UG Students Talk About How To Choose The Right Country

Question: What is your general advice when students ask you about how to choose the right country to study abroad?

Iqra Khan: It depends on the student’s preference whether they wish to go for the popular student destinations like the US, UK, Canada, Australia etc. or if they are willing to consider lesser known study destinations like Scandinavian countries, countries in the Gulf or even Asia-Pacific region.

Then, you have to take into consideration the course you wish to pursue. That course should have a high market value in the country and the ultimate career you will pursue should have a promising scope. To provide a few examples, for STEM courses US is the best destination, for computers, IT or Gaming Singapore is a good option, or you can consider Canada, New Zealand and Australia for vocational courses.

Another factor to consider is the language of communication, especially in the case of European countries. The universities may not ask you for a proof of language efficiency or require you to have knowledge of the local language but you still need to know the language for communication outside of the college. For example, German universities don’t require you give German language tests but for everyday communication, you need to know the German language.

Then you need to consider the living costs. Some countries are very expensive to live at, and you may not have the funds required to stay there for four to five years. So you will have to make a decision based on your budget as well.

Some students don’t wish to give standardized exams like SAT or ACT. These are required for admission to undergraduate courses at American and Canadian universities. So if you are not confident or comfortable with standardized exams, you can’t consider US and Canada. But you still will have lot more options like the UK or other European countries where only your student profile and academic credits are considered.

Udit Narang: I can only talk about US and Canada since I specialize in these regions. If you are considering a better quality of education, then the US is the best option for you. It is home to the most number of top universities of the world. If you are looking for other opportunities likes easier permanent residency or more time to work after graduation, then Canada is the better bet.

You need to figure out your priorities about what are you looking for – are you looking for more economical destinations, do you prefer the quality of education over permission to work etc. – and then decide which country will be best suited for you.

Question: A lot of students are wary of considering the US as their study destination now in the wake of the recent Presidential election and are opting for Canadian universities instead. Do you think these fears are valid?

Vedant Jain: In the light of the recent American elections, the problem is not of nationality. Indians are well respected here, with so many Indians heading top corporate companies. The American universities need international students, so I don’t think education sector will be affected. What parents in India could be concerned over is maybe immigration, but that is not related to education. Don’t go by what the media is projecting, not everyone here discriminates based on race or nationality. I have friends here from all countries and still haven’t witnessed anything like that.

Divya: I represent the university of Ottawa, so what I can tell you is that as far as US political environment is concerned, there were lots of talks about curbing illegal immigration and H1B visas. So that doesn’t affect education and university admissions. There might be a decline in the number of H1 visas being issued, but prospective students need not be worried.

A large part of Indian students going to study abroad choose the US, but Canada is catching up. In terms of research courses, Canada has the best quality education to offer. Not many people know about them because they are primarily public universities and aren’t marketed as aggressively as some of the private colleges are. Canadian universities are gaining from what is going on in the US but even in the long run Canadian universities will remain popular. The most beneficial perk of studying most of the courses at the University of Ottawa is the co-op which is a paid internship. So these are a few points students need to keep in mind while considering Canada as their study destination.

About the Expert Panel

Vedant Jain

Vedant is in his first-year of the Biology undergraduate course at Pittsburg State University, USA.

Udit Narang

Udit is a student admissions counsellor at Shiksha.com with 4+ years of experience and is an expert of the US and Canadian universities.

Iqra Khan

Iqra is a student admissions counsellor at Shiksha.com with 8+ years of experience in study abroad counselling. She is an expert of European universities and rest of the world universities.

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