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US and Australia now an emerging alternative for students over UK

US AND AUSTRALIA NOW AN EMERGING ALTERNATIVE FOR STUDENTS OVER UK

How do you pick a country to study in? First, you want English to be commonly spoken there. You want a country that is safe, has a credible university system and scholarship options. It would help if living there was affordable. And finally, you’d ideally like a country whose culture was easy to adapt to.

For decades, the UK checked all these boxes. It also had a large Indian-origin population, to make adjustment easier.

CHOICES FROM THE EAST AND THE WEST

Even China is seeing the number of Indian students jump.

In 2015, 13,578 Indian students headed to China, up from just 765 a decade ago. Most of them pursued medicine and clinical courses, says Grishma Nanavaty, counsellor at study-abroad consultancy ReachIvy. “Lower tuition fees, good accommodation, classes taught in English and proximity to India are what account for the upswing.”

Germany’s relaxed immigration norms for international students, prompted by its low population growth, is a boon to students from India. “In 2013-14, about 10,000 Indian students headed to Germany for research-driven courses,” says Mathai. “After they completed those courses, most got a visa for 18 months to explore job opportunities,” Nanavaty says.

Culture should be an important factor when considering a country for study, says Nanavaty.

“When it comes to non-English-speaking destinations, you need to do thorough research and be sure you will be able to adapt,” she says. “Your university may not have the native language as admission criteria, but you will still have to learn it to fit in.” Nanavaty suggests connecting with alumni and international students studying at the university to understand the culture, actual job prospects and visa provisions.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

ReachIvy is a premium education and career advisory that helps aspiring students get accepted into top tier educational institutions globally. We have successful admits at MIT, Columbia, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, London School of Economics, University of Michigan, Oxford, University of Chicago amongst others.

Vibha Kagzi, Founder and CEO, ReachIvy, holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a Bachelor of Science from Carnegie Mellon University. She has also pursued courses at the University of California, Berkeley, the London School of Economics and the Indian School of Business.

Our global team of counsellors have also acquired their degrees from premier institutes and are passionate about sharing their experiences with students worldwide.