Part 1: Considerations before applying to graduate program
In continuation of the previous post, I realized that in the past two years I had gone through a lot of preparation for graduate school applications abroad. Before I decided to apply, I spent a lot of time searching for these things on the internet. From my own experience, I often had a hard time collecting information as there were too many to handle. I guess it goes the same with fellow applicants as well. While it is still fresh in my memory, I decided to summarize my research here, hoping it will be useful for any prospective students reading this.
In fact, there are several things that I took note of for the preparation of this study abroad application. These points below are the ones that I consider the most during the decision making.
Study plan
A study plan basically consisted of our plans throughout the period of study at the master’s program, such as what classes we are going to take, what kind of activities we would like to do, etc.
Unlike bachelor’s study, going into a master’s program means that we will be relied heavily on research activities (at least in the countries that I applied for, in East Asia). In principle, it is all about specialization of our previous study at undergraduate level. So with that being said, it is necessary to ask ourselves beforehand whether being a specialist is something that we really want to pursue or not.
When it comes to research, the area that we can choose varies a lot. Natural Sciences, Humanities, or even Interdisciplinary studies that combine both. Research plan needs to be pre-determined prior to the application process as it would be elaborated more in depth on the requirement essays later on.
I found this phase quite hard because we must ensure it aligns with our interest as well as future plans.
Two years of study or so is not a short period of time, so might we enjoy it to the fullest.
Destination of study
Once I was quite settled with the study and research plan, the next step is finding the suitable study destination that will accommodate my needs.
The reason why I said ‘quite settled’ instead of ‘completely settled’ is because we will never be clear with our plans or ideas at the beginning. It will only get better as the preparation process goes on. So, being aware of our big theme is enough at this point.
Aside from my desire to study a more specialized area, I personally want to experience a different education system as well, other than the one I have been on over the past 16 years. Therefore, I chose institutions abroad.
When deciding the country, it is worth noting that we choose the one whose specialty corresponds to our study or research interest. Studying in the said country would maximize our experience as we are most likely to be exposed to first-hand opportunities.
In the case if we opt to go to non-English speaking countries, we also need to make an extra effort in learning their spoken language.
Even though these days many English graduate programs are available there, studying their native language will still be useful for our daily life. It is also a form of respect from us towards the country itself.
University and major/program
For me, I prefer going to schools where there are many international students. As much as the decision to go abroad itself is already a bold step, I would not want to risk another part of my life by going to a university where there is no support available for foreign students.
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How a university treats its international students has always been one of my priorities. The easiest way to judge is first, by looking at their website. If they provide an adequate amount of information for foreigners, such as the English version of the website, then it is quite a green light.
Another way to check is by sending them emails to see how responsive they are to our inquiries. My assumption is that if they are able to cater to us well even when we are not part of them yet, I think it would not be much of a hassle to us later when we are really studying there.
Testimonials from past students is also something that we can refer to for further considerations.
Just like when choosing the country, to find a major or program, always keep in mind that it should be the program that benefits us and fits our needs the most.
There are some options that we can choose. Practical or theoretical programs; entirely or partially taught in English programs, etc.
At this stage, each decision that we take comes with its consequences. So, we must think about it thoroughly.
Making comparison
After we go through the universities‘ websites, make sure to make a list of possible universities that we can apply to. This is an important step to make everything clearer.
Writing down the universities’ details such as location, major, available labs, rank (some people said it is not that important though), language of instruction for the classes, etc. would make things easier to digest as we can compare one with another.
Also, do not forget to include the application deadline and requirement for each university and try to prepare for them as early as possible. This part is crucial since we would not want to waste our time researching for the universities only to miss out or come unprepared when the application opens.
In general, to apply for graduate programs abroad, it requires us to write essays such as study plan, research plan, and motivation letter. But there are cases where the universities want us to write some additional essays in which they provide the prompts themselves for us to answer.
Each university has its own regulation when it comes to application procedure, so we need to be extra attentive to it.
The availability of scholarships
While my intention is to study abroad only with scholarships, it is much needed to know whether the universities I am going to apply for provide scholarships for their students or not.
Generally, there are two ways to apply for universities abroad with scholarships; 1) apply for the universities and scholarships separately, 2) apply for the universities and scholarships at once.
The kind of scholarships are also varied; partially or fully funded, by the government or foundations. Again, we can choose according to our preferences and needs.
Information about the scholarship is usually delivered in detail through seminars as well as information sessions held by the universities.
That’s all for part 1!
Will come back soon with another post, see ya!
