How Medha made the Decision between Pursuing MBA and MS:Shiksha Success Stories

Studyabroad.shiksha.com got in touch with one of the students – Medha, who got admission to SUNY Buffalo for the course Master of Science in Supply Chains and Operations Management.

Question: Why did you choose to study abroad?

Medha: I wanted to pursue a masters course that had a duration of a year. Indian Universities offer two year courses so I wasn’t keen on enrolling for them. Additionally, I thought if I go for an MBA it should be from the premier institutes like IIMs. But getting admission to IIMs is really tough, so I considered studying abroad. The quality of education abroad is equal to that at Indian premier institutes. For me, getting admission abroad seemed easier than in India!

In the end, I accepted the admission offer from SUNY Buffalo for the course Master of Science in Supply Chains and Operations Management. This college was my first choice as the duration of this course is for one year.

Also Read: Shiksha Opinion: What's the Better Choice for Engineering Students - MBA or MS Abroad?

Q: Was US your only choice as study destination or did you consider other countries as well?

M: Right since the beginning, my priority was course over the country. Initially, I was considering both MS and MBA courses. So my choice of countries was US for MS, and Canada and Germany for MBA as these combinations are cost-efficient. If I hadn’t got admission to an American university for my current course, then naturally Canada and Germany were my backup options.

Q: Once you were sure of going abroad to study, how did you research the application process? Was it a difficult stage?

M: It was a little difficult, especially maintaining a balance between a full-time job and preparing for GRE and IELTS. Plus I had no idea how to write my Statement of Purpose and draft a Resume. These things consumed quite some time but at the same time, the whole process was very exciting.

Once I was sure I wanted to pursue my education abroad, I first researched the exam score requirements at various universities. I felt GRE scores were accepted by a lot more universities across countries for varied courses than GMAT. At that stage, I didn’t want to limit the available options, but later on, I decided to focus only on MS courses. So GRE was the perfect choice of exam.

During my under graduation, a lot of my classmates applied to universities abroad for MS courses. I got to know about the admission process and exams required to study at a foreign university from them. Of course, this information was limited and I had to research online on my own once I was sure of following their examples.

Q: Which exams were you required to take?

M: The first exam I gave was IELTS. I appeared for IELTS in March 2015, and after almost six months I finally sat for the GRE in October 2015. The reason behind this break was my indecision between MBA and MS. Because of that dilemma, I had to make a choice between GMAT and GRE. Ultimately I decided to go for MS, so I started preparing for GRE.

I didn’t join any coaching class, but I enrolled in online classes to prepare for GRE. I utilized the mock GRE exams available online to understand how the exam will actually be like. I also referred to the official GRE guide. I scored 304 on the exam based on this preparation.

Q: How did you come across Shiksha study abroad counseling services? What are your honest opinions about the help provided to you by the team?

M: During the initial stages, I had hired the services of a consultant to help me figure out the admission process. But soon I felt dissatisfied with the help they provided as they weren’t giving very thorough information. I wanted to apply to different universities than what they suggested, so I decided to switch to Shiksha.

The counsellor at Shiksha gave me a list of universities based on my profile plus SUNY Buffalo, as it was my choice of university. She didn’t pressurize me to apply to any particular university and left the choice open. I also received great help with editing my statement of purpose and recommendation letters. The editors asked for drafts I had made and gave me feedback on how to edit them in a better way. It was a very beneficial help as I had no idea about these documents.

Because of Shiksha, I had a better approach to applying to colleges and all the steps involved. Everything from shortlisting colleges to deadline reminders was taken care of by the Shiksha counselor.

Q: How was your visa interview? What questions did the visa officer ask you?

M: Honestly, I was very nervous because the US visa interviews are in-person. I had heard of cases where the students were rejected even if they had gotten admission to reputed universities. However I have a lot of friends who have studied in US, so they told me all about the visa interview. Shiksha also provided me with a list of questions the visa officer can ask so I was prepared for the interview.

The actual interview went smoothly. I was asked basic questions like why do I want to study in US, why did I choose SUNY – Buffalo and who will be funding my education. My answers convinced the officer and he approved my visa.

Q: Do you have any advice for prospective international students?

M: Your exam scores matter according to the type of university you will be applying to. For Ivy League colleges, they are extremely important; the higher you score the better. Also remember that your student profile needs to be really strong with a good academic record, high exam scores and well-written SoP and Resume reflecting on the skills you acquired at work. All these things make a lot of difference.

Medha is now going to begin her college session in the US. Studyabroad.Shiksha.com wishes her a prosperous career.

Read more Shiksha Success Stories:

• How Priyanka scored a scholarship to study in US
• P. Gopinath's journey to making to the course of his choice at Sweden
• Sourabh shares his experience of successfully applying to universities at US and Canada
• Shubhansh's journey from quitting his job to getting into NJIT
• Vaibhav on why European universities were his exclusive choice
• Why Aishvarya chose a Canadian university over American colleges
• How Ankit made it to Lakehead University's most popular course