If you are applying for fall 2021 the clock has begun to tick. So, don’t delay. Here is a detailed Timeline to help you start and streamline your application process:
October-December 2020
Register for the GRE and TOEFL examinations – these examinations should preferably be taken by 15th December 2020.
October 2020
- Make a preliminary list of universities which meet your requirements considering:
- Broad specializations you are interested in
- Expected GRE score
- Academic record
- Budget
- Recommendations by seniors studying in American universities
November 2020
- Documentation
- Start working on your Statement of Purpose (SOP). SOP is a crucial document that provides insights into your purpose of joining the course and university, your personality, experience in the field and long-term goals. It should be around 500 to 800 words long, precise, interesting, grammatically and technically sound.
- Arrange for 4 sets of college and university transcripts.
- Choose your recommenders (preferably college professors/project guides/employers) and keep recommendation letters ready.
November-December 2020
- Test and application process
- Take the GRE and TOEFL exams latest by 20th December 2020
- Shortlist your final 8 to 10 universities.
- Complete online application process latest by 30th of December and send the required documents by courier. Of course, universities accept applications even till 31st March, so you can send them by January too in case of any delay.
- Request the ETS to forward your GRE and TOEFL scores to the universities you are applying to. (scores take minimum 2 weeks to come)
After sending the applications
You will most likely receive admission decisions from Feb/March. Once you receive the decisions, email your acceptance. This is very important especially when you are offered funding.
- When you have accepted the university’s offer of admission and the documentation formalities are complete, the university will send you the 1-20, an immigration document, which is essential for obtaining a visa. Some universities send I-20 along with the acceptance letter.
- Prepare the visa documentation according to the total cost of one year mentioned on the I-20
- Study the visa application formalities specified on the official website of the applicable US Consulate.
- Apply for a visa interview date – you can apply for a visa interview 120 days before the joining date mentioned on your I-20. Generally, students start applying for a visa from the third week of April. Once you get the visa date, proceed with the interview and complete the remaining formalities until your departure date.
At Dilip Oak’s Academy, we provide detailed guidance on these processes under our admission counselling services that include, selection of universities, drafting SOP and LOR, documentation process and visa counselling. Till date, we have sent 30,000 students to various universities in America including MIT, Stanford, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon and other top-ranked universities. To enrol, call us on 91-020-67444222, 91-8007878495.
While the standardized tests like SAT and ACT are very popular among Indian students aspiring to pursue bachelors in America, the Advanced Placement (AP) Test is often disregarded by most due to complexity of its courses. A lot of students consider them challenging and shy away from taking this exam. In today’s blog, we aim to address these misconceptions about the AP and throw light on how Indian students can actually benefit from this exam.
What is AP? (Advanced Placement)
AP Exams are standardized college-level exams designed to measure your mastery over a specific subject and help you earn credits. Under this, there are 38 courses from various disciplines to choose from like AP Calculus AB, AP Computer Science, AP Chemistry, AP Physics etc. You can choose the course for subjects related to your career of choice and your expertise. AP exams are scored on the scale of 1 to 5, where each score corresponds to a college course grade equivalent.
Are AP exams really challenging?
Yes.
AP exams are definitely challenging and demanding because they require you to dive deep in the subject, beyond the set purview.
Does that mean you should skip them?
No.
Though AP exams are rigorous, they are definitely worth taking, especially for Indian students, due to the following reasons:
Higher chances of getting into a top-ranked university: Taking AP exams adds weightage to your college application and helps you stand out among hundred others. Top-ranked universities prefer students who give AP exam because performance in AP demonstrates your thoroughness in the subject and ability to manage university-level studies.
Early graduation and reduced tuition cost: Taking AP exam during high school helps you to earn college credits even before starting with the college. A high AP score of 4 or 5 allows you to earn enough credits so as to skip a semester or even a year. In that case, you can graduate almost 6 months to 1 year early and save on your tuition fees by thousands of dollars. Some universities also allow you to skip introductory courses and jump to upper-level courses and even bag internships.
