How to Apply for Postgraduate Studies In Countries Abroad
July 18 2018, By Juliet Ugochi
Many undergraduates in Nigeria will like to further their education after graduation. Some of them will like to do their post-graduate studies abroad. If you are one of those, then you will find this article very valuable.
There are many reasons why you may prefer to get your postgraduate degree from a foreign country. By foreign country, we simply mean a country that is not your country of origin and residence. So, if you are a Nigerian and finished from a Nigerian university then went to Ghana for postgraduate, you have studied abroad.
Here are the reasons why people pursue studies in foreign lands:
1. The Cost: Most times it is cheaper to study abroad than in your own country. This is because, some of these countries offer free education to the people studying in their country. Sometimes they charge foreigners but at a highly subsidized rate. Again, some of the universities offer free tuition and scholarship to attract students to study with them.
2. Better Job Prospects: This is the truth and is obtainable in many countries in the world. When you go to potential employers with a foreign certificate, you will be head and shoulders above other applicants in the eyes of the employer. This is because of the perceived higher value you bring. You may have the same qualifications with other Nigerians graduates, but because your certificate bears the name of a foreign school, you will be preferred to get the job.
3. Travel Abroad: Many people see this as an opportunity to travel out. If you like tourism, visiting different countries, meeting new people, going for a postgraduate degree is one way to achieve that. Some people may not have a chance to visit a foreign country but getting a scholarship to study for postgraduate degree in a foreign university made them to enter airplane for the first time in the life.
4. Higher Quality of Education: There have been calls by people in the education sector for government to review the standard of education in Nigeria. The stakeholders argue that the quality obtainable here is quite low and recent rankings on the worldwide universities system seem to confirm this, as no Nigerian university gets up to the first 50 position. These has made many people to send their children abroad to get better quality education.
5. Make Money: Weird but true. There are many chances for students to work in a foreign country unlike here in Nigeria. Many people want that chance to earn in foreign currency even while studying and this is one of the reasons people seek for postgraduate studies abroad.
Now that we have seen some of the major reasons why studying abroad is enticing for many people, how can you do this? Many people will like to travel out and study but don’t know how. They feel it is too hectic, will cost so much and will take years to materialize. This is far from the truth.
Here are the steps in a concise format. First, determine the country you would like to study in. Then determine the course you will like to study.
Once this is done, move on to the next step. Go online and search for universities in that country which offers the program you want to study.
Check their requirements, and make sure you have it all and then apply. It's that simple.
If you are not financially buoyant and you don’t have anyone to sponsor you, include scholarship opportunities in your search. There are countless opportunities out there. Diligently search for scholarships, grants and funding opportunities involving the program of your choice.
Apply to all of them and then wait. Chances are, if you have filled the form appropriately, and you are able to impress the organizers with your proposal, you will get the scholarship.
After this, take your admission letter to the embassy to process your visa. Prepare for travel, get all your document ready and then go to the airport on the date of your departure. All the best.
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