Addressing questions of students on studying abroad and guiding them on a path to happy and successful career, panelists at the seminar organised by Free Press and THE GLOBALIZERS in the city on Saturday talked about different countries, courses, decision making and choices. Following are essential takeaways for students.
Focus on what you really want, start from there before choosing countries
“I have been in India for a week. I am impressed with students’ abilities, their commitment and answers to my questions. We know that future is India. I am not going to tell you where to study. I am not telling you how the UK is better than the US.
I am a performance coach. I need to answer world’s most difficult question:
What do I really want?
1.Don’t tell me what you ought to do. Think about it carefully.
2.Think about all things that interest you.
3.What are your skills and strengths?
Most students, I have come across in late 20s, having secured jobs are unhappy and dissatisfied. It is because most people don’t like their jobs. I always cite a Chinese proverb, ‘Find an occupation you love and you will never work a day in your life’. The concept of work-life balance is misleading.
How do I know if I am doing right thing?
Your gut will tell you if you are doing something wrong. Understand what you ought to do and what you want to do is different. Give yourself a chance to think.
The future is…
• Multicultural
• Multi-lingual
• Multi-skilled
• Multi-country
I can say good morning, afternoon and evening in one conference call and be right.
Ask yourself
• Are you ready to be in such a changing world?
• What do you really love doing? 99 percent students talk about what they don’t love.
• What are you good at? Don’t talk about what you are not good at.
• What skills do you have? What are you bringing to table?
• What can you do to make a fantastic career?
Changing world of work
The world of work is changing. It is no more what your parents felt and experienced. Many jobs that exist today will not exist tomorrow.
There was a time when people talked about security in job but even those jobs are not so secure anymore. It is about learning, growing and retreating.
Many people in the UK often get doctorate after retirement because they want to keep learning. People make choices that do not concentrate in one field only. For example, some might start as a lawyer, then learn designing or software. He/she might use the law degree to run their software company business.
1700% increase in cyber crime in 5 years in India
There is a new scheme to study in India announced in budget 2019. The essential question is making yourself knowledgeable and contributing person, irrespective of where you study. You must not only become successful but also be responsible and good human beings.
India is a young country with many youngsters and youthful energy. With young energy, comes lots of risks and passion.
Cyber crime on rise
There has been 1700 percent increase in cyber crime in India in last 5 years. This is an invariably high percentage. It will be difficult to live if it continues to rise at such a rate. Nobody seems really bothered, not even police and administration. We don't know what to do? The solution is awareness and alertness. For physical crime, we can increase patrolling and have preventive arrests. But in case of cyber crime, it is crime between people and their devices.
How to be safe?
•Thinking of about being safe will help you stay alert.
•Never accept friend request of a person whom you don't know in real world.
•Never take shortcuts. Never have a greedy mindset because nothing, no money comes easy in life. These crimes are generally categorised as phishing.
•Think before acting. Before posting anything, think twice. There are laws of cyber crime in the country, which prohibit you from writing anything without thinking. Be informed about these laws.
Beware of drugs advertised to lose weight
Teens are main targets for addicts. No stranger is going to introduce drugs and make you an addict. It is generally shared by mates and friends. Drugs are often given to us on pretext of losing weight, finding happiness, studying better, performing well etc. About 70 per cent of youth in Punjab are drug addicts. About 1 gram of drug costs Rs 10,000. It is Rs 3 lakh in a month. Can you really afford it?
Studying in the US, never trust rankings by magazines
The US is a very informal country. First, have the right reasons for studying abroad, like a student mentioned for exposure, stepping out of comfort zone and learning something new. All the students here have seen and heard of rankings of universities. But which one is official ranking? None. Rankings are declared by magazines to sell themselves.
Why study in the US?
Quality education
•At least 50 per cent of highest rankings are given to the US universities.
•Students from over 100 countries study there.
•Huge campus.
•Flexibility to think before choosing a career.
Indian students in the US
1,96,000, which is second largest international student community in the US. It grew 5 per cent his year.
Process to apply for studies in the US
Research your options: (official US govt website: educationusa.state.gov) Learn about the variety of options available and how to identify an institution that best fits your needs.
Finance your studies: Need funding? Explore options or check out our university financial aid opportunity list.
Complete your application: Plan ahead and know the documents and requirements to apply for your programme.
Apply for student visa: Become familiar with US student visa requirements and allow plenty of time to prepare your application.
Prepare for your departure: Pre-departure information including gathering documents for arrival and immigration compliance.
How do you define success?
•Professional excellence
•Social acceptance
•Financial soundness
•Physical health
Who am I?
You must understand A, B, C before anything else. So, introspect, start with A, B and C to get D:
•A - Aspiration
•B - Background
•C - Constraints
•D - Direction
Under graduation is critical
Under graduation is real time to evolve. You must fight for what you really want. Unless you are in top university in India, you are treated as a mediocre. You must get career counselling, psychometric coach, personal traits analyst and most importantly, a mentor.Under graduation is critical. It is the time when you grow and learn.
Hard work beats finance
Finance is not going to hamper your way. Work hard and you will get there. Cultural fitness will decide your future outside India. It will determine your safety. You can get part time job to meet your expenses.
Why study outside India for under graduation?
•Colleges in India teach outdated course
•It is not compulsory to have masters if under graduation is good
•Think of next generation, their future will be good.