Scholarships and funding opportunities: Most US universities offer good scholarships to high AP scores. This enables the student to further save up on the tuition cost. Some universities also offer an Advanced Placement International Diploma (APID) to Indian students who score exceptionally well in more than 5 AP exams. Hence, even if you have a humble financial background, your AP score can help you complete your bachelors in a high ranked university at a relatively low cost.
What is the ideal time to give the AP?
The ideal time to give the AP is in your 11th or 12th grade, depending on the number of exams you want to take and your level of preparation. You can find the details of AP exams on https://www.collegeboard.org/.
At Dilip Oak’s Academy, we offer guidance on these pre-requisite examinations for bachelors in America and also conduct online SAT coaching to help you ace your prep!
To know more about bachelors in America, examinations, the application process, visa and other requirements for bachelors in America, attend our free webinar on 20th September. Register for the webinar today!
One of the most important steps in preparing for the GRE is planning your study schedule. Many a time, despite being fast learners, students fail to score high in the GRE only because of haphazard study methods. A structured prep plan helps you to systematically cover all the topics, manage time, and stay focused and motivated until your test day. At Dilip Oak’s Academy, along with GRE Coaching, we guide our enrolled students to study in a methodical manner through our exclusive GRE Study Plans.
Depending upon your GRE date (ETS registered/tentative), we provide you with a customized study plan for either 1 month, 1.5 months, 2 months, 2.5 months, 3 months, 3.5 months or 4 months.
Each study plan includes a step-by-step preparatory guide with day wise and week wise guidelines for Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing Sections of the GRE.
While each study plan varies according to the duration, it broadly includes:
- Vocabulary Learning and Practice
- Verbal Reasoning strategies and practice
- Quantitative Reasoning strategies and practice
- AWM essays brainstorming
- ETS Material Practice
All the study plans comprise rigorous learning and practice modules for each of the above sections. To help you keep a track of your preparation, we also send you daily and weekly goal-setting reminders.
Along with these, the study plans also include access to our exclusive online learning tools: Focused Practice, Test Prep and CBTs that help you study in a more organized manner and allow you to track your progress.
Focused Practice
- Reinforcement of the classroom coaching by helping you keep in sync with the concepts, tricks, and tips taught in the class
- 400+ questions for Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning
- Topic-wise questions for Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning
Test Prep
- Personalized Dashboard to track your progress
- Customized according to the question types and difficulty level
- Convenient timed and untimed modes for practice
- Instant Review and question summary
- In-depth explanatory answers to gauge where you stand
CBTs
- Actual GRE® test experience with full-length timed tests according to the ETS® pattern
- AW essay scores and personalized feedback by our experienced evaluators
- Detailed Analysis of your performance to help you gauge your strengths and weaknesses
- Explanatory Review to help you understand what went wrong and how to get it right the next time
Who can avail the study plans?
Only those students who have enrolled for GRE Coaching at Dilip Oak’s Academy can avail these study plans. To jumpstart your GRE prep and unlock our comprehensive study plans, register for our Online GRE Coaching.
You can then request for the suitable study plan by submitting us the details of your enrolled batch, Roll Number and GRE Test date on gre@dilipoakacademy.com.
The plan will be sent directly to your inbox on your registered email ID.
What are you waiting for? Register for our October 1 GRE batch here: https://www.dilipoakacademy.com/gre-online.html and along with study plans, avail 30% discount on the coaching fees!
In continuation with our blog published on 17/07/2020 where we briefly discussed the admission and visa requirements for Canada, we will now take you through the step-by-step process for obtaining the Canadian study permit for MS, the application timeline, and the required documents.
Before we proceed, let us first understand the difference between permit and visa. Often, students get confused between the two.
Study Permit Vs Visa
A Study Permit allows you to stay in the country until completion of your course at any of the Designated Learning Institutions (DLI) in Canada.
