studying abroad- Be fearless

Dear Madam,
I am currently in the final year of ECE engineering and my CGPA is 8.7. I am planning to do MS in embedded systems after two years. I would like to know which country I should head to for the same? US, Germany or Canada? Do suggest if any other country is suitable for the course.  
Puja

Dear Puja,
My personal choice for MS in embedded systems would be the US. You have an excellent choice of universities that are ranked among the best in the world for electrical engineering in general and embedded systems, in particular. The exam you need to take is the GRE and TOEFL for all the three countries you mention.

Dear Madam,
I am an architectural graduate from Mysuru. I am looking to Canada or Europe for pursuing masters (MArch). Please suggest some universities which are not too expensive. Also, is it easy to get a job there with an Indian degree only?
Shrihari Kulkarni

Dear Shrihari,
In Canada, some of the good universities for MArch are University of British Columbia, McGill, Toronto, Waterloo, Ryerson, Carleton, Calgary and Dalhousie. You can certainly get a job in Canada or anywhere else for that matter, after your MArch, if you are hard working and good at what you do.

As far as Europe is concerned, UK has some of the best schools like Cambridge, UCL, Nottingham Trent, Sheffield, Cardiff, Westminster and City University, among others. In Germany, some of the best schools to study architecture are Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design, The RWTH Aachen, TUM Munich, Technical University of Dresden and Bauhaus – Weimar University.

The other top European schools for architecture are The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts Copenhagen, Denmark, Technical University of Delft, Netherlands, Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, Spain and ETH Zurich, Switzerland. For detailed information on universities, courses and fees, please visit www.umaaswani.com.

Dear Madam,
I am studying in seventh semester of E&C engineering and have passed with an average of 9.55 grading. I have passed GRE with 309 marks and TOEFl with 115. I wish to pursue higher studies in any of the USA’s top universities. Which field would be the best choice for my PG? Kindly suggest the corresponding universities also.
Md Sameer

Dear Sameer,
You can either pursue your MS in computer science, computer engineering or electrical engineering. If you are aiming for the top schools in the US, I would ask you to re take the GRE. Your GPA and TOEFL scores are good but you can certainly better your GRE scores. If you plan to do masters in computer science, you have following subject areas to specialise. Majors offered will vary between universities:
software engineering, software testing, multimedia database, distributed database, artificial intelligence, robotics, bioinformatics, computer networking, wireless networking, computer architecture, algorithms and data structures, operating systems, information security, theoretical computing, computer graphics, vision and multimedia, computer networks and distributed systems, algorithms and complexity, formal methods in software, embedded systems and architecture, software systems.

If you choose electrical or computer engineering, you can specialise in one of the following fields: digital signal processing, robotics, embedded microcontrollers, microprocessors, systems and controls, electromagnetic fields and applications, microwave systems, digital signal and image processing telecommunications and information systems, power systems and industrial power electronics. optical devices and systems, nanotechnology and MEMS – Materials and Devices, bioelectronics engineering, nanoelectronics and photonics.

Some of the best universities in the US for your subject are UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, University of Southern California, North Carolina State University, University of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin Madison, Northwestern, Carnegie Mellon, Michigan Ann Arbor etc.


Dear Madam,
I am currently studying in the fifth semester of electronics and communication engineering. I wish to do my masters abroad in automotive electronics. Can you shed light on which is the best country to pursue the course and the corresponding universities?
Amogh

Dear Amogh,
For automotive electronics, you could consider WHZ University of Applied Sciences, Esslingen University of Applied Sciences and Berlin University of Applied Sciences in Germany, Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, Leeds University UK, HAN University of Applied Sciences in Netherlands, University of Michigan, Cornell and Kettering in the US.

You need to have a good GPA, a strong statement of purpose, GRE and TOEFL (for all countries except UK which requires only IELTS), a well-presented resume which highlights all your awards and achievements in academics, extracurricular fields, community service, sports, work experience, internships, projects and publications.

As one of the important steps to reaching your goal, I would suggest you work on projects outside the requirement of your regular course work.

Dear madam,
I am going to complete my BE degree in one year and I wish to pursue my MS abroad. But my score in 12th standard is 58.5 per cent and my communication skills are not that good. In BE, I have scored 7.75 CGPA. Please suggest a good university for electronics and communication and also let me know if I have the chances of gaining a scholarship. Should I join coaching classes for (GRE+TOEFL) now or after completing my degree?
Madhu Kumar S

Dear Madhu,
When you apply for a masters programme, your high school marks are not taken into
account. Universities only require a good GPA at the bachelors degree, a GRE score above 320 and TOEFL above 110. You don’t need coaching for GRE and TOEFL. What you need to do is work on practise papers which you will find on the ETS website. For more on test preparation, scholarships, universities etc, please visit www.umaaswani.com.

Dear Madam,
I am a 12th grade PCMB student. Although I am preparing for various competitive exams, I have doubts about pursuing my MBBS in India. I have always wanted to study abroad (Germany/US/Canada). So, can u suggest some universities which are affordable and the scholarships they offer to Indian students. Are there any exams that I must clear to go there and the duration of course in each country with admission fee per annum?
Asha M

Dear Asha,
Studying medicine in the US or Canada is going to be a long drawn affair. It will take you 8 to 10 years. If you want to study medicine abroad, I would suggest UK. The only exams you need to take are the UKCAT and IELTS. The duration of the course in UK is five years. Some of the good UK universities which are quite affordable are University of Aberdeen, University of Birmingham, Brighton, Sussex, Bristol, Cardiff, Dundee, Exeter, Glasgow, Hull, Keele and Leicester.

German universities are a good option but most of them will require 13 years of education for MBBS programmes. So, you need to complete your first year degree before you are eligible to apply for the programme. The duration of the course would be six years (five years of study and one year internship). Knowledge of German language is essential, especially in a field like medicine. Germany allows foreign students to stay in the country and practice for almost two years. Tuition fees and living expenses would be very low.
 
Dear Madam,
I am currently studying in 12th standard (PCMB). I am interested in doing MBBS. Since it is very costly in India, I am thinking of pursuing it in China. Is this a good decision? Which are the universities that I should look at? Do I need to write any entrance exam to get there? Also, what about the scope of my career in India if I get my MBBS degree from China?
Javeeda Nagoor

Dear Javeeda,
China Medical University, Zhejiang Medical University, Anhui Medical College and Wenzhou Medical College are some of the top ranked universities in China, offering high quality medical education for international students. Tuition fees are low compared to India.

There is no capitation fee. The duration of the course like in most countries is five years of study and one year of internship. You don’t need to write any entrance exam. There certainly is scope in India for students who pursue an MBBS in China. In fact, you even have an option of doing your internship in India after five years of MBBS in China.