Guide to Higher Education in Europe

7/31/2019 Guide to Higher Education in Europe

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GuidetoHigherEducationinEurope

(Version2.0)AboutthisGuide

Generallyspeaking,thisguideismeantforthosepeoplewhowanttopursueHigherEducation(Mastersand/orPhD)inEurope.Individualswhowanttopursueeducationatotherlevels(e.g.,BachelorsorDiploma)oreveninsomeothercountrycanalsobenefitfromvarioussectionsofthisguide.

Thecontentsofthisguidearegeneralizedandpeoplefromanycountryoranybackground(EngineeringSciences,IT&computer-related,MBA&Businessrelated,Medical,Law,Arts,Socialsciences&Humanitiesetc)canbenefitfromit.

Alotofefforthasbeenputintopreparingthisguide;Ihopeyoubenefitfromit.Well,Yesthisisafatguide:(nearly60pages),thatsbecauseithasgotalmostalltheinformationandtipsthatonewouldrequireforstudiesandadmission.Ifyoureadandfollowitcarefullyandcarryouttheproceduresensibly,thenyouwoulddefinitelygetadmissionwhereveryouwantto.

Thisguidecanbefreelydistributedaslongasalltheoriginalcontentsareintact,andnothinghasbeenmodifiedoradded.Passthisguidetoallyourfriendsandanyoneelseyouknowwhocanbenefitfromit.

Iwishallofyousuccessandhappinessinyourlivesandrequestyoutoprayfo

rthesameforme.Thisisversion2.0ofthisguide,forupdates,newversionsandotherguides,visit:http://www.tauseefafzal.comTauseefAfzal.Email:[email protected]:http://www.tauseefafzal.com/Contents:MyIntroduction3ContributingFinancially3HowtoContactMe3TheGuidea.WhentogoforMasters?4b.SystemofEducationinEurope4c.MajorEuropeanCountries5d.TheAdmissionCycle6e.AdmissionProcess6f.RequiredDocuments7g.EducationalRequirements91.DegreesRequired92.TOEFL/IELTS/GRE/GMAT9(Details&Preparation)h.UsefulpointstobekeptinmindfortheseTests22i.Finding&SelectingUniversities23j.ListofTop-ratedEuropeanUniversities25k.HowtoprepareyourC.V/resume26l.HowtoprepareyourStatementofPurpose(SoP)29m.HowtoprepareLettersofRecommendation34n.Thingstocheckforwhenpostingapplications38o.Waitingfortheadmissionresults39p.Whatifyoudontgetadmission????39q.Expenses,Accommodation,Scholarships&Jobs40r.Living,L

ife-Styles&LanguageProblems45s.StudyinUK(Details,Scholarships&Jobs)48t.Visa&FinancialRequirements51u.VisaInterview:Tips&PossibleQuestions52v.TravelingtoEurope54w.Thingstotakewithyou55x.Thingstodobeforeleaving56y.Links&Addresses57VersionHistory59Disclaimer59Acknowledgements59MyIntroduction:

MynameisTauseefAfzal.IdidmyB.E.(Electrical)fromUniversityofEngineeringandTechnology,Taxila,Pakistanin2002.Isecuredaggregate4thpositionintheuniversityandgot84%marks.Afterthat,IstartedworkingasDesignEngineeratAERO(AdvancedEngineeringResearchOrganization),whereIworkedfor2years.In2004,IgotadmissioninTechnicalUniversityMunich(TUM),GermanyinMSCE.DuringthetimeIwaspreparingforadmissiontoMasters,IdidalotofresearchabouttheEuropeaneducationsystem,theiruniversitiesandlivinginE

urope,soIdecidedtopreparethisguidesothatotherscanbenefitfromthis.Ifyoubenefitfromthisguide,whatyoushoulddois:-

Prayforme,HelpothersandServeyourhomelandinanywayyoucan.Rememberthatasanation,weareverymuchbehindtherestoftheworldinTechnologyandEducation,weshouldhelpeachother,inshallahonedaywewouldbeabletoachievetheheightsthatothersareenjoyingrightnow.JustrememberthefollowinglinesbyaPakistaniprofessor,Iknowthatmyplaceisdirtyandmayhavemanyproblemsinit.Peopletheretrytointerfereinmybusiness;butIdontknow!Iwillgobackthere,asitsmine!ItmademestrongandbeautifulasIamnow.So


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itsweaknessesdonotmatter.Iwillsupportittolivelong.Youdohavearesponsibilitythatistoserveyourhomeland,aswhateveryouarerightnoworwhateveryoumightbecomeinthefuture,itwouldonlybebecauseofyourhomeland.Soyoumustreturnthefavorinanywayyoucan.

ContributingFinancially:

Ifyouhavebenefitedfromthisguide,kindlycontributeforagoodcause.Contributewhateveramountyoucan.

Makeyourchequespayableto:TauseefAfzal.AccountNo:17545-0HabibBankLtd,SDvBranch,Saddar,Rawalpindi,Pakistan.

Sendyourcheques,moneyordersorcashtothefollowingaddress:TauseefAfzal.c/oHouseNo.129,StreetNo.20,F-10/2,Islamabad,Pakistan.Ifyouwanttocontributethroughsomeothermeans(e.g.,creditcard,cashetc),kindly

emailmeat:[email protected]:

Youcancontactmethroughmyemailaddresstauseef_afzal@hotmail.comIfyouwanttocontributetothisguideorwouldliketoaddsomeusefulinformationorlinks,kindlyemailme,andmentionitinthesubjectoftheemail.Ihavediscussedalmostallthethingsindetailinthisguide,sothereshouldbenoquestionsconcerningthingsmentionedinthisguide.

TheGuide

WhenToGoForMasters?

ThisisthequestionthatmoststudentsstudyingattheBachelorslevelaskandthinkabouti.e.,whethertogoforMastersrightaftercompletingtheirBachelorsorwhetherafterdoingjobforsometime.Well,theansweristhatthereisnoparticulargeneralizedRIGHTtime.Itdependsonyourownwill,yourcircumstancesandalsoonwhenyougetthechance.Eachofthesetwoapproacheshasitsownbenefits.IfonewantstogorightafterhisBachelors,thenthepluspointofthisapproachisthatit

wouldbecomparativelyeasierforhimtostudyashewouldbeinthatstudyingroutine.Ontheotherhand,ifonestartsdoingajobaftercompletinghisbachelorsandplanstogoforMastersafter2or3years,thenthepluspointofthisapproachisthathewouldhaveacquiredpracticalknowledgeandwouldhaveseenthethingsinactionthathehadstudied.However,itisrecommendedthatinthiscase,theplanshouldntbedelayedtoomuch,i.e.,oneshouldgoforMastersafteratmost2or3years.Themoredelaythereis,morearethedisadvantagesthatonemightface.

Soyoushoulddecide(aboutwhentogoforMasters)yourselfkeepinginmindyourmood,yourcircumstancesandyourfutureplans.AsIsay,dowhatsuitsyou.SystemofEducationinEurope

Europeancountriesaresocialwelfarestates;thereforeeducationisfreeinmostoftheEuropeancountries.InmostoftheEuropeanuniversities,thereisnotuitionfee,howeverinsomecases,theremightbesomefeesofstudentunions,socialsecurityfundsorregistrationfeebuttheseareveryless.Alltheuniversitiesarestate-funded;thisisfromwheretheycoverupalltheirexpenses.Theindustriesalsocontributealottoresearchandprovidefunding.Notehowever,thataveryfewuniversitiesdochargeregulartuitionfeesandothercharges.

Afewyearsago,thehighereducationinmostoftheEuropeancountrieswasintheirnativelanguage.Nowalmostallthetopuniversitiesconducthighereducati


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oninEnglish.IfaprogramistermedasInternational,thenallofitscourseswouldbeinEnglish,whichisnormallythecaseformostMastersprograms.However,stillafewuniversitiesconductcoursesintheirnativelanguage.ThestudyprogramsareavailableinallthefieldsincludingEngineeringSciences,IT,MBA&Businessrelated,Medical,Law,Socialsciences&Humanitiesetc.ThedurationofmastersinmostoftheEuropeancountriesistwoyears,exceptinSwedenwhereitis1.5yearsandinU.Kitisofoneyearduration.However,inU.Ktheeducationisnotfree.MoredetailabouteducationinUKisgivenlaterinaseparatesection.Thetwoyearperiodconsistsof4semesterswithexamsattheendofeachsemester.Normallyonehastotake5coursespersemester.Thelastsemesterisusuallydedicatedtothethesis.

Theuniversitiesareverygoodandsoarethefacultiesandtheenvironment.Theuniversitiesareverywellequippedcontaininghigh-techbuildings,labsandclass-rooms.Alsotherearelotsofhugelibrariescontainingthousandsofbooksandothermaterial.

MajorEuropeanCountries

ThemajorEuropeancountriesaregivenbelow,alongwiththeirflags,websites,languages,currenciesandcountrycodes:CountryFlagOfficialWebsiteLanguages

Germany

SwedenDenmarkFinlandNetherlands

BelgiumFranceUK

http://www.deutschland.dehttp://www.sweden.sehttp://www.denmark.dkhttp://www.finland.fi

http://www.netherlands.nlhttp://www.belgium.be

http://www.france.comhttp://www.i-uk.comhttp://www.direct.gov.ukGermanSwedish,English

Danish,EnglishFinnishDutchDutch,French

FrenchEnglish

NotethatPakistanStandardtimeisGMT+5.InFrance,currentlymostofthecoursesaretaughtinFrenchonly,soifyouwanttogothere,youwouldhavetolearnFrenchfirst.

