In our previous blogpost, we highlighted some factors you may need to consider while preparing to study abroad.
In this follow up post, we would like to examine another vital aspect which is – Searching for schools and the application process.
Having thought about the programme or course to study and standardised exams required for such study destination, the next step would be to search for schools in your preferred country. In some cases, it is the other way round as you must have searched for your schools to verify the exams to sit for.
In searching for schools, here are a couple of factors to consider:
1. School ranking and performance indices: For many schools abroad, there are regulatory or strong research and data companies that carry out qualitative assessments and rankings of organisations or schools with regards to their strength, capacity, resources, infrastructure, effectiveness of the programme and other factors that may affect students’ overall learning. It will be wise to research this all important factor before deciding your choice of school.
2. Take a keen look at the programmes: If you are satisfied with the school’s annual ranking and performance, the next thing to check for is if the school offers the kind of the course you want to study. If the school offers it, go ahead to check the course curriculum and module outline. You can also check the aim/objective of the course and how the skills you will gain would aid your life’s goals. Be sure you are satisfied with this and it would be worth the investment to be made before you start the application process. If you are not satisfied with this, please continue your search for other schools.
3. Take a critical look at the course faculty’s profile: Many schools abroad (and maybe a few in your home country) may have websites that contains this information. Be sure the faculty – both teaching and non-teaching staff have the right qualification and experience. Go ahead to check how innovative they are by the speed or response time to queries or concerns. You can verify this by sending an enquiry mail and check how long it takes the faculty assigned to respond to your mail. You can also observe if they attempt to call. These are vital signs to check even though it doesn’t look important.
4. Check out the school’s fees and possibly accommodation options: This is also important. You don’t want to go through the process of admission to discover you do not have the means to foot the bill. Can you afford the fees to include your accommodation and living expenses? You may also want to check if the school offer scholarships opportunities for international or local students. Some of these details may not be explained on the website which is why you might need the help of an education consultant.
5. The climatic condition of the host country, region or state: What is the climatic condition of the state or region where your choice school is located? Is it prone to extreme weather conditions such as extreme cold or extreme heat? Are there constant fire outbreaks, tornados, earthquakes among others? Are these conditions you can cope with? These are things you should bear in mind.
Once you have ticked all or most of the boxes above, then you can proceed with your application. For some schools, an application fee might be required so you must make sure you can make such payments alongside sending in your application forms.
I-excel Education Consulting is positioned to help you walk through these phases. Talk to us today!
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I-excel is a full-fledged professional education consulting firm with offices in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. It prides itself in professionals with tested and global experience in providing qualitative educational advisory services, visa guidance and counselling as well as local and foreign school placements