A Visa allows you to enter the country. You must therefore remember that the study permit is not a visa and it doesn’t let you enter Canada. For entry, you need a visitor visa or an electronic travel authorization (eTA) which is issued by the Canadian government once your application for the study permit is approved.
Timeline and documents required for Canadian Study Permit
Your application process should begin as soon as you receive acceptance letter from your desired university. The fee for a study permit is CAD 150, which is around Rs 8400.
If you are planning to go for fall intake (September), you should begin the process around June. The documents required include:
- Valid passport
- Acceptance letter from the university
- Proof of funds (CAD 10,000 per year without tuition for those outside Quebec. For those in Quebec, CAD 11,000 per year)
- Passport size photographs
- Immigration Medical Examination (ideally to take a week before starting the visa process)
- TOEFL/IELTS scores
- Statement of Purpose
- Credit card
Step-by-step application process for a study permit:
Your application process might take three to four weeks to complete hence you should start the process with some margin in your hand. Once you decide, you can either apply online or apply in-person.
To apply online, you require scanned documents and a valid credit card for payment. Before you start the application, read the instruction guide HERE. Fill out the application and pay the biometrics fee. Once you submit the application, you will receive a letter specifying the time and place to give your biometrics. From receiving the letter, you have up to 30 days to give your biometrics.
To apply in person, you can download the application kit and the instruction guide from the official website of the government of Canada, fill the VFS consent form and attach it to the application, pay the processing fee (in addition to VFS Global services charges), and submit the documents at the nearest VFS office.
While you can go with either of the ways, we recommend students to apply online as the process is faster and easier.
Once your application is approved, you will receive a letter of introduction. This letter is not your study permit. You need to show it to an officer when you arrive in Canada. Along with the letter, you will also be issued an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) or a visitor visa (temporary resident visa) to enter Canada.
On arriving in Canada, you are required to present all these documents to the border services officer, who after validation, will issue you with the study permit.
In the last blog dated 17/08/2020, we learnt about the admission requirements and visa process for masters in Canada. In this final part, we will cover vital information on how to obtain a work permit and apply for a Permanent Residency in Canada.
Work Permit
A Work Permit, or a Work Visa, is issued to eligible international individuals to work in that country for a specific time period (3 years). Unlike the US, you don’t need a job offer in order to apply for a work permit. You can apply for it within 180 days of receiving the post graduate degree. In order to be eligible for a work permit, you need to meet the following criteria:
1) You must complete MS from a Designated Learning Institution (A designated learning institution is a school approved by a provincial or territorial government to host international students.)
2) Your course should be at least 8 months long
3) Your study permit should be valid at some point within the 180 days of receiving your MS mark sheet. If you stay in Canada with an expired study permit, you must apply to restore your status as a student before applying for a work permit.
4) You must maintain full-time status as a student. Part-time status does not qualify you for a work permit.
Permanent Residency (PR)
International students can apply for PR while studying in Canada or after completing their MS. Most students apply for the PR while studying. This is popularly called ‘dual intent’ application and is readily accepted by the Canadian immigration law. For PR, each applicant is scored out of 100 on the basis of his/her age, qualifications, English language proficiency and experience. Generally, applicants who score above 67 get their PR faster than others. Broadly, there are three types of PR programs you can apply for as a student:
Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
To qualify for this, students must have at least 12 months of work experience in Canada. While the requisite work experience gained by applying for a work permit is considered, any part-time work experience earned during the program like internships and co-ops does not count as valid work experience for a PR.
Quebec Experience Class (QEC)
Students who have completed their program in Quebec and who have passed intermediate level of proficiency in French can apply for this. This type does not require prior work experience in Canada.
Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs)
To be eligible for this, a student must meet the minimum requirements of that province he/she intends to settle in, must have graduated from a Canadian post-secondary education program, and must have a relevant work experience. (This requirement varies for different provinces)
After receiving the PR, you should complete at least 4 years of stay in Canada before applying for the citizenship.
- CEC, MS in Canada, PNPs, PR, QEC, visa formalities