Applying For Schools Abroad

Intro

Are you considering studying in a foreign country? What do you need to know to pursue that? What practical steps can you take to make that as smooth and as efficient as possible? Darius Quansah and Bernard Frempong join us today to share their stories of studying abroad and give us some tips on how to make it as easy as possible.

Guest Bios

Darius Quansah is originally from Ghana. He has studied Biochemistry and has a master’s degree in Infectious Diseases from the University of Ghana. He is currently applying for a Ph.D in Biomedical Sciences at the University of North Dakota.

Bernard Frempong is also from Ghana. He is studying Biomedical Sciences at UND as well. Prior to this, he worked at the infectious diseases center at the university hospital.

Point 1: Why Travel to a New Country for Education?

A very common reason to travel to a new country for higher education is simply because your country may not have the specific area of study you are interested in. Even if your country has a program for your area, other countries may have better funding or more advanced studies available. Having extra resources to draw upon dramatically increases the quality of any education program.

Another reason to travel for education is to gain exposure. Being exposed to new information and to new people during your studies in a foreign country will benefit you immensely. It is helpful to know more than the basic ideas you may be taught at a local school, and meeting people in your field has many advantages, including job finding and networking with those who have similar interests as you.

Point 2: How Do You Choose A School?

Finding a foreign school to attend sometimes feels like a job on its own. You have to put a lot of time and resources into finding the right school for you. A good place to start is to look at where others have trained, whether they are local teachers, visiting faculty members, or people you want to emulate, find out where they studied.

Some schools require you to have a recommendation from a professor. If you hear of someone you admire, and are interesting in attending their school, make sure you get connected with them as soon as possible. In Darius’ case, he studied under a visiting faculty member from UND, and used that connection to apply for his Ph.D at that school.

Another aspect you should look into is the student body. Are there students there who are from your native country or culture? Studying in a foreign country is stressful enough without having similar people around you to rely on. If you are from Ghana, like Darius and Bernard, are there other Ghanaians at your school that you can connect with? That will make your time in a foreign country much easier.

Point 3: Study Portal Website

A helpful resource for finding a foreign school is the Study Portals website. On their homepage, you are given options to search for where to study and what to study. This will give you a list of every available option for you to choose from. It will take time to go through, but it is a helpful place to start.

Point 4: How Do You Fund Your Application?

For most people, funding a degree, especially an advanced degree, is not worth it. It is almost a necessity to get outside help for funding your studies. Thankfully, most schools will help provide substantial funding for you to continue your education, provided you get your application in early. Ph.D programs in particular will provide funding. If they cannot, it could be a warning that they cannot afford the research you would do for them.

Point 5: What Have You Learned? - Darius

It is helpful to have a spreadsheet that lists out the stats for each school (available programs, tuition, how many recommendations you need, etc.). Having a list that you can compare and contrast all your options in one place, and see how they fare against one another, is a huge timesaver.

Take time on your application. You do not have to do your application in one sitting. It is helpful to do it over a few days and to double-check your work multiple times. First impressions are very important when applying for competitive positions. Take the time to make yours stand out and be desirable.

Point 6: What Have You Learned? - Bernard

Start your application early. You are competing with students from around the world. Getting your application as soon as possible will give you an edge in getting admitted into the program of your choice.

Do not put anything on your application that you cannot defend. The first thing that will happen, if/when your application gets noticed, you will be called in for an interview. If you have information on your application that you edited to sound good on paper, and you cannot defend it in person, it will look like you are dishonest or deceitful.

Do your application yourself. Do not pay someone else or a company to submit applications for you. There is a strong chance that they will not represent you for who you are. It will make you look very bad if you go in for an interview and cannot defend the choices that someone else made on your application.

Get letters of recommendation from professors who will take the time to make it a thoughtful recommendation. There are always people who will write out letters of recommendation for you, but many people will not put thought into it. Find professors that you have studied under and have a good relationship with to write a recommendation for you that will accurately and thoughtfully write out their opinions on you.

Summary

In our globalized world, the opportunities for studying internationally are numerous. There are many benefits to doing so, but it is important to put thought and care as you approach schools. Find those who have gone before you and get their advice for applying for school in a foreign country.

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