Study Abroad Advising – The How and Why of it
Studying abroad is an important decision in the life of students and their families. As students start thinking about options for studying in an overseas university or college, they have numerous questions and queries. They also would want to know about course and country options, choice of institutions, funding, admissions criteria etc. They look for authentic and timely information to help their successful admits.
Study abroad advising is about bringing forth the natural talents and aptitudes of students through discussions and psychometric tests. This is where the role of study abroad advisors comes handy, wherein they help match the students’ strengths with possible career paths. Thereafter to suggest the ideal study destination, right fit institution, course specialisation and curriculum details. One of the best residential boarding schools in India, MIT Gurukul is a premier institution with a study abroad cell on their campus to facilitate such advising processes in-person.
Advising for study abroad helps the students decide the if, when, where and why of study abroad, as well as the length of the program one must undertake to realise one’s career aspirations. By helping students’ navigate the admissions process and related aspects such as student loans, scholarships and visas, a study abroad advisor facilitates ease of understanding the steps in the admissions process. This leads to the students successfully obtaining confirmed admissions from institutions of choice. The advisor also ensures that the long term goals of the student are matched with the offerings of a particular program at a certain institution.
IB Syllabus schools are traditionally meant for students who plan to start their bachelor’s studies overseas. It is more important for such students to gain the right guidance since their career foundation is defined by the choices they make while selecting subjects in high school. The function of the study abroad advisor for such students is to also help them decide the combination of subjects that will transition them seamlessly into their bachelor’s studies.
Overall the steps included in a study abroad advising process are:
- Finding the student’s strengths and aptitude
- Discussing possible and suitable career paths
- Understanding the parents’ budget
- Selecting country, university and course
- Looking for specialisations while selecting courses
- Guiding students to take English language proficiency tests
- Undertaking the admissions process by submitting applications
- Applying for scholarships and available funding
- Applying for student loans if needed
- Applying for student visas
- Guiding for student travel cards, foreign exchange etc.
MIT Gurukul understands the importance of the correct guidance and advising for its students, to build their future paths with planned transition into higher studies. Being one among the top residential schools in Mumbai, Pune and the rest of Maharashtra,MIT has a dedicated cell with a professionally qualified study abroad advisor on its team. The advisor has more than a decade of experience in international higher education and provides a 360 degrees view of the university and course choices for the students’ benefit. This establishes a discussion process between the students, their parents and the advisor and leads to the best admission outcome for the students.
We encourage the parents of students in grades 10, 11 and 12 to seek an appointment with our study abroad division and write to Ms. Parul Khurana at parul.k@mitgurukul.ccom for a personalised advising session.
