Highlight your interest in the SOP

Study Abroad

Dear Madam,

I have completed MCom and currently working as an Assistant Professor in a degree college. I am looking forward to do my PhD abroad without GRE. Would you recommend some good universities with scholarships and advice on how I need to work in order to obtain the scholarship? I want to settle abroad post PhD.

Subhashini

Dear Subhashini,

You don’t need a GRE for UK, Australia, New Zealand and East European countries. Before applying for a PhD programme, it is important to communicate with professors at various universities and get their permission to apply. Most of these programmes are funded to a large extent and it is important to convince the professors that you will be an asset to their department. Universities look for candidates who have excellent writing skills, high academic credentials and published research works. You need to identify a research topic and communicate with professors from various universities who are already into research in your area of interest. A good research proposal, statement of purpose that clearly addresses your interest in their university, a resume that highlights academic achievements, research works and publications and work experience will help them decide if you are a worthy candidate. A few universities with good research programmes in the field of business and management for PhD students are Nottingham Trent University in UK, University of Pecs in Hungary, Transport and Telecommunications Institute in Latvia, University of Auckland in New Zealand and Curtin University Australia.

Dear Madam,

I am currently in Class 12 and I really want to pursue a career in astrophysics and research. Where can I go abroad to do a graduation and then research? Also, how should I prepare myself for the same?

Mikael

Dear Mikael,

Universities that are known for Astrophysics include: the University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, York University and the University of Manitoba in Canada; University of Bonn, LMU Munich, University of Tubingen, University of Gottingen and the University of Cologne in Germany; the University of Tokyo in Japan; the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands; the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and the National University of Singapore. In the UK, Cambridge, St Andrews, Glasgow, University College London, Manchester and Cardiff are renowned for astrophysics study. MIT, Princeton, Harvard, Stanford and University of California Berkeley in the US are also pioneering studies in astrophysics. For entry into a university in any of the mentioned universities, you need to write an English test such as IELTS, TOEFL or PTE. Subject SAT in Physics and Math and General SAT or ACT is also necessary for most universities outside UK. Apart from a high GPA you need a strong statement of purpose on why you wish to pursue Astrophysics, highlighting your career goals and interests.

Dear Madam,

I have heard that studying in Germany is relatively cheap. I have a BE in electrical engineering, do I need to learn German to study there? What universities can I consider?

Mahesh

Dear Mahesh,

Most public universities in Germany are free for all students. Although the programme will be taught entirely in English, it always helps to learn the local language. Knowledge of the German language will help in the job market. Dresden University of Technology, TU Munich, TU Berlin, RWTH Aachen, KIT, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology are some of the well-known universities for electrical engineering.