In the last blog dated 10/08/2020, we discussed the benefits of pursuing masters in Canada and saw how fast the country is becoming one of the most sought after destinations for higher education. In this blog, we will focus on the admission and visa requirements for MS in Canada and breeze through the top Ten Canadian Universities for STEM courses.
Admission requirements
Academic credentials
Majority Canadian universities require you to have completed 16 years of education (12+4), i.e. – a four- year Bachelor’s degree before going for MS. This is applicable to all the technical background students like Engineering, Pharmacy, and Architecture etc. For non-technical fields like Arts and Management, a student is required to complete 17 years of education. (12+3+2)
Canadian universities have a very high cutoff percentage. Hence, you need to have a minimum of 65% to 70% in your degree course and an equivalent CGPA of a minimum of 7.0 to 7.5. Top universities especially give a lot of emphasis on the performance of the last two years of your degree course. (3rd & 4th year)
If you are planning to pursue MS in Business Management, Finance, and Business Analytics; you are required to have relevant work experience of minimum 1 to 3 years.
Qualifying examinations
TOEFL/IELTS: English Language Proficiency Test scores are a mandatory requirement of Canadian universities. A minimum of 6.5 to 7 band score in IELTS or 90+ score in TOEFL is required to get into the best Canadian universities. At Dilip Oaks Academy, we offer online TOEFL and online IELTS coaching along with rigorous practice sessions and mock tests.
GRE: Though a majority of universities in Canada do not require GRE scores, some of the top universities do ask for it. We recommend you to give the GRE and keep your scores ready if you aim to get into one of the top universities. Our Online GRE Coaching will enable you to prepare for the GRE in a hassle-free manner.
Crucial student visa requirements:
Once you receive admit from a Canadian university, you need to apply for a study permit that requires you to fulfil four crucial criteria:
1) Admit should be from a recognized university
2) Proof of funds to support yourself. At present this is equal to the tuition fee for one year and CA$10,000 as living expenses.
3) Proof of no criminal record
4) Fitness certificate from the doctor as recommended by the Canadian High Commission
Lastly, a quick glance at the Top 10 Canadian Universities:
- University of Toronto
- University of British Columbia
- McGill University
- McMaster University
- University of Montreal
- University of Alberta
- University of Ottawa
- University of Calgary
- University of Waterloo
- Western University
Kick-start your prep for MS in Canada NOW!
Enrol for our admission counselling services and start planning your Canadian endeavour the right way!
With its international student population touching 6.4 lakhs this year, Canada has become the 3rd leading destination of foreign students, especially Indians, who constitute 34% of this number. Since 2014, the Indian student population in Canada has grown by a whopping 350%. Premier affordable education, internationally recognized degrees, and opportunities for Permanent Residency have led to a large number of students to apply for Masters in Canada. Additionally, a small population of 37 million, and steady growth of the economy have opened multiple job avenues over the last decade, especially in the provinces of Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec, and have made them the most sought after areas for settlement.
Given these facts, let us explore in detail what makes Canada one of the ideal destinations for higher education:
Quality education and internationally recognized degrees: To date, Canada houses around 30 high-ranked universities offering degrees that are recognized internationally as being equivalent to US degrees. These universities have highly qualified professors, mostly Doctorates with enormous experience in their fields. Secondly, the teacher-student ratio is as low as 1:20. This allows personal attention and interaction. As per the current rankings, the top three universities in Canada are the University of Toronto, McGill University, and University of British Columbia.
Affordable tuition fees and living costs: Compared to American universities, Canadian universities have a very affordable fee structure; in fact, the lowest among other English-speaking countries. This is because the Canadian dollar (1 Canadian dollar (CAD) = 56 INR) is much cheaper than the American dollar (1 USD= 74 INR) and the Euro (1 Euro= 88 INR). As for the living costs—the total housing, food, and other expenses usually do not exceed 1,000 CAD per month. Additionally, students can take on-campus jobs for 20 hours/week and make u to 800 to 900 CAD per month. They can also apply for full-time jobs during summer and winter breaks and earn a substantial sum to cover their tuition costs.
Easy immigration and PR laws: Unlike the US, there is no annual quota for immigrants in Canada. In fact, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently published their Canada Immigration Levels Plan for 2020-2022 according to which, they plan to admit around 1,053,000 new permanent residents till 2022. Also, under the new system, international graduates from Canadian study programs can obtain up to 30 additional CRS points. Thus, pursuing MS in Canada increases the chances of securing Permanent Residency.
Job opportunities: Canadian curriculum is designed to meet the changing industry demands. By the time students finish their masters; they are well-versed with the latest trends and manage to land a good job within 6 months of course completion.
Research-based education: Canada ranks 4th in the world for its quality scientific research. Canadian universities actively encourage students to conduct research. University of Toronto and University of British Columbia have been recognized as the best Canadian universities due to their high research impact. A student applying for Masters can choose either a professional master’s program (MEngg) or opt for a research-based master’s program (MaSc) emphasizing on original scientific research. The industries and government institutions in Canada also extend support by organizing learning programs and workshops.
