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'How can I apply for a scholarship to the US?'

In an online chat on Rediff Zarabol, Anshika Singh, Senior Vice President - Student Engagement at Univariety interacted with Rediff readers on Thursday, September 26, between 3 and 4 pm IST.

In the chat, Singh discussed the various scholarship options available for students and offered advice on the best international courses and universities to choose from.

For those who missed the live chat, here's the unedited transcript:

kavita bavekar: How can I apply for a scholarship in the US? What is the criteria I have to meet? Pl guide

Anshika Singh: Scores in SAT,GMAT,GRE & TOEFL play a critical role in securing scholarships in USA. Therefore, the preparation will start from achieving high scores in the above tests. The selection of tests will depend on whether you are applying for an UG or a PG programme. Overall quality of your application, your essays in particular will also help you secure scholarships.

kavita bavekar: Where can I find the list of best scholarships for US, UK and Australia?

Anshika Singh: Scholarships are either available through govt organizations, local and international trusts or directly from the universities. For UK, you should contact British Council for sure but for university & course specific scholarships, you will have to contact the universities directly. There are a lot of scholarships available these days and one should start exploring the options as early as possible.

kunal yadav: I have offer from fanshawe college for pg in information system security!! should I go ahead with fanshawe or wait for an offer from george brown???

Anshika Singh: Wait for George Brown. George Brown is a better option by far. Check with your counsellor if you have good chances to get an offer from George Brown and accordingly decide.

Alok Narvekar: I am BSc Computer Science graduate and MCM (Master in Computer Management) with 3 years of relevant IT experience. I wish to pursue MS in Information Systems from Georgia State University. What would be a decent GRE and TOEFL score in order to get scholarship/assistantship? Can you please advise? Thanks in advance!!
Anshika Singh: Georgia State will require an average GRE score of 320 & above and a GRE quantitative score of 161 & above . TOEFL score should be at least 100.

rohit l: I'm a Btech in chemical Engg from one of the IITs Didnt land to a good job so didnt join ......want to study abroad ...how to deal?

Anshika Singh: Admissions are open for 2014 intake for most of the countries now. I suggest that you start exploring colleges in USA & UK and start putting in your applications. Check out chemical engineering programme in Imperial College London,UK and in Caltech, USA. Admission in UK is much simpler than USA as there is no entrance test required. For USA however, you will have to appear for GRE test.

bhanu: I'm a BMM graduate and plan to do my masters next year in media studies. I want to go to Canada or US. I'd like to know if I am applicable to these countries and what are the exams I have to appear for?

Anshika Singh: Is your BMM degree of 3 yrs or 4 yrs duration? US universities require 16 yrs of education in order to apply for their master programmes. However, there will be many pathway options available. Canadian universities accepts both 3 or 4 year degree. U should prepare for GMAT/GRE and IELTS/TOEFL for US admissions and IELTS for admission in canadian universities. TOEFL is not recommended for Canada.

behl motors: I want to do MBA from abroad kindly suggest me some colleges with lowest fees and placements high r message here

Anshika Singh: MBA is the most expensive course to pursue abroad. If you want to go to a cost-effective college then I suggest you to consider either modern universities or new universities or colleges. Fees in colleges is always lower than the universities. For example, West London College and Holborn College in UK have very low tuition fees for MBA and they offer a recognized degree as well.

Mrigank Sharma: Does joining IB schools after 10th gives a edge to a student to get addmission abroad after 12th?

Anshika Singh: Admission criteria of international universities doesn't vary for students pursuing various curricullums. Admission criteria remains the same whether you are from CBSE or an IB school. IB schools have an independent and broad based learning methodology and therefore, it helps students from IB schools to adjust with the international teaching system easily as compared to other boards.

Mrigank Sharma: Hello,My daughter is very good in her studies. But she doesn't wants to pursue Sc. cause she doen't likes Bio. Her favourites are Maths & Physics. Now if she has to go abroad for under-graduate then she should enrol for IB schools after 10th? She feels with IB she will not be bounded by Comm or Sc. or Arts streams if she takes admission in regular colleges

Anshika Singh: It is not necessary for her to join an IB school for her to be able to pursue bachelors from abroad. In IB curriculum also, there will be some other mandatory subjects in science and this will vary from school to school. Each school will have fixed combinations for students to make their choice from.

Illustration by Dominic Xavier

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'Which is the best country for undergraduate studies?'

ramesh: Madam, If one wants to study from Graduation level (Btech) in US / UK, what are the tests to be taken and when?

Anshika Singh: UK entrance criteria is simple as compared to USA. In UK,entrance tests are required only for Medicine and Law. For the rest of the courses, either IELTS or TOEFL is sufficient. For USA, you will be required to appear for SAT 1 for all courses except Law and Medicine. Some universities may require SAT Subject tests also. IELTS or TOEFL is also required to prove proficiency in English.

gpandit: My son is a US Citizen but was educated in India. What advantages does he have, when compared to a non-US citizen, in respect to higher studies in an American university?

