guide to higher education in europe
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GuidetoHigherEducationinEurope
(Version2.0)AboutthisGuide
Generallyspeaking,thisguideismeantforthosepeoplewhowanttopursueHigherEducation(Mastersand/orPhD)inEurope.Individualswhowanttopursueeducationatotherlevels(e.g.,BachelorsorDiploma)oreveninsomeothercountrycanalsobenefitfromvarioussectionsofthisguide.
Thecontentsofthisguidearegeneralizedandpeoplefromanycountryoranybackground(EngineeringSciences,IT&computer-related,MBA&Businessrelated,Medical,Law,Arts,Socialsciences&Humanitiesetc)canbenefitfromit.
Alotofefforthasbeenputintopreparingthisguide;Ihopeyoubenefitfromit.Well,Yesthisisafatguide:(nearly60pages),thatsbecauseithasgotalmostalltheinformationandtipsthatonewouldrequireforstudiesandadmission.Ifyoureadandfollowitcarefullyandcarryouttheproceduresensibly,thenyouwoulddefinitelygetadmissionwhereveryouwantto.
Thisguidecanbefreelydistributedaslongasalltheoriginalcontentsareintact,andnothinghasbeenmodifiedoradded.Passthisguidetoallyourfriendsandanyoneelseyouknowwhocanbenefitfromit.
Iwishallofyousuccessandhappinessinyourlivesandrequestyoutoprayfo
rthesameforme.Thisisversion2.0ofthisguide,forupdates,newversionsandotherguides,visit:http://www.tauseefafzal.comTauseefAfzal.Email:[email protected]:http://www.tauseefafzal.com/Contents:MyIntroduction3ContributingFinancially3HowtoContactMe3TheGuidea.WhentogoforMasters?4b.SystemofEducationinEurope4c.MajorEuropeanCountries5d.TheAdmissionCycle6e.AdmissionProcess6f.RequiredDocuments7g.EducationalRequirements91.DegreesRequired92.TOEFL/IELTS/GRE/GMAT9(Details&Preparation)h.UsefulpointstobekeptinmindfortheseTests22i.Finding&SelectingUniversities23j.ListofTop-ratedEuropeanUniversities25k.HowtoprepareyourC.V/resume26l.HowtoprepareyourStatementofPurpose(SoP)29m.HowtoprepareLettersofRecommendation34n.Thingstocheckforwhenpostingapplications38o.Waitingfortheadmissionresults39p.Whatifyoudontgetadmission????39q.Expenses,Accommodation,Scholarships&Jobs40r.Living,L
ife-Styles&LanguageProblems45s.StudyinUK(Details,Scholarships&Jobs)48t.Visa&FinancialRequirements51u.VisaInterview:Tips&PossibleQuestions52v.TravelingtoEurope54w.Thingstotakewithyou55x.Thingstodobeforeleaving56y.Links&Addresses57VersionHistory59Disclaimer59Acknowledgements59MyIntroduction:
MynameisTauseefAfzal.IdidmyB.E.(Electrical)fromUniversityofEngineeringandTechnology,Taxila,Pakistanin2002.Isecuredaggregate4thpositionintheuniversityandgot84%marks.Afterthat,IstartedworkingasDesignEngineeratAERO(AdvancedEngineeringResearchOrganization),whereIworkedfor2years.In2004,IgotadmissioninTechnicalUniversityMunich(TUM),GermanyinMSCE.DuringthetimeIwaspreparingforadmissiontoMasters,IdidalotofresearchabouttheEuropeaneducationsystem,theiruniversitiesandlivinginE
urope,soIdecidedtopreparethisguidesothatotherscanbenefitfromthis.Ifyoubenefitfromthisguide,whatyoushoulddois:-
Prayforme,HelpothersandServeyourhomelandinanywayyoucan.Rememberthatasanation,weareverymuchbehindtherestoftheworldinTechnologyandEducation,weshouldhelpeachother,inshallahonedaywewouldbeabletoachievetheheightsthatothersareenjoyingrightnow.JustrememberthefollowinglinesbyaPakistaniprofessor,Iknowthatmyplaceisdirtyandmayhavemanyproblemsinit.Peopletheretrytointerfereinmybusiness;butIdontknow!Iwillgobackthere,asitsmine!ItmademestrongandbeautifulasIamnow.So
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itsweaknessesdonotmatter.Iwillsupportittolivelong.Youdohavearesponsibilitythatistoserveyourhomeland,aswhateveryouarerightnoworwhateveryoumightbecomeinthefuture,itwouldonlybebecauseofyourhomeland.Soyoumustreturnthefavorinanywayyoucan.
ContributingFinancially:
Ifyouhavebenefitedfromthisguide,kindlycontributeforagoodcause.Contributewhateveramountyoucan.
Makeyourchequespayableto:TauseefAfzal.AccountNo:17545-0HabibBankLtd,SDvBranch,Saddar,Rawalpindi,Pakistan.
Sendyourcheques,moneyordersorcashtothefollowingaddress:TauseefAfzal.c/oHouseNo.129,StreetNo.20,F-10/2,Islamabad,Pakistan.Ifyouwanttocontributethroughsomeothermeans(e.g.,creditcard,cashetc),kindly
emailmeat:[email protected]:
Youcancontactmethroughmyemailaddresstauseef_afzal@hotmail.comIfyouwanttocontributetothisguideorwouldliketoaddsomeusefulinformationorlinks,kindlyemailme,andmentionitinthesubjectoftheemail.Ihavediscussedalmostallthethingsindetailinthisguide,sothereshouldbenoquestionsconcerningthingsmentionedinthisguide.
TheGuide
WhenToGoForMasters?
ThisisthequestionthatmoststudentsstudyingattheBachelorslevelaskandthinkabouti.e.,whethertogoforMastersrightaftercompletingtheirBachelorsorwhetherafterdoingjobforsometime.Well,theansweristhatthereisnoparticulargeneralizedRIGHTtime.Itdependsonyourownwill,yourcircumstancesandalsoonwhenyougetthechance.Eachofthesetwoapproacheshasitsownbenefits.IfonewantstogorightafterhisBachelors,thenthepluspointofthisapproachisthatit
wouldbecomparativelyeasierforhimtostudyashewouldbeinthatstudyingroutine.Ontheotherhand,ifonestartsdoingajobaftercompletinghisbachelorsandplanstogoforMastersafter2or3years,thenthepluspointofthisapproachisthathewouldhaveacquiredpracticalknowledgeandwouldhaveseenthethingsinactionthathehadstudied.However,itisrecommendedthatinthiscase,theplanshouldntbedelayedtoomuch,i.e.,oneshouldgoforMastersafteratmost2or3years.Themoredelaythereis,morearethedisadvantagesthatonemightface.
Soyoushoulddecide(aboutwhentogoforMasters)yourselfkeepinginmindyourmood,yourcircumstancesandyourfutureplans.AsIsay,dowhatsuitsyou.SystemofEducationinEurope
Europeancountriesaresocialwelfarestates;thereforeeducationisfreeinmostoftheEuropeancountries.InmostoftheEuropeanuniversities,thereisnotuitionfee,howeverinsomecases,theremightbesomefeesofstudentunions,socialsecurityfundsorregistrationfeebuttheseareveryless.Alltheuniversitiesarestate-funded;thisisfromwheretheycoverupalltheirexpenses.Theindustriesalsocontributealottoresearchandprovidefunding.Notehowever,thataveryfewuniversitiesdochargeregulartuitionfeesandothercharges.
Afewyearsago,thehighereducationinmostoftheEuropeancountrieswasintheirnativelanguage.Nowalmostallthetopuniversitiesconducthighereducati
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oninEnglish.IfaprogramistermedasInternational,thenallofitscourseswouldbeinEnglish,whichisnormallythecaseformostMastersprograms.However,stillafewuniversitiesconductcoursesintheirnativelanguage.ThestudyprogramsareavailableinallthefieldsincludingEngineeringSciences,IT,MBA&Businessrelated,Medical,Law,Socialsciences&Humanitiesetc.ThedurationofmastersinmostoftheEuropeancountriesistwoyears,exceptinSwedenwhereitis1.5yearsandinU.Kitisofoneyearduration.However,inU.Ktheeducationisnotfree.MoredetailabouteducationinUKisgivenlaterinaseparatesection.Thetwoyearperiodconsistsof4semesterswithexamsattheendofeachsemester.Normallyonehastotake5coursespersemester.Thelastsemesterisusuallydedicatedtothethesis.
Theuniversitiesareverygoodandsoarethefacultiesandtheenvironment.Theuniversitiesareverywellequippedcontaininghigh-techbuildings,labsandclass-rooms.Alsotherearelotsofhugelibrariescontainingthousandsofbooksandothermaterial.
MajorEuropeanCountries
ThemajorEuropeancountriesaregivenbelow,alongwiththeirflags,websites,languages,currenciesandcountrycodes:CountryFlagOfficialWebsiteLanguages
Germany
SwedenDenmarkFinlandNetherlands
BelgiumFranceUK
http://www.deutschland.dehttp://www.sweden.sehttp://www.denmark.dkhttp://www.finland.fi
http://www.netherlands.nlhttp://www.belgium.be
http://www.france.comhttp://www.i-uk.comhttp://www.direct.gov.ukGermanSwedish,English
Danish,EnglishFinnishDutchDutch,French
FrenchEnglish
NotethatPakistanStandardtimeisGMT+5.InFrance,currentlymostofthecoursesaretaughtinFrenchonly,soifyouwanttogothere,youwouldhavetolearnFrenchfirst.
CurrencyCountryTimeCode
Euro()+49GMT+1Krona(SEK)+46GMT+1
Krone(DKK)+45GMT+1Euro()+358GMT+2Euro()+31GMT+1Euro()+32GMT+1
Euro()+33GMT+1Pound()+44GMTTheAdmissionCycle
Tostartwith,youshouldhaveafair&generalideaaboutthefieldyouwouldliketostudyin.Dosomeresearch,consultyourseniors,friends,professors,andotherprofessionalsaroundyou,seewhatareyourinterestsandwhatarethefieldswhicharecurrentlyontopandwhichfieldshavegoodscopeincomingfuture(futurejobmarket).Asyouwouldcontinuewiththeadmissionprocedure,youwouldsoonbeabletodecidetheparticularfieldsandprogramsthatyouwanttospecializein.
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Duringthewholeadmissioncycle,youneedtodothreethings:think(aboutwhatyouwanttodo),obtainenoughinformation,andcommunicatewithotherswithsimilarexperiencesandintentions.
Duringtheprocessyouneedtobeveryclear(1)aboutwhatyouwanttoachieve,(2)howwouldyouachieveitand(3)possiblyalternatebackupplansiftheoriginalonefails.
Followingarethestepsthatyouwouldfollowforseekingadmission:
1)Decidewhichprogramandfieldyouwanttostudy2)Searchforandshortlisttheuniversitieswhereyouwanttoapply,whichoffertheprogramofyourchoice,alongwiththeirdepartmentnames,researchstrengthsandTOEFL(&GRE/GMAT)codes3)Download,fillandprinttheapplicationforms4)PreparecustomizedSoPandletterofrecommendations5)Completethedocumentsrequired(listgiveninalatersection)6)Checkthattheapplicationsetiscompleteinallregards7)Posttheapplication(ideallywellbeforetheapplicationdeadline)8)Waitfortheadmissionresults9)ApplyforVisa
Thedetailsofalltheabovethingsaregiveninsubsequentsections.
Keepinmindthatyouwouldhavetostartpreparingforadmissionatleast10-11monthsbeforeyourintendedstudiesstart,e.g.,ifyouareplanningtostartstudiesinAugust2005,thenyouwouldhavetostartpreparationsfromroundabou
tSeptember2004.
AdmissionProcess
Theadmissionprocessanddatesvaryfromuniversitytouniversity.NormallytheadmissionprocesscontinuesfromJanuarytoMarch/April.TheclassesstartinlateAugustorSeptember/October.Admissionsarecarriedoutonlyonceayear.Afewuniversitiesrequireyoutoapplyonline.Fordetailsanddatesofaparticularuniversity,seethewebsiteofthatuniversity.Itisstronglyrecommendedthatyouapplyassoonaspossibleandwellbeforetheapplicationdeadline,asinmostcasestheseatsarefilledveryearly.Anearlierapplicationmightgiveyouabetterchanceofadmission.Moreover,youwillgettheresponseearlierandwouldhaveenoughtimefordecisionorapplyingforVisaetc.Makesurethaty
ouhaveallthenecessarydocuments(marksheets,degrees,certificates,TOEFLscorereportetc)wellintime.Thelistoftherequireddocumentsisgivenbelow.Itisstronglyrecommendedthatyoupreparethesedocumentsbeforethestartoftheadmissionprocedure.Alsokeepinmindthatinternationalmailnormallytakesabout7-15days.
SincetheEuropeanuniversitiesdonthaveanyapplicationprocessingfee,soitdoesntcosttoapply.Theonlycostwouldbethatofpostage(which,inPakistan,isapproximatelyPKRs.200,ifyousendtheapplicationthroughregisteredmail).Soapplytoasmanyuniversitiesaspossible(recommendedistoapplytoatleast5universities),astheadmissioncriteriavaryvastlyfromuniversitytouniversity,yeartoyearandalsodependsontheapplicationsreceived.Sobeonthesafesideandapplyto5-6universitiesatleast.
