Being an education counselor brings an immense amount of personal satisfaction to me. Interaction with my colleagues and students is the highlight of my day, and recently I decided to pen my thoughts to advocate some amount of aid to all my dear students, out and about, thriving in the world.

When I thought about the first topic to discuss with my readers, I realized that as an education counselor, a number of questions are posed to me every day that usually have the simplest, shortest, and sweetest answers.

By nature, I am not big on lectures or grand advocacy, but my students are my hope to set a brighter and better future. So dearest students and parents, if you are on this grand voyage of choosing to study outside India, you probably have some questions to start with, and I thought it necessary to answer some of the most common ones I have encountered.

What are the best colleges/universities for my chosen field of study?

As far as choosing the best university goes, it all boils down to your passion and career choices. You may look at your career as the larger picture and choose a college that fits your dream job profile, but one has to realize that college is not just about getting a job.

A large aspect of personality development takes place during these molding years you spend at your university abroad, and choosing the most nurturing environment for your holistic growth is extremely imperative.

Research is always KEY, and finding colleges abroad that fit your needs in terms of curriculum and credits would be a boon to your journey. Even though the end goal might be your career, enjoying what you’re studying is the only method to approach that goal.

Hence, even though there is information on the internet and in popular culture about the best colleges across the world, choose one that supports your needs in terms of education, global exposure, budget, location, and weather in the best manner.

How do I prepare for college/university applications and interviews?

College applications are a long, drawn, and sometimes overwhelming process. I understand how stressful it can be for young adults to submit a piece of soft paper that they believe determines their future. Well, even though there is a lot at stake, this step does not have to be the cause of your rising blood pressure levels. At Inspirus, we believe it is our personal responsibility to take our students and parents through this journey with the maximum amount of support and ease.

We aim to make this journey a learning adventure filled with hope, ambition, and excitement for our students; hence we personally curate prospective interview questions to prepare our students and provide mock interview sessions to help calm their nerves. Further, we have alumni who enjoy connecting with our students and giving them a confidence boost at every step of this journey.

Years of training and experience has equipped Inspirus to make the application process the smoothest one you can picture. We provide you with a checklist for the necessary documents and give you a stipulated time to get back to us with the same. Sometimes, collecting documents and Letters of Recommendation from schools, previous colleges or jobs may become taxing.

I personally have overseen a lot of students executing this process, and this is where most students seem to have a rise in anxiousness and nervousness levels. With deadlines and ongoing personal commitments, collecting these documents becomes a task for many. However, preparation well in advance with timelines to tick off everything required on this checklist makes this process as simple as it gets, and we are here to make this journey an exciting one.

How do I apply for financial aid and scholarships?

Financial aid can be either merit-based or need-based, depending on the set budget for universities to provide this aid for their international students. My personal recommendation is to always go through the financial aid prospects for the course you’re applying to before diving into it.

Some universities have separate links to specifically apply for financial aid on their websites, while some universities grant you aid based on your merits in your offer letters. Students can always email universities requesting a higher amount of aid with justifications to support the same.

Further, there are various private aids that students in India can apply for, and we consider it an imperative step to share this list with each student. The private aids are not only limited to tuition fees but also provide housing and pocket money resources. Hence, if your finances have to stretch for the tuition fees, you can compensate in other arrays of your budget.

Some universities do not provide financial aid and usually have this disclaimer on their websites, or our education counselors make you aware of the same. In these cases, we make sure you apply for private aid based on your requirements and help you through the process of your essays and letters for the same.

Do I have to give GRE/GMAT/TOFEL/IELTS/SAT?

These examinations may seem tedious and competitive at first; however, they are not always necessary. Each university posts its admission requirements, and these scores are only needed if your target university requires them. Some universities do not need these scores and accept you based on your grade sheets without considering language proficiency tests like – IELTS or TOEFL if your education happened in English.

GRE, GMAT, and SAT are necessary for some specific courses at the Undergraduate and Graduate levels that require more preparation than the general language proficiency examinations.

However, Inspirus has you covered with this step with some of the most trained educators who help every student crack these examinations in the fastest and smoothest manner.

These standardized tests require the most preparation in your application journey, and cracking these examinations in the first go can be a large factor in the stress levels of students and parents. However, our training methodologies which are customized to cater to students with different types of learning abilities, make it a satisfying experience for all parties participating in this process.

So even though your seniors may have hyped up the difficulty levels of these exams, take a seat back and relax because preparation and effort from your side and experience and training from our side are going to make these tests seem like a breeze.

The list of questions posed to me every day is a lot longer. However, these questions are the most frequent ones to begin the journey with. This journey does not have to be about anxiety and nervousness at every step; instead, it can be, and we ensure it to be, one where your ambition receives the most professional helping hand.

At Inspirus, we wish to be the best support system you and your family require through this tedious journey.