First steps to graduate studies abroad

by Nazila Shafiei

Wanna study abroad?

These are the very first steps you should take.

1. Be REALISTIC. You need to know what exactly you have to offer to the universities you are applying to. All of us would be happy to study at Harvard, Cambridge, MIT, Oxford and so, but they are among the top 10 universities. Are we among the top 10? Or top 100? Or top 1000? You don’t want to be disappointed, right? So, try to avoid the universities which you do not hope to get admission from. I don’t want to say that do not apply to them, but always have a plan B. So, try to weigh your pros and cons and then, make your mind what kinds of universities you can apply to; i.e. high-ranked? Moderate? Or not so high-ranked (:D)?

2. Go to http://www.petersons.com/. It provides you with a perfect list of universities in the field you want to continue your studies.

3. Make a list of universities (I would suggest to include at least 20 universities) that you think are appropriate for your purpose. You can include universities with different rankings. This would increase your chance of admission.

4. Find out each and every detail about these universities and their requirements. It can take weeks to do so because every university has its own requirements and procedures. I suggest you make a chart including the details you need to have access to while referring to your list. It can look like the following:

No. / Name / TOEFL / IELTS / GRE / Due Date / Country / MA / PhD / Code / App. Fee / URL

5. Take TOEFL/ IELTS, GRE and maybe GMAT (e.g. for MBA it is required), and any other examination that is needed at least 2 months before the application deadline. (Check http://www.ets.org/ to learn more about TOEFL and GRE, https://www.ielts.org/ for IELTS)

Test centers and dates for TOEFL IBT (Internet-based Test): http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/tclists/IBT_a.html

Test centers and dates for IELTS: http://www.ielts.org/test_centre_search/search_results.aspx

6. Check your TOEFL/ IELTS scores with the criteria of the universities you have already listed.

7. TIME FOR ELIMINATION:  based on the list you have made, eliminate the ones which do not match with your expectations; OR whose requirements you cannot meet. It should leave you with 5-6 universities in the end.

8. TIME FOR SOP: SOP or Statement of Purpose or as some others call “letter of motivation” or maybe “letter of intention” plays a great great great role in your application process. You should include all the FACTS about yourself. You should say what you have done up to now and what you are planning to do in the future in a very clear and realistic way. You can find SOP samples if you Google.

9. TIME TO ASK FOR REFERENCE LETTERS: Reference letters should be written by the instructors that know you very very well, preferably the ones who are experts in the field you want to continue your studies in. By that, I mean, if you want to do Literature, you had better get your reference from a literature instructor rather than a linguist.

 10. TIME FOR APPLICATION

NOTE: If you want to apply for the US or Canada, you had better start doing all these things in August, September and make everything ready for December when you can start your applications. Good luck!