So you want to study overseas? Are you considering the United States perhaps, or other places of the world that have a proven track record of providing excellence in education? Well, one way to know for sure and even to plan ahead is to actually visit those places.
Around the 1990s, when there was an exodus of students to the United States, many students would queue up at the USEFI to do their research painstakingly, manually going through stacks of books and later, of course, through the all-pervasive Internet. While our methods of data collection have changed, our questions still remain the same.
Here are some pertinent ones we should have at the top of the list:
What is the acceptance rate of the university?
How is it ranked nationally and internationally, for the subject of your choice?
Does it have a better undergraduate or graduate programme?
Is this a public university or a private school?
Does this school and programme offer scholarships?
How hard is it to find housing and is campus lodging the housing of choice?
But deeper down, other questions surface that go beyond just the programme and its suitability. Each university has its distinct personality and campus life. Some universities are urban and others are small college towns quite far away from major cities. Winters can bring snow and ice storms and the student body may not be very Asian (though this is less of a concern today and most universities have Indian student associations).
The best fit
Classroom sizes matter. Large public universities can typically have five hundred students in a mandatory first year general ed. class. Auditorium size classes are not for everybody.
By contrast, private universities offer a small distinctive class size, which just might be a better fit for you. Another big factor is campus housing — research what kind of dorms are on offer and if they would be preferable to a student apartment and how to go about finding a roommate.
Belonging to a school is about school pride — its anthem, its colours, and its sports rivalry. To get a ‘feel’ of an institution before committing to four years of stay and a whole lot of money, education tourism has caught on in a big way. During the months spanning June to August, large groups of international students visit college campuses of their choice. Some tourism companies offer group tours to schools in the U.S. and to schools in several other countries as well. They can tailor tours to your needs or give you a one size fits all tour — such as a whirlwind trip to all eight Ivy League schools in the U.S. Most colleges have campus walking tours that are about an hour long that will take you through all their iconic buildings and stadiums. These tours are free of cost and are usually conducted by current students. Prospective students will also be taken through the dorms and lecture halls, libraries and athletic facilities. Harvard University has individual graduate tours for each of its individual schools — Harvard Business School, Harvard Divinity School, Harvard Medical School and so on. Stanford University has both golf-cart and walking tours that take you through the historic quad and engineering quads. Many colleges also offer presentations by the department of undergraduate or graduate admissions.
Another way to take a peek at universities beforehand is to sign up for their summer programmes. Remember though, while this is an excellent way to get a feel for the college, a summer programme does not give you an edge in the admissions process. Also, college professors are often on sabbaticals during the summer months and summer classes may not be always taught by regular staffers.
So all you students who are getting ready to apply for a programme overseas next year — one great option to explore is spending an immersive summer in a college of your choice.
The author is a technologist, educator and writer based in Michigan. sofiagsaleem@gmail.com