Whenstartingapplyingforadmission,makeaseparatefolderforeachuniversitythatyouapplyto,tostoretheadmissioninformation,relateddocumentsandsubsequentcorrespondence.Thisllhelpyoutokeepthingsorganizedandmanageable.
Allthecommunicationbetweenyouandtheuniversityshouldbeproperandneatlytypedorprinted.Havepatienceandperseverancethroughouttheadmissionprocess(oranythingelseforthatmatter).Sometimesthingsmaynotworkthewayyouwantthemto,butDONEVERLOOSEHOPEandkeepontrying.Soonerorlateryouwillgetwhatyouwant.
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RequiredDocuments
Theexactdocumentsthateachuniversityrequireswoulddiffer,howeveringeneral,whileapplyingforMasters,followingarethedocuments(attestedphotocopies)thatuniversitiesrequireyoutosubmitalongwiththeapplication:
ApplicationForm(providedbytheuniversity)Filltheapplicationformcarefully.Youwouldeitherhavetoprintandfilltheformsorfillandprinttheforms.Itisrecommendedthatifpossible;useeithercomputerortype-writertofilltheforms.Ifaskedfor,useyourownhandwriting.Filltheapplicationformscarefullyandproperly.BachelorsDegree+DetailedMarkSheets+CertificatesHSSC/F.Sc/A-LevelCertificates+MarkSheetsSSC/Matric/O-LevelCertificates+MarkSheetsTOEFL/IELTSScoreReport
AfewuniversitiesrequirethatofficialTestscores(TOEFL,GRE,GMAT)besenttothemdirectlyfromETS.Youwouldhavetoarrangethisonthetestdayasmentionedinthefollowingsection.FordetailsandpreparationofTOEFL&othertests,seethenextsection.
YourC.V(CurriculumVitae)Unlessyouareaverybigscholarorresearcher,limityourC.Vtotwopagesatmax.TipsforpreparingagoodCVaregiveninalatersection.SoP(StatementofPurpose)
SoPisveryimportantfortheadmissionprocedure.DetailsandtipsonhowtoprepareitandsampleSoParegiveninasectionlateron.TwoLettersofRecommendationbyyourProfessorsorEmployerThecontentsoftheselettersandtherecommendationsmatteralotintheadmissionprocedure,somakesureyougetthemfromyourwell-reputedprofessors.Theselettersshouldbeenclosedinproperlysignedandsealedenvelopes.Alsonotethatsomeuniversitiesmighthavespecificformatfortherecommendationletterswhichtheyaskyourrefereestofillout,answeringshortanswertypequestions,orrankingyouamongthestudentstheyhavetaught.Ifthisistherequirement,itwouldbementionedalongsidethelistofdocumentsrequired,followit.
Itisrecommendedthatyougetoneletterfromyouruniversityandonefromyouremployer(ifyouaredoingajob).SeethesectiontitledHowtoprepareyourLe
tterofRecommendationsfortipsonhowtopreparetheselettersandasampleletter.
YourPhotographs(passportsize)ExperienceCertificate(incaseyouhavedoneoraredoingjobsomewhere)HavingaprofessionalbackgroundinthefieldyouareapplyingforMasters,wouldhelpyoualot,assomeuniversitiesgivequiteimportancetotheworkexperienceintherelatedfield.
Youcanalsosendyouradditionalrelateddocuments(e.g.,meritcertificates,distinctions,certificatesforotherqualificationsetc)
Additionally,followingdocumentsmayberequiredbysomeuniversities:PhotocopyofyourpassportMedicalCertificateFinancialCertificate
GMATScoreReport(incaseyouareapplyingforbusinessrelatedfields)GREScoreReport(incasetheuniversityhasrequirementofGRE)
Alsonotethatifanyofyourdegrees,marksheetsorcertificatesareinalanguageotherthanEnglish,thenyouwouldalsohavetosubmittheirEnglishtranslationsalongwiththephotocopiesoftheoriginals.
MakesurethattheinformationyoupresentintheformoftheRequiredDocumentsoranyotheradditionalinfo,shouldbecoherentandshouldnotcontradicteach
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other.
Dontmislead,deceiveorpresentfalseinformation.Dontsendanyunnecessaryandunrelateddocuments.Whenyoumakesetsofphotocopiesofdocuments,lettersofrecommendations&SOPSetc,itisrecommendedthatyoumakeTWOORTHREEEXTRASETS,asyoumightrequirethematsomelaterstage.
EducationalRequirements
ThefollowingsectioncoverstheeducationalrequirementsthatyoushouldhaveinordertobeeligibleforadmissiontoMasters.BachelorsDegree:ForadmissiontoMasters,youshould(oraboutto)haveaBachelorsdegreefromarecognizeduniversityintherelatedfieldforwhichyouareapplyingforMasters.Althoughtheexactcriteriavariesfromuniversitytouniversity;butusuallymanyuniversitiespreferapplicantswhohaveachievedgoodmarks&gradesthroughouttheireducationalcareer.Theapplicantshavingachievedpositionsandotherdistinctionsareobviouslypreferredmore.Ifyouhavesomepublicationsorresearchpapersinsomejournalorconference,itwouldbeagreatplusforyouradmission.However,thisisnotthecaseeverywhere;studentswithlowergradesormarksmayalsobeadmittediftheyhaveexcelledinotherfields,projectsandtheyhaveastrongprofessionalcareer.JustbearinmindthatifyouWANTtopursuehighereducationandmakereasonableeffortsforadmissionanddoitsensibly,thennomatterwhatevergradesyouhave,youhavequitegoodchancesofgettingadmissionwhereveryouwishto.Alsokeepinmindthathavingachievedhighmarkswont
guaranteeyouradmissionalone,thereareseveralotherthingsthatmatterincludingyourSOPs,letterofrecommendations,C.V,TESTscoresetc.
TOEFL/IELTSGMATGRE:Almostalltheuniversities(whichteachcoursesinEnglish)requirethatyouhavetakeneithertheTOEFLortheIELTStest.Moreover,someembassiesalsohaverequirementofTOEFLforissuingVISA.ForMBAandotherbusinessrelatedcourses,GMATisrequired.Forotherrequirements,e.g.,GREetc,seetheuniversityswebsite.
IfyourcoursesarenotinEnglish(butareinthenativelanguage),thenthereisnorequirementofTOEFLorIELTS,howeverinthatcasethereisarequirementthatyouhaveproficiencyinthatlanguageandtheuniversitymightrequireyoutoshowsomecertificateorproofetc.
Afewgeneralpointsaboutthesetestsarementionedbelow:
TheseTests(TOEFL,IELTS,GRE,GMAT)areGENERALandthequestionsinthesetestsarenotrelatedtoanyparticularfield.TheseTESTStesttheknowledgethathasbeenacquiredoveracertainperiodoftimeandnotrelatingtoanyspecificfieldofstudy.Keepinmindthatalthoughforeverytypeoftest,thereareminimumscorerequirementswhichyoumustclear,youshouldgetashighscoresaspossible.Thisllnotonlyincreaseyourchancesofadmissionbutwouldalsohelpyouinotherthingstooe.g.,applyingforascholarship,fundingorTAshipetc.Inordertoregisterforanyofthesetests,youshouldhaveavalidpassport(thisisaspecialrequirementfortesttakersfromthesub-continent),soifyouhaventgotoneyetyoushouldgetyoursassoonaspossible.InPakistan,inor
dertogetyourpassport,youwouldhavetogotoyourregionalpassportofficeandfilluptheformalongwiththefee(PKRs.1500)andrequireddocuments.Youwillgetyourpassportafter14daysfromthedateofsubmissionofforms.Youwouldhavetotakeyourpassporttothetestcentreonthetestdayasproofofyouridentity.Forregisteringforanyofthesetests,youwouldhavetopaytheregistrationfee,whichyoucaneitherpaybycreditcardorbankdraft(formakingaforeigncurrencybankdraft,contactyourbankoramoneychanger).Forothermodesofpayment,seetheofficialwebsiteortheappropriatebrochureofthetest.FortakingtheTOEFL/GRE/GMATtests,youwouldhavetoregisterwithETS(EducationalTestingService:http://www.ets.org).
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ETShasstartedonlineregistration,sonowyoucanregisteronlineusingacreditcard.Oryoucanalsodownloadtheform(InternationalTestSchedulingForm)fromtheirwebsite,fillitandfaxittotheRRC(RegionalRegistrationCentre),whichfortesttakersfromPakistanisinMalaysia.Oryoucanalsoschedulethetestappointmentviatelephone,forwhichyouwouldhavetocalltheRRCinMalaysia.Forexactdetailsofhowtoregisterforaparticulartest,seetheofficialwebsiteortheappropriatebrochureofthattest.
Youcantakethesetestsonlyoncepermonthi.e.,ifyouhavetakenanyofthetests(TOEFL/GRE/GMAT)inaparticularmonth,thenyoucanttakethesametestagaininthatmonth.
Onthetestday,afteryouhavetakenthetest,youwouldhavetheoptionofsendingyourtest(TOELF/GRE/GMAT)scoresdirectlytoupto4-5universitiesofyourchoicefreeofcost.ForthisyouwouldneedtoknowtheirTOEFL/GRE/GMATcodes,whichyoucangetfromtheuniversitywebsites,andifthesearenotmentionedthere,emailtheuniversitiestogetthem.Forsendingscorestootheruniversitiesorsendingscoreslater,youwouldhavetopayextrafees(app15$peruniversity),soensurethatwhenyougototakeanyofthesetests,youhavethenamesandTOEFL/GRE/GMATcodesoftheuniversitieswhereyouwantyourtestscorestobesent.Thetestscoresforanyofthesetestsisvalidforonlyacertainnumberofyears(e.g.,incaseofTOEFL,thetestscoresarevalidforonlytwoyears).Whenyouapplytoauniversity,theyrequirethatyouhaveavalidtest
scorei.e.,youhavetakenthattestintheprevious2(incaseofTOEFL)or5years(incaseofGRE/GMAT)andnotearlierthanthat.TheadmissionprocedureofmostoftheEuropeanuniversitiesstartfromJanuary,soensurethatyouhavetakentherequiredtestandhaveyourofficialscorereport(whichtakesapp.5-6weeksafteryouhavetakenthetest)withyoubytheendofDecemberorJanuary.Althoughyoucanalsosendthescorereportlater(afterapplying),yetitisrecommendedthatwhenyousendyourdocumentsforadmission,theyarecompleteinallrespect.InPakistan,thetestcentersarelocatedinIslamabad,LahoreandKarachi.
Someportionsofthesetestsarecomputeradaptive.WhatismeantbyaComputerAdaptiveTest?
Ineachofthesetests,oneormoresectionscontainmultiplechoicequestions.Foreachmultiple-choicesectionofthetest,thereisalargepoolofpotentialquestionsrangingfromalowtohighlevelofdifficulty.Eachsectionoftheteststartswithaquestionofmoderatedifficulty.Ifyouanswerthefirstquestioncorrectly,thecomputerwillgiveyouaharderquestionnext.Ifyouanswerthefirstquestionincorrectly,yournextquestionwillbeeasieri.e.,thelevelofdifficultyofthenextquestionvarieswithwhetherthecurrentquestionhasbeenansweredcorrectlyornot.Thisprocesswillcontinueuntilyoucompletethesection,atwhichpointthecomputerwillhaveanaccurateassessmentofyourabilitylevelinthatsectionofthetesti.e.,acomputeradaptivetestautomaticallyadjuststoyourskilllevel.Inacomputer-adaptivetest,onlyonequestionatatimeispresented.Becausethecomputerscoreseachquestionbeforeselectingthenextone,youmaynotskip,returnto,orchangeyourresponsestop
reviousquestions.
Inacomputeradaptivetest,yourscoreisdeterminedby:thenumberofquestionsyouanswerwhetheryouanswerthequestionscorrectlyorincorrectlythelevelofdifficultyandotherstatisticalcharacteristicsofeachquestion;
difficultquestionscarrymoremarksThequestionsinanadaptivetestareweightedaccordingtotheirdifficultyandotherstatisticalproperties,notaccordingtotheirpositioninthetest.TipsandotherusefulpointstobekeptinmindforanyofthesetestsaregivenlaterinthesectiontitledUsefulPointstobe
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keptinmindforanyofthesetests.DetailsaboutTOEFL,IELTS,GREandGMATaregivenbelow.TOEFL(TestofEnglishasForeignLanguage)
TOEFLmeasurestheEnglishproficiencyofnon-nativespeakersofEnglish.MostpeoplewhotaketheTOEFLtestareplanningtostudyatcollegesanduniversitieswhereinstructionisinEnglish.ForTOEFL,thenormalminimumscorerequirementofmostuniversitiesis213,whileforsomeothersitis237(outof300,thisisforComputerBasedTOEFL).TOEFLiseasyandwiththepreparationof3-4weeks,youshouldbeabletoscoreinexcessof250.Ipreparedforacoupleofweeksandmyscorewas280.