Tests to give
•SAT and ACT
•TOEFL/ILETS
UK: Only for studies, not settling down
It is a destination for studies. If you wish to settle there, then think twice, because stay is not an option for students taking a degree from the UK. It is ideal to check eligibility and requirement from official website of British Council (www.britishcouncil.in) in grade 11, so that they can meet the criteria for admissions.
Study in India for international education options
•All 3 years study in India
•Study for 2 years in India and one year in the UK
•Study for 2 years in India and 2 years in Australia or the US
Difficulties you counter while studying abroad
Indian students have to take care of everything alone when they go abroad. It can be overwhelming for many students.
•Manage self
•No support system like family
•Ask for help, it is given immediately. Indians fear asking
•New place, new culture, new climate as well
Colleges in India offering UK programmes
•Russell Square International College offers ISBF programme of University of London
•Podar World College offers programmes of University of Wolverhampton and ISBF programme of University of London
•SP Jain School of Global Management
Connect with Campus France for public university
Campus France is official contact for studying in France. They have 30 offices in India, closest to you is in Bhopal. France reminds us of Eiffel tower, romance, wine, cheese, food and an added cultural experience. India and France signed a pact recently to mutually recognise each other's degrees. There are over 700 collaborations between France and India.
Study structure in France
3 years for Bachelor’s degree
2 years for Master’s degree
2 years for doctorate
Cost of studyingin France
Most universities in France are public universities. Education in France is highly subsided. Average tuition is about 15,000 Euros, which is about Rs 12 lakh.
Why choose France?
•Housing allowance for everyone under which 15 percent rent is given back to students.
•France believes in equality, hence, there is not much difference between local and international tuition fee.
Applying in university in France
For public universities, students have to go through Campus France (www.inde.campusfrance.org)
For private universities, students can directly approach through institute’s website
Financial aid
•Scholarships for Indian students
•Charpak Scholarship
•Raman Charpak Scholarship
•Eiffel Scholarship
•Franco Indian Education Trust
•Co-financed and Joint Scholarships
•Other Scholarships
Diversity is strength in Canada
About 2,00,000 Indians are studying in Canada this year. This surpassed China’s record this year and Indian students became the highest international student community in Canada.
Canada is the second largest country in the world following Russia. Canada is 3 times larger than India with the population of only 36 million. It is the most diverse country in world. More than 51 percent of people residing in Canada are born outside Canada.
It is a country where you will feel included. It is safe and stable. Since we always need new people, there is no question of protecting jobs for Canadian citizens in the country.
Canada leads in artificial intelligence and robotics. We are innovative, from inventing basketball to blackberry.
We have the highest ranking of schools of the world. Canada offers following:
•High quality of life
•Welcoming people
•World class education system
•Uniform quality education with maximum public institutions
•Private colleges for providing certificate courses with practical training
•Work permit of 3 years to practise in Canada after completion of degree
•Average tuition fee for undergraduate programme is Rs 12 lakh, cheaper than the US
Flexible studying
While studying, students can take unrelated courses. It is possible for an engineering student to get a dual degree in music, French, psychology etc. This allows students to pursue their passions.
Earning options
Work while studying: While studying at universities, students are allowed to work for 20 hours a week, which helps them to earn enough to meet expenses and even tuition fee at times.
Co-op education or co-operative education: It is an academic programme broken in periods in which a student will be given an opportunity to work in an industry related to their schooling. Most co-op programmes are structured so that each term or semester of schooling is alternated with a term or semester of work.
Where to start?
Go to educanada.ca
Find programmes of choice, get first entry.
Documents required
•Proof of acceptance
•Financial support
•Valid passport
•Letter of explanation or having Rs 5 lakh in account as safety
Question and Answers
Ques: You asked us to focus on green colour in this auditorium. But there are many options and shades of green, what about that?
Ed Peters: Yes, there are many shades of green. It does not matter what green it is as long as you are moving in right direction. Changing shades and size of green is fine as long as it is what you want. American salesman quotes, ‘You can't hit a target you can't see’. So start with the target.
Ques: I am planning to go for a certified financial course. Where should I go? India or the US or the UK?
Ed Peters: I am not an advisor. You can contact consultants. You should first learn more about financial course, subjects and studies.
Ques: People come to motivate Indian students to study abroad. But do you also motivate international students to study in India?
Ryan Pereira: We are working on it. We have to increase US students in India. We currently have only 4,700 American students studying in India.
Sujit Nair: An issue is that India does not provide same fee for international students. France offers same fee structure for international students. We have collaboration with IIMs.
Ques: My brother studying in the US talks about importance of extracurricular activities and requirement for universities. Please enlighten us about it.
Ryan Pereira: Don't believe what you are being told. Some high profile universities, which get lot of applications, consider social work other than SATs. However, SATs and academics are essential to get admission.
Bharati Bacha: Don't bluff. Write your personal essay and remember grades matter. Essay is mostly considered by international universities. Be honest and specific.
Sujit Nair: French universities look for vision other than your grade. They need to know about your professional goal. They will have 30-minute skype call to check.
Our participants
We are grateful to New Digamber Public School, Prestige Public School, Delhi Public School, The Emerald Heights International School and Choithram School North campus for sending their students to participate in the event and allowing them to choose the best for themselves with proper knowledge.
