Gap year may not help

STUDY ABROAD

Dear Madam,

I graduated in Chemical Engineering last year and at present working in the paper industry. I want to pursue an MBA degree abroad. Which stream should I choose? What are the exams I have to take? How can I get a fully-funded scholarship? How to prepare for those exams? What are the job opportunities in India after doing an MBA abroad?

Akshay

Dear Akshay,

If you wish to pursue an MBA abroad, you would need a minimum of three years of work experience. You have to take the GMAT exam as an entry requirement to most of the top business schools. Subject options include operations management, global supply chain management, human resource management, finance, accounting, marketing, entrepreneurship, strategic business analytics etc. Pick an area of specialisation that you are most inclined to.

MBA programmes are never fully funded unless the organisation you are working for in India chooses to send you abroad to get an MBA degree and come back to their organisation. Most universities offer merit based scholarships and graduate assistantships to international students. If you are hardworking, intelligent and serious about finding a job, there are enough takers not only in India but anywhere in the world.

Dear Madam,

I am a 6th-semester Computer Science student. I want to pursue Masters in Machine Learning. Can you suggest some colleges in the US and Canada that are good for this programme?

A Student

Dear Student,

Some of the best schools in the US for MS in Machine Learning are Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, University of California Berkeley, Columbia University, Stanford University, University of California San Diego, University of Washington, Georgia Tech, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Penn State University, Texas A&M University, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, California Institute of Technology, University of Wisconsin Madison and University of Massachusetts Amherst. In Canada, I would recommend McGill University, University of Waterloo and University of Toronto.

Dear Madam,

I am pursuing BA in History, Economics and Political Science. I have taken Marketing Economics as my elective. I am currently studying in the third year and I want to pursue my post-graduation in Economics. Can you suggest some good universities abroad and explain the fee structure? I am also planning to write The Civil Services Examination. Should I take a gap and then pursue my higher education or continue with education without any gap?

A Student

Dear Student,

Economics is a very popular subject and is offered in most universities across the world. The top schools would include Harvard University, US; London School of Economics, UK; Bocconi University in Italy, National University of Singapore; University of Melbourne, Australia; University of Canterbury, New Zealand; University of Toronto, Canada; University of Tokyo, Japan; Tilburg University, Netherlands; University of Mannheim, Germany; INSEAD Business School, France and Copenhagen Business School, Denmark. The fee structure, duration of the course, living expenses and entry requirements vary from country to country. It is best to look up each individual university website for these details. To give you a broad idea, MBA programmes in the UK are for a duration of one year while in most other countries it is for two years. My sincere advice as far as gap years are concerned is to not take a gap. Continue with your education without a break in the momentum.

Dear Madam,

After my Class 12, I want to take a gap year. During this gap year, I hope to prepare for SAT, TOEFL and do other productive activities. Do colleges in the US, UK, Canada and Australia offer admissions to students who take a gap year?

A Student

Dear Student,

Ideally, I would want students to continue with their studies without a gap. I have noticed that gap years are not generally used as productively as one intends to. SAT and TOEFL do not require any extraordinary preparation. These exams can be cracked with your usual high school level of English and Maths. Past papers of these tests are available on CollegeBoard website and ETS website. You can practice these test papers on your own. Having said that, I must add that it is a very common practice to take a gap year after high school and universities across the world are happy to accept students who take a gap year.

Dear Madam,

My son is interested in pursuing a postgraduate degree programme in Logistics and Supply Chain Management in Germany. He has completed his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and has one year work experience in the automobile industry. Please provide details of good universities with regard to future job opportunities and the course fee.

Sreenivas

Dear Parent,

Kühne Logistics University (KLU) Hamburg, IUBH University of Applied Sciences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hof University of Applied Sciences, University of Duisburg-Essen, Technical University of Munich, Berlin School of Economics and Law are some of the universities that offer Masters in Global Supply Chain and Logistics Management. Some of these universities do not charge any tuition fee while a few of them charge around 10,000 to 24,000 euros per year. If you are keen on studying and working in Germany, learning German will be an advantage.