ThefeefortakingtheTOEFLtestis130$.Fordetailsandhowtoregister,visittheTOEFLwebsitehttp://www.toefl.organddownloadtheTOEFLbulletin,whichcontainsallthenecessaryinformation.
SectionsoftheTOEFLTest
Currently,theTOEFLtesthasthefollowingfoursections:-Section
TutorialsListeningStructure
ReadingWritingQuestions
7Tutorials30-50Questions20-25Questions
5minuteBreak44-55Questions70-90mins1prompt30minsTime
Untimed40-60mins15-20mins
Marks
-----0-30(scaledto100)0-15(scaledto50)
0-30(scaledto100)0-15(scaledto50)
WhenyouhavetakentheTOEFLTest,youcanviewyourunofficialListening&Readingscoresatthetestcenter;however,becauseoftheessayscoringprocess,y
ouwillnotbeabletoviewyourWritingscoresatthattime.Insteadyouwouldbegivenarange(e.g.,230-280)inwhichyourfinaltotalscorewouldlie.
ThevarioussectionsoftheTOEFLtestaredescribedbelow:
Listening(MultipleChoiceQuestions)ThissectionmeasurestheabilitytounderstandspokenEnglish.Thissectiontestscomprehensionofmainideas,supportingideas,importantdetailsandinferences.Youwillbothseeandhearthequestionsbeforetheanswerchoicesappear.Inthissection,youwouldlistentoshortconversations,longerconversations&classdiscussions,lectures&talksandthenyouwouldhavetoanswerthequestionsaboutwhatyouhavelistened.SincethissectionisComputerAdaptive,soonceyouhaveconfirmedyouranswer,youcantgobackandchangeyouranswers.
Structure(MultipleChoiceQuestions)ThissectionmeasurestheabilitytorecognizelanguagethatisappropriateforstandardwrittenEnglish.Thelanguagetestedisformal,ratherthanconversational.Inthissection,therearetwotypesofquestions;namelyincompletesentencesandsentenceswithunderlinedwordsandphrases.Theyarepresentedinrandomorder.SincethissectionisalsoComputerAdaptive,soonceyouhaveconfirmedyouranswer,youcantgobackandchangeyouranswers.Thescoreinthissectioniscombinedwiththescoreontheessaythatyoucomposeinthewritingsection.
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Reading(MultipleChoiceQuestions)Thissectionmeasurestheabilitytounderstandshortpassagessimilarintopicandstyletoacademictextsusedincollegesanduniversities.Inthissection,therewouldbe3-6passageswithanaverageof6-10questionsaftereachpassage.Youwouldreadthepassagesandthenanswerthequestionsrelatedtothem.ThissectionisnotComputerAdaptive,soyoucangoback(toquestionsrelatedtothesamepassagethatyouarereadingcurrently)andchangeyouranswers.
Writing(NoChoice)Theessaywritingsectiondemonstratestheabilitytogenerateandorganizeideas,tosupportthoseideaswithexamplesorevidence,andtocomposeinstandardwrittenEnglishinresponsetoanassignedtopic.
Forthissection,youwouldbegivenatopiconwhichyouwouldhavetocomposeanessayof3-5paragraphsor300-500words.ThewritingtopicsareprovidedontheTOEFLwebsitewhichyoushoulddownloadfromthere.Theessayintheactualtestcomesstrictlyfromthesetopics.Youshoulddiscussthesetopicswithyourfriendsorsiblingsetc.Makepointsinyourmindoneachofthesetopicsandpreparewhatyouwouldwrite.Mostofthetopicsaskyoutoagreeordisagreewithastatementortoexpressanopinion,henceitisusefultomakeanopinioninadvanceandpreparepointsinfavorofthatopinion.Onthetestday,youwouldhavetheoptionofeithertotypeyouressay(usingcomputer)ortohand-writeit.Incaseyouchoosetohand-writetheessay,thescoringandresultwouldtakeapproximately2weeksmorethanincasewhenyoutypeit.Agoodessaymusthaveagoodbeginning(introduction),goodcommentstosupportyouropinion(theb
ody)andagoodendingthatsummarizestheessay.Theessayisscoredonascaleof1-6inhalfpointincrements.
PreparingforTOEFL:
oForpreparationofTOEFL,youshouldbuysomeTOEFLCDs;popularonesare
LongmanTOEFL,BarronsTOEFLandKaplansTOEFL.oYoushouldalsodownloadPowerPrepTOEFLfromTOEFLswebsiteorgetitfromsomeCD.Itstheofficialtest-preparationsoftware.oDuringpreparation,youshouldtakeatleast3or4full-lengthtimedTOEFLtests;thiswouldhelpyoutoevaluateyourselfandwouldhelpyoutopaceproperly.oForthegrammarsection,practicevariousthingse.g.,theagreementoftheVerbwiththesubjectetc.oYoucanalsojoinsomeacademyori
nstituteforpreparingfortheTest.
UsefulpointstobekeptinmindfortakingtheTOEFLTest
1.DONEVERuseblindguessinginListening&Structuresections,asthesetwosectionsarecomputeradaptiveandblindguessingcanseriouslyloweryourscore.If,howevertimeisveryshort,youmayuseitintheReadingsection.
2.DonottrytoskipquestionsinListeningandStructuresections,asyoucantskipthemandtryingtodosowillonlyresultinwastageoftime.Formoretipsandusefulpoints,seethesectionUsefulPointstobekeptinmindforanyofthesetestslater.SendingTOEFLTestScoresdirectlytoUniversities:
Onthetestday,youcansendyourofficialTOEFLtestscorestouptofouruniversitiesofyourchoicefreeofcost.ValidityofTOEFLscores:
TheTOEFLscoresarevalidforonlytwoyears.NextGenerationTOEFL
ETSwilllaunchNextGenerationTOEFLfromSeptember2005,inwhichthefoursectionswouldbe:Listening,Reading,SpeakingandWriting.YouneedtotakeeithertheTOEFLortheIELTSTest,notboth.
IELTS(InternationalEnglishLanguageTestingSystem)
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ForIELTS,thenormalminimumscorerequirementofmostuniversitiesis6.0orinsomecases6.5(outofascorebandof1-9).ScoresinIELTSarereportedashalforfullband.IELTSisowned,developedanddeliveredthroughthepartnershipoftheBritishCouncil(http://www.britishcouncil.org),IDPEducationAustralia(http://www.idp.com/)andtheUniversityofCambridgeESOLExaminations(http://www.cambridgeesol.org/).FordetailedinformationaboutIELTS,visithttp://www.ielts.organddownloadtheIELTShandbook,whichcontainsallthenecessaryinformation.Foradmissions,youwouldnormallyhavetotaketheAcademicIELTStest.InPakistan,IELTSisconductedbyTheBritishCouncil(http://www.britishcouncil.org).ThefeefortakingtheIELTS(inPakistan)isPKRs.7000.
SectionsoftheIELTSTest
TheIELTStesthasthefollowingfoursections:-Section
ListeningReadingWritingSpeakingQuestionsTime
40Questions30mins40Questions60minsBreak2Tasks60mins3parts11-14mins
Thesesectionsaredescribedbelow:
ListeningTheListeningModuletakesaround30minutes,thereare40questions.
Inthissection,thecandidateslistentoanumberofrecordedtexts,whichincreaseindifficultyasthetextprogresses.TheseincludeamixtureofconversationsanddialoguesandfeatureavarietyofEnglishaccentsanddialects.
Therecordingisheardonlyonce,butcandidatesaregiventimetoreadthequestionsandrecordtheiranswers.Thereareatotaloffoursections;thefirsttwosectionsareconcernedwithsocialneeds,whilethelasttwosectionsareconcernedwithsituationsrelatedmorecloselytoeducationalortrainingcontexts.
ReadingTheAcademicReadingModuletakes60minutes,thereare40questions.Therearethreereadingpassageswithtasks.Textsaretakenfrombooks,magazines,journalsandnewspapers,allwrittenforanon-specialistaudience.Atleastoneofthetextscontainsadetailedlogicalargument.Onetextmaycontainnon-v
erbalmaterialssuchasdiagrams,graphsorillustrations.Textandtasksbecomeincreasinglydifficultthroughthepaper.
WritingTheAcademicWritingModuletakes60minutes.Therearetwotaskstocomplete.Forthefirsttask;candidateswriteareportofaround150wordsbasedonmaterialfoundinatableordiagram,demonstratingtheirabilitytodescribeandexplaindata.Itissuggestedthatabout20minutesbespentontask1.
Forthesecondtask;candidateswriteashortessayofaround250wordsinresponsetoanopinionoraproblem.Theyareexpectedtodemonstrateanabilitytodiscussissues,constructanargumentandusetheappropriatetoneandregister.Itissuggestedthatabout40minutesbespentontask2.Candidatesshouldnotethatscriptsundertherequiredminimumwordlimitarepenalized.
SpeakingTheSpeakingModuletakesbetween11to14minutes.Itconsistsofanoralinterviewbetweenthecandidatesandanexaminer.CandidatesareassessedontheiruseofspokenEnglishtoanswershortquestions,speakatlengthonafamiliartopic,andalsotoaskquestionsandinteractwiththeexaminer.
Therearethreeparts:InPart1,thecandidatesanswergeneralquestionsaboutthemselves,theirhomes/families,theirjobs/studies,theirinterests,andarangeofsimilarfamiliartopicareas.Thispartlasts4-5minutes.InPart2,thecandidateisgivenaverbalpromptonacardandisaskedtotalkonaparticula
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rtopic.Thecandidatehasoneminutetopreparebeforespeakingatlength,forbetweenoneandtwominutes.Theexaminerthenasksoneortworounding-offquestions.InPart3,theexaminerandcandidateengageinadiscussionofmoreabstractissuesandconceptswhicharethematicallylinkedtothetopicpromptinpart2.Thediscussionlasts4-5minutes.
PreparingforIELTS:
oTrainingmaterialforthepreparationoftheIELTStestcanbepurchasedfromyournearesttestcentreordirectlyfromCambridgeESOL(http://www.cambridgeesol.org/)orIDPEducationAustralia(http://www.idp.com/).
oTheIELTSSpecimenMaterialpack,whichincludestwobooklets,aCDandsampleanswers,isavailablefromofficesofTheBritishCouncilatPKRs975apack.TheBritishCouncilalsooffersaone-dayintroductioncourseanda30-hourIELTSpreparationworkshopforstudentsinterestedinfamiliarizingthemselveswiththeIELTSexamandimprovingtheirIELTSband.Fordetails,seethewebsiteofTheBritishCouncil(http://www.britishcouncil.org/).
oForpreparationofIELTS,youcanbuysomeIELTSCDsorbooksalongwithcassettes;popularbooksareCambridgeIELTS1,2,3andInsightintoIELTSTheCambridgeCourse.
oThelastsectionofthetestisSpeaking,forwhichyoushouldbeabletospea
kfluentEnglish.Forthis,practicespeakingEnglishandinterviewingwithyourfriendsorsiblings.Themoreyouspeak,themorecommandyouwouldbeabletoget.
oAusefulwebsiteforinformationandpreparationofIELTSishttp://www.infoielts.com/oDuringpreparation,youshouldtakeatleast3or4full-lengthtimedIELTStests;thiswouldhelpyoutoevaluateyourselfandwouldhelpyoutopaceproperly.oYoucanalsojoinsomeacademyorinstituteforpreparingfortheTest.
UsefulpointstobekeptinmindfortakingtheIELTSTest
1.ThelisteningpartusuallyhasaudiotranscriptsofpeoplefromAustraliaand
England,theiraccentsmightnotbeveryfamiliaraswearenormallyusedtoAmericanaccent,sopracticelisteningandapprehendingallsortsofaccents.
2.FacetheinterviewerintheSpeakingsectionwithconfidenceandspeakfluently.Formoretipsandusefulpoints,seethesectionUsefulPointstobekeptinmindforanyofthesetestsgivenlater.ValidityofIELTSscores:
TheIELTSscoresarevalidfortwoyears.GRE(GraduateRecordExaminations)
AfewuniversitiesrequirethatyouhavetakentheGREtest.AfewothersalthoughnotrequireGREexplicitly,yettheypreferapplicantswhohavetakentheGREtest.IfyouhavealreadytakentheGREtest,thenitwouldbeagreatpluspointforadmission.IfyouwishtoapplytoauniversitywhichrequiresGRE,make
surethatyouhavetakenorwouldtaketheGREtestintime.GREisageneraltestrequiredbyuniversitiesforadmissionintoGraduateprograms.GRETestiscomputeradaptive.ThefeefortakingtheGREtestis140$(175$fortesttakersfromChina).FormoreinformationonGRE,visithttp://www.gre.organddownloadtheGRE
InformationBulletin.Keepinmind,thatrightnowonlyafewEuropeanuniversitiesrequireGRE,howeverthisnumberisincreasingeveryyear,anditisquitepossiblethatinafewyearstimequitealargenumberofuniversitieswouldberequiringGRE.