Cultural diversity: Canada has a rich cultural diversity of people from various ethnicities. Universities also conduct a lot of cultural programs that help students to develop a broader and global perspective.
In the next part, we will talk about admission requirements for MS in Canada.
Generally, a high GRE score (330+) is considered to be one of the most important requirements to get into topmost US universities. But what if you receive less than 330? Does that mean you have to give up on your dream university?
NO.
Your GRE score is not the only parameter that decides your chances of landing a seat in a high-ranked university. US universities have a very holistic approach to a student’s profile. Apart from your score, your academic credentials, intent, commitment, and relevant work experience are some of the factors taken into consideration.
Here’s how you can highlight your strengths and dwarf the low GRE score:
Good academic credentials: A consistently good percentage (above 70) or a GPA above 8.5 in your bachelor’s degree can overshadow your low GRE score and boost your chances of getting into top universities.
Appealing Statement of Purpose: A Statement of Purpose (SOP) is your key tool to enhance your application. It is your only chance to communicate your goals to the admissions committee. Therefore, make sure that you draft an honest, precise, and appealing SOP that compels the committee to look at you as a “value addition” to their organization. Under our admission counselling services, we provide personal sessions with our SOP counsellors and help you draft a winning SOP.
Letters of Recommendation: Though this appears to be a very routine requirement, it is but a crucial document of validation. Make sure that you get recommendation letters from professors or project guides under whom you have studied at least for a semester or worked on a project. You can also take a LOR from the employer under whom you have interned or worked for at least a year.
Work Experience: More than on-paper scores, American universities are interested in knowing your practical knowledge of subjects and application skills. A relevant work experience, either an internship or a job, will demonstrate your skills, agility, and ability to work in a dynamic environment. Work on enhancing your practical experience and explore ways to build a great career profile.
Check out our sample resume and start preparing right away.
Co-curricular activities: Projects and paper presentations add a lot of value to your application. Make sure that you’ve worked on strong projects, and presented papers in nationally and internationally recognized seminars and reputed publications.
In our earlier blog, dated 20/07/2020, we laid the groundwork for the preparation of the Quantitative Reasoning Section. Today, we will study the SMART way to fine-tune your GRE preparation and achieve the desired score.
Solve
- Use your scrap paper effectively. Develop a habit of solving the questions stepwise and systematically as it will help you on your actual test day.
- Stick to one source of material throughout the course of study.
Manage
You are expected to complete 20 Questions in 35 minutes for the Quant section that averages nearly less than 90 seconds per question.
Ensure that you understand all the concepts irrespective of the time taken. Starting your preparation well on time would ensure that you have enough time to master all your concepts.
- Once the concepts are clear, aim to solve questions in a stipulated time frame.
- A well-devised study plan will set you right on track. In short ‘Plan Your Work And Work Your Plan’
Adapt
Understand the different question types and their nuances so that you can use suitable techniques for solving them.
- The GRE questions are relatively easy to solve but sometimes difficult to comprehend because of their verbosity (complex and confusing construction). So read the questions carefully to reveal the hidden concept/s, which, most of the time, may be very familiar.
- Sometimes, questions that seem relatively easy have some trap set for you, and most of the students fall for it. The answer choices are also designed in such a way that they lead you to a trap.
Review
- Note down important formulae, theorems, properties, etc.
- Maintain a log of topics you have covered and classify them based on their difficulty level so that you can focus accordingly.
Train
We need to understand some factors which may affect our performance on the actual Test Day.
Get rid of your mental blocks like examination phobia and loss of confidence. Discussing with the faculty members or counselors could help.
Train yourself to remain undaunted even if you come across difficult questions in the beginning because the difficulty level of the questions keeps changing and you may get a simpler question subsequently. We strongly suggest you take our 5 practice tests (CBTs) to boost your confidence. Our CBTs are designed as per the ETS pattern and the score you obtain could give you an idea of your actual GRE score.
Remember, consistency and hard work are the two main elements required for success in any field. Using the SMART approach discussed above will set you on track for your preparations for the GRE.
Understand your syllabus: Download the ETS Math Review pdf file available for free download on the ETS website, which will give you an overview of the syllabus and solve these questions to familiarize yourself with the format of the GRE Math section and its question types.
Brush up your basics: GRE Math has four main sections: Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry and Data Analysis, which you have already studied at your school and junior college level. However, a recap of these topics will definitely help you start flexing your Math muscles.
Multiply your speed: Get familiar with numbers by learning your multiplication tables, squares and cubes. This will not only reduce your dependency on the on-screen calculator but also save a lot of your solving time.
Factor out your math phobia: The GRE Math focuses on the application of basic Math concepts, which can be mastered with a little bit of practice. Remember: no trigonometry! no calculus!
Following these guidelines will definitely build a strong foundation for your Quant preparation. In our next article, we’ll help you gear up your preparation by discussing some key strategies.