Seize the moment

Dear Madam,

My son is currently in 10th grade (CBSE). He wishes to pursue his under graduate programme in US. Kindly guide us on all the options available for him. He is leaning towards math and engineering. Also, will he be eligible for in-state tuition fees after spending a year at any university? Do elaborate on the fees, living expenses, rules and tests that need to be undertaken.

Raju Chellaton

Dear Raju Chellaton,

US universities prefer students who are multi-faceted. During his holidays, ask him to engage in some community service, intern in some organisation, attend summer school and carry out research projects outside the regular course work. Make sure you get certificates for all the activities.

The tests he needs to take are SAT, subject SAT in 3 subjects (math Level 2 being one of them) and any one english test like Toefl ibt or IELTS or PTE.

The annual fees including housing would work out to approximately 40,000 to 70,000 USD per year depending on the university. State universities are cheaper than private universities.

The student is eligible for in-state tuition only if at least one parent is working and living in the US. So, if there are chances of you going to the US to work, do so right away to avail of the low cost in state tuition fee for your son. If your son likes mathematics and engineering, he can choose either actuarial science or any one of the engineering streams.

U.S has a large number of highly ranked world-class universities. For a complete list of universities, please visit www.umaaswani.com. Depending on your son’s marks in 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and his SAT and Toefl score, you can decide on a university.

Dear Madam,

I have completed my BE in telecommunication engineering with an aggregate of 73.91 percent from VTU. I would like to pursue MS in Germany or USA. I have read that Germany is cheap in terms of education. But what are my other options?

Mariam

Dear Mariam,

Both Germany and US have excellent universities and are very good. While US has been a sought-after study destination for most Indians, Germany in the last few years has attracted a large number of Indian students especially at the graduate level. Germany allows its international students to stay in the country for up to a period of one and a half years after graduation to find a job. Courses are taught in english and it is not mandatory to know German to study there anymore. A good GPA is all that is required. Irrespective of which country you decide to go to, please write the GRE and IELTS exam.

Dear Madam,

My son is 16 years old and studying in first PUC (PCMC). He is interested in engineering and preparing for IIT and NIT. He has been selected for the Singapore SIA scholarship exams. Kindly give me all the details about this scholarship and its credibility. Also, is this a right age to send him abroad? What are the future prospects after this scholarship in Singapore? I am also concerned about other expenses that the scholarship won’t cover.

Anil kumar

Dear Anil Kumar,

The SIA youth scholarship is a prestigious scholarship offered by the Ministry of Singapore. It is tenable for 2 years of pre-university studies in selected Singapore junior colleges leading to the award of the Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education ‘Advanced’ (GCE ‘A’) Level (or equivalent) certificate. This is a recognised certificate which is accepted all over the world. If your child gets the scholarship, it is certainly worth sending him there. It would be like sending him to a boarding school for grade 11 and 12. So, it is the right age also.

Future prospects would include applying to a good university like Nanyang, SMU, NUS etc in Singapore. 

The scholarship covers the following:n Annual allowance of S$2,400 with hostel accommodation.n Settling-in allowance of S$500 (once only).n Return economy class air passage.n Coverage of school fees (excluding miscellaneous fees).n Coverage of GCE ‘A’ Level examination fees (once only).n Subsidised medical benefits and accident insurance cover.A scholar in Singapore spends an average of S$200 to S$300 a month on living expenses. This amount would vary depending on individual lifestyle and course of study. In general, you might have to pay for the following:n miscellaneous or supplementary fees.n Food (lunch in school).n Transport.n Clothing like school uniform (the settling in allowance given will take care of this).n Laptops and phone.n Books and stationery.n Personal expenses.

Dear Madam,

I am currently in my third year of BVSc course (veterinary science). I want to pursue my masters abroad. Can you  suggest some suitable specialisations and also the requirements of the colleges abroad? 

Sushmitha

Dear Sushmitha,

MVSc courses are offered in many universities across the world. Countries like UK, Australia and New Zealand offer a range of masters programmes in veterinary science. The course would be for one year in UK and 1.5-2 years in other countries. The only entry requirement would be a good GPA score in your BVSc and a high score in the IELTS exam.

Some of the specialisations are veterinary parasitology, epidemiology, infection and disease control, infection and immunity, conservation science, wildlife health and conservation, animal bioscience, applied animal behaviour and animal welfare.

Dear Madam,

My son has completed BE (Electrical and Electronics) from PESIT, Bangalore in 2013 after which he worked in a software company for ten months at Chennai and then resigned owing to lack of interest. Meanwhile, he appeared for GATE and secured 2914 rank. As he could not get a college of his choice for doing M.Tech, he is preparing for GATE 2015. He is an introvert and doesn’t interact freely with others. As a father and lone earner in the family, I am worried about his future. His rank in CET-2009 was 840 and he has secured distinction in all the semesters in B.E. Now, he is planning to either join a company or do M.Tech at any IIT.

Dear Parent,

Your son seems to be keen on pursuing his M.Tech from a reputed institute. The fact that he resigned his job and is taking his GATE again to better his scores is proof enough. If he got a high GPA in his BE with distinction in all semesters, you should encourage him to study further and equip himself better before finding another job. Maybe you could also consider sending him to a university abroad to a country like Germany where education is free for an academic achiever like your son. There are universities in UK too, which offer up to a hundred percent scholarship for graduate students with a high GPA.