CurrencyCountryTimeCode

Euro()+49GMT+1Krona(SEK)+46GMT+1

Krone(DKK)+45GMT+1Euro()+358GMT+2Euro()+31GMT+1Euro()+32GMT+1

Euro()+33GMT+1Pound()+44GMTTheAdmissionCycle

Tostartwith,youshouldhaveafair&generalideaaboutthefieldyouwouldliketostudyin.Dosomeresearch,consultyourseniors,friends,professors,andotherprofessionalsaroundyou,seewhatareyourinterestsandwhatarethefieldswhicharecurrentlyontopandwhichfieldshavegoodscopeincomingfuture(futurejobmarket).Asyouwouldcontinuewiththeadmissionprocedure,youwouldsoonbeabletodecidetheparticularfieldsandprogramsthatyouwanttospecializein.


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Duringthewholeadmissioncycle,youneedtodothreethings:think(aboutwhatyouwanttodo),obtainenoughinformation,andcommunicatewithotherswithsimilarexperiencesandintentions.

Duringtheprocessyouneedtobeveryclear(1)aboutwhatyouwanttoachieve,(2)howwouldyouachieveitand(3)possiblyalternatebackupplansiftheoriginalonefails.

Followingarethestepsthatyouwouldfollowforseekingadmission:

1)Decidewhichprogramandfieldyouwanttostudy2)Searchforandshortlisttheuniversitieswhereyouwanttoapply,whichoffertheprogramofyourchoice,alongwiththeirdepartmentnames,researchstrengthsandTOEFL(&GRE/GMAT)codes3)Download,fillandprinttheapplicationforms4)PreparecustomizedSoPandletterofrecommendations5)Completethedocumentsrequired(listgiveninalatersection)6)Checkthattheapplicationsetiscompleteinallregards7)Posttheapplication(ideallywellbeforetheapplicationdeadline)8)Waitfortheadmissionresults9)ApplyforVisa

Thedetailsofalltheabovethingsaregiveninsubsequentsections.

Keepinmindthatyouwouldhavetostartpreparingforadmissionatleast10-11monthsbeforeyourintendedstudiesstart,e.g.,ifyouareplanningtostartstudiesinAugust2005,thenyouwouldhavetostartpreparationsfromroundabou

tSeptember2004.

AdmissionProcess

Theadmissionprocessanddatesvaryfromuniversitytouniversity.NormallytheadmissionprocesscontinuesfromJanuarytoMarch/April.TheclassesstartinlateAugustorSeptember/October.Admissionsarecarriedoutonlyonceayear.Afewuniversitiesrequireyoutoapplyonline.Fordetailsanddatesofaparticularuniversity,seethewebsiteofthatuniversity.Itisstronglyrecommendedthatyouapplyassoonaspossibleandwellbeforetheapplicationdeadline,asinmostcasestheseatsarefilledveryearly.Anearlierapplicationmightgiveyouabetterchanceofadmission.Moreover,youwillgettheresponseearlierandwouldhaveenoughtimefordecisionorapplyingforVisaetc.Makesurethaty

ouhaveallthenecessarydocuments(marksheets,degrees,certificates,TOEFLscorereportetc)wellintime.Thelistoftherequireddocumentsisgivenbelow.Itisstronglyrecommendedthatyoupreparethesedocumentsbeforethestartoftheadmissionprocedure.Alsokeepinmindthatinternationalmailnormallytakesabout7-15days.

SincetheEuropeanuniversitiesdonthaveanyapplicationprocessingfee,soitdoesntcosttoapply.Theonlycostwouldbethatofpostage(which,inPakistan,isapproximatelyPKRs.200,ifyousendtheapplicationthroughregisteredmail).Soapplytoasmanyuniversitiesaspossible(recommendedistoapplytoatleast5universities),astheadmissioncriteriavaryvastlyfromuniversitytouniversity,yeartoyearandalsodependsontheapplicationsreceived.Sobeonthesafesideandapplyto5-6universitiesatleast.

Whenstartingapplyingforadmission,makeaseparatefolderforeachuniversitythatyouapplyto,tostoretheadmissioninformation,relateddocumentsandsubsequentcorrespondence.Thisllhelpyoutokeepthingsorganizedandmanageable.

Allthecommunicationbetweenyouandtheuniversityshouldbeproperandneatlytypedorprinted.Havepatienceandperseverancethroughouttheadmissionprocess(oranythingelseforthatmatter).Sometimesthingsmaynotworkthewayyouwantthemto,butDONEVERLOOSEHOPEandkeepontrying.Soonerorlateryouwillgetwhatyouwant.


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RequiredDocuments

Theexactdocumentsthateachuniversityrequireswoulddiffer,howeveringeneral,whileapplyingforMasters,followingarethedocuments(attestedphotocopies)thatuniversitiesrequireyoutosubmitalongwiththeapplication:

ApplicationForm(providedbytheuniversity)Filltheapplicationformcarefully.Youwouldeitherhavetoprintandfilltheformsorfillandprinttheforms.Itisrecommendedthatifpossible;useeithercomputerortype-writertofilltheforms.Ifaskedfor,useyourownhandwriting.Filltheapplicationformscarefullyandproperly.BachelorsDegree+DetailedMarkSheets+CertificatesHSSC/F.Sc/A-LevelCertificates+MarkSheetsSSC/Matric/O-LevelCertificates+MarkSheetsTOEFL/IELTSScoreReport

AfewuniversitiesrequirethatofficialTestscores(TOEFL,GRE,GMAT)besenttothemdirectlyfromETS.Youwouldhavetoarrangethisonthetestdayasmentionedinthefollowingsection.FordetailsandpreparationofTOEFL&othertests,seethenextsection.

YourC.V(CurriculumVitae)Unlessyouareaverybigscholarorresearcher,limityourC.Vtotwopagesatmax.TipsforpreparingagoodCVaregiveninalatersection.SoP(StatementofPurpose)

SoPisveryimportantfortheadmissionprocedure.DetailsandtipsonhowtoprepareitandsampleSoParegiveninasectionlateron.TwoLettersofRecommendationbyyourProfessorsorEmployerThecontentsoftheselettersandtherecommendationsmatteralotintheadmissionprocedure,somakesureyougetthemfromyourwell-reputedprofessors.Theselettersshouldbeenclosedinproperlysignedandsealedenvelopes.Alsonotethatsomeuniversitiesmighthavespecificformatfortherecommendationletterswhichtheyaskyourrefereestofillout,answeringshortanswertypequestions,orrankingyouamongthestudentstheyhavetaught.Ifthisistherequirement,itwouldbementionedalongsidethelistofdocumentsrequired,followit.

Itisrecommendedthatyougetoneletterfromyouruniversityandonefromyouremployer(ifyouaredoingajob).SeethesectiontitledHowtoprepareyourLe

tterofRecommendationsfortipsonhowtopreparetheselettersandasampleletter.

YourPhotographs(passportsize)ExperienceCertificate(incaseyouhavedoneoraredoingjobsomewhere)HavingaprofessionalbackgroundinthefieldyouareapplyingforMasters,wouldhelpyoualot,assomeuniversitiesgivequiteimportancetotheworkexperienceintherelatedfield.

Youcanalsosendyouradditionalrelateddocuments(e.g.,meritcertificates,distinctions,certificatesforotherqualificationsetc)

Additionally,followingdocumentsmayberequiredbysomeuniversities:PhotocopyofyourpassportMedicalCertificateFinancialCertificate

GMATScoreReport(incaseyouareapplyingforbusinessrelatedfields)GREScoreReport(incasetheuniversityhasrequirementofGRE)

Alsonotethatifanyofyourdegrees,marksheetsorcertificatesareinalanguageotherthanEnglish,thenyouwouldalsohavetosubmittheirEnglishtranslationsalongwiththephotocopiesoftheoriginals.

MakesurethattheinformationyoupresentintheformoftheRequiredDocumentsoranyotheradditionalinfo,shouldbecoherentandshouldnotcontradicteach


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other.

Dontmislead,deceiveorpresentfalseinformation.Dontsendanyunnecessaryandunrelateddocuments.Whenyoumakesetsofphotocopiesofdocuments,lettersofrecommendations&SOPSetc,itisrecommendedthatyoumakeTWOORTHREEEXTRASETS,asyoumightrequirethematsomelaterstage.

EducationalRequirements

ThefollowingsectioncoverstheeducationalrequirementsthatyoushouldhaveinordertobeeligibleforadmissiontoMasters.BachelorsDegree:ForadmissiontoMasters,youshould(oraboutto)haveaBachelorsdegreefromarecognizeduniversityintherelatedfieldforwhichyouareapplyingforMasters.Althoughtheexactcriteriavariesfromuniversitytouniversity;butusuallymanyuniversitiespreferapplicantswhohaveachievedgoodmarks&gradesthroughouttheireducationalcareer.Theapplicantshavingachievedpositionsandotherdistinctionsareobviouslypreferredmore.Ifyouhavesomepublicationsorresearchpapersinsomejournalorconference,itwouldbeagreatplusforyouradmission.However,thisisnotthecaseeverywhere;studentswithlowergradesormarksmayalsobeadmittediftheyhaveexcelledinotherfields,projectsandtheyhaveastrongprofessionalcareer.JustbearinmindthatifyouWANTtopursuehighereducationandmakereasonableeffortsforadmissionanddoitsensibly,thennomatterwhatevergradesyouhave,youhavequitegoodchancesofgettingadmissionwhereveryouwishto.Alsokeepinmindthathavingachievedhighmarkswont

guaranteeyouradmissionalone,thereareseveralotherthingsthatmatterincludingyourSOPs,letterofrecommendations,C.V,TESTscoresetc.

TOEFL/IELTSGMATGRE:Almostalltheuniversities(whichteachcoursesinEnglish)requirethatyouhavetakeneithertheTOEFLortheIELTStest.Moreover,someembassiesalsohaverequirementofTOEFLforissuingVISA.ForMBAandotherbusinessrelatedcourses,GMATisrequired.Forotherrequirements,e.g.,GREetc,seetheuniversityswebsite.

