Study abroad- Live by faith, not fear

Dear Madam,
I have completed my Class 12 (PCMB) this year and haven’t decided on what course to opt for next. I like Biology as well as Physics. I’m okay with Chemistry but I dislike Maths. I’m writing a few entrance exams such as the JEE, AIPMT and KCET for Medical and Engineering. But I am not sure if I want to do Engineering as it contains Maths.

As for now, I’m aiming for MBBS/BDS. For a backup plan, I would like to know some biological and engineering streams that I could take up. I don’t want to get into research. 

I want to know if studying Medicine abroad is a good option for Indian students who want to settle abroad? If not MBBS, is it possible to do my MD abroad with a scholarship? How do I research on universities and their scholarships abroad and when do I apply for it? Will studying Medicine abroad be a costly affair?
Aavni

Dear Aavni,
If you dislike Math, drop the idea of Engineering. You can study Medicine, Biological Sciences, Health and Nutrition, Food Sciences, Biochemistry, Environmental Science, Wildlife Preservation, Forensic science, Microbiology etc. If you want to study MBBS abroad, do so in the UK or Australia. MBBS in the UK is affordable and is comparable to studying in India. Take the BMAT, UKCAT and IELTS exams to qualify for admissions and scholarships at the top universities in the UK.

Dear Madam,
I would like to pursue my
undergraduate studies for BTech in one of the best
universities abroad. I would like to know details of the top colleges including the
expenditures involved. As my family can’t fund my overseas education, I would like to know about scholarships as well. What exams do I need to write for this?   
Priyanka

Dear Priyanka,
If you want to study in the UK, you need to write only the IELTS exam, which is a very simple English language test. If you want to study in the US, also write the SAT and Subject SAT exams. The scholarship that you get will depend on your marks and your scores in these tests that I have listed out. In the US and Canada your BTech course will be for 4 years whereas in the UK, the BTech course is of a duration of 3 years. All masters programmes including MTech are one year courses in the UK. So, you get to complete your BTech and MTech in a period of 4 years.

Dear Madam,   
I am a Mechanical Engineering student with an aggregate of 64% and aspire to pursue MS in Germany. What kind of exams would I need to take up for this? Also, shed light on the universities I could apply to. For language, I would prefer bilingual or English. I am interested in Mechatronics, Automobile, Aerospace and Marine Engineering.
Mahesh

Dear Mahesh,
Esslingen University, RWTH Aachen University, Berlin Institute of Technology, Freiberg University, Ravensburg Weingarten University are some of the universities you could consider for Mechatronics, Automobile or Mechanical Engineering. University of applied sciences Wildau, TU Berlin and TU Munich are known for Aerospace Engineering. Bremen University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg Institute of Technology and Technical University of Berlin are good for Marine Engineering.
For admission to any of the above mentioned universities, the exams you need to take are GRE and TOEFL.

Dear Madam,
My son is currently in the second semester of MS in Electrical Engineering at the University of Southern California. He is interested in doing research in statistical learning in universities of the US or Singapore. He has a very good academic record but has no work or research experience except for the projects he done for his BE. He has also attended some seminars. Is it compulsory to have research experience for getting into PhD? If so, how he can get experience without admission into a research course or a PhD? Is there any university in the US or Singapore which offers admission to freshers who satisfy all other requirements they ask for like GPA, PhD required courses etc.  
Vijaya Kumari

Dear Vijaya,
Viterbi School of Engineering in the University of Southern California (USC) is a dream school of most students pursuing their Electrical Engineering. Ideally PhD students are expected to show they have the ability and interest to research. He should carry out some research work outside the requirement of his regular course work and have it published. He could apply for his PhD at USC. It is important that his professors are pleased with his work and are willing to take him in their department.

Since PhD programmes are generally fully funded in most universities, students should impress the professor and prove to them that they will be a huge asset to the department. Please ask your son to research the works of professors in his field in different universities and communicate with them directly about his research interest and keenness to work with them.

Dear Madam,
Currently, I am studying in the tenth semester of BArch degree. My CGPA is below 7.5. I had to repeat the third year due to personal reasons. I want to pursue MArch in interior design in Florence, Italy in English. Is it possible for me to get admission there? If not, what are the other universities that offer MArch courses of one year? They shouldn’t be expensive.  
Rashmi

Dear Rashmi,
I would recommend UK universities since they are affordable and of high quality. Look at universities such as Westminster London, Nottingham Trent, Middlesex University London and Sheffield Hallam University. For more information on universities, courses, fees etc, log on to www.umaaswani.com.

Uma Aswani is an educationist and consultant based in Bengaluru. 

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