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SectionsoftheGRETest
TheGREtesthasthefollowingthreesections:-Section
AnalyticalWritingVerbalQuantitative
QuestionsTimeScores
2Tasks75mins0-630Questions30mins0-80028Questions45mins0-800
Ifyoutakethecomputer-basedTest,youcanviewyourunofficialVerbalandQuantitativescoresatthetestcenter;however,becauseoftheessayscoringprocess,youwillnotbeabletoviewyourAnalyticalWritingscoresatthattime.
ThevarioussectionsoftheGREtestaredescribedbelow:
AnalyticalWritingTheAnalyticalWritingsectionmeasuresthefollowingskills:articulatecomplexideasclearlyandeffectively
examineclaimsandaccompanyingevidencesupportideaswithrelevantreasonsandexamplessustainawell-focused,coherentdiscussioncontroltheelementsofstandardwrittenEnglish
Inthissection,thereare2writingTasks;a45-minutePresentYourPerspectiveonanIssue"taskanda30-minuteAnalyzeanArgumenttask.The"Issue"taskstatesanopiniononanissueofgeneralinterestandasksyoutoaddresstheissuefromanyperspectivesyouwish,aslongasyouproviderelevantreasonsandexamplestoexplainandsupportyourviews.The"Argument"taskpresentsadifferentchallengeitrequiresyoutocritiqueanargumentbydiscussinghowwellreasonedyoufindit.
Verbal(MultipleChoiceQuestions)
TheVerbalsectionmeasuresthefollowingskills:analyze&evaluatewrittenmaterialandsynthesizeinformationobtainedfromitanalyzerelationshipsamongcomponentpartsofsentencesrecognizerelationshipsbetweenwordsandconcepts
Thereare30questionsinthissection.TheseincludeAnalogies(7Qs),SentenceCompletion(6Qs),Antonyms(9Qs)andReadingComprehension(3Qs).SincethissectionisComputerAdaptive,soonceyouhaveconfirmedyouranswer,youcantgobackandchangeyouranswers.
Quantitative(MultipleChoiceQuestions)
TheQuantitativesectionmeasuresthefollowingskills:understandbasicconceptsofarithmetic,algebra,geometry,anddataanalysisreasonquantitativelysolveproblemsinaquantitativesetting
Thereare28questionsinthissection.TheseincludeMathematicalcomparisons(
14Qs),ProblemSolving(10Qs),andChart(4Qs).SincethissectionisalsoComputerAdaptive,soonceyouhaveconfirmedyouranswer,youcantgobackandchangeyouranswers.
PreparingforGRE:
oGoodbooksforpreparingforGREareCrackingGRE,GREBigBookandBarron sGuideforGREpreparation.oYoushouldstartpreparingforthetestatleast6monthsbefore.Buildatimetableandgivein1.5-2hoursdailyforthefirst2months,3hoursforthe3rdand4thmonthand6-7hoursforthelast2months.Tr
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ytogiveonehourmoreonSundays.IfyouarenotabletogiveinthetimethatImentioned,trytomakeupinthefollowingweekoronaholiday.
oIfyouwanttosecuremorethan700intheverbalsection,youhavetomemorizethe"Barron s"vocabularysection.95%ofthewordsthatcomeintheactualGREtestcomefrom"Barron s".
oThewordlistthatyoushouldpreparefromisBarrons3500Masterwordlist.Forpreparation,dontstartfromlist1andtrytomemorizeallwords.Thisprobablywillnottakeyoufurtherthan7-8lists.Instead,therightwayistostartfromlist1(youwilllaterneedtomakemanypassesoverthecomplete50lists).Memorizethewordswhichareeitheralreadyfamiliartoyouorassociatedtosomewordthatyouknow.Withveryordinaryeffort,youwillbeabletomemorizeanythingbetween20to45wordsfromeachlistof70words.Gooverallthelistsinsimilarmanner.Bynowyouwouldhavemasteredabout45%of3500words.Inthenextpassoverthewordlists,startatlist1,usethesamestrategybutnowyouwillbeabletorelateandmemorizemanymorewords.Inthethirdpass,concentrateontheremainingwordsineachlist,whicharecompletelynewtoyou.
oTostudyvocabulary,itisveryhelpful(thoughtimeconsuming)toreadagooddictionary,toknowthemanyconnotationsoftheword.KeepwritingthemeaningsofeachwordontheBarronslist.AlwaysreadthesynonymsofthewordasgivenintheBarronslist,becausethesearethewordsthatimproveyourvocabularyalot.
oWhenyouarepreparingforthetest,startbydoingthePeterson sbookandBarron swordlistsimultaneously.ThenmoveontheArco sbookandBarron swordlistsimultaneously.Whenyouhavefinishedallofthesebooks(bythe3rdmonth),starttimingyourselfandappearforthepracticetests.DotheBigBooktestsfirstforamonthandthenmoveontodoingtheBarron stests,Arco sandPeterson stest.GivetheKaplantestaboutaweekbeforethefinaltest.Addabout100markstowhateveryougetinthattestandthatwillroughlybethemarkthatyoucanexpectforthefinalexam.Finallyabout2daysbeforethefinalexam,appearforthepracticeCDsfromETS.
oFortheQuantitativesection,practicemath(Permutation/combination,probability,mean/median/mode...etc.)for6monthsonaregularbasis.Practiceallthe
sumsatleast2timesfromthelistofbooksandcdsthatImentionedabove.
oFortheanalyticalwritingsection,writeasmanyessaysasyoupossiblycan.Unfortunatelyyoucannotbuildonyouressaywritingskillssofastbutwhatyoucandoistomakesurethatyoudonotmakeanygrammatical,spellingorpunctuationerrors.Startyouressaywithsomeeyecatchingintroductione.g.,somestory/quotation/experienceetc.Writesmallclearsentences.Donottrytoputinflashywordsorsentencesunlessyouaredeadsurethatitistherightword.Trytogetyouressayscorrected,notallthough,onlyafewbutondifferenttopicsbysomeoneappropriateandtryandlearnfromthemistakesthatyoumade.
oThemostimportantpointisDon tPanic.Evenifyouseethatyourscoresarenotimprovinggreatlyoryouarenotlearningalot,stickinthere.Don tgive
upandyouwilleventuallysucceed.Donteverpanicevenintheexam.Ifthesetofwordsforyouaretough,themarkingwillbeeasy.Sojusttrystayingthere.Youwillmakeit.
oYoucanalsojoinsomeacademyorinstituteforpreparingfortheTest.Fortipsandusefulpoints,seethesectionUsefulPointstobekeptinmindforanyofthesetestsgivenlater.SendingOfficialGREscoresdirectlytoUniversities:
Onthetestday,youcansendtheofficialGRETestScoresfreeofcostdirectlytouptofouruniversities.ValidityofGREscores:
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TheGREscoresarevalidforfiveyears.GMAT(GraduateManagementAdmissionTest)
Ifyouareapplyingforabusinessrelatedprogram,thenyouneedtohavetakentheGMATTest.TheGMATisastandardizedassessmentthathelpsbusinessschools(&universities)assess
thequalificationsofapplicantsforadvancedstudyinbusinessandmanagement.TheGMATmeasuresbasicverbal,mathematical,andanalyticalwritingskillsthathavebeendevelopedoveralongperiodoftimeduringeducationandwork.
TheGMATscorerangeisfrom200to800.ThefeefortakingtheGMATtestis225$.FormoreinformationonGMAT,visitMba.com(http://www.mba.com)orGMAT.org(http://www.gmat.org)
SectionsoftheGMATTest
TheGMATtesthasthefollowingthreesections:SectionQuestionsTimeScores
AnalyticalWritingAssessment2Tasks60mins0-6Optional5minutesBreakQuantitative37Questions75mins0-60Optional5minutesBreakVerbal41Questions75mins0-60
WhenyouhavetakentheTest,youcanviewyourunofficialQuantitativeandVerbalscoresatthetestcenter;however,becauseoftheessayscoringprocess,youwillnotbeabletoviewyourAnalyticalWritingAssessmentscoresatthattime.
ThevarioussectionsoftheGMATtestaredescribedbelow:
AnalyticalWritingAssessmentTheAWAconsistsoftwoseparatewritingtasksAnalysisofanIssueandAnalysisofanArgument.Youareallowed30minutestocompleteeachone.
Quantitative(MultipleChoiceQuestions)Thissectiontestselementarymathematicalskills.Thissectioncontains37multiplechoicequestionsoftwoquestionty
pesDataSufficiencyandProblemSolving.Youwillbeallowedamaximumof75minutestocompletetheentiresection.SincethissectionisComputerAdaptive,soonceyouhaveconfirmedyouranswer,youcantgobackandchangeyouranswers.
Verbal(MultipleChoiceQuestions)Thissectioncontains41multiplechoicequestionsofthreequestiontypesReadingComprehension,CriticalReasoning,andSentenceCorrection.Youareallowedamaximumof75minutestocompletetheentiresection.SincethissectionisalsoComputerAdaptive,soonceyouhaveconfirmedyouranswer,youcantgobackandchangeyouranswers.
PreparingforGMAT:
oReadabouttheformatoftheGMAT.(SeethearticlesundertheheadingWhatIs
theGMAT?intheTaketheGMATsectionofMba.com)oFromMba.comdownloadandusethefreeGMATPOWERPREPTestPreparationSoftwaresothatyoucanbecomefamiliarwiththeformatusedintheactualGMATtest.oReviewthetypesofquestionsontheGMATbylookingatsamplequestionsforeachsectionofthetest.(ReadtheMba.comarticlesontheAnalyticalWritingAssessmentSection,VerbalSection,andQuantitativeSection.)oTostudyfortheAnalyticalWritingAssessment(AWA)sectionoftheGMAT,practicewritinganessayonsomeofthetopicsinthecompletelistofAWAessaytopics,downloadablefromMba.com.oYoushoulddoareviewofbasicmathskills.oReviewandstudyonesectionofthetestatatime.oAllowforatleastfive-sixweeksofstudyingbeforetakingthetest.oY
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oucanalsojoinsomeacademyorinstituteforpreparingfortheTest.
Fortipsandusefulpoints,seethesectionUsefulPointstobekeptinmindforanyofthesetestsgivenlater.SendingOfficialGMATscoresdirectlytoUniversities:
Onthetestday,youcansendyourGMATTestscorestouptofiveuniversities/institutionsofyourchoicefreeofcost.ValidityofGMATscores:
TheGMATscoresarevalidforfiveyears.Usefulpointstobekeptinmindforanyofthesetests
Followingaresomeofthepointsthatyoushouldkeepinmindwhilepreparingandtakinganyoftheabovementionedtests(oringeneralanyothertest).
1.Knowwellabouttheteste.g.,thetestformat,scoringcriteria,scoreyoumustachieve,howtoprepareforthetestetc.2.Preparewellandregularlyforthetest.Preparingfor2-3hourseachdayfor1-2monthsismuchbetterthanpreparingonlyfor5or6fulldays.3.Practiceallthesectionsofthetestwellandregularly.4.Duringpreparation,takethesampletestspreferablyinatimedmanner.5.Ifyouareplanningtoappearinacertaintest,itisstronglyrecommendedtogetintouchwithapersonwhohasalreadytakenthattesttogettoknowtheusefultipsorlikelyproblemsonecanencounterduringthetest.6.Thenightbeforethetest,getplentyofsleepandmakesureyouhaveeverything
youwillneedtobringtothetestcenter.7.Trynottobenervous.Youllbeabletofocusbetterifyourecalmandyoullbecalmifyouarriveatthetestcenterrested,prepared,knowingwhattoexpect,andarmedwithsomesolidtest-takingstrategies.8.Carefullyreadallthedirectionspresentedatthestartofthetestorduringthetest.9.Readeachquestionandalltheanswerchoicescarefullybeforeanswering.10.DoneveruseBlindGuessingincomputeradaptivesectionsofthetest,asthiscanseriouslyloweryourscore.11.Donttrytoskipquestionsincomputeradaptivesectionsofthetest,asyoucantskipthemandtryingtodosowillonlyresultinwastageoftime.12.Duringthetest,CONCENTRATEonlyonthecurrentsectionofthetest.13.Paceyourselfproperlyduringthetestkeepinginmindthetimeelapsed,thetimeremainingandnumberofquestionsremaining.14.Duringthetest,managethetimeproperly;donotspendtoomuchtimeonanyonequestion.MOVEONsoastogiveyourselfsufficienttimetoans
wereachquestion.15.Donotpanic.Relax.16.Ifyoudontknowtheanswertoaquestion,useINTELLIGENTGUESSINGi.e.,Firsteliminatethewronganswers,andthenguess.17.Ifthereisabreakbetweenvarioussectionsofthetest,useitefficientlytotakerestandtorecomposeyourself.