IfyourcoursesarenotinEnglish(butareinthenativelanguage),thenthereisnorequirementofTOEFLorIELTS,howeverinthatcasethereisarequirementthatyouhaveproficiencyinthatlanguageandtheuniversitymightrequireyoutoshowsomecertificateorproofetc.

Afewgeneralpointsaboutthesetestsarementionedbelow:

TheseTests(TOEFL,IELTS,GRE,GMAT)areGENERALandthequestionsinthesetestsarenotrelatedtoanyparticularfield.TheseTESTStesttheknowledgethathasbeenacquiredoveracertainperiodoftimeandnotrelatingtoanyspecificfieldofstudy.Keepinmindthatalthoughforeverytypeoftest,thereareminimumscorerequirementswhichyoumustclear,youshouldgetashighscoresaspossible.Thisllnotonlyincreaseyourchancesofadmissionbutwouldalsohelpyouinotherthingstooe.g.,applyingforascholarship,fundingorTAshipetc.Inordertoregisterforanyofthesetests,youshouldhaveavalidpassport(thisisaspecialrequirementfortesttakersfromthesub-continent),soifyouhaventgotoneyetyoushouldgetyoursassoonaspossible.InPakistan,inor

dertogetyourpassport,youwouldhavetogotoyourregionalpassportofficeandfilluptheformalongwiththefee(PKRs.1500)andrequireddocuments.Youwillgetyourpassportafter14daysfromthedateofsubmissionofforms.Youwouldhavetotakeyourpassporttothetestcentreonthetestdayasproofofyouridentity.Forregisteringforanyofthesetests,youwouldhavetopaytheregistrationfee,whichyoucaneitherpaybycreditcardorbankdraft(formakingaforeigncurrencybankdraft,contactyourbankoramoneychanger).Forothermodesofpayment,seetheofficialwebsiteortheappropriatebrochureofthetest.FortakingtheTOEFL/GRE/GMATtests,youwouldhavetoregisterwithETS(EducationalTestingService:http://www.ets.org).


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ETShasstartedonlineregistration,sonowyoucanregisteronlineusingacreditcard.Oryoucanalsodownloadtheform(InternationalTestSchedulingForm)fromtheirwebsite,fillitandfaxittotheRRC(RegionalRegistrationCentre),whichfortesttakersfromPakistanisinMalaysia.Oryoucanalsoschedulethetestappointmentviatelephone,forwhichyouwouldhavetocalltheRRCinMalaysia.Forexactdetailsofhowtoregisterforaparticulartest,seetheofficialwebsiteortheappropriatebrochureofthattest.

Youcantakethesetestsonlyoncepermonthi.e.,ifyouhavetakenanyofthetests(TOEFL/GRE/GMAT)inaparticularmonth,thenyoucanttakethesametestagaininthatmonth.

Onthetestday,afteryouhavetakenthetest,youwouldhavetheoptionofsendingyourtest(TOELF/GRE/GMAT)scoresdirectlytoupto4-5universitiesofyourchoicefreeofcost.ForthisyouwouldneedtoknowtheirTOEFL/GRE/GMATcodes,whichyoucangetfromtheuniversitywebsites,andifthesearenotmentionedthere,emailtheuniversitiestogetthem.Forsendingscorestootheruniversitiesorsendingscoreslater,youwouldhavetopayextrafees(app15$peruniversity),soensurethatwhenyougototakeanyofthesetests,youhavethenamesandTOEFL/GRE/GMATcodesoftheuniversitieswhereyouwantyourtestscorestobesent.Thetestscoresforanyofthesetestsisvalidforonlyacertainnumberofyears(e.g.,incaseofTOEFL,thetestscoresarevalidforonlytwoyears).Whenyouapplytoauniversity,theyrequirethatyouhaveavalidtest

scorei.e.,youhavetakenthattestintheprevious2(incaseofTOEFL)or5years(incaseofGRE/GMAT)andnotearlierthanthat.TheadmissionprocedureofmostoftheEuropeanuniversitiesstartfromJanuary,soensurethatyouhavetakentherequiredtestandhaveyourofficialscorereport(whichtakesapp.5-6weeksafteryouhavetakenthetest)withyoubytheendofDecemberorJanuary.Althoughyoucanalsosendthescorereportlater(afterapplying),yetitisrecommendedthatwhenyousendyourdocumentsforadmission,theyarecompleteinallrespect.InPakistan,thetestcentersarelocatedinIslamabad,LahoreandKarachi.

Someportionsofthesetestsarecomputeradaptive.WhatismeantbyaComputerAdaptiveTest?

Ineachofthesetests,oneormoresectionscontainmultiplechoicequestions.Foreachmultiple-choicesectionofthetest,thereisalargepoolofpotentialquestionsrangingfromalowtohighlevelofdifficulty.Eachsectionoftheteststartswithaquestionofmoderatedifficulty.Ifyouanswerthefirstquestioncorrectly,thecomputerwillgiveyouaharderquestionnext.Ifyouanswerthefirstquestionincorrectly,yournextquestionwillbeeasieri.e.,thelevelofdifficultyofthenextquestionvarieswithwhetherthecurrentquestionhasbeenansweredcorrectlyornot.Thisprocesswillcontinueuntilyoucompletethesection,atwhichpointthecomputerwillhaveanaccurateassessmentofyourabilitylevelinthatsectionofthetesti.e.,acomputeradaptivetestautomaticallyadjuststoyourskilllevel.Inacomputer-adaptivetest,onlyonequestionatatimeispresented.Becausethecomputerscoreseachquestionbeforeselectingthenextone,youmaynotskip,returnto,orchangeyourresponsestop

reviousquestions.

Inacomputeradaptivetest,yourscoreisdeterminedby:thenumberofquestionsyouanswerwhetheryouanswerthequestionscorrectlyorincorrectlythelevelofdifficultyandotherstatisticalcharacteristicsofeachquestion;

difficultquestionscarrymoremarksThequestionsinanadaptivetestareweightedaccordingtotheirdifficultyandotherstatisticalproperties,notaccordingtotheirpositioninthetest.TipsandotherusefulpointstobekeptinmindforanyofthesetestsaregivenlaterinthesectiontitledUsefulPointstobe


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keptinmindforanyofthesetests.DetailsaboutTOEFL,IELTS,GREandGMATaregivenbelow.TOEFL(TestofEnglishasForeignLanguage)

TOEFLmeasurestheEnglishproficiencyofnon-nativespeakersofEnglish.MostpeoplewhotaketheTOEFLtestareplanningtostudyatcollegesanduniversitieswhereinstructionisinEnglish.ForTOEFL,thenormalminimumscorerequirementofmostuniversitiesis213,whileforsomeothersitis237(outof300,thisisforComputerBasedTOEFL).TOEFLiseasyandwiththepreparationof3-4weeks,youshouldbeabletoscoreinexcessof250.Ipreparedforacoupleofweeksandmyscorewas280.

ThefeefortakingtheTOEFLtestis130$.Fordetailsandhowtoregister,visittheTOEFLwebsitehttp://www.toefl.organddownloadtheTOEFLbulletin,whichcontainsallthenecessaryinformation.

SectionsoftheTOEFLTest

Currently,theTOEFLtesthasthefollowingfoursections:-Section

TutorialsListeningStructure

ReadingWritingQuestions

7Tutorials30-50Questions20-25Questions

5minuteBreak44-55Questions70-90mins1prompt30minsTime

Untimed40-60mins15-20mins

Marks

-----0-30(scaledto100)0-15(scaledto50)

0-30(scaledto100)0-15(scaledto50)

WhenyouhavetakentheTOEFLTest,youcanviewyourunofficialListening&Readingscoresatthetestcenter;however,becauseoftheessayscoringprocess,y

ouwillnotbeabletoviewyourWritingscoresatthattime.Insteadyouwouldbegivenarange(e.g.,230-280)inwhichyourfinaltotalscorewouldlie.

ThevarioussectionsoftheTOEFLtestaredescribedbelow:

Listening(MultipleChoiceQuestions)ThissectionmeasurestheabilitytounderstandspokenEnglish.Thissectiontestscomprehensionofmainideas,supportingideas,importantdetailsandinferences.Youwillbothseeandhearthequestionsbeforetheanswerchoicesappear.Inthissection,youwouldlistentoshortconversations,longerconversations&classdiscussions,lectures&talksandthenyouwouldhavetoanswerthequestionsaboutwhatyouhavelistened.SincethissectionisComputerAdaptive,soonceyouhaveconfirmedyouranswer,youcantgobackandchangeyouranswers.

Structure(MultipleChoiceQuestions)ThissectionmeasurestheabilitytorecognizelanguagethatisappropriateforstandardwrittenEnglish.Thelanguagetestedisformal,ratherthanconversational.Inthissection,therearetwotypesofquestions;namelyincompletesentencesandsentenceswithunderlinedwordsandphrases.Theyarepresentedinrandomorder.SincethissectionisalsoComputerAdaptive,soonceyouhaveconfirmedyouranswer,youcantgobackandchangeyouranswers.Thescoreinthissectioniscombinedwiththescoreontheessaythatyoucomposeinthewritingsection.


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Reading(MultipleChoiceQuestions)Thissectionmeasurestheabilitytounderstandshortpassagessimilarintopicandstyletoacademictextsusedincollegesanduniversities.Inthissection,therewouldbe3-6passageswithanaverageof6-10questionsaftereachpassage.Youwouldreadthepassagesandthenanswerthequestionsrelatedtothem.ThissectionisnotComputerAdaptive,soyoucangoback(toquestionsrelatedtothesamepassagethatyouarereadingcurrently)andchangeyouranswers.

Writing(NoChoice)Theessaywritingsectiondemonstratestheabilitytogenerateandorganizeideas,tosupportthoseideaswithexamplesorevidence,andtocomposeinstandardwrittenEnglishinresponsetoanassignedtopic.

