A good research proposal is vital for admission to PhD

Study Abroad

Dear Madam,

My son recently completed his BS/MS integrated course in Physics. He obtained 9.5 CGPA in his master’s course. He wants to pursue PhD in Computational Astrophysics and has applied to universities in the US, Europe, Canada and Australia. But many universities have not considered his application as this field is not existing. However, he is determined to continue his higher studies in a reputed foreign university. Please suggest some good universities abroad.

S Vynatheya

Dear Vynatheya,

Stanford, Princeton, University of Chicago, Arizona State University and Rochester Institute of Technology in the United States of America are the best for PhD programmes in Computational Astrophysics. In Europe, Lund University, Sweden; University of Edinburgh, Scotland; University of Zurich, Switzerland are the popular choices. In Canada, University of British Columbia, York University, Alberta and University of Calgary are known for research in Astrophysics, Astronomy and Computational Physics. In Australia, Australian National University and University of Melbourne offer these programmes.

Please ask your son to communicate with professors at various universities and get their permission to apply for his PhD. Most of these programmes are fully funded and it is important to convince the professors that he will be an asset to their department. Universities look for candidates who have excellent writing skills, high academic credential and published research works. GRE score of 327 and above is necessary. He needs to identify a research topic and communicate with professors from various universities who are already into research in his area of interest. A good research proposal, a statement of purpose which clearly addresses his interest in their university and the particular department that he is applying to, a resume which highlights all his academic achievements, research works and publications and work experience will help them decide if he is a worthy candidate.

Dear Madam,

I completed high school in the US and got admitted to a UG course there. I took a gap year as my family had to come to India. Currently, our plans of going back have been delayed due to Covid-19. Therefore, I was wondering if there are any colleges in Bengaluru that would allow me to take classes (online or in-person) related to my degree programme without having to take formal admission?

A student

Dear Student,

What I suggest you do for a start is reach out to the university in the US where you were admitted and start this semester online with them. Perhaps in 2021, you could go attend on campus classes.

In Bengaluru, I am sure many colleges will let you attend classes as an external student. Enrolling into a college here as a full-time student will not jeopardise your chances of admission anywhere. Alternately, you could use your time here to carry out some research work or do a short course in a related subject.

Dear Madam,

I will be completing BE in Civil Engineering soon. I wish to pursue MSc in Construction Management in Australia. Should I apply now or take a year gap between BE & MSc? Is Australia good for Construction Management? If I plan to switch streams from Civil to IT, which course would you suggest for the masters?

Tarun S R

Dear Tarun,

Bond University, Swinburne University of Technology, Deakin University, The University of Melbourne, University of Technology Sydney, La Trobe University, University of South Australia and RMIT University offer MSc in Construction Management. I suggest you apply for 2021 intake. Their sessions begin in February and July. This is a very popular course and offers good career options.

Master of Information and Communication Technology, Master of Telecommunications and Network Engineering and Master of Business Information Technology are a few of the IT courses you could consider if you wish to switch streams.