Anshika Singh: The biggest advantage will be with the tuition fees status. He will not have to pay international tuition fees and thereby, higher education in USA will be quite cost effective for him. If he applies to in state colleges then he will have additional benefits.

bappaditya--gupta: What are the options / scholarships offered for doing post graduatiion after completing MBBS in India from european countries?

Anshika Singh: There are less chances to have scholarship for medicine related courses. You will have to check with the concerned university if they have any . I have not come across any scholarships for medicine courses recently. Most of the scholarships are either for engineering courses or for social science/humanities related courses.

Gitanjali Shaikh: Roshani shaikh-My daughter want to become archaeologist, she is 12th science, need the guideline.

Anshika Singh: There is a high probability of securing scholarship for such a course and there are a huge number of scholarships available for PG courses these days. I suggest you to contact British Council for scholarships in UK and understand entry criteria of British Chevening scholarship. She will also be eligible for DFID scholarship.

hardik: What will be the average cost of doing a four year degree in US and UK?

Anshika Singh: For USA, average tuition fees will vary from $25,000-$35,000 per year whereas in UK, the same will vary from 9,000-15,000 pounds per year. Duration of bachelors degree in UK is 3 yrs and therefore serves as and advantage. A lot of Universities in UK offers sandwich programmes and help students save a lot of money.Students are then required to arrange for money for only 2 years essentially.

hardik: Which is the best country for undergraduate studies?

Anshika Singh: All countries like USA,UK,Australia,Canada and Singapore have been popular destination for students for undergraduate studies. Which country would be a better choice for you will depend on your course preference . For example, USA is the best destination for engineering ,UK is very good for economics, Switzerland is very good for banking & finance as well as hospitality courses and so on.

sanjay jain: Can my son do post grad immediately after MBBS?

Anshika Singh: Yes he can though each country will have their specific requirement. For instance,in USA, students should complete Step 1 and Step 2 of USMLE by the time they finish their MBBS along with their MBBS ideally so that they can apply for residency immediately after completing their MBBS else they will have to invest 2-3 years in preparing for USMLE after MBBS.

Christine Drego: My son would like to pursue postgraduate studies in Veterinary Science abroad. Some guidance please

Anshika Singh: You can consider universities in UK,Australia and New Zealand for pg in veterinary science. Explore programmes in University of Edinburgh, Bristol University and Glasgow University to start with. In UK, masters is of one year duration whereas in Australia and NZ, it will vary from 1-2 years.

KIRAN saxena: Can my daughter apply for postgrad immediately after BA(Hons) Eco from delhi university? i.e after 3 years of graduation?

Anshika Singh: Yes, countries like UK,Australia,New Zealand, Singapore,Canada and Dubai accepts students with 3 years bachelors degree for their masters programmes. Only USA requires 16 years of education for their masters programmes. However,many USA universities offer pathway programmes for students with 3 yrs bachelors just in case your daughter is keen on USA.

SHIVANI: I'm M.Sc in Nutritional sciences. I want to join PHD in food science from Canada. How can I deal?

Anshika Singh: In order to apply for Phd, you have to find a supervisor first. Therefore, you should first prepare your research proposal (RP)and a detailed CV . Send your RP to the universities you know have research going on in food science. Send it to the concerned professor listed on the site. If they come back to you and suggest that they interested in you, then only you need to put in your application.

KIRAN saxena: My daughter want to do postgrad in economics from a good university in usa. What will be the pre requisite? pl guide.

Anshika Singh: She should get good scores in GMAT and TOEFL. A lot of universities have started accepted GRE scores as well. Once these scores are available, she can check her eligibility and accordingly apply.

RAJSHEKHAR UPADHYAY: My daughter would like to go to UK for higher studies post her Std X exams. Could u please guide as to which are the universities where she can enroll for an undergraduate program?

Anshika Singh: University selection will vary with student's academic performance and course preference, however I suggest you to start your research with the following universities: Oxford, Cambridge,Warwick,Lancaster, Manchester,UCL, Imperial, Cardiff, Nottingham,City,Southampton, York,Newcastle. All of these are highly reputed.

Saswata pal: I am 9 yrs experienced professional in Investment Banking industry, currently based out of London. I would like to pursue Executive MBA from a premier institute (preferably in London). Which institute would be appropriate for the same? Also is there any EMBA available that provides scholarships?

Anshika Singh: UK has a lot of top business schools like London Business School, SAID Business School, Warwick Business School, Henley Business School, City Business School and many more. All of them require 5 years of work experience on an average and your candidature will be highly suitable. You will always find some scholarships available and you should check with the universities directly.

Illustration by Uttam Ghosh