Forthissection,youwouldbegivenatopiconwhichyouwouldhavetocomposeanessayof3-5paragraphsor300-500words.ThewritingtopicsareprovidedontheTOEFLwebsitewhichyoushoulddownloadfromthere.Theessayintheactualtestcomesstrictlyfromthesetopics.Youshoulddiscussthesetopicswithyourfriendsorsiblingsetc.Makepointsinyourmindoneachofthesetopicsandpreparewhatyouwouldwrite.Mostofthetopicsaskyoutoagreeordisagreewithastatementortoexpressanopinion,henceitisusefultomakeanopinioninadvanceandpreparepointsinfavorofthatopinion.Onthetestday,youwouldhavetheoptionofeithertotypeyouressay(usingcomputer)ortohand-writeit.Incaseyouchoosetohand-writetheessay,thescoringandresultwouldtakeapproximately2weeksmorethanincasewhenyoutypeit.Agoodessaymusthaveagoodbeginning(introduction),goodcommentstosupportyouropinion(theb

ody)andagoodendingthatsummarizestheessay.Theessayisscoredonascaleof1-6inhalfpointincrements.

PreparingforTOEFL:

oForpreparationofTOEFL,youshouldbuysomeTOEFLCDs;popularonesare

LongmanTOEFL,BarronsTOEFLandKaplansTOEFL.oYoushouldalsodownloadPowerPrepTOEFLfromTOEFLswebsiteorgetitfromsomeCD.Itstheofficialtest-preparationsoftware.oDuringpreparation,youshouldtakeatleast3or4full-lengthtimedTOEFLtests;thiswouldhelpyoutoevaluateyourselfandwouldhelpyoutopaceproperly.oForthegrammarsection,practicevariousthingse.g.,theagreementoftheVerbwiththesubjectetc.oYoucanalsojoinsomeacademyori

nstituteforpreparingfortheTest.

UsefulpointstobekeptinmindfortakingtheTOEFLTest

1.DONEVERuseblindguessinginListening&Structuresections,asthesetwosectionsarecomputeradaptiveandblindguessingcanseriouslyloweryourscore.If,howevertimeisveryshort,youmayuseitintheReadingsection.

2.DonottrytoskipquestionsinListeningandStructuresections,asyoucantskipthemandtryingtodosowillonlyresultinwastageoftime.Formoretipsandusefulpoints,seethesectionUsefulPointstobekeptinmindforanyofthesetestslater.SendingTOEFLTestScoresdirectlytoUniversities:

Onthetestday,youcansendyourofficialTOEFLtestscorestouptofouruniversitiesofyourchoicefreeofcost.ValidityofTOEFLscores:

TheTOEFLscoresarevalidforonlytwoyears.NextGenerationTOEFL

ETSwilllaunchNextGenerationTOEFLfromSeptember2005,inwhichthefoursectionswouldbe:Listening,Reading,SpeakingandWriting.YouneedtotakeeithertheTOEFLortheIELTSTest,notboth.

IELTS(InternationalEnglishLanguageTestingSystem)


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ForIELTS,thenormalminimumscorerequirementofmostuniversitiesis6.0orinsomecases6.5(outofascorebandof1-9).ScoresinIELTSarereportedashalforfullband.IELTSisowned,developedanddeliveredthroughthepartnershipoftheBritishCouncil(http://www.britishcouncil.org),IDPEducationAustralia(http://www.idp.com/)andtheUniversityofCambridgeESOLExaminations(http://www.cambridgeesol.org/).FordetailedinformationaboutIELTS,visithttp://www.ielts.organddownloadtheIELTShandbook,whichcontainsallthenecessaryinformation.Foradmissions,youwouldnormallyhavetotaketheAcademicIELTStest.InPakistan,IELTSisconductedbyTheBritishCouncil(http://www.britishcouncil.org).ThefeefortakingtheIELTS(inPakistan)isPKRs.7000.

SectionsoftheIELTSTest

TheIELTStesthasthefollowingfoursections:-Section

ListeningReadingWritingSpeakingQuestionsTime

40Questions30mins40Questions60minsBreak2Tasks60mins3parts11-14mins

Thesesectionsaredescribedbelow:

ListeningTheListeningModuletakesaround30minutes,thereare40questions.

Inthissection,thecandidateslistentoanumberofrecordedtexts,whichincreaseindifficultyasthetextprogresses.TheseincludeamixtureofconversationsanddialoguesandfeatureavarietyofEnglishaccentsanddialects.

Therecordingisheardonlyonce,butcandidatesaregiventimetoreadthequestionsandrecordtheiranswers.Thereareatotaloffoursections;thefirsttwosectionsareconcernedwithsocialneeds,whilethelasttwosectionsareconcernedwithsituationsrelatedmorecloselytoeducationalortrainingcontexts.

ReadingTheAcademicReadingModuletakes60minutes,thereare40questions.Therearethreereadingpassageswithtasks.Textsaretakenfrombooks,magazines,journalsandnewspapers,allwrittenforanon-specialistaudience.Atleastoneofthetextscontainsadetailedlogicalargument.Onetextmaycontainnon-v

erbalmaterialssuchasdiagrams,graphsorillustrations.Textandtasksbecomeincreasinglydifficultthroughthepaper.

WritingTheAcademicWritingModuletakes60minutes.Therearetwotaskstocomplete.Forthefirsttask;candidateswriteareportofaround150wordsbasedonmaterialfoundinatableordiagram,demonstratingtheirabilitytodescribeandexplaindata.Itissuggestedthatabout20minutesbespentontask1.

Forthesecondtask;candidateswriteashortessayofaround250wordsinresponsetoanopinionoraproblem.Theyareexpectedtodemonstrateanabilitytodiscussissues,constructanargumentandusetheappropriatetoneandregister.Itissuggestedthatabout40minutesbespentontask2.Candidatesshouldnotethatscriptsundertherequiredminimumwordlimitarepenalized.

SpeakingTheSpeakingModuletakesbetween11to14minutes.Itconsistsofanoralinterviewbetweenthecandidatesandanexaminer.CandidatesareassessedontheiruseofspokenEnglishtoanswershortquestions,speakatlengthonafamiliartopic,andalsotoaskquestionsandinteractwiththeexaminer.

Therearethreeparts:InPart1,thecandidatesanswergeneralquestionsaboutthemselves,theirhomes/families,theirjobs/studies,theirinterests,andarangeofsimilarfamiliartopicareas.Thispartlasts4-5minutes.InPart2,thecandidateisgivenaverbalpromptonacardandisaskedtotalkonaparticula


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rtopic.Thecandidatehasoneminutetopreparebeforespeakingatlength,forbetweenoneandtwominutes.Theexaminerthenasksoneortworounding-offquestions.InPart3,theexaminerandcandidateengageinadiscussionofmoreabstractissuesandconceptswhicharethematicallylinkedtothetopicpromptinpart2.Thediscussionlasts4-5minutes.

PreparingforIELTS:

oTrainingmaterialforthepreparationoftheIELTStestcanbepurchasedfromyournearesttestcentreordirectlyfromCambridgeESOL(http://www.cambridgeesol.org/)orIDPEducationAustralia(http://www.idp.com/).

oTheIELTSSpecimenMaterialpack,whichincludestwobooklets,aCDandsampleanswers,isavailablefromofficesofTheBritishCouncilatPKRs975apack.TheBritishCouncilalsooffersaone-dayintroductioncourseanda30-hourIELTSpreparationworkshopforstudentsinterestedinfamiliarizingthemselveswiththeIELTSexamandimprovingtheirIELTSband.Fordetails,seethewebsiteofTheBritishCouncil(http://www.britishcouncil.org/).

oForpreparationofIELTS,youcanbuysomeIELTSCDsorbooksalongwithcassettes;popularbooksareCambridgeIELTS1,2,3andInsightintoIELTSTheCambridgeCourse.

oThelastsectionofthetestisSpeaking,forwhichyoushouldbeabletospea

kfluentEnglish.Forthis,practicespeakingEnglishandinterviewingwithyourfriendsorsiblings.Themoreyouspeak,themorecommandyouwouldbeabletoget.

oAusefulwebsiteforinformationandpreparationofIELTSishttp://www.infoielts.com/oDuringpreparation,youshouldtakeatleast3or4full-lengthtimedIELTStests;thiswouldhelpyoutoevaluateyourselfandwouldhelpyoutopaceproperly.oYoucanalsojoinsomeacademyorinstituteforpreparingfortheTest.

UsefulpointstobekeptinmindfortakingtheIELTSTest

1.ThelisteningpartusuallyhasaudiotranscriptsofpeoplefromAustraliaand

England,theiraccentsmightnotbeveryfamiliaraswearenormallyusedtoAmericanaccent,sopracticelisteningandapprehendingallsortsofaccents.

2.FacetheinterviewerintheSpeakingsectionwithconfidenceandspeakfluently.Formoretipsandusefulpoints,seethesectionUsefulPointstobekeptinmindforanyofthesetestsgivenlater.ValidityofIELTSscores:

TheIELTSscoresarevalidfortwoyears.GRE(GraduateRecordExaminations)

AfewuniversitiesrequirethatyouhavetakentheGREtest.AfewothersalthoughnotrequireGREexplicitly,yettheypreferapplicantswhohavetakentheGREtest.IfyouhavealreadytakentheGREtest,thenitwouldbeagreatpluspointforadmission.IfyouwishtoapplytoauniversitywhichrequiresGRE,make

surethatyouhavetakenorwouldtaketheGREtestintime.GREisageneraltestrequiredbyuniversitiesforadmissionintoGraduateprograms.GRETestiscomputeradaptive.ThefeefortakingtheGREtestis140$(175$fortesttakersfromChina).FormoreinformationonGRE,visithttp://www.gre.organddownloadtheGRE

InformationBulletin.Keepinmind,thatrightnowonlyafewEuropeanuniversitiesrequireGRE,howeverthisnumberisincreasingeveryyear,anditisquitepossiblethatinafewyearstimequitealargenumberofuniversitieswouldberequiringGRE.


