Seminar guides students planning to study abroad on how to choose programmes and universities. Maysam Ali reports.
Amidst growing competition among universities in the UAE and worldwide, selecting the right programme and university is a tough choice. It requires much research, time and patience.
For this reason, Counselling Point Educational and Social Services recently organised the Head Start for Studies Abroad seminar, which brought together educational experts from various embassies and academic institutions and students seeking education abroad.
The experts spoke about the American, British, Canadian and Australian systems of education. Those attending the seminar asked about programmes, countries, tuition and accreditation.
Students in particular asked about various programmes, job prospects, requirements for applications, visas and English language requirements. On the other hand, parents were more interested about the proximity of various educational destinations to their home countries, the university facilities, programme quality and cost.
Seeking quality
"I'm here to get some guidance and counselling for my son's higher education choices. Representatives here are helping us get more information on graduate schools and general requirements," said Rita Motwani.
Another parent said that she is sending her daughter to the US for a degree in medicine.
"I want her to travel to the US for a degree in medicine because we want her to get the best possible education. In terms of quality, she is not convinced she should stay here," Anita Kunder said.
Her daughter Anisha, a 17-year-old high school student, said that her only option in the UAE – the Gulf Medical College – is limited to a speciality that she does not wish to pursue.
"I know that in the US I can major in neurosurgery and at the same time get a well-rounded education because they also give social science courses," she said.
Whether it is the degree, the experience, the location or other reasons, it is good to explore options before entering university. Notes compiles a list of things to do from the presentations held on the day, which fell on the eve of the International Day of Peace.
US Education
Suzanne Ryan, US education representative, advised students to research their university choices well since the US has more than 3,600 universities.
- Research universities as well as colleges
- Decide on the subject of interest
- Choose the location, the nature of the community (urban, suburban, rural), size of student campus and the cost
- Student visa can be done online
- Use the internet to research universities: visit www.petersons.com, usastudentvisa.org, www.princetonreview.com and https://educationusa.state.gov/about.htm
By Maysam Ali