Tuesday 23 May 2017

Pre-departure Planning: Dos and don'ts for your packing list


Things to keep in mind

• Check out with your airline or shipping agent to find out what your baggage allowance is.

• Plan your onward travel from the airport to your final destination – your university.

• Make sure you have received a letter of unconditional acceptance from your college or university.

• Find out how many goods you are allowed to bring in the country you plan to study in, and which items are prohibited.

• If you are taking any prescribed drugs or medicines, ask your doctor to write a letter explaining what they are and why you are taking them.

• Start gathering all the items and documents you are taking with you – make sure you have everything before you start packing.

• Buy any extra items you need e.g. money, belt, photos of yourself, dictionary.

• Label all your luggage with your name and address

Monday 24 April 2017

USA tightens immigration : Boon or Bane for Indian Students




I just received a call today from a student, "Ma'am, I have an admit from UTD and UIC. I am skeptical whether I should go to USA". This prompted me to come up with this blog article.

Over the last few days, you might have come across a lot of  proposed changes to the H-1B Visa reform and its impact on your ability to secure a job post your degree in USA.

First and foremost do not go by hearsay, have the strong conviction and just go ahead and apply for higher studies if you have decided to. Each year brings with it different phases, which inevitably pass - sometimes there is a recession phase, there was a time when the rupee got devalued and hence students got worried but that phase has passed, this year its about immigration policies 

Here is iGradGlobal's 2 cents on this:


  • These newer immigration orders are just proposals and will take time to implement  and become a law only if they get complete support.
  • There is nothing against student community; students are still encouraged to apply. 
  • There is opposition not for granting work permit on the whole, but to minimize the loopholes in the system like reducing the middle men, better wages and work permit based on merit not luck.
  • This will, in turn, streamline the OPT requirement. If the H1 visa is skills based, you can still have a one year OPT and get a job you deserve, in fact, with much better wages.
  • Lastly, why is it always going to US that is synonymous with going abroad for higher studies? Our students have bagged admits in top world universities in Netherlands - TU Delft, Germany - Hamburg, Canada - Ottawa and Australia - Sydney, to name a few.
Overall, what we  advise is that students weigh the pros and cons and then decide pragmatically and not just through hearsay.

All the best
Happy Global Studies !!               


For more visit us www.igradglobal.in/contact



Wednesday 1 March 2017

Sorting the Spring vs Fall intake dilemma


You have your eyes all glued to the top global admit, but as you rummage through the information overload on the internet, you pause to think which is the best intake, what's the timeline, what tests... Ah, questions, questions and more questions!


Let's take this one step at a time: Most countries like USA, Europe, Canada and Australia will have two intakes in a year for admission. The academic calendar in all these countries commences in Aug /Sep each year (called Fall or Winter). Since this is the first semester of the academic calendar, most funding for projects and research comes in during this semester. 

Secondly, it is concurrent with our graduation months in June when most Indian universities grant the degrees. Thus you can take up the higher education degree immediately after your degree completion without a gap.

Hence Fall/Winter is the most preferred intake.

Now, let's look at the other side: Since Summer/Spring/Jan intake is the second intake in the academic calendar, most funding is exhausted by then. Also, not many international universities accept international students in this intake.

Most importantly, some universities do not allow students to do internships when they join in Spring intake.

Hence, in summary, you need to weigh the pros and cons well before deciding what the best option for you might be. Unless there is a dire situation, we would not recommend that you opt for Spring intake, though  a lot of CS, ECE and Mech universities (mainstream courses) are open to spring intake these days. 

Refer this video for more view 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBprdK4AQ0k

Send in queries to biruda@igradglobal.in 


Friday 10 February 2017

Is F1 student visa likely to become stringent with new immigration policies ?

Visa - the travel permit to your dream destination !!
The best you can do for your visa interview is to go in with your best preparation. Irrespective of how immigration policies might change, here is some advice from iGradGlobal on visa interviews.
Key factors in getting the visa:
  • Proper financial documents.
  • Admit in reputed/related Universities.
  • Good academics and competitive test scores.
Key factors in getting denied a visa:
  • Most common reasons for denial and workarounds thereof.
  • Missing documents
  • Sound like potential immigrant
How to prepare for the interview - some generic questions listed here
  • Why MS?
  • Why this univ?
  • Why are you leaving your job?
  • What after MS?
  • Who is sponsoring you?
  • What does your sponsor do?
Some  general advice:
  • Be on time.
  • Don't carry too many/ unecessary docs (refer to the website for the required document), plastic bags, mobile etc.
  • Dress neatly.
  • Be audible and clear  to the officer,  do not lie / or hide information.
  • Read up some past student experiences.


Remember the interview is all about how confident you sound , how convincingly you speak and how well you articulate your points. Don't unnecessarily panic and respond to questions calmly.


For personalized visa counselling refer:
http://www.igradglobal.in/visa-preparation/

Team iGradGlobal