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SectionsoftheGRETest

TheGREtesthasthefollowingthreesections:-Section

AnalyticalWritingVerbalQuantitative

QuestionsTimeScores

2Tasks75mins0-630Questions30mins0-80028Questions45mins0-800

Ifyoutakethecomputer-basedTest,youcanviewyourunofficialVerbalandQuantitativescoresatthetestcenter;however,becauseoftheessayscoringprocess,youwillnotbeabletoviewyourAnalyticalWritingscoresatthattime.

ThevarioussectionsoftheGREtestaredescribedbelow:

AnalyticalWritingTheAnalyticalWritingsectionmeasuresthefollowingskills:articulatecomplexideasclearlyandeffectively

examineclaimsandaccompanyingevidencesupportideaswithrelevantreasonsandexamplessustainawell-focused,coherentdiscussioncontroltheelementsofstandardwrittenEnglish

Inthissection,thereare2writingTasks;a45-minutePresentYourPerspectiveonanIssue"taskanda30-minuteAnalyzeanArgumenttask.The"Issue"taskstatesanopiniononanissueofgeneralinterestandasksyoutoaddresstheissuefromanyperspectivesyouwish,aslongasyouproviderelevantreasonsandexamplestoexplainandsupportyourviews.The"Argument"taskpresentsadifferentchallengeitrequiresyoutocritiqueanargumentbydiscussinghowwellreasonedyoufindit.

Verbal(MultipleChoiceQuestions)

TheVerbalsectionmeasuresthefollowingskills:analyze&evaluatewrittenmaterialandsynthesizeinformationobtainedfromitanalyzerelationshipsamongcomponentpartsofsentencesrecognizerelationshipsbetweenwordsandconcepts

Thereare30questionsinthissection.TheseincludeAnalogies(7Qs),SentenceCompletion(6Qs),Antonyms(9Qs)andReadingComprehension(3Qs).SincethissectionisComputerAdaptive,soonceyouhaveconfirmedyouranswer,youcantgobackandchangeyouranswers.

Quantitative(MultipleChoiceQuestions)

TheQuantitativesectionmeasuresthefollowingskills:understandbasicconceptsofarithmetic,algebra,geometry,anddataanalysisreasonquantitativelysolveproblemsinaquantitativesetting

Thereare28questionsinthissection.TheseincludeMathematicalcomparisons(

14Qs),ProblemSolving(10Qs),andChart(4Qs).SincethissectionisalsoComputerAdaptive,soonceyouhaveconfirmedyouranswer,youcantgobackandchangeyouranswers.

PreparingforGRE:

oGoodbooksforpreparingforGREareCrackingGRE,GREBigBookandBarron sGuideforGREpreparation.oYoushouldstartpreparingforthetestatleast6monthsbefore.Buildatimetableandgivein1.5-2hoursdailyforthefirst2months,3hoursforthe3rdand4thmonthand6-7hoursforthelast2months.Tr


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ytogiveonehourmoreonSundays.IfyouarenotabletogiveinthetimethatImentioned,trytomakeupinthefollowingweekoronaholiday.

oIfyouwanttosecuremorethan700intheverbalsection,youhavetomemorizethe"Barron s"vocabularysection.95%ofthewordsthatcomeintheactualGREtestcomefrom"Barron s".

oThewordlistthatyoushouldpreparefromisBarrons3500Masterwordlist.Forpreparation,dontstartfromlist1andtrytomemorizeallwords.Thisprobablywillnottakeyoufurtherthan7-8lists.Instead,therightwayistostartfromlist1(youwilllaterneedtomakemanypassesoverthecomplete50lists).Memorizethewordswhichareeitheralreadyfamiliartoyouorassociatedtosomewordthatyouknow.Withveryordinaryeffort,youwillbeabletomemorizeanythingbetween20to45wordsfromeachlistof70words.Gooverallthelistsinsimilarmanner.Bynowyouwouldhavemasteredabout45%of3500words.Inthenextpassoverthewordlists,startatlist1,usethesamestrategybutnowyouwillbeabletorelateandmemorizemanymorewords.Inthethirdpass,concentrateontheremainingwordsineachlist,whicharecompletelynewtoyou.

oTostudyvocabulary,itisveryhelpful(thoughtimeconsuming)toreadagooddictionary,toknowthemanyconnotationsoftheword.KeepwritingthemeaningsofeachwordontheBarronslist.AlwaysreadthesynonymsofthewordasgivenintheBarronslist,becausethesearethewordsthatimproveyourvocabularyalot.

oWhenyouarepreparingforthetest,startbydoingthePeterson sbookandBarron swordlistsimultaneously.ThenmoveontheArco sbookandBarron swordlistsimultaneously.Whenyouhavefinishedallofthesebooks(bythe3rdmonth),starttimingyourselfandappearforthepracticetests.DotheBigBooktestsfirstforamonthandthenmoveontodoingtheBarron stests,Arco sandPeterson stest.GivetheKaplantestaboutaweekbeforethefinaltest.Addabout100markstowhateveryougetinthattestandthatwillroughlybethemarkthatyoucanexpectforthefinalexam.Finallyabout2daysbeforethefinalexam,appearforthepracticeCDsfromETS.

oFortheQuantitativesection,practicemath(Permutation/combination,probability,mean/median/mode...etc.)for6monthsonaregularbasis.Practiceallthe

sumsatleast2timesfromthelistofbooksandcdsthatImentionedabove.

oFortheanalyticalwritingsection,writeasmanyessaysasyoupossiblycan.Unfortunatelyyoucannotbuildonyouressaywritingskillssofastbutwhatyoucandoistomakesurethatyoudonotmakeanygrammatical,spellingorpunctuationerrors.Startyouressaywithsomeeyecatchingintroductione.g.,somestory/quotation/experienceetc.Writesmallclearsentences.Donottrytoputinflashywordsorsentencesunlessyouaredeadsurethatitistherightword.Trytogetyouressayscorrected,notallthough,onlyafewbutondifferenttopicsbysomeoneappropriateandtryandlearnfromthemistakesthatyoumade.

oThemostimportantpointisDon tPanic.Evenifyouseethatyourscoresarenotimprovinggreatlyoryouarenotlearningalot,stickinthere.Don tgive

upandyouwilleventuallysucceed.Donteverpanicevenintheexam.Ifthesetofwordsforyouaretough,themarkingwillbeeasy.Sojusttrystayingthere.Youwillmakeit.

oYoucanalsojoinsomeacademyorinstituteforpreparingfortheTest.Fortipsandusefulpoints,seethesectionUsefulPointstobekeptinmindforanyofthesetestsgivenlater.SendingOfficialGREscoresdirectlytoUniversities:

Onthetestday,youcansendtheofficialGRETestScoresfreeofcostdirectlytouptofouruniversities.ValidityofGREscores:


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TheGREscoresarevalidforfiveyears.GMAT(GraduateManagementAdmissionTest)

Ifyouareapplyingforabusinessrelatedprogram,thenyouneedtohavetakentheGMATTest.TheGMATisastandardizedassessmentthathelpsbusinessschools(&universities)assess

thequalificationsofapplicantsforadvancedstudyinbusinessandmanagement.TheGMATmeasuresbasicverbal,mathematical,andanalyticalwritingskillsthathavebeendevelopedoveralongperiodoftimeduringeducationandwork.

TheGMATscorerangeisfrom200to800.ThefeefortakingtheGMATtestis225$.FormoreinformationonGMAT,visitMba.com(http://www.mba.com)orGMAT.org(http://www.gmat.org)

SectionsoftheGMATTest

TheGMATtesthasthefollowingthreesections:SectionQuestionsTimeScores

AnalyticalWritingAssessment2Tasks60mins0-6Optional5minutesBreakQuantitative37Questions75mins0-60Optional5minutesBreakVerbal41Questions75mins0-60

WhenyouhavetakentheTest,youcanviewyourunofficialQuantitativeandVerbalscoresatthetestcenter;however,becauseoftheessayscoringprocess,youwillnotbeabletoviewyourAnalyticalWritingAssessmentscoresatthattime.

ThevarioussectionsoftheGMATtestaredescribedbelow:

AnalyticalWritingAssessmentTheAWAconsistsoftwoseparatewritingtasksAnalysisofanIssueandAnalysisofanArgument.Youareallowed30minutestocompleteeachone.

Quantitative(MultipleChoiceQuestions)Thissectiontestselementarymathematicalskills.Thissectioncontains37multiplechoicequestionsoftwoquestionty

pesDataSufficiencyandProblemSolving.Youwillbeallowedamaximumof75minutestocompletetheentiresection.SincethissectionisComputerAdaptive,soonceyouhaveconfirmedyouranswer,youcantgobackandchangeyouranswers.

Verbal(MultipleChoiceQuestions)Thissectioncontains41multiplechoicequestionsofthreequestiontypesReadingComprehension,CriticalReasoning,andSentenceCorrection.Youareallowedamaximumof75minutestocompletetheentiresection.SincethissectionisalsoComputerAdaptive,soonceyouhaveconfirmedyouranswer,youcantgobackandchangeyouranswers.

PreparingforGMAT:

oReadabouttheformatoftheGMAT.(SeethearticlesundertheheadingWhatIs

theGMAT?intheTaketheGMATsectionofMba.com)oFromMba.comdownloadandusethefreeGMATPOWERPREPTestPreparationSoftwaresothatyoucanbecomefamiliarwiththeformatusedintheactualGMATtest.oReviewthetypesofquestionsontheGMATbylookingatsamplequestionsforeachsectionofthetest.(ReadtheMba.comarticlesontheAnalyticalWritingAssessmentSection,VerbalSection,andQuantitativeSection.)oTostudyfortheAnalyticalWritingAssessment(AWA)sectionoftheGMAT,practicewritinganessayonsomeofthetopicsinthecompletelistofAWAessaytopics,downloadablefromMba.com.oYoushoulddoareviewofbasicmathskills.oReviewandstudyonesectionofthetestatatime.oAllowforatleastfive-sixweeksofstudyingbeforetakingthetest.oY


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oucanalsojoinsomeacademyorinstituteforpreparingfortheTest.