Finding&SelectingUniversities
ThereisnospecificrankingofEuropeanuniversities(unlikethatofUSuniversities).Mostoftheuniversitiesareofequallevelandstandard,howevertheydifferintheprogramstheyofferandbecauseoftheirdepartmentsandfaculties.Theuniversitieswhereyouwishtoapplydependonyourchoiceofprogramthatyouwishtopursue.Selecttheuniversitiesthatofferyourdesiredprogram.Itdependsalsoonthecoursestheyofferandtheprofessors/teacherstheyhavein
theirfaculty,soyourchoiceforaparticularuniversityshouldtakeintoaccountthefactorslike:
1.Theprogramthatyouwishtopursue2.CourseContent(coursesofferedbytheuniversityinthatprogram)3.FacultyandResearchprofilesoftheprofessorsinthatdepartment4.Collaboration&linkageoftheuniversitywiththeindustryandfacilitiesofferedbytheconcerneddepartment5.LocationoftheuniversityandJob&financialconditionsinthatcity/country(ifyouplantomeetyourexpensesbydoingaparttimejob)
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Theusualcountry-wisepreferencelistthatmostpeoplerecommendis:1.Germany2.Sweden3.Denmark4.Finland5.Netherlands,BelgiumHowever,itisnotastrictlist,youshouldchooseaccordingtoyourownrequirementsandpreferences.
Forfindingtheuniversitywebsites,youcanusethefollowinglinks:Google:http://www.google.com/GooglesDirectoryListingofColleges&UniversitiesinEuropeYahoosDirectoryListingofUniversitiesAcademicRankingofWorldUniversities:http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/ranking.htmBrainTrack:http://www.braintrack.com/GradSchoolSearchGuide:http://www.gradschools.com/WorldwideColleges&Universities:http://www.usc.edu/dept/education/globaled/wwcu/ASearchableDatabaseforUniversitiesWorldwide:http://univ.cc/StudyOverseas:http://www.studyoverseas.com/ListofUniversitiesofferingEE&ComputerEngineeringPrograms:
http://www.ece.umr.edu/links/schools/ListofComputerScienceDepartmentsAcrosstheWeb:http://www.cs.haverford.edu/CS-Departments.htmlBusinessWeeksBusinessSchoolRankings:http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/03/geographic.htm
ForfindinguniversitiesinGermany,youcanusethefollowinglinks:http://www.daad.de/deutschland/en/http://www.campus-germany.de/english/1.htmlhttp://www.higher-education-compass.dehttp://www-en.studienwahl.de/fmg.htmhttp://www.uni-flensburg.de/sesam/agep.edu/index.htmlStern-CHEUniversitiesRanking:http://www.university-ranking.de
ForfindinguniversitiesinSweden,usethefollowinglinks:http://katalogen.su
net.se/cat/education/universitieshttp://www.studyinsweden.seNationalAgencyforHigherEducation:http://www.hsv.se/en
ForfindinguniversitiesinDenmark,usethefollowinglink:DanishMinistryofEducationOfficialWebsiteonInternationalEducationinEnglish:http://www.ciriusonline.dk/eng/?Id=421ForfindinguniversitiesinFinland,usethefollowinglink:CIMO(CentreforInternationalMobility):http://finland.cimo.fi/
Theadmissionprocedureandallotherrelateddetailsarementionedontheuniversityswebsite.Youwouldhavetodownloadandprinttheforms,orinsomecasestherewouldbeanonlineapplicationprocedure.
AlsonotedowntheTOEFL/GRE/GMATcodesoftheseuniversitieswhereyouintendt
oapplyasyoumighthavetosendtestscorestotheseuniversitiesdirectlyfromETS.Ifyoudontfindthesecodesontheuniversitywebsite,emailthemtogetit.
NotethatfewoftheuniversityswebsitesmaybeinlanguagesotherthanEnglish,howeverinmostcasestherewouldbealinktotheEnglishversion.Clickonthat(eitheratextlinkoraBritishFlag)andyoushouldbeabletogettheinformationyouneed.IncasethewebsiteoraspecificpageisnotavailableinEnglish,usethetranslationsoftwaresortranslationwebsites,fewlinksaregivenbelow.
TranslationamongvariousLanguagesLangenberg:http://translation.langenberg.com/FreeTranslation:http://www.freetranslation.com/AltaVistaBabelFish:http://
babelfish.altavista.com/GoogleTranslation:http://www.google.com/language_tools
ListofTop-ratedEuropeanUniversities
Afewofthewell-knownandtop-ratedEuropeanuniversitiesarementionedbelow,alongwithlinkstotheirwebsites.UniversityCountry
TechnicalUniversityMunchen(Munich)TUMRWTHAachenTechnicalUniversityHamburgHarburg(TUHH)UniversityofStuttgartUniversityofULMUniversityofDuisbur
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gEssenUniversityofKeilGermany
WebsiteTOEFLCode
http://www.tum.de/7806GermanyGermany
GermanyGermanyGermanyGermany
http://www.rwth-aachen.de/http://www.tuhh.de/index_e.8165htmlhttp://www.uni-stuttgart.de/8174http://www.uni-ulm.de/http://www.uni-duisburg.de/http://www.uni-kiel.de/
ChalmersUniversityofTechnologyRoyalInstituteofTechnologyKTH,StockholmLinkpingsUniversitetLundUniversityGteborgsUniversitySwedenSweden
http://www.chalmers.se/0050http://www.kth.se/eng/7966
SwedenSwedenSweden
http://www.liu.se/en0101http://www.lu.se/lu/0089http://www.gu.se/English/0083
TechnicalUniversityofDenmark(DTU)AalborgUniversityDenmark
Denmarkhttp://www.dtu.dk/index_e.ht1684mhttp://www.auc.dk/english/
HelsinkiUniversityofTechnology(HUT)TampereUniversityofTechnology(TUT)
Finlandhttp://www.hut.fi/English/0053Finlandhttp://www.tut.fi/0599
TUDELFTUniversityofTwenteHollandHolland
http://www.tudelft.nl/http://www.utwente.nl/en/
KatholiekeUniversiteitLeuvenBudapestUniversityofTechnologyandEconomicsNTNU-NorwegianUniversityofScienceandTechnologyUniversityofOslo,NorwayBelgiumHungry
http://www.kuleuven.ac.be/http://www.bme.hu/en/NorwayNorwayhttp://www.ntnu.no/indexe.phphttp://www.uio.no/english/
Asmentionedpreviously,inadditiontoyourBachelorsdegreeandTests(TOEFL,IELTS,GRE,GMAT),youneedtopreparecertainotherdocuments.Thefollowingsectionsprovidedetailsandusefultipsforpreparingthesedocuments.
HowToPrepareyourC.V(CurriculumVitae)
YourCurriculumVitae/resumeisanessentialdocumentthatrepresentsyourself.Itisasummaryofyourcareerhistoryandtheskillsandexperiencesyouhavegainedduringthecourseofit.Itspeaksofyoureducationalandprofessionalba
ckgroundaswellastheachievementsyouhavemade.Maybeitwouldbethefirstdocumentthattheadmissioncommitteewouldlookat,whileaccessingyourapplication,soprepareitwell.AgoodResumeshouldattractattention,createapositiveimpressionandpresentyourrelevantskillsandqualitiesclearlyandconcisely.Itshouldbeneat,well-organizedandcomplete.
WhatyourCVshouldcontain
YourCVshouldcontainthesectionsdescribedbelowintheordertheyarementioned.Ifasectionisnotrelatedtoyou,dontincludeit.
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ObjectiveStatementYoucangiveaoneortwolinestatementmentioningyourobjectivesandwhatyouaspire.Thisllgiveyourreaderageneralideaofyourareaofexpertise.Putsomethoughtinthinkingandwritingthisobjectivestatement.
PersonalInformationThissectionshouldcontainyourname,dateofbirth,nationality(optional)andcontactdetails(email,phonenumberandaddress).
Yournameshouldstandout.Makeit2fontsizeslargerthaneverythingelse.Forexample,ifyouareusing12pointfontsizeforyourresume(whichispreferred)writeyournameinthe14pointfontsize.Youcanalsousealluppercaselettersand/orboldfacetypeforyourname.
WorkExperience&JobsThissectionshouldcontainyourWorkexperience,ProfessionalPositionsthatyouhaveheldandanyProjectsthatyouhaveworkedonorhavebeenpartof.Startingwithyourpresentposition,listthetitleofeveryjobyouhavedone,alongwiththenameofthecompany,thecity,andtheyearsyouworkedthereandyourduty.Describeyourworkexperienceinshortsentencesusingstraightforward,positivelanguage.Aswellasdescribingthejob,describewhatdidyoucontributedinallyourpreviousjobsandpointoutanygeneralqualitiesthatarosefromtheworksuchasabilitytomanagestafforworktotightdeadlinesetc.
Youcanalsoaddanyinternshipsthatyouhavedoneinthissection.
ProfessionalSkillsThissectionshouldlistyourprofessionalskillse.g.,ifyouareaprogrammer,thenyourITrelatedskillse.g.,inwhatlanguages(VisualC,C#,Matlabetc)youexpertisein.Alsolistyourothercomputer-relatedexpertise.
Educational&AcademicRecordThissectionshouldcontainyoureducationandacademicrecord.Startingfromthemostrecentdegree,listbriefdetailsofqualificationsBachelorsDegree,HSSC,SSC(orequivalents)-alongwithmarks/gradesattained.Youmaymakedifferentcategoriesinitdependingonyourqualificationanddegreee.g.,youmightaddaCoursesorSubjectssection,highlightingthemaincoursesandsubjectsthatyouhavestudied.
Distinctions/AwardsThissectionshouldcontainanydistinctionsorawardsthatyouhaveachievedduringeducationorprofessionalwork.Youcanalsomentiondistinctionsachievedinco-curricularactivities.
MembershipinProfessionalAssociationsHereyoucanlistyourmembershipsofanyprofessionalassociationsthatyouhavee.g.,P.E.CorIEEetc.
ProfessionalActivities&ProjectsInthissectionlistalltheprojectsyoustarted,neatthingsyoudid,committeemembershipsyouheld(e.g.,departmentalcommittees;theycount),in-servicetrainingprogramsyouconducted,importantguestlecturesyoupresented,etc.
PapersPresented&PublicationsHereyoucanlistthepapersthatyouhaveprese
ntedoranypublicationsthatyouhavemadeasanindividualorasbeingpartofateam.Youcanalsomentionthevariousseminarsandconferencesyoumighthaveattended,butbespecificandrelevant.
ProfessionalReferencesHereyoucanmentionthenamesandcontactdetailsoftwoorthreereferenceswhowillspeakveryhighlyofyou.Listandnumbereachreferees,givetheirname,title,andcontact.Ifyouhavedonejobsomewhere,thenoneoftherefereesshouldbeyourmostrecentemployer.Graduatesandpeoplewithlimitedworkexperiencecannominatecollegelecturers,teachersormanagersduringworkexperience.Besuretotellyourrefereesinadvance,sotheywill
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bepreparedandaskthepersonbeforeyouincludehisorhernameinyourCVasreferee,ifitisOKtodoso.Ifyouprefer,youcanalsoleaveoutthenamesofthereferees,insteadwritesomethinglikeReferencescanbeprovidedonrequest.
TipsforpreparingabetterCV
EnsuringyourCViswellpresentedandeasytofollowisasimportantasincludingalltherelevantinformation.FollowingareafewtipsforpreparingaprofessionallookingCV:
1.DecideforwhatpurposeyouarepreparingyourCV(e.g.,foradmissionorforajob)andthentailoritaccordingly.2.YourCVshouldbesimple,concise,clearandtidywithalltheinformationeasytofind.3.Keepittothepointandconcentrateonthequalityofyourachievements,notthequantity.4.Theinformationshouldbecategorizedunderclearheadings(asmentionedabove)highlightedinboldorcapitals.Putdatesontheleft-handsideandindentinformationsothatalltheinformationiseasilyreadable.Moreover,puttheimportantandrelevantinformationneartothetopofyourCV.5.Dontoverburdenthedocumentwithdetailthatisunimportant.Alsodontincludesuchitemsasreligion,hobbiesoritemsofthatkind.Theyareunnecessaryandunprofessional.6.UseappropriateKeywords(e.g.,Java,Matlab,.NETorotherkeywordsdependingonyourfieldandexpertise).Keywordsareveryimportant.TheymaybeyourSkills,MajorCompaniesandevenUniversities.7.Thestyleofpresentationshouldbeconsistent
throughouttheCV,bothwithinasectionandbetweensections.8.Useaconfidenttoneandpositivelanguage.Concentrateonyourachievementsandnotonyourresponsibilities.Thismeanslistingthingsyouhavedoneandnotrewritingyourjobdescription.9.Dontincludeyourphotounlessyouhavebeenspecificallyaskedforone.10.Dontlieorpresentanykindofwronginformation.11.Checkthoroughlyforincorrectspellingsandgrammarmistakes.12.ReviseyourCVseveraltimes;alsohaveothers(e.g.,yourfriendsorco-workers)gothroughitbeforeyoufinalizeyourCV.
AusefulapproachistokeepaCVdevelopmentfile.(Ifyouarentkeepinganykindoffilesyet,startonenow).Thrownotesintothisfileregardingthekindsofthingsyouaredoingonyourassistantships,specialtalksyougave,activitiesyouperformedthatwerenoteworthy,committeeassignments,paperspresented,a
ssociationsjoined&everythingelseyouneedtoupdateyourCVANDthenusingthisfile,updateyourCVregularlyorwhenevertheneedarises.
HowtoprepareSoP(StatementofPurpose)
Foradmission,theSoPmattersalot,sotaketimeandputextraeffortinpreparingyourSoP.WhatisSoP?
