www.fnege.imaginet.fr
•European Union scholarships: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/ erasmus_mundus /funding/scholarships_students_academics_en.php •Rhodes scholarship: www.rhodesscholarships-india.com (Higher studies in Oxford) •Gates Cambridge scholarship: www.gatesscholar.org (Higher studies in Cambridge) •External scholarships arranged by the Department of Higher Education, Government of India, in countries such as China, Korea, Israel, Japan, Czech, Slovak, New Zealand, Commonwealth countries, Belgium, Italy, Mexico, Norway, and Turkey: www.education.nic.in
You should remember that investment in appropriate higher education is perhaps the best form of investment.
In the early part of this series, we had described the formalities of ‘Statement of Purpose’ and ‘Letters of Recommendation’. Later on we discussed the need of qualifications acquired through tests such as GRE, GMAT, TOEFL, and IELTS. You should have a clear picture as to how you should proceed to secure admission in a foreign university. You have to be prompt and punctual in responding to the professors or other admitting authorities overseas. You will find that professors in the U.S. and many other countries respond to you through email promptly. You may be trying to secure admission not in one university, but half a dozen of them simultaneously. You should maintain separate files or directories for each. The information you give should be precise, accurate, and comprehensive. Provide as much relevant information as possible to the professor or other admitting authorities, enabling them to make a well-informed decision in your favour. In case of doubt, seek advice with regard to the information required by the university. There should not be any occasion when you have to send a correction. The application material would be almost the same for all the universities in your favoured list. But there may have to be some differences. That is why you should pay particular attention in each piece of correspondence. Also, you should ensure that you send your application sufficiently in advance, so that it receives necessary attention before the seats are filled up. Your certificates, examination scores, statement of purpose, and the letters of recommendation will paint your picture before the admitting authorities. They may sometimes speak to you over telephone. If you are being considered for a research degree like Ph.D., you may be called up for a face-to-face interview. Also, if you are in the country where the university is located, you may be asked to go for a direct interview. In any case, the object of a pre-admission interview is to check and confirm the following things: •Claims in the application material you have furnished •Ability for grasping complex ideas •Analytical thinking ability •Ability for independent work •Ability to undergo the program successfully •Knowledge level in the subject of study •Suitability for the programme •Passion for the subject •Ability for application of knowledge in a new situation •Ability for innovation •Aptitude for research •Language skills •Commitment and dedication •Interests in co-curricular activities •Self-confidence All these aspects may not be relevant in every case. You should necessarily be able to furnish a convincing answer to the question as to why you go for the particular university/institution, and the particular subject.
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There are certain institutions in India which offer scholarships to our students for their study abroad
The right way: Students must remember that investment in appropriate higher education is perhaps the best form of investment.