Fortipsandusefulpoints,seethesectionUsefulPointstobekeptinmindforanyofthesetestsgivenlater.SendingOfficialGMATscoresdirectlytoUniversities:

Onthetestday,youcansendyourGMATTestscorestouptofiveuniversities/institutionsofyourchoicefreeofcost.ValidityofGMATscores:

TheGMATscoresarevalidforfiveyears.Usefulpointstobekeptinmindforanyofthesetests

Followingaresomeofthepointsthatyoushouldkeepinmindwhilepreparingandtakinganyoftheabovementionedtests(oringeneralanyothertest).

1.Knowwellabouttheteste.g.,thetestformat,scoringcriteria,scoreyoumustachieve,howtoprepareforthetestetc.2.Preparewellandregularlyforthetest.Preparingfor2-3hourseachdayfor1-2monthsismuchbetterthanpreparingonlyfor5or6fulldays.3.Practiceallthesectionsofthetestwellandregularly.4.Duringpreparation,takethesampletestspreferablyinatimedmanner.5.Ifyouareplanningtoappearinacertaintest,itisstronglyrecommendedtogetintouchwithapersonwhohasalreadytakenthattesttogettoknowtheusefultipsorlikelyproblemsonecanencounterduringthetest.6.Thenightbeforethetest,getplentyofsleepandmakesureyouhaveeverything

youwillneedtobringtothetestcenter.7.Trynottobenervous.Youllbeabletofocusbetterifyourecalmandyoullbecalmifyouarriveatthetestcenterrested,prepared,knowingwhattoexpect,andarmedwithsomesolidtest-takingstrategies.8.Carefullyreadallthedirectionspresentedatthestartofthetestorduringthetest.9.Readeachquestionandalltheanswerchoicescarefullybeforeanswering.10.DoneveruseBlindGuessingincomputeradaptivesectionsofthetest,asthiscanseriouslyloweryourscore.11.Donttrytoskipquestionsincomputeradaptivesectionsofthetest,asyoucantskipthemandtryingtodosowillonlyresultinwastageoftime.12.Duringthetest,CONCENTRATEonlyonthecurrentsectionofthetest.13.Paceyourselfproperlyduringthetestkeepinginmindthetimeelapsed,thetimeremainingandnumberofquestionsremaining.14.Duringthetest,managethetimeproperly;donotspendtoomuchtimeonanyonequestion.MOVEONsoastogiveyourselfsufficienttimetoans

wereachquestion.15.Donotpanic.Relax.16.Ifyoudontknowtheanswertoaquestion,useINTELLIGENTGUESSINGi.e.,Firsteliminatethewronganswers,andthenguess.17.Ifthereisabreakbetweenvarioussectionsofthetest,useitefficientlytotakerestandtorecomposeyourself.

Finding&SelectingUniversities

ThereisnospecificrankingofEuropeanuniversities(unlikethatofUSuniversities).Mostoftheuniversitiesareofequallevelandstandard,howevertheydifferintheprogramstheyofferandbecauseoftheirdepartmentsandfaculties.Theuniversitieswhereyouwishtoapplydependonyourchoiceofprogramthatyouwishtopursue.Selecttheuniversitiesthatofferyourdesiredprogram.Itdependsalsoonthecoursestheyofferandtheprofessors/teacherstheyhavein

theirfaculty,soyourchoiceforaparticularuniversityshouldtakeintoaccountthefactorslike:

1.Theprogramthatyouwishtopursue2.CourseContent(coursesofferedbytheuniversityinthatprogram)3.FacultyandResearchprofilesoftheprofessorsinthatdepartment4.Collaboration&linkageoftheuniversitywiththeindustryandfacilitiesofferedbytheconcerneddepartment5.LocationoftheuniversityandJob&financialconditionsinthatcity/country(ifyouplantomeetyourexpensesbydoingaparttimejob)


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Theusualcountry-wisepreferencelistthatmostpeoplerecommendis:1.Germany2.Sweden3.Denmark4.Finland5.Netherlands,BelgiumHowever,itisnotastrictlist,youshouldchooseaccordingtoyourownrequirementsandpreferences.

Forfindingtheuniversitywebsites,youcanusethefollowinglinks:Google:http://www.google.com/GooglesDirectoryListingofColleges&UniversitiesinEuropeYahoosDirectoryListingofUniversitiesAcademicRankingofWorldUniversities:http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/ranking.htmBrainTrack:http://www.braintrack.com/GradSchoolSearchGuide:http://www.gradschools.com/WorldwideColleges&Universities:http://www.usc.edu/dept/education/globaled/wwcu/ASearchableDatabaseforUniversitiesWorldwide:http://univ.cc/StudyOverseas:http://www.studyoverseas.com/ListofUniversitiesofferingEE&ComputerEngineeringPrograms:

http://www.ece.umr.edu/links/schools/ListofComputerScienceDepartmentsAcrosstheWeb:http://www.cs.haverford.edu/CS-Departments.htmlBusinessWeeksBusinessSchoolRankings:http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/03/geographic.htm

ForfindinguniversitiesinGermany,youcanusethefollowinglinks:http://www.daad.de/deutschland/en/http://www.campus-germany.de/english/1.htmlhttp://www.higher-education-compass.dehttp://www-en.studienwahl.de/fmg.htmhttp://www.uni-flensburg.de/sesam/agep.edu/index.htmlStern-CHEUniversitiesRanking:http://www.university-ranking.de

ForfindinguniversitiesinSweden,usethefollowinglinks:http://katalogen.su

net.se/cat/education/universitieshttp://www.studyinsweden.seNationalAgencyforHigherEducation:http://www.hsv.se/en

ForfindinguniversitiesinDenmark,usethefollowinglink:DanishMinistryofEducationOfficialWebsiteonInternationalEducationinEnglish:http://www.ciriusonline.dk/eng/?Id=421ForfindinguniversitiesinFinland,usethefollowinglink:CIMO(CentreforInternationalMobility):http://finland.cimo.fi/

Theadmissionprocedureandallotherrelateddetailsarementionedontheuniversityswebsite.Youwouldhavetodownloadandprinttheforms,orinsomecasestherewouldbeanonlineapplicationprocedure.

AlsonotedowntheTOEFL/GRE/GMATcodesoftheseuniversitieswhereyouintendt

oapplyasyoumighthavetosendtestscorestotheseuniversitiesdirectlyfromETS.Ifyoudontfindthesecodesontheuniversitywebsite,emailthemtogetit.

NotethatfewoftheuniversityswebsitesmaybeinlanguagesotherthanEnglish,howeverinmostcasestherewouldbealinktotheEnglishversion.Clickonthat(eitheratextlinkoraBritishFlag)andyoushouldbeabletogettheinformationyouneed.IncasethewebsiteoraspecificpageisnotavailableinEnglish,usethetranslationsoftwaresortranslationwebsites,fewlinksaregivenbelow.

TranslationamongvariousLanguagesLangenberg:http://translation.langenberg.com/FreeTranslation:http://www.freetranslation.com/AltaVistaBabelFish:http://

babelfish.altavista.com/GoogleTranslation:http://www.google.com/language_tools

ListofTop-ratedEuropeanUniversities

Afewofthewell-knownandtop-ratedEuropeanuniversitiesarementionedbelow,alongwithlinkstotheirwebsites.UniversityCountry

TechnicalUniversityMunchen(Munich)TUMRWTHAachenTechnicalUniversityHamburgHarburg(TUHH)UniversityofStuttgartUniversityofULMUniversityofDuisbur


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gEssenUniversityofKeilGermany

WebsiteTOEFLCode

http://www.tum.de/7806GermanyGermany

GermanyGermanyGermanyGermany

http://www.rwth-aachen.de/http://www.tuhh.de/index_e.8165htmlhttp://www.uni-stuttgart.de/8174http://www.uni-ulm.de/http://www.uni-duisburg.de/http://www.uni-kiel.de/

ChalmersUniversityofTechnologyRoyalInstituteofTechnologyKTH,StockholmLinkpingsUniversitetLundUniversityGteborgsUniversitySwedenSweden

http://www.chalmers.se/0050http://www.kth.se/eng/7966

SwedenSwedenSweden

http://www.liu.se/en0101http://www.lu.se/lu/0089http://www.gu.se/English/0083

TechnicalUniversityofDenmark(DTU)AalborgUniversityDenmark

Denmarkhttp://www.dtu.dk/index_e.ht1684mhttp://www.auc.dk/english/

HelsinkiUniversityofTechnology(HUT)TampereUniversityofTechnology(TUT)

Finlandhttp://www.hut.fi/English/0053Finlandhttp://www.tut.fi/0599

TUDELFTUniversityofTwenteHollandHolland

http://www.tudelft.nl/http://www.utwente.nl/en/

KatholiekeUniversiteitLeuvenBudapestUniversityofTechnologyandEconomicsNTNU-NorwegianUniversityofScienceandTechnologyUniversityofOslo,NorwayBelgiumHungry

http://www.kuleuven.ac.be/http://www.bme.hu/en/NorwayNorwayhttp://www.ntnu.no/indexe.phphttp://www.uio.no/english/

Asmentionedpreviously,inadditiontoyourBachelorsdegreeandTests(TOEFL,IELTS,GRE,GMAT),youneedtopreparecertainotherdocuments.Thefollowingsectionsprovidedetailsandusefultipsforpreparingthesedocuments.