ThereasonwhytheuniversitywantsapplicantstowriteanSoPisthattheywanttoknowasmuchastheypossiblycanaboutalltheapplicants.Testscores,gradesanddegrees,institutionsofpreviousstudyandpersonalrecommendationsareallimportantindicatorsofanapplicantsfuturesuccess.However,thesedatadonotrevealmuchabouttheindividual,his/hermotivation,whytheapplicantis
interestedinthatparticularprogram,orwhethertheapplicantisthekindofstudentthefacultywantaroundthedepartment.TheStatementofPurposeexiststoallowapplicantstoconveysomethingpersonalaboutthemselvesandtoconvincethefacultymakingtheadmissionsselectionthattheapplicantisanespeciallyattractivecandidate.TheSoPisthusyourpersonalstatementaboutwhoyouare,whathasinfluencedyourcareerpathsofar,yourprofessionalinterestsandwhereyouplantogofromhere.TheSoPisyourchancetotalkdirectlytotheadmissionscommittee.Tomakeyourselfstandoutfromamongamultitudeofsimilarlyqualifiedcandidates.Toconvincethecommitteethatyouhavethespark,thethirstforknowledgethatcouldaddvaluetoyourclass.Itprovidesyoutheopp
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ortunitytopresentinformationthatisnotconveyedthroughobjectivedata,inaclear,direct,andconciseway,toexplainyourinterests,motivations,goalsandspecialtalents.Itmustbehonest.AgoodSoPwillcertainlyimproveyourchancesofgettingadmissiontotheuniversityofyourchoice,andmayevencompensateforweakerportionsofyourapplicationsuchaslessthan-perfectgrades.AbadSoP,ontheotherhand,hasthepotentialtodragdownanotherwisestrongapplication.WritingareasonablygoodStatementofPurposerequirescare,attention,patienceandenoughtimeforyoutobeabletowriteseveraldrafts,showthemtopeopleandpolishtheessaytillyougetaversionyouarehappywith.Notethat:TheSoPshouldbespecificandtailoredaccordingtotheuniversityandtheprogramyou
areapplyingto.ThebestwaytomakeatargetedSoPistofirstgothroughtheprogramyouwanttoapplyfor.Checkitscoursecontentsandseewhattheprofessorsaredoingforresearch.Gatherasmuchinformationaspossibleabouttheuniversity,theprogram,thefacultyandtheirresearchinterests.Thentrytorelateyourpreviousstudies,researchpapersandjobexperiencewiththecoursecontent.TprepareyourSoP,firstly,prepareanoutlineofthetopicsyouwanttocover(e.g.,professionalobjectivesandpersonalbackground)andlistsupportingmaterialundereachmaintopic.Writearoughdraftinwhichyoutransformyouroutlineintoprose.Andthenamenditandaddtheotherrelatedstuff.Bespecificwhilementioningyourfieldofwork,studyorresearch.Sticktothepointsrequestedbyeachuniversity,andavoidlengthypersonalorphilosophicaldiscussions.Iftheapplicationinstructionsgiveaspecificormaximumlength(one
ortwopages)fortheStatementofPurpose,donotexceedit.Bebrief,yetcomplete.Checkyourgrammar,spelling,punctuation,andcapitalizationcarefully.AfterhavingwrittenyourSoP,examineitforcontinuityandreviseforfocus,clarityanddepth.Reviseandamenditasmanytimesasnecessary,astheSoPplaysaveryvitalroleinyouradmission.
PurposeofSoP
Asmentionedpreviously,thepurposeofSoPistopersuadetheadmissioncommitteethatyouareanapplicanttheyshouldchoose.Youmaywanttoshowthatyouhavetheabilityandmotivationtosucceedinyourfield,oryoumaywanttoshowthecommitteethat,onthebasisofyourexperience,youarethekindofcandidatewhowilldowellinthefield.
Usuallygraduateandprofessionaluniversitiesareinterestedinthefollowing:1.Yourpurposeingraduatestudy.Youmusthavethoughtthisthroughbeforeyoutrytoanswerthequestion.2.Theareaofstudyinwhichyouwishtospecialize.Thisrequiresthatyouknowthefieldwellenoughtomakesuchdecision.3.Yourfutureuseofyourgraduatestudy.Thiswillincludeyourcareergoalsandplansforyourfuture.
4.Yourspecialpreparationandfitnessforstudyinthefield.Thisistheopportunitytorelateyouracademicbackgroundwithyourextracurricularexperiencetoshowhowtheyunitetomakeyouaspecialcandidate.
5.Anyproblemsorinconsistenciesinyourrecordsorscoressuchasabadsemes
ter.Besuretoexplaininapositivemannerandjustifytheexplanation.Sincethisisarebuttalargument,itshouldbefollowedbyapositivestatementofyourabilities.
6.Youmaybeasked,"Whydoyouwishtoattendthisuniversity?"Thisrequiresthatyouhavedoneyourresearchabouttheuniversityandknowwhatitsspecialappealistoyou.7.Aboveallthis,thestatementistocontaininformationaboutyouasaperson.Theyknownothingaboutyouthatyoudonttellthem.Youarethesubjectofthestatement.ThingsthatSoPshoulddo
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ThefollowingarefewofthethingsthattheSoPshoulddo:
1.Itshouldbeobjectiveyetself-revelatory.Writedirectlyandinastraightforwardmannerthattellsaboutyourexperienceandwhatitmeanstoyou.Donotuse"academese"orjargon.
2.Itshouldformconclusionsthatexplainthevalueandmeaningofyourexperiencessuchaswhatyoulearned:a.aboutyourselfb.aboutyourfieldc.aboutyourfuturegoalsd.aboutyourcareerconcerns.
3.Itshouldbespecific.Documentyourconclusionswithspecificinstancesordrawyourconclusionsastheresultofindividualexperience.4.Itshouldbeanexampleofcarefulpersuasivewriting.
PartsofanSoP
AgoodSoPshouldhavethefollowingmainparts:-Introduction:Inthissection,introduceyourself,youreducationalbackgroundandwhatstudies/researchyouhavedoneasanundergraduate.
Interests:Inthissection,listyourinterestsandtheprogramyouwanttostudyandstatewhyyouwanttopursuethatparticularprogram.Mentionyourworkexperiencerelatingtothatprogram.Alsostatehowyourbackground(educationalorprofessional)wouldhelpyouinpursuingtheprogram.
FuturePlans:Inthissection,stateyourfutureplans,whatyouwanttodoafteryourstudiesandmentionhowyourstudieswouldhelpyouinyourfutureplans.
SampleSoP
(Itisjustasample,DONOTcopyitoruseasitis,MakeyourownSoP)
StatementofPurpose
MyobjectiveforgraduatestudiesinComputerScienceistopreparemyselfforthelongtermgoalofpursuingacareerofteachingandresearch.Ihavenurturedastrongpassiontobecomeascientistandpursueresearch.Inthepursuitofk
nowledge,Ihavealwaysadoptedarigorousapproachinordertoattainanin-depthunderstandingofthesubjectathand.Thisisamplyreflectedinmyconsistentlybrilliantcareer,asIhavealwayssecuredtoppositionsintheclassandhavereceivednumerousnationallevelawards.WithaGPAof3.96,IamrankedfirstattheI.I.Tamongnearly250students.
IhavebeeninvolvedinresearchinParallelandDistributedComputingSystems.Istudiedvariousproblemsindistributedsystemsanddistributeddatabasesincludingdeadlockdetectionandresolution,terminationdetection,distributedsnapshotsandconsistency.Ihavebeenattractedtowardsthefieldofcorrectnessofparallelprograms.IpublishedaTechnicalReportreportingerrorsintwopublisheddeadlockdetectionalgorithmsandhighlightingtheirunderlyingdeficiencieswithrespecttothedistributednatureofcomputation.Iamalsoinvolvedinthe
developmentofanoptimizergeneratorwhichwouldautomatetheprocessofwritingoptimizersbasedonthespecificationsoftheoptimizations.Iamcurrentlyengagedinwritingapaperonanefficientalgorithmforperformingglobaldata-flowanalysis.ThenewalgorithmthatIhavedevelopedutilizesthenotionofbackwardinformationflowtoperformpropagationusingwork-listsinanefficientmanner.IhavebeenincorrespondencewithProfessorA.B.Caboutmyalgorithmandotheraspectsoftheproblem.
IhavechosentopursuegraduatestudiesatP.Q.RUniversitybecausebyworkingundertheguidanceofthedistinguishedresearchers,Iamconfidenttomakeage
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nuinecontributioninthefieldofComputerScience.MyinterestinresearchhasburgeonedduringmyundergraduatestudiesatI.I.T.Ihaveexcelledinourwell-roundedandexactingundergraduateprogramandhavedevelopedasolidbackgroundtotakeupresearchinComputerScience.
Ihavedecidedtogoforgraduatestudieswhichcallsforapersonalcommitmenttothefulfillingcraftofindependentresearchandthatinvolveswillinglymakingpersonalsacrificesoftime,leisureandimmediatereward.Inturn,Ishallgetintellectualsatisfactionandthegratificationofbecomingacontributortoknowledgethroughresearchandthegreaterpersonalrewardsoflearninganddiscovery.IbelievethatIpossessthemotivation,intellectualabilityandpreparationtosetoutonthisexhilaratingandarduouspathandtomakesignificantoriginalcontributionstoyouron-goingresearchwork.
IlookforwardtojoiningP.Q.RUniversityasagraduatestudentatyouresteemeddepartment.YoursTruly,XYZ.TenDo sandDon tsforYourSoP
TheDo s
1.Uniteyouressayandgiveitdirectionwithathemeorthesis.Thethesisisthemainpointyouwanttocommunicate.2.Beforeyoubeginwriting,choosewhatyouwanttodiscussandtheorderinwhichyouwanttodiscussit.3.Useconcreteexamplesfromyourlifeexperiencetosupportyourthesisanddistinguishyourselffromotherapplicants.4.Writeaboutwhatinterestsyou,excitesyou.Th
at swhattheadmissionsstaffwantstoread.5.Startyouressaywithanattention-grabbinglead--ananecdote,quote,question,orengagingdescriptionofascene.6.Endyouressaywithaconclusionthatrefersbacktotheleadandrestatesyourthesis.7.Reviseyouressayasmanytimesaspossible.8.Inadditiontoyourediting,asksomeoneelsetocritiqueyourSoPforyou.9.Proofreadyourpersonalstatementbyreadingitoutloudorreadingitintoataperecorderandplayingbackthetape10.Writeclearly,succinctly.
TheDon ts1.DontcopyorimitatesomeoneelsesSoP.2.Don tmakethingsupanddontmakeclaimsthatarenotbackedupbytheapplication.3.Don tincludeinformationthatdoesn tsupportyourthesis.4.Don tstartyouressaywith"Iwasbornin...,"or"Myparentscamefrom..."5.Don twriteanautobiography,itinerary,orrsuminprose.6.Don ttrytobeaclown(gentlehumormightbeOK).7.
Don tbeafraidtostartoveriftheessayjustisn tworkingordoesn tanswertheessayquestion.8.Don ttrytoimpressyourreaderwithyourvocabulary.9.Don trelyexclusivelyonyourcomputertocheckyourspelling.10.Don tprovideacollectionofgenericstatementsandplatitudes.11.Don tgivemealy-mouthed,weakexcusesforyourlowGPAortestscores.
KeepinmindthatSoPhastoundergomanyrevisionsbyoneselfaswellastheexperiencedpeople(whohavegonethroughthesameprocess)andpeoplewithgoodwrittenskills.Itisthefocus,clarityofthought,tonesaswellthelanguagethataffectsSoPalongwiththeparticularsofthecandidate.
YoucanusetheinternettosearchforsampleSoPsandothertips,alsoseethefollowingwebsitesfortipsandsampleSOPs:-SearchGoogle(oranyothersearch
engine)forStatementofPurposeStatementofPurpose.com:http://www.statementofpurpose.com/EssayInfo.com:http://essayinfo.com/essays/admission_essay.phpAdmissionEssays.comhttp://www.admissionsessays.comhttp://www.sru.edu/depts/admissio/lagnese/essays.htmhttp://www.utoronto.ca/writing/admiss.htmlhttp://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/apessay.htmlhttp://students.berkeley.edu/apa/personalstatement/index.htmhttp://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/wworkshop/advice/writing_personal_statements.htm
Howtopreparelettersofrecommendation
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TheLettersofRecommendationareofutmostimportanceforadmissionaswellasforapplyingforanyscholarships,TA/RAshiporanyotherkindoffunding.RecommendationLettersaremeanttoprovideathird-personperspectiveonyouasanindividual.Whileyourgrades/scoresaresupposedtorepresentyourintellectualcapabilitiesandyourSoPallowsyoutheopportunityofpresentingyourpointofview,recommendationsbythosewhoknowyou,givetheuniversityanindependentassessmentofyourskillsandqualities.Theyverifyyourclaimsandprovidetheadmissionscommitteeanopportunitytolearnmoreaboutyoufrompeopleyouhaveworkedcloselywith.Rememberthateverypartofyourapplication,buildsanimageofyourpersonalityinthemindsoftheAdmissionCommittee.Therecommendationlettersprovideathirdpersonsperspectiveonthekindofpersonyouare.Whatarecommendationletterwritesaboutyoushouldaddorsupplementwhatyouclaimtobethroughyouressays/SoPandworkexperiencedetails.Inpreparingreferenceletters,focusmoreoncontent.Agoodreferencelettershouldbereasonableandspecific.Reasonablemeansthatthepersonwritingtheletterknowsyouwellandhasthequalificationstoevaluateyou(eitherinthecapacityofbeingyourprofessororbeingyouremployer).Andspecificmeansthatthelettershouldntcontaingeneralorvaguestatements,insteaditshouldbespecificaboutyourabilitiesandqualitiesandifpossibleshouldcitespecificexamplesaboutyouandyoureducationalandprofessionalcareer.Youhavetotaketherecommendationlettersfromyourprofessorsorincaseyouareemployedsomewhere,thenitisrecommendedthatyoutakeoneletterfromyouruniversityandonefromyouremployer.Taketherecommendationlettersonlyfromtherightpeople.Donevertakerecommendationlettersfrompeopleotherthanyourprofessorsoremployer
i.e.,donttakerecommendationlettersfromnon-professionalpeopleorpeoplewhodontknowyouprofessionally.
