Get the first mover advantage

If you are determined to find yourself a seat in a college abroad, there is no time to waste. The number of undergraduate courses available abroad are many, and so are the takers. So stay focussed and follow these guidelines before it’s too late.

* Writing an SOP: Always start with a rough draft. Rewrite, rework and update it. Proof-read it thoroughly. Check for grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. If you can get another person’s feedback on your SOP, all the better. Give your Statement of Purpose a lot of thought before you hit the ‘Send’ button.

* Extracurricular activities: Participate in sports, debates and drama. At the undergraduate level, with most foreign universities, your chances of bagging a seat hinge on your abilities inside and outside the classroom.

* Recommendation letters: Select lecturers who can give you recommendation letters based on the course you want to take up. Highlight your skills in that field so that the recommendation letters are focussed.

* Start planning and preparing:  If SAT 1 and SAT 2 are your focus, surf the website www.sat.org. For TOEFL, surf www.toefl.org when you are in Class 11 itself. SAT 2 is not necessary for a regular university. But if you want a seat in a top class university and want to graduate in a specialised stream, SAT 2 score certainly helps. Though universities in the UK, Australia and New Zealand do not insist on SAT scores, having the score will give you an edge over other applicants.

* Community service of any kind, during holidays or vacations, will be considered for assessment during admission.

* For the UK, Australia and New Zealand, SAT score is not necessary. Instead of the TOEFL, you can give the IELTS (www.ielts.org).

* British students go through 13 years of pre-university education as opposed to the required 12 years for Indian students. Your scores from Class 12, under CBSE or ICSE, are required for direct entry into an undergraduate programme in some universities in the UK. Oxford, Cambridge and London University insist on this.

* Communicate with colleges by e-mail or over the phone about their admission requirements. Large universities may not entertain such a discussion, but smaller universities may be more obliging. Check for all relevant information in the website of the university.

* If you are directly applying to a college under the ‘Early Decision’ programme, you are committing your decision to the university. If you are selected, you have to accept the offer of admission. You can apply to only one college for ‘Early Decision’ but your chances of admission are almost double in some colleges. Under ‘Early Action’, you can apply to other colleges as well, but you have to commit to the university by the first of May of that year. Again you are permitted to apply only to one college for ‘Early Action’.

Are your papers in order?
Academic records, standardised test scores, letters of recommendation, statement of Purpose (SOP) and proof of financial support are necessary documents.  Start putting together the documents at least 15 to 18 months before the proposed date of admission. You may obtain application forms through regular air mail, e-mail or from the college website.

Financial assistance
For undergraduate education, financial assistance is not easily available unless you have maintained exceptional scores through out your 12 years in school.
Relying on getting financial assistance or scholarships would not be sensible. If you are able to prove your brilliance and show that you’re worthy of  financial aid, there are many scholarships you can apply for, such as Rhodes, Fulbright, British Chevening to name a few.

Remember that you must show a consistent academic performance, leadership skills, proof of community and social involvement, extra curricular interests and activities and, of course, a strong statement of purpose while applying for financial aid.