HowToPrepareyourC.V(CurriculumVitae)

YourCurriculumVitae/resumeisanessentialdocumentthatrepresentsyourself.Itisasummaryofyourcareerhistoryandtheskillsandexperiencesyouhavegainedduringthecourseofit.Itspeaksofyoureducationalandprofessionalba

ckgroundaswellastheachievementsyouhavemade.Maybeitwouldbethefirstdocumentthattheadmissioncommitteewouldlookat,whileaccessingyourapplication,soprepareitwell.AgoodResumeshouldattractattention,createapositiveimpressionandpresentyourrelevantskillsandqualitiesclearlyandconcisely.Itshouldbeneat,well-organizedandcomplete.

WhatyourCVshouldcontain

YourCVshouldcontainthesectionsdescribedbelowintheordertheyarementioned.Ifasectionisnotrelatedtoyou,dontincludeit.


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ObjectiveStatementYoucangiveaoneortwolinestatementmentioningyourobjectivesandwhatyouaspire.Thisllgiveyourreaderageneralideaofyourareaofexpertise.Putsomethoughtinthinkingandwritingthisobjectivestatement.

PersonalInformationThissectionshouldcontainyourname,dateofbirth,nationality(optional)andcontactdetails(email,phonenumberandaddress).

Yournameshouldstandout.Makeit2fontsizeslargerthaneverythingelse.Forexample,ifyouareusing12pointfontsizeforyourresume(whichispreferred)writeyournameinthe14pointfontsize.Youcanalsousealluppercaselettersand/orboldfacetypeforyourname.

WorkExperience&JobsThissectionshouldcontainyourWorkexperience,ProfessionalPositionsthatyouhaveheldandanyProjectsthatyouhaveworkedonorhavebeenpartof.Startingwithyourpresentposition,listthetitleofeveryjobyouhavedone,alongwiththenameofthecompany,thecity,andtheyearsyouworkedthereandyourduty.Describeyourworkexperienceinshortsentencesusingstraightforward,positivelanguage.Aswellasdescribingthejob,describewhatdidyoucontributedinallyourpreviousjobsandpointoutanygeneralqualitiesthatarosefromtheworksuchasabilitytomanagestafforworktotightdeadlinesetc.

Youcanalsoaddanyinternshipsthatyouhavedoneinthissection.

ProfessionalSkillsThissectionshouldlistyourprofessionalskillse.g.,ifyouareaprogrammer,thenyourITrelatedskillse.g.,inwhatlanguages(VisualC,C#,Matlabetc)youexpertisein.Alsolistyourothercomputer-relatedexpertise.

Educational&AcademicRecordThissectionshouldcontainyoureducationandacademicrecord.Startingfromthemostrecentdegree,listbriefdetailsofqualificationsBachelorsDegree,HSSC,SSC(orequivalents)-alongwithmarks/gradesattained.Youmaymakedifferentcategoriesinitdependingonyourqualificationanddegreee.g.,youmightaddaCoursesorSubjectssection,highlightingthemaincoursesandsubjectsthatyouhavestudied.

Distinctions/AwardsThissectionshouldcontainanydistinctionsorawardsthatyouhaveachievedduringeducationorprofessionalwork.Youcanalsomentiondistinctionsachievedinco-curricularactivities.

MembershipinProfessionalAssociationsHereyoucanlistyourmembershipsofanyprofessionalassociationsthatyouhavee.g.,P.E.CorIEEetc.

ProfessionalActivities&ProjectsInthissectionlistalltheprojectsyoustarted,neatthingsyoudid,committeemembershipsyouheld(e.g.,departmentalcommittees;theycount),in-servicetrainingprogramsyouconducted,importantguestlecturesyoupresented,etc.

PapersPresented&PublicationsHereyoucanlistthepapersthatyouhaveprese

ntedoranypublicationsthatyouhavemadeasanindividualorasbeingpartofateam.Youcanalsomentionthevariousseminarsandconferencesyoumighthaveattended,butbespecificandrelevant.

ProfessionalReferencesHereyoucanmentionthenamesandcontactdetailsoftwoorthreereferenceswhowillspeakveryhighlyofyou.Listandnumbereachreferees,givetheirname,title,andcontact.Ifyouhavedonejobsomewhere,thenoneoftherefereesshouldbeyourmostrecentemployer.Graduatesandpeoplewithlimitedworkexperiencecannominatecollegelecturers,teachersormanagersduringworkexperience.Besuretotellyourrefereesinadvance,sotheywill


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bepreparedandaskthepersonbeforeyouincludehisorhernameinyourCVasreferee,ifitisOKtodoso.Ifyouprefer,youcanalsoleaveoutthenamesofthereferees,insteadwritesomethinglikeReferencescanbeprovidedonrequest.

TipsforpreparingabetterCV

EnsuringyourCViswellpresentedandeasytofollowisasimportantasincludingalltherelevantinformation.FollowingareafewtipsforpreparingaprofessionallookingCV:

1.DecideforwhatpurposeyouarepreparingyourCV(e.g.,foradmissionorforajob)andthentailoritaccordingly.2.YourCVshouldbesimple,concise,clearandtidywithalltheinformationeasytofind.3.Keepittothepointandconcentrateonthequalityofyourachievements,notthequantity.4.Theinformationshouldbecategorizedunderclearheadings(asmentionedabove)highlightedinboldorcapitals.Putdatesontheleft-handsideandindentinformationsothatalltheinformationiseasilyreadable.Moreover,puttheimportantandrelevantinformationneartothetopofyourCV.5.Dontoverburdenthedocumentwithdetailthatisunimportant.Alsodontincludesuchitemsasreligion,hobbiesoritemsofthatkind.Theyareunnecessaryandunprofessional.6.UseappropriateKeywords(e.g.,Java,Matlab,.NETorotherkeywordsdependingonyourfieldandexpertise).Keywordsareveryimportant.TheymaybeyourSkills,MajorCompaniesandevenUniversities.7.Thestyleofpresentationshouldbeconsistent

throughouttheCV,bothwithinasectionandbetweensections.8.Useaconfidenttoneandpositivelanguage.Concentrateonyourachievementsandnotonyourresponsibilities.Thismeanslistingthingsyouhavedoneandnotrewritingyourjobdescription.9.Dontincludeyourphotounlessyouhavebeenspecificallyaskedforone.10.Dontlieorpresentanykindofwronginformation.11.Checkthoroughlyforincorrectspellingsandgrammarmistakes.12.ReviseyourCVseveraltimes;alsohaveothers(e.g.,yourfriendsorco-workers)gothroughitbeforeyoufinalizeyourCV.

AusefulapproachistokeepaCVdevelopmentfile.(Ifyouarentkeepinganykindoffilesyet,startonenow).Thrownotesintothisfileregardingthekindsofthingsyouaredoingonyourassistantships,specialtalksyougave,activitiesyouperformedthatwerenoteworthy,committeeassignments,paperspresented,a

ssociationsjoined&everythingelseyouneedtoupdateyourCVANDthenusingthisfile,updateyourCVregularlyorwhenevertheneedarises.

HowtoprepareSoP(StatementofPurpose)

Foradmission,theSoPmattersalot,sotaketimeandputextraeffortinpreparingyourSoP.WhatisSoP?

ThereasonwhytheuniversitywantsapplicantstowriteanSoPisthattheywanttoknowasmuchastheypossiblycanaboutalltheapplicants.Testscores,gradesanddegrees,institutionsofpreviousstudyandpersonalrecommendationsareallimportantindicatorsofanapplicantsfuturesuccess.However,thesedatadonotrevealmuchabouttheindividual,his/hermotivation,whytheapplicantis

interestedinthatparticularprogram,orwhethertheapplicantisthekindofstudentthefacultywantaroundthedepartment.TheStatementofPurposeexiststoallowapplicantstoconveysomethingpersonalaboutthemselvesandtoconvincethefacultymakingtheadmissionsselectionthattheapplicantisanespeciallyattractivecandidate.TheSoPisthusyourpersonalstatementaboutwhoyouare,whathasinfluencedyourcareerpathsofar,yourprofessionalinterestsandwhereyouplantogofromhere.TheSoPisyourchancetotalkdirectlytotheadmissionscommittee.Tomakeyourselfstandoutfromamongamultitudeofsimilarlyqualifiedcandidates.Toconvincethecommitteethatyouhavethespark,thethirstforknowledgethatcouldaddvaluetoyourclass.Itprovidesyoutheopp


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ortunitytopresentinformationthatisnotconveyedthroughobjectivedata,inaclear,direct,andconciseway,toexplainyourinterests,motivations,goalsandspecialtalents.Itmustbehonest.AgoodSoPwillcertainlyimproveyourchancesofgettingadmissiontotheuniversityofyourchoice,andmayevencompensateforweakerportionsofyourapplicationsuchaslessthan-perfectgrades.AbadSoP,ontheotherhand,hasthepotentialtodragdownanotherwisestrongapplication.WritingareasonablygoodStatementofPurposerequirescare,attention,patienceandenoughtimeforyoutobeabletowriteseveraldrafts,showthemtopeopleandpolishtheessaytillyougetaversionyouarehappywith.Notethat:TheSoPshouldbespecificandtailoredaccordingtotheuniversityandtheprogramyou

areapplyingto.ThebestwaytomakeatargetedSoPistofirstgothroughtheprogramyouwanttoapplyfor.Checkitscoursecontentsandseewhattheprofessorsaredoingforresearch.Gatherasmuchinformationaspossibleabouttheuniversity,theprogram,thefacultyandtheirresearchinterests.Thentrytorelateyourpreviousstudies,researchpapersandjobexperiencewiththecoursecontent.TprepareyourSoP,firstly,prepareanoutlineofthetopicsyouwanttocover(e.g.,professionalobjectivesandpersonalbackground)andlistsupportingmaterialundereachmaintopic.Writearoughdraftinwhichyoutransformyouroutlineintoprose.Andthenamenditandaddtheotherrelatedstuff.Bespecificwhilementioningyourfieldofwork,studyorresearch.Sticktothepointsrequestedbyeachuniversity,andavoidlengthypersonalorphilosophicaldiscussions.Iftheapplicationinstructionsgiveaspecificormaximumlength(one

ortwopages)fortheStatementofPurpose,donotexceedit.Bebrief,yetcomplete.Checkyourgrammar,spelling,punctuation,andcapitalizationcarefully.AfterhavingwrittenyourSoP,examineitforcontinuityandreviseforfocus,clarityanddepth.Reviseandamenditasmanytimesasnecessary,astheSoPplaysaveryvitalroleinyouradmission.