TheLetterofrecommendationfromaProfessormaytouchonthefollowingpointsofpotentialinteresttotheadmissionscommittees:Howgoodareyourresearchskills(ofgreatinteresttomostgraduateprograms)?Doyouofferthoughtfulcontributionstoclassdiscussions?Doyouhavegoodinterpersonalskillsthatenableyoutogetalongwithfacultyandotherstudents?Doyouexhibitstrongleadershipskills?HaveyoucontributedtothevariousextracurricularactivitiesoftheDepartment?
Inordertogettherecommendationletters,youwouldbeconfrontedwitheitheroneofthefollowingtwooptions:
1.Eitherthepersonyouwanttotakerecommendationletterfromwouldwritetheletterhimself.Inthiscase,providehimwithyourCurriculumVitae(CV),StatementofPurpose(SoP),ResultCards,detailsoftheprogram&universityyouwanttogetadmissionin,pointsthatyouwouldlikehimtomentionintherecommendationletterandpossiblythetipsmentionedbelow.
2.Hemightaskyoutowritetheletteryourselfandgiveittohimforreviewingandsignature.Inthatcasepreparetheletteryourselfwiththehelpofaforementionedthings.Forothertips,seebelow.
Alsokeepinmindthatifyouarewritingmorethanonerecommendationletterforyourself,thenbediverseandmaketheselettersdifferentfromeachotherby
presentingdifferentaspectsofyourpersonalityineachoftheletters.Moreoverthelettersshouldntcontainidenticalsentences.Andasalwaysdontlieanddontmislead.
TipsforRecommenders
Followingarethepointsthatapersonshouldkeepinmindwhilepreparingtheletterofrecommendation(forhimselforforsomeoneelse).
1.Reviewacopyoftheapplicant spersonalstatement(SoP)orapplicationessa
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yssothatyourletterofrecommendationcandovetailwith--notconflictwithorduplicate-therestoftheapplication.
2.Asktheapplicanttosupplyyouwithadditionalinformationlikearsumanddetailsoftheprogrametc.3.Describeyourqualificationsforcomparingtheapplicanttootherapplicants.Ihavebeenteachingfortwentyyearsandhaveadvisedapproximately450studentsonindependentresearchprojectsoverthelastfiveyears.
IhavepersonallysupervisedteninternseverysummerforthelastfiveyearsplusworkedwithovertwohundredcollegegraduatesinmycapacityastrainerforBigBankCorp.
4.Discusshowwellyouknowtheapplicant.IwasabletogettoknowMr.Alibecausehemadeitapointtoattendtwoofmysectionseveryweekwhenonlyonewasrequired.
MissSoniareporteddirectlytomefortwoyearspriortoherwell-deservedpromotiontothepositionofSeniorinourBigSixAccountingFirm.5.Choosetwotothreequalitiesthatyouobservedintheapplicant.Imranhasarareblendoftopwritingandinterpersonalskills.Thecombinationoftenacity,analyticalabilities,andgoodcommunicationsskillsfoundinMr.Aliistrulyunique.
6.Indiscussingthosequalities,supportyourstatementswithspecificinstance
sinwhichheorshedemonstratedthoseattributes.Beasconcreteanddetailedaspossible.
HeistheonlystudentIeverhad,whocametoallmyofficehoursaspartofarelentlessandultimatelysuccessfuldrivetomasterfinancialtheory.HewasoneofjusttenpercentintheclasstoreceiveanA.
BecauseofSonia swritingskills,Ididn thesitatetoaskhertowriteareportwhichwasusedbyourPACasthebasisforamajorpolicystatement.7.Trytoquantifythestudent sstrengthsorrankhimorhervisavisotherapplicantsthatyouhaveobserved.Hewasinthetop10%ofhisclass.ShehasthebestanalyticalskillsofanypersonofheragethatIhaveeversupervised.8.Avoidgeneralitiesandplatitudes.9.Youmayincludesomemildcriticism,typicallythe
flip-sideofastrength.TheonlyfaultIhaveencounteredinhimishisretiringnature.Hismodestysometimeshidesayoungmanofremarkablestrengthandbroadinterests.
10.Discusstheapplicant spotentialinhisorherchosenfield.IenthusiasticallyrecommendMr.Alitoyourbusinessschool.Thiswell-roundedstudentwillbeafinebusinessperson.
Withherexceptionalleadership,writing,andquantitativeskills,MissSoniawillbeanoutstandingstrategicconsultantandacredittothebusinessschoolsheattends.SampleLetterofRecommendation
(Itisjustasample,DONOTcopyitoruseasitis,Prepareyourown)
LetterofRecommendation
Itisapleasuretoproviderecommendationfor[Applicant].[Applicant]wasmystudentin[Institution].Ihavebeenteachingin[Institution]forthelastfiveyears,[Applicant]isamongtheverytalentedstudentsthat[Institution]hasproducedinthisperiod.Hewasaverygoodstudent,extremelyquickingraspingtheconceptsandideas.Heiskeentolearnnewthings.Heisahard-workingperson,workswellwithpeople,iscourteous,anddependable.
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Hisfinalyearprojectwas[ProjectName]undermysupervision.Aftergraduatingfrom[Institution],hejoined[CompanyName],abranchoffice-----------------.Thecompanyhassuccessfully--------------------.Hewasinvolvedindesignandimplementationof----[ProjectcarriedoutbytheCompany]-----.Hepossessesnotonlyacriticalmindbutalsorepresentstheidealcombinationsoughtafterinathoroughprofessional.Heispunctual,promptandcompleteinhiswork.Hisattitudetowardscolleaguesiscooperativeandcongenial.Hisconductisuprightanddecent.Hiscommunicationskills,bothinspeakingandwriting,areexcellent.
The[Company]employssomeofthemosttalentedstudentsinPakistanandhaveahighlychallengingandcompetitiveworkenvironment.Iconsider[Applicant]tobeanindispensablememberofouroutstandingteam.Heisbothprofessionallyandacademicallysoundinhischosenfieldofspecialization.Iampleasedtostronglyrecommend[Applicant]foradmissiontoyourgraduateprogram.Iamconfidentthathewillshowexcellentperformanceinhishigherstudiesandinadvanced,graduatelevelresearch.Pleasefeelfreetocontactmeifyouhaveanyquestions.
[Recommender]Name&SignatureEmail,TelNos&Address
YoucanusetheinternettosearchforsampleLetterofRecommendationsandothertips,alsoseethefollowingwebsites:-http://www.uwm.edu/People/ccp2/work/recletter.htmlhttp://www.psywww.com/careers/lettrec.htm
UsefulWebsitesfortheAdmissionProcess
Afewwebsitesusefulforthevariousstepsintheadmissionprocess(preparingCV,SOPs,recommendationletters,TestPreparations,findinguniversitiesandseveralothertips)arelistedbelow:Accepted.com:http://www.accepted.com/GraduatesHotline:http://www.graduateshotline.com/OSVita.org:http://www.osvita.org/InfoZee.comhttp://www.infozee.com/PurduesOWL:http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/pw/index.html
AttestationofDocuments
Bearinmindthatapplicationswithincompletedocumentsorun-attesteddocument
sarenotconsidered,somakesureyourapplicationanddocumentsarecompleteinallregardsandthattheyareproperlyattested.Notethatthedocumentsmustbeattestedeitherbytheissuingauthority(issuinguniversity,institute,collegeoreducationalboard)orbythenotarypublic.AfewGermanuniversitiesrequirethatdocumentsbeattestedonlyeitherbythenotarypublicortheGermanconsulate/embassy.Checkforthisrequirementintheadmissiondetailsontheuniversitywebsiteandfollowitstrictly.
Thingstocheckforwhenpostingapplications
Putlotsofeffortandconcentrationwhilepreparingyourapplicationandotherrelateddocuments.Dontbecomplacent.Dontgetlazy.Whenyouareabouttopostyourapplications,youshouldcheckforthefollowingpoints:
1.Yourapplicationandallothernecessarydocumentsarecompleteandthatnothingisremaining.Incase,youdonthaveanyrequireddocument(e.g.,yourDegreeorTOEFLscorereport),youcansenditlater.Howeveryoumustmentionthissomewhereintheapplicationandalsomentionthatwhenwouldyousendit.Makesurethatallthedocumentsreachtheadmissionofficeoftheuniversitybeforethespecifieddeadline;otherwiseyourapplicationwouldberejected.
2.Ensurethateachdocumentisattestedproperly.3.SeethatyourSoPandrecommendationlettersareintheproperformatandthattherecommendationletters
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areinproperlysealedandsignedenvelopes.4.Checkforyourcontactdetails,necessarysignaturesanddates.
Bearinmindthatyouhavetosendtheapplicationandotherdocumentsthroughpostorcourier.Youcantsendtheapplicationbyfaxoremail.Waitingfortheadmissionresults
Onceyouhavepostedyourapplications,itstimetowaitfortheadmissionresults.Asmentionedpreviously,youshouldapplyto5or6universitiesatleastsothatincaseofrejectionfromsomewhere,youstillhavebackupoptions.Normally,theadmissiondecisionisconveyedtoyoubyemail.Ifitsacceptance,theuniversitywouldrequireyoutoreplytothatmailandtoconfirmthatyouarestillinterestedandthatyouwouldbejoiningtheuniversity.Afteryouconfirmthis,theywouldsendyoutheofficialadmissionletterandotherdocumentsbypost,afterwhichyoucanapplyforVisa.
Incase,youreceiveacceptancesfromseveraluniversities,thenyouhaveadecisiontomakeastowhichuniversityyoushouldchoose?Thisisanimportantstep,sodoitcarefully.Consultyourfriends,orpersonsfromthoseuniversitieswhohavestudiedthereorarecurrentlystudyingthere.InadditiontothefivepointsmentionedpreviouslyinSearching&SelectingUniversities,thepointthatwhichuniversityprovidesscholarshiporotherfinancialaidshouldalsobetakenintoconsiderationwhilemakingadecision.
WhatifYouDontGetAdmission?????
Life,almostalways,nevergoesthewaywewantitto,causeifithadbeenso,believemeitwouldhavebeenveryboring.Thebeautyoflifeliesinitsdiversityanditsuncertainty,theuncertaintyassociatedwiththefuture.AfriendofmineoncesaidtomeLifeisnotperfect,Doyouknowwhy?Becausewearenotperfect,neitheryounorme.
Ifyoufailanddontgetadmissionanywhere,dontloosehopeanddontgetdis-hearted.Pauseforamomentandthinkthatitsnottheendoflife.Justrealizethatmostprobablyitwassomefaultonyourpartbecauseofwhichyoufailed.Thebestthingthatyoucandoafteranyfailureistolearnthelessonsfromit(causesofthatfailure)andthenneverrepeatthosemistakesagain.
Ifyoufailtogetadmissionsomewhere,ponderandscrutinizeastowhatwentwrong?Wasit:Yourlowgrades/GPA?LowTestscores?ImproperRecommendationlettersorSoP?Documentswerenotfullypreparedorwerenotattestedproperly?Yourdocumentsreachedthereafterthedeadline?Theuniversityhasveryhighadmissioncriteria.Orwastheresomethingelse?
Whateverthereason,trytoremovethosebyreworkingonthemandbemorecarefulandmoreplannednexttime.Hopefullyyouwouldnotfailagain.
Afewuniversitiesdogiveyouachancetoappealagainsttherejectiondecision.Ifyouaregivensuchachanceandalsohavebeeninformedofthereasons,thentrytoeliminatethosereasonsthatcausedtherejectionandappealagainstth
edecision.
Expenses,Scholarships&JobsExpenses
Sincetherearenotuitionfees(exceptUK),sotheonlyexpensesthatyouwouldhavetobearwouldbethoseofliving(accommodation+transport+food+clothesetc).AlthoughtheexpensesvaryfromcountrytocountryandcitytocityandalsoonyourlifestylebutyoushouldkeepinmindthatwhereveryouareinEurope,youwouldbehavinganexpenseofaround350-500Euros(app.20,000-40,000Pakistanirupees)permonth.Outofthis,yourbiggestexpenditurewouldbeon
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accommodation(app.half).
