Ensure your financial documents are in order before applying to varsities

Study Abroad

Dear Madam,

My son recently completed his BTech in Information Science. He has got a job offer from a multinational company but he wishes to pursue MS, preferably in the US. What is the scope of doing MS abroad and returning to India to work? Is it advisable to do MTech in India instead? Or should he start working?

Veena B A

Dear Veena,

If your son holds an offer from a good company, perhaps it would be a good idea to work for a year before he goes abroad. Normally, I would have suggested he complete his master's and then apply for jobs. Given the strange situation we find ourselves in due to the pandemic, it might be better to go abroad when universities are ready to offer on campus face-to-face classes. Most US universities offer MS which is equivalent to an MTech or ME. A graduate degree from a reputed university will hold good in the job market irrespective of the country he hopes to work in.

Dear Madam,

After BTech, I applied to universities in the US for MS in Computer Science but my F1 visa got rejected. Later I applied to Canadian universities in 2017 and 2018, and my study permit got rejected. Currently I am working in a bank. Please suggest some courses related to Banking, Management and Finance.

Manoj Tavva

Dear Manoj,

It is very unfortunate that you got visa rejections at both US and Canadian embassy. Clearly, you did not get the proper advice while submitting your visa documents. You can certainly apply to pursue your master’s in Finance, Banking, Investment, Risk Management, Accounting or a similar course. While a master’s programme in the US or Canada is for two years, in the UK it is for one year. You need to write the GRE and an English language test like IELTS, TOEFL or PTE for US and Canadian universities. For UK universities, take the IELTS academic exam and get a score of 6.5 or more in each band. Decide which country you want to apply to. This time make sure your financial documents are in order. This is generally why most often students get visa rejections. You have to show sufficient funds to cover one year’s tuition and living expenses. The fact that your visa was rejected for studies in the US and Canada should not deter you.