PurposeofSoP

Asmentionedpreviously,thepurposeofSoPistopersuadetheadmissioncommitteethatyouareanapplicanttheyshouldchoose.Youmaywanttoshowthatyouhavetheabilityandmotivationtosucceedinyourfield,oryoumaywanttoshowthecommitteethat,onthebasisofyourexperience,youarethekindofcandidatewhowilldowellinthefield.

Usuallygraduateandprofessionaluniversitiesareinterestedinthefollowing:1.Yourpurposeingraduatestudy.Youmusthavethoughtthisthroughbeforeyoutrytoanswerthequestion.2.Theareaofstudyinwhichyouwishtospecialize.Thisrequiresthatyouknowthefieldwellenoughtomakesuchdecision.3.Yourfutureuseofyourgraduatestudy.Thiswillincludeyourcareergoalsandplansforyourfuture.

4.Yourspecialpreparationandfitnessforstudyinthefield.Thisistheopportunitytorelateyouracademicbackgroundwithyourextracurricularexperiencetoshowhowtheyunitetomakeyouaspecialcandidate.

5.Anyproblemsorinconsistenciesinyourrecordsorscoressuchasabadsemes

ter.Besuretoexplaininapositivemannerandjustifytheexplanation.Sincethisisarebuttalargument,itshouldbefollowedbyapositivestatementofyourabilities.

6.Youmaybeasked,"Whydoyouwishtoattendthisuniversity?"Thisrequiresthatyouhavedoneyourresearchabouttheuniversityandknowwhatitsspecialappealistoyou.7.Aboveallthis,thestatementistocontaininformationaboutyouasaperson.Theyknownothingaboutyouthatyoudonttellthem.Youarethesubjectofthestatement.ThingsthatSoPshoulddo


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ThefollowingarefewofthethingsthattheSoPshoulddo:

1.Itshouldbeobjectiveyetself-revelatory.Writedirectlyandinastraightforwardmannerthattellsaboutyourexperienceandwhatitmeanstoyou.Donotuse"academese"orjargon.

2.Itshouldformconclusionsthatexplainthevalueandmeaningofyourexperiencessuchaswhatyoulearned:a.aboutyourselfb.aboutyourfieldc.aboutyourfuturegoalsd.aboutyourcareerconcerns.

3.Itshouldbespecific.Documentyourconclusionswithspecificinstancesordrawyourconclusionsastheresultofindividualexperience.4.Itshouldbeanexampleofcarefulpersuasivewriting.

PartsofanSoP

AgoodSoPshouldhavethefollowingmainparts:-Introduction:Inthissection,introduceyourself,youreducationalbackgroundandwhatstudies/researchyouhavedoneasanundergraduate.

Interests:Inthissection,listyourinterestsandtheprogramyouwanttostudyandstatewhyyouwanttopursuethatparticularprogram.Mentionyourworkexperiencerelatingtothatprogram.Alsostatehowyourbackground(educationalorprofessional)wouldhelpyouinpursuingtheprogram.

FuturePlans:Inthissection,stateyourfutureplans,whatyouwanttodoafteryourstudiesandmentionhowyourstudieswouldhelpyouinyourfutureplans.

SampleSoP

(Itisjustasample,DONOTcopyitoruseasitis,MakeyourownSoP)

StatementofPurpose

MyobjectiveforgraduatestudiesinComputerScienceistopreparemyselfforthelongtermgoalofpursuingacareerofteachingandresearch.Ihavenurturedastrongpassiontobecomeascientistandpursueresearch.Inthepursuitofk

nowledge,Ihavealwaysadoptedarigorousapproachinordertoattainanin-depthunderstandingofthesubjectathand.Thisisamplyreflectedinmyconsistentlybrilliantcareer,asIhavealwayssecuredtoppositionsintheclassandhavereceivednumerousnationallevelawards.WithaGPAof3.96,IamrankedfirstattheI.I.Tamongnearly250students.

IhavebeeninvolvedinresearchinParallelandDistributedComputingSystems.Istudiedvariousproblemsindistributedsystemsanddistributeddatabasesincludingdeadlockdetectionandresolution,terminationdetection,distributedsnapshotsandconsistency.Ihavebeenattractedtowardsthefieldofcorrectnessofparallelprograms.IpublishedaTechnicalReportreportingerrorsintwopublisheddeadlockdetectionalgorithmsandhighlightingtheirunderlyingdeficiencieswithrespecttothedistributednatureofcomputation.Iamalsoinvolvedinthe

developmentofanoptimizergeneratorwhichwouldautomatetheprocessofwritingoptimizersbasedonthespecificationsoftheoptimizations.Iamcurrentlyengagedinwritingapaperonanefficientalgorithmforperformingglobaldata-flowanalysis.ThenewalgorithmthatIhavedevelopedutilizesthenotionofbackwardinformationflowtoperformpropagationusingwork-listsinanefficientmanner.IhavebeenincorrespondencewithProfessorA.B.Caboutmyalgorithmandotheraspectsoftheproblem.

IhavechosentopursuegraduatestudiesatP.Q.RUniversitybecausebyworkingundertheguidanceofthedistinguishedresearchers,Iamconfidenttomakeage


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nuinecontributioninthefieldofComputerScience.MyinterestinresearchhasburgeonedduringmyundergraduatestudiesatI.I.T.Ihaveexcelledinourwell-roundedandexactingundergraduateprogramandhavedevelopedasolidbackgroundtotakeupresearchinComputerScience.

Ihavedecidedtogoforgraduatestudieswhichcallsforapersonalcommitmenttothefulfillingcraftofindependentresearchandthatinvolveswillinglymakingpersonalsacrificesoftime,leisureandimmediatereward.Inturn,Ishallgetintellectualsatisfactionandthegratificationofbecomingacontributortoknowledgethroughresearchandthegreaterpersonalrewardsoflearninganddiscovery.IbelievethatIpossessthemotivation,intellectualabilityandpreparationtosetoutonthisexhilaratingandarduouspathandtomakesignificantoriginalcontributionstoyouron-goingresearchwork.

IlookforwardtojoiningP.Q.RUniversityasagraduatestudentatyouresteemeddepartment.YoursTruly,XYZ.TenDo sandDon tsforYourSoP

TheDo s

1.Uniteyouressayandgiveitdirectionwithathemeorthesis.Thethesisisthemainpointyouwanttocommunicate.2.Beforeyoubeginwriting,choosewhatyouwanttodiscussandtheorderinwhichyouwanttodiscussit.3.Useconcreteexamplesfromyourlifeexperiencetosupportyourthesisanddistinguishyourselffromotherapplicants.4.Writeaboutwhatinterestsyou,excitesyou.Th

at swhattheadmissionsstaffwantstoread.5.Startyouressaywithanattention-grabbinglead--ananecdote,quote,question,orengagingdescriptionofascene.6.Endyouressaywithaconclusionthatrefersbacktotheleadandrestatesyourthesis.7.Reviseyouressayasmanytimesaspossible.8.Inadditiontoyourediting,asksomeoneelsetocritiqueyourSoPforyou.9.Proofreadyourpersonalstatementbyreadingitoutloudorreadingitintoataperecorderandplayingbackthetape10.Writeclearly,succinctly.

TheDon ts1.DontcopyorimitatesomeoneelsesSoP.2.Don tmakethingsupanddontmakeclaimsthatarenotbackedupbytheapplication.3.Don tincludeinformationthatdoesn tsupportyourthesis.4.Don tstartyouressaywith"Iwasbornin...,"or"Myparentscamefrom..."5.Don twriteanautobiography,itinerary,orrsuminprose.6.Don ttrytobeaclown(gentlehumormightbeOK).7.

Don tbeafraidtostartoveriftheessayjustisn tworkingordoesn tanswertheessayquestion.8.Don ttrytoimpressyourreaderwithyourvocabulary.9.Don trelyexclusivelyonyourcomputertocheckyourspelling.10.Don tprovideacollectionofgenericstatementsandplatitudes.11.Don tgivemealy-mouthed,weakexcusesforyourlowGPAortestscores.

KeepinmindthatSoPhastoundergomanyrevisionsbyoneselfaswellastheexperiencedpeople(whohavegonethroughthesameprocess)andpeoplewithgoodwrittenskills.Itisthefocus,clarityofthought,tonesaswellthelanguagethataffectsSoPalongwiththeparticularsofthecandidate.

YoucanusetheinternettosearchforsampleSoPsandothertips,alsoseethefollowingwebsitesfortipsandsampleSOPs:-SearchGoogle(oranyothersearch

engine)forStatementofPurposeStatementofPurpose.com:http://www.statementofpurpose.com/EssayInfo.com:http://essayinfo.com/essays/admission_essay.phpAdmissionEssays.comhttp://www.admissionsessays.comhttp://www.sru.edu/depts/admissio/lagnese/essays.htmhttp://www.utoronto.ca/writing/admiss.htmlhttp://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/apessay.htmlhttp://students.berkeley.edu/apa/personalstatement/index.htmhttp://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/wworkshop/advice/writing_personal_statements.htm

Howtopreparelettersofrecommendation


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TheLettersofRecommendationareofutmostimportanceforadmissionaswellasforapplyingforanyscholarships,TA/RAshiporanyotherkindoffunding.RecommendationLettersaremeanttoprovideