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By Waqas Chaudry, CEO and Head Advisor, Admission Advisors.
Education forms the foundation on which we build the mansion of our success in life. This is true whether one opts to have a career or not. An educated stay-at-home mom or a full time working mother, both benefit from a solid educational background. The question is how do we work towards building a concrete base?
When we are young we all want to be doctors, engineers, architects or astronauts, however, as we grow up those goals change. Reality sets in and we work towards attaining those objectives which seem more within our grasp. The rules are simple; IF you are good with numbers THEN study further mathematics in college, and if you are not then by all means look for theoretical subjects in which you would excel. The point I am trying to make is that you need to recognise your strengths as well as weaknesses because four years down the line you will not have the opportunity to ask for a “do-over”.
Know what you want to study, but also understand your limitations. Study what you will be able to handle not what you think you can somehow “miraculously” manage. The difference between a success story and failure is simply this much; practical knowledge over wishful thinking. When you are able to make the distinction between the two you will be able to work towards an attainable goal.
Having said this let me reassure those of you who do not quite know where their talents lay that you will be given the opportunity to recognise your skills at university within the first two years. You can take admission in any programme, but during the first two years everyone has to a study a range of general subjects. There are always cases where students lose hope and all interest in going to university when they fail to get admission in a specific programme of their choice. Let me tell you that not going is not a good choice. Take admission in another programme, once you have an admission in the university you can always switch programmes at a later date. Do not make the mistake of losing heart and rejecting a chance of admission altogether.
Universities are curious creatures. Predictably, they favour those candidates with the best grades. However, the probability of one getting an admission offer from a university does not just rely just on grades. After all, of course marks play an important role, but what plays an even more important role is timing. Early admissions provide the best opportunity for getting into a university. The applications that arrive long before the due date of a semester have the highest approval rate. At this stage, if a university rejects your application, there is ample time to find out the reason and re-appeal. To make a long story short, do not wait for your A’ level results to arrive, start applying to universities in grade twelve.
Preferably apply to three universities minimum. At least one out of three will send you an admission offer upon which you can apply for visa. The visa process itself can take up to six months, so again I cannot stress this enough go for early admissions. Apply way in advance of actually going.
The most important document of your application package is the personal statement. A Personal statement is your golden ticket to university life, so do not take it lightly. You are not a person to the admission officer you are just an application package. Your personal statement is your only advocate. When you are writing your personal statement include all pertinent details such as your educational background, why you want to take admission in the particular programme that you are applying to and explain any gaps in your academic life if these exist.
It is true when academics tell their students that it is not just what you say but how you say it, that matters. While you are writing down your details in a statement, across the globe or indeed within your own country, thousands of people are including similar information in their application packages, so you need to concentrate on what makes you a unique candidate. For instance, do not just say that you really badly want to be a mechanical engineer because it is your dream. Rather, write an amusing anecdote on how you came to the realisation that you wanted to be a mechanical engineer. The best statements are those that can make your admission officer feel some emotion. Whether they laugh, grow teary eyed, or become generally impressed with your determination; any emotion is better than none. Hence, write from your heart, say it like you would like it to be read and recieved.
Once you have the admission letter in your hand, start preparing for a new life on a foreign land. The perception students have of university life in a foreign country is different from the actual reality. It may shock most of you, optimistic would-be university going students, to read this that almost every international student specifically wants to go home within an hour of arriving in a new country. The adventure and thrill of a new place becomes overshadowed by the strangeness and fear of it. Simple things like commuting or going grocery shopping seem like mammoth tasks that one somehow cannot perceive unless in that situation. Culture shock is a reality, it is not a myth. Be mentally prepared for it.
Understand that the first few hours, weeks and even months on your own will not be pleasant. You will miss home and you will pine for the old and familiar. The thing is you have to fight your way through it. Give yourself room to feel the fear and trust me you will settle down. It takes time, depending on your ability to adapt, but eventually everyone finds their feet and so will you.
