How do you choose the right course for yourself with promising future opportunities?

February 23, 2022
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How do you choose the right course for yourself with promising future opportunities?

Here are some tips for choosing the right course.

Every year Indian students decide to embark on a course of postgraduate abroad. The main reason beghind this decision are:

To gain a qualification that will progress their career
To increase their knowledge, professional expertise and skills
To develop research skills
To experience life in a different country at a university abroad
To increase their chance of employment in a chosen field

In the era of recession jobs are difficult to acquire, yet there are thousands of courses to choose between. So how do you choose the right course for yourself with promising future opportunities? Here are some tips for choosing the right course.

Decide what kind of course you want and why

Ask yourself what you want and what you expect to get out of it. PhD will give you professional experience in research. Many masters and diploma courses are linked to specific careers. Some may increase your employment potential in a particular career. Other courses, like the Bar Vocational Course, are essential entry points to become a barrister or teacher. Research well about the courses that meet your needs and will deliver your expectations. Ask as many people as possible about the course, you need honest reviews and opinions. Look out for people who have completed the course.

Does the course provide what you need?

Always read the prospectus carefully. Many courses have core compulsory subjects plus electives. Will it be possible to study elective you want? Compare the syllabus of one course with another course that claims to cover the same subjects. It is possible that one might meet your needs better than the other.

Talk to ex-students

Research on what happened to students who have completed the course. The admissions department may give you exaggerated data, and tell you their graduates got into best jobs. However, every British university’s careers service carries out an annual research about what the students from their university’s courses are doing. www.unistats.com website gives some information on employability.

Will you qualify as a professional in India?

If you are going to study in UK, check that the course is recognised by the relevant Indian professional body. If it is not recognised then you shouldn’t go for this course. Also in certain professions, like Marketing, companies usually prefer people with extensive commercial experience and background over those with only an MBA in marketing. So don’t expect an MSc or MBA in Marketing to be more valuable than working in the sales team.

How is the department’s reputation?

Check how the department is rated and how its professionalism compares does with other universities offering the same course. A department that is rated 4 is world renowned for its research. You can check the rankings on www.rae.ac.uk. All University departments are also rated for teaching quality. you can check the quality of teaching through the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education www.qaa.ac.uk

Class size: Small or big?

Find out how many students will be on the course and your class. If they are more than a 100, there will be less opportunity to discuss with teachers and lecturers than in a class of 20. On the other hand, the social aspects of the course will be different in a large one as there will be more socialisation and interaction. Which of these do you prefer?

Apply early

While many courses have open seats available almost up to the start date, the most popular courses fill up fast. If it is a popular course, you will need to apply early, probably around October-November. Check with the college about deadlines; do they have early admission deadlines or just the regular ones?

Check the grants and bursaries offered by the college

Universities often have bursaries to offer. Some universities offers these, while others may be specifically linked to a particular department of study. Ask the university registry for more information and details. The ‘grants register’ and directory of grant making trusts detail trusts that may offer help to international students.

How much are you required to pay as fees?

Look up the fees for your course on the university website to know when and how it must be paid. Universities with same courses do not necessarily have the same tuition fees or similar payment structures. Some universities ask for fees to be paid up front, others ask for 2 instalments and some let you pay every time you start a module.

10 popular UK Scholarships for Indian students

By: Harleen Bedi , 27 Nov’14 | 12:10 PM

UK Government and Universities offer several scholarships for international students. Check out a compiled list of 10 popular scholarships.

Both the UK Government and Universities offer an extensive range of scholarships and fellowships for international students. These are open for all prospective students wishing to pursue a full-time study program in any stream.

Generally, scholarships offer deduction on the total tuition fee, but some scholarships award other forms of aids like living expenses, airfare, visa feebased on the applicant’s academic excellence and background. These scholarship programmes and other funding will be managed by the British Council and other associated organizations.

See our compiled list of 10 most popular scholarships for Indian students wishing to pursue further education in the UK.

Dr Manmohan Singh Scholarships – St John’s College has launched the Dr Manmohan Singh Scholarships in honor of Dr Singh. These awards will enable academically outstanding Indian students to come to St. John’s College, University of Cambridge to study for doctoral degrees in subjects like Science & Technology, Economics and Social Sciences. Applications in Aerospace Engineering and Energy Studies will be given preference. The scholarships are fully funded, and cover academic fees, international airfare, monthly stipend to cover living expenses, UK visa.

Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan – 2014 – This scholarship is a government initiative aimed at students of Commonwealth countries who will make a significant contribution to their home country after the completion of a higher education programme in the UK. This scholarship covers, economy return international travel, tuition fee, adequate maintenance and other allowances. For Master’s degree candidate should hold a Bachelor’s degree latest by October 2014 in the subject field concerned securing 60% or above marks in Humanities and Social Science group and 65% or above marks in Medical, Engineering and Technology, Science and Agriculture group.

Goa Education Trust Scholarships – GET is aimed to provide Goans a medium to pursue the best available opportunities in education, in whatever areas they desire. It provides scholarships and research fellowships to eligible students for their post graduate studies in the United Kingdom in all spheres, fields and departments. Since the introduction of the scholarship in 2010, recipients of the award have successfully completed their studies in a range of subjects including Journalism, Education, Ancient History and Law. The scholarship covers full or part tuition fees for the courses.

Charles Wallace India Trust Scholarships – Every year CWIT offers up to 10 long term awards. The awards, which are generally from 2–3 months up to a maximum of a year, cover accommodation and living costs in the UK, fees and a contribution to international fares. CWIT does not support two year courses.

Sir Ratan Tata Scholarships – This grant consists of a partial international airfare from India to the university abroad. Travel grants are provided to the students applying for post-graduate and doctoral studies.

Applications for travel grants for the purpose of studies abroad should reach the Trusts’ office between the months of April and July for Fall admissions and between November and December for Spring admissions.

Hornby Scholarships – The Trust awards scholarships to English language teachers from developing countries like India. The Trust focuses on supporting English language specialists,like senior teachers, teacher-trainers, inspectors and material writers by offering MA scholarships to enable them to study the English language and teaching for an academic year in the UK. Graduates are then encouraged to use this knowledge to advance the teaching of English in their home countries. The applicant must have at least 5 years experience as an English language teacher.

Inlaks Scholarships – This Scholarship is granted at top American, European and UK institutions, for funding requirements including tuition fees. Inlaks Scholarships provide the opportunity to young people with exceptional talent in any field to improve their skills to operate in society, thus making them a future vehicle of change in their environment. The scholarships are of two types, university courses and specific programs.

Indian citizens who hold a good undergraduate degree from a recognized university outside India, must have resided continuously and been employed or been studying in India, for at least two years, at the time of application. People holding a postgraduate degree (e.g. Masters or PhD) from a university outside India are not eligible.

Felix Scholarship – The Felix Scholarship was founded to offer gifted underprivileged students from India and other developing countries the opportunity of furthering their postgraduate education by attending a university in the UK. Felix Scholarship Trust offers up to 6 scholarships each for Indian graduates at University of Oxford, University of Reading & School of Oriental and African Studies every year.

The Scholarships are open to academically gifted and underprivileged citizens of India, under 30 years of age, who hold a first class Bachelor’s degree from a recognized Indian university.

Rhodes Scholarships – Each year, there are five Scholarships available for Indian students chosen on the basis of exceptional intellect, character, leadership, and commitment to service, to study at the University of Oxford. Rhodes scholars are typically young women and men of outstanding intellect, leadership, and commitment to service.

Rhodes scholarship covers all University and College fees, a personal stipend and one economy class airfare to Oxford at the start of the Scholarship, as well as an economy flight back to the student’s home country at the conclusion of the Scholarship.

Erasmus Mundus – Erasmus Mundus scholarship is meant to enhance quality in higher education through cooperation between Europe and the rest of the world. The programme offers financial support for institutions and scholarships for individuals. Scholarship amounts can vary according to the level of studies/teaching/research, their duration and the grantee’s nationality. The scholarship amount granted to non-EU applicant is more than that of EU residents.