InGermany,thetotalaveragemonthlyexpenseisaround350-500Euros.InDenmark,thetotalaveragemonthlyexpenseisaround2800-3500DKK.InSweden,thetotalaveragemonthlyexpenseisaround3500-4500SEK.InFinland,thetotalaveragemonthlyexpenseisaround500-600Euros.
Forcurrencyconversionandexchangerates,useXE.comsUniversalCurrencyConverter(http://www.xe.com/ucc/)orForexPK.com(http://www.forexpk.com)Accommodation
Theaccommodation(insomecases)isarrangedbytheuniversityandifitsthecase,theywouldinformyouabouttheproceduretoapplyforaccommodationonceyougettheadmission.YoushouldstrictlyfollowthatandapplyfortheaccommodationassoonaspossibleashousingopportunitiesarelimitedandstudenthousingisverycostlythroughoutEurope.Incasetheuniversityisnotarrangingaccommodationforyou,thenyouhavethefollowingoptions:
1.Ifyouhavesomefriendsoracquaintanceslivingintheplacewhereyouaregoingtostudy,askthemtohelpyouinsearchingforaccommodationwellbeforeyouleave.
2.Inaddition,thereareseveralorganizationswhichhelpforeignstudentstofindaccommodations.Youruniversitymightprovideyoualistofsuchorganizatio
nsalongwiththeAdmissionLetter.UsethefollowingforGermany&Denmark:
AccommodationforStudentsinGermany:http://www.studentenwerk.mhn.de/servicepaket/index-uk.htmlAccommodationforStudentsinDenmark:http://www.ciu.dkForothercountries,searchtheinternetorcontacttheuniversityandaskthemtohelpyou.Notethat,inordertoreduceexpenditures,youcanalsosharetheaccommodationwithsomeoneelseprovideditisnotagainsttherulesatthatplace.
TheVisaauthoritiesofmostoftheEuropeancountriesrequireyoutotaketheexpenseswithyoueitherforthefirstyear(app.7000Euros(500,000PKRupees))orforthewholedurationofyourstaythere.YoucanhaveafairideaoftheexpensethatyouwouldbehavinginthatparticularcitybyvisitingtheFAQssectionorlistofpracticalmattersoftheuniversitywebsiteyouareapplyingto.
Theexpensementionedtherewouldhoweverbeslightlyexaggerated,andyoucanconsidertheactualexpensetobe75-80%ofthat.
Youhaveseveraloptionstobeartheexpenses:1.Youcantakealltherequiredmoneywithyou2.Youcanseekascholarship3.Youcandopart-time(student/odd)jobstomeetyourexpenses.Thisiswhatmostpeopledo.
Thesearefurtherexplainedbelow.TakingAlltheExpenseswithYou
Ifyouarewell-offandcanaffordtotakeallyourexpenseswithyou,thenitwouldbegood,sinceyouwouldnthavetodopart-timejobsandyouwouldbeabletoconcentratefullyonyourstudieswhich,mindyou,arereallydemandingfull-timestudies.
Scholarships
Scholarshipsmakelifequiteeasier,sotryyourbesttogetone.Unfortunately,mostoftheEuropeanuniversitiesdontofferscholarships.ThisistrueespeciallyincaseofGermanyandSwedenetc,andespeciallyifyoudonthaveanexceptionaleducationalorprofessionalbackground.MajorityofthescholarshipsandfundingareofferedatPhDlevel.
Howeverexceptionsareeverywhere.UniversitiesfromNetherlandsandBelgiumdo
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offerscholarships.Moreover,someformofT.A.(TeacherAssistant)orR.A.(ResearchAssistant)shipsarealsoavailableinvariousuniversities.Thisdependsontheprogramthatyouarestudyingin,theuniversityandalsoonyourowncapabilities.Theinformationwhetherscholarshipsorotherfundingareavailableornotwouldbementionedontheuniversityswebsite(mostprobablyintheFAQssection),soseethewebsitetofindinformationregardingthescholarshiporemailthem.Whenapplyingtoauniversity,youcancontactitsprofessorsoradmissionscommitteeforfundingandcheckifyoucangetsomesortofscholarship.Alsonotethatincaseascholarshipisbeingofferedbyauniversity,thenthedatetoapplyforitwouldusuallybeearlierthantheactualadmissiondeadline.Someuniversitiesmightgiveyouscholarshipatthestartofyoursecondyearstudies,ifyouhaveperformedexceptionallywellduringyourfirstyear.
InGermany,forfindingScholarships&funding,trythefollowinglinks:
DAAD(GermanAcademicExchangeService)offersvariousscholarships:http://www.daad.de/deutschland/en/2.4.htmlHumboldtFoundation:http://www.humboldt-foundation.de/en/programme/index.htmStipendInformationbyAuswaertiges-amt.de
ForfindingScholarships&fundinginSweden,trythefollowinglinks:Stint:http://www.stint.se/SwedishInstitute:http://www.si.se/
ForfindingScholarships&fundinginFinland,trythefollowinglinks:CIMO:http://www.cimo.fi/Resource.phx/cimo/services/scholarships.htxTheAcademyofFinl
and:http://www.aka.fihttp://www.syl.helsinki.fi/english/grants03.htm
ForfindingScholarships&fundinginNorway,trythefollowinglink:NORADFellowshipProgram:http://siu.no/norad/Inadditiontothesourceslistedabove,thereareseveralothersources(firms&organizations)whichprovidescholarshipsandresearch/studygrants.TipsforObtainingScholarships
Followingareafewtipsforsearchingandobtainingascholarship.1.Keepyoureyesandearsopentoallsourcesfromwhereyoucangetinformationaboutscholarships.Theseincludenewspapers,emails,websites,emailornewsgroups(e.g.,variousYahoogroups(http://groups.yahoo.com)).
2.Donotdependononesource;contacting&exploringmultiplesourceswouldyi
eldmuchbetterresults.3.Applytoasmanysourcesaspossibleandasearlyaspossible.Thiswillincreaseyourchancesofgettingascholarship.4.Search&applyforscholarshipsintelligentlyi.e.,particularlyapplyforthosescholarshipsthatarespecifiedforyourfieldofstudy.5.Havinggoodacademicbackground,goodgradesandgoodscoresinTests(TOEFL,IELTS,GRE,GMAT)willalwaysworktoyourbenefit.6.Filltherequiredformsanddocumentscarefully.7.Meetthedeadlinesofsubmittingapplicationsforscholarships;infactitismuchbetterifyousubmittheapplicationsanddocumentswellbeforethedeadlines.8.Thegreatertheeffortyouputin,greaterarethechancestoobtainascholarship.9.Dontgetlazyanddonttakeanythingforgranted.
Followingisalistoforganizationsthatprovidescholarships:AsianDevelopmentBank(ADB):http://www.adb.org/AsianScholarshipFoundation:http://www.asian
scholarship.org/InPakistan,inrecentyears,HEC(HigherEducationCommission)hasalsostarted
offeringscholarshipsforPakistanistudentswhowishtostudyabroad,buttheyrequiresomesortof2-5yearsbond.Whetherthisbondsuitsyouornotisuptoyou.Forscholarships,theHECalsotakesaGREtypegeneraltest.ThewebsiteofHECishttp://www.hec.gov.pk,lookfornewscholarshipsofferedbyHEContheirwebsiteorinthenewspapers.
Forotherorganizations,searchtheinternetandusethetipsmentionedabove.J
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GermanyDenmarkSweden
MonthlyExpense
350-500Euros2800-3500DKK3500-4500SEK
Jobpays/Hour
Office-TypeOdd11Euro8Euro125DKK100DKK135SEK110SEK
JobProbability
Office-TypeOddEasyEasyHardEasyHardHard
Living,Life-StylesandLanguageproblemsLiving&Life-Styles
ThroughoutEurope,lifeistoughandbusy(e.g.,ascomparedtothatinPakistan).Asyouwouldhavetodostudies,job,shopping,cooking,washing,cleaningetcallbyyourself.Youwouldhavetobeyourownmom,dad,cookandservant:.Itwouldbeaspracticalasitcanget,asyouwouldbedoingallthethingsbyyourself.Itisthereforestronglyrecommended,thatbeforeleaving,youlearncookingandwashing/cleaningetc.
AfewgeneralpointsaboutlifeinEuropearementionedbelow:
Europeanpeoplearemostlyhonest,niceandhelpful.Theyrespectyourindividualityandtheygiverespecttoeveryonewithoutanydiscrimination.InmostoftheEuropeancities,marketscloseat6:00pm,citiesgetdesertedandyouwillseeonlyfewpeopleafterthat.However,thisisnotthecaseatweekends.TheweatherinmostoftheEuropeisingeneralcoldandgray.Inwinters,thetemperaturecandropto20degreeCelsius,andinsummersthetemperaturemaytouch30to35degreeCelsius.Theweatherissnowyinwinterandrainyinsummer.Day-LightSavingsisobservedi.e.,theclocksareadvanced(normallyonehour)inspringandtakenbackinautumntogetmaximumadvantageofthesunlight.Thelifestylesvaryfromcountrytocountry,likee.g.,inGermany,youcanhaveafarmoreentertaininglifeincludingsports,partiesetc.Germanyisalsocalledthehea
rtofEurope.InDenmark,itiscomparativelyboringanddull.MostoftheEuropeancountriesdohaveareasonablepopulationofPakistanis,sostudentsfromPakistanmightbeabletofeelathome.Yourseniorstudentswouldbeveryco-operative,especiallythosefromyourhomecountryandtheywouldtrytohelpyouasmuchastheycan.Youwouldbeabletofollow&practiceyourreligionfreely.ForMuslims,Halalfoodisavailableatmostoftheplaces;howeveratsomeplacesorsmalltownsyoumightfinddifficultyinfindingHalalfood.Youwouldthenbeleftwiththeoptionofcookingyourself.Whenyouarethere,followalltherulesandregulations(includingthoseofworkpermitetc),andbeagoodcitizen.Itllbegoodforyouaswellasforthereputationofyourhomecountry.Moreover,youcanroammostofEuropewithoutneedinganyadditionalVisa.Thatsareallycoolthingifyouhaveenoughmoneytotravel,asEuropeisaverybeautifulplace.
Keepinmindthateverycountryhasitsownculture,traditionsandcivilization.Youshouldhaveanopenmindandbeabletoadjustinanycircumstances.Butdoneverforgetyourorigin,yourmoralvaluesandyourreligion.Astheysay,DoinRomeasRomansdo,butdontbecomeaRomanyourself:.
LanguageProblems
Althoughforstudying,languageisnotaproblemandyoudontneedtolearntheirnativelanguageifallofyourcoursesareinEnglish.Howeverlanguagewouldb
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ethebiggestproblemwhenitcomestodailyliferoutines;sincemostoftheEuropeansprefertousetheirnativelanguageeveniftheyknowEnglish.ThisisespeciallytrueforcountrieslikeGermany,FranceandDenmark.Thelanguageisalsothebiggestsetbackthatyoufacewhenyoutrytoseekajobinthesecountries.Althoughnotstrictlyrequired,yetitishighlyrecommendedthatyoulearnthebasicsoflanguageofthecountrythatyouareplanningtogotoforstudies.Forthis:
Youcandoalanguagecoursesomewheree.g.,inPakistan,youcanjoinNUML(NationalUniversityofModernLanguageshttp://www.numl.edu.pk),GoetheInstitute(Karachi,Lahore)orsomeotherinstituteetcorTrylearningthelanguageusinglanguagesoftwaresandtheinternet.
Learningthelanguagecangiveyouthatextraboostwhileseekingajobandwouldalsohelpyouinday-to-daylife.LearningGerman
TheGermanEmbassyrecommends(althoughnotmandatory)thatyouhavetakenaGermanLanguagecoursesomewhere.TolearnthebasicsofGermanLanguage,seemyguideGermanLanguage.Youcandownloaditfromhttp://www.tauseefafzal.com/SomeGermanuniversitiesalsoconduct(freeorcharged)languagecoursebeforethestartofthestudies.Youruniversitywouldinformyouofanysuchopportunity.Ifitisfree,thenitisstronglyrecommendedtoattendsuchacourse.Alsoyoucanusethefollowingwebsites:http://www.deutsch-lernen.com/http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/german/index.shtmlhttp://german.about.com/http://www.germanfortra
vellers.com/http://www.exeter.ac.uk/german/abinitio/chap1-0.htmlhttp://www.webgerman.com/http://www.learn-german-online.net/http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,2469,00.htmlhttp://www2.dw-world.de/static/language/urdu/dwn.shtml(30languagesincUrdu)http://www.wannalearn.com/Academic_Subjects/World_Languages/German/http://www.wm.edu/modlang/gasmit/grammar/grammnu.htmlGerman-EnglishDictionarieshttp://dict.leo.org/http://dict.tu-chemnitz.de/http://quickdic.org/index_e.htmlhttp://ww