“What chance do I stand of being admitted to this university” I have spent five whole years of my career answering this question invariably, whenever I spoke to a prospective student. So today, let me take this opportunity to share with you the trade secret of what does an international university look for, in your profile?
- Your Academics: Let the more known factor come first. Yes! An international university would like to have a student who has been consistently outstanding in his academics. Nothing spells your dedication, perseverance and attitude better than that of your academic scores. It also shows, how serious have you been about your life. A point to note here is 60 % or above in engineering could be wonderful score in Indian context, however in global parlance it is far below average, having said that as a prospective applicant to an international course you must at least have a first class, before you start planning your higher studies abroad.
- Formidable extracurricular: students more often than not, miss to mention extracurricular activities they have been a part of, during their school or college times. When you delve deeper into their educational tenure you get amazing revelations. Managerial skills, Leadership skills, organization, coordination, communication, analysis are the skills which you as a student keep exhibiting through your extracurricular activities. It is therefore essential for you as a student to understand the skills needed by your field of study and evaluate the instances when you had demonstrated those skills.
- Your profile: Universities like to admit a student who brings diversity to a class. You being multi lingual or multi cultural can stand to your advantage.
- Projects: Amidst total theoretical knowledge, a successful project lays emphasis on your application skills. In simpler words your project determines to what extent you can apply the theory learnt. An international university will typically look for the nature & title of your project and what role did you play in it.
- Internships & Work Experience: As a matter of fact, even a pre experience program in European countries would consider it an advantage, if you have done any internship or have earned little work experience, prior to securing a position in the university. It is mostly because practical work experience enhances your understanding of the subject matter as also grooms you professionally. It has also been observed that students with work experience find the assimilation in the European job market easier.
- Awards & Accolades: An international university always aims for overall development – theirs as well as that of the students. This is where your previous awards and accolades embellish your candidature. It not just exhibits your strength but also gives an impression to the university that you would be a right pick for them. If you have won a medal for some sport, you having presented a paper, your certificates of appreciation and the ones where you have scored a rank all these should come in this section.
- Application Documents: This is the most pivotal part of your admission procedure. It majorly consists of your Curriculum Vitae (CV), Letters of Recommendation, and Letter of Motivation which is also called as Letter of Intent sometimes while some universities call it a statement of Purpose. Few universities have their own application essays to be answered in approximately 500 words. The word limit would vary depending on the university. If you notice carefully, all these documents are giving a deeper peek into your aspirations & personality. A clear thought flow would be a key here, which you can use to your benefit.
- Career Goals: Last but certainly not the least, having a clear career goal is one of the most influential factors for the university to admit you. Don’t get scared there, even an university understands that your career goals might change along way, nevertheless, you having one before you step into higher education gives you a winning edge.
Hope the above points were helpful for you to determine if you would be a preferential pick of the university. As I sum up the blog, please bear in mind that an international university is more likely to admit you, if they get satisfactory answers to the following questions through your application: Why should they admit you? How would the course benefit you? And lastly what value addition would you do to the institution if they admit you? Since this is a first step in your journey towards an international university, begin well, because as we have learnt all our life – well begun is half done.
