Dear Sir,

I’m currently pursuing a degree in engineering (sixth semester) in Electronics & Communication. I have an aggregate of 77 per cent. I plan to work for a year and give the GRE. How should I search for universities, scholarship programmes and, most importantly, courses? How should I prepare for GRE? What books should I read?

Keerthana

Dear Keerthana,

A year’s work experience after graduation will help you identify your likes and dislikes in terms of your job and industry. It is important to have a clear career goal and gradually work towards it. You may browse the following websites:petersons.com
fulbright-india.org educationusa.state.gov
nafsa.org
infozee.com
degreesabroad-cis.com.

As far as GRE preparations are concerned, I suggest you buy books on GRE and take mock tests. You could even sign up for a coaching class. Do prepare for TOEFL as well. TOEFL is an English language proficiency test. Log on to www.gre.org and www.toefl.org for details.

Scholarships are rather difficult to come by these days and only high academic achievers are likely to get financial aid of any sort, be it an assistantship, a full scholarship or a fee waiver. But don’t be demotivated by that. Look for advertisements of foreign universities or international charitable organisations that offer scholarships. It is a highly competitive area and you need to score well. For financial aid, visit the following websites — www.finaid.org www.nafsa.org www.fulbright-india.org www.fulbrightonline.org www.IEFA.org
www.uiowa.edu www.fordfound.org
There are some Indian sources such as Tata Endowment (www.tata.com), Agha Khan Foundation (www.akdn.org) etc. Many Indian nationalised banks offer soft loans for higher education with liberal repayment schemes. 

Dear Sir,

I am in Second PUC. I have maintained an aggregate of 90 per cent. I want to study Aeronautical Engineering. What should I do in order to gain entry into NASA? Does Madras Institute of Technology offer this course? What is the eligibility criteria?

Rakesh

Dear Rakesh,

Very few colleges offer aeronautical engineering in India. The ones that do are National Institute of Technology, IIT, and a few autonomous engineering colleges. You have to give entrance exams such as IIT-JEE, AIEEE or state CETs to gain entry into any one of the engineering institutions. You need not necessarily take up aeronautical engineering at this level. You may take up Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics, Computer Science at the degree level and specialise in aeronautical engineering at the master’s level.

Getting into NASA is only possible after you obtain an MS degree in aeronautical engineering or any stream listed above. It will help if you pursue an MS or a doctoral degree in USA. The selection criteria for NASA is highly competitive. So stay focused and score well in  technical subjects.

Dear Sir,

I completed my degree in engineering (Computer Science) in 2009. I want to pursue a post-graduate course in the same, abroad. How should I go about this and where should I apply?

Vishnu

Dear Vishnu,

Countries such as the US, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the EU countries offer Computer Science at the master’s level. You must choose an area of specialisation within Computer Science to begin with. I suggest you browse the following websites for more information to narrow down your choice of university, course and country:

www.petersons.com www.fulbright-india.org www.educationusa.state.gov www.nafsa.org, www.infozee.com www.degreesabroad-cis.com.
Depending on your choice, you will have to either give GRE or TOEFL.

The author is the Director of Banjara Academy and co-ordinator of Helping Hand. Send your queries to: Studying Abroad, DH Education, Deccan Herald, # 75,
MG Road, Bangalore-560001, or email us at: dheducation@deccanherald.co.in