How does one make this critical decision of which destination you should choose to pursue your higher studies? The answer lies in asking the right questions to yourself, doing a thorough research and then using a pros and cons list to help you narrow your options and make the final decision.
So what are the questions you need to be asking yourself? Well, this blog will help you understand just that!
Question: What is most important to you in terms of – Country, Subject and Institution?
Rate these three according to the value they hold for you.
According to a study done by StudyPortals and Hobsons in 2016, most students first considered the subject, then the country, followed by that the university. After that, the other major group of students considered the subject, university, and country.
In both cases, the subject came first for a lot of students. Plus, statistics on the search filters used by students showed that nearly 63% of students used the subject as a filter, followed by almost 53% of students who used the country as a filter. Other filters were:
- Nearly 32% for the language of instruction.
- Nearly 19% for delivery method.
- Nearly 15% for tuition fees and almost 12% for the duration.
So consider these filters and rate them according to what you find the most important. This will help you kickstart your process of deciding where you want to study.
Subject
Question: What are the courses you are considering pursuing?
Make a list of all the courses you are considering. No problem if the list is long, you will eventually eliminate them after you do research on each and finalise your choice.
While making this list, you must also place them in order of preference to know which course lies on what position in your list. You might also want to mention the industry that those courses can lead you to get into.
Post this; you must research job options each course can offer you once you graduate and what are the possible career opportunities you can have.
Country
- Question: What are the important things you can consider when studying in another country?
These include:
- Quality of education as compared to home destination
- Ease of getting visas
- Job prospects post-study offered by the country
- Safety
- Options of obtaining permanent residency
- Distance from home
- Country’s attitude towards foreigners
- International recognition of the qualification from the particular university.
University
- Question: While choosing between institutions, what factors should you consider?
These include –
- Academic Reputation/ranking
- Facilities
- Scholarships
- Subjects offered
- Tuition fees
- Entry requirements
- Teaching quality
- Employment rates of graduates
- location/safety of campus
- Responsiveness of university
- Diversity of students
- Living expenses( hostel, food etc.)
When you ask the right questions, you will get fruitful answers that are insightful and will help you enhance the process of deciding where you study in the end. These are a few important questions we feel you must consider in your decision process. So, make your lists, weigh your options according to what you consider most important, take into account preferences and technicalities both and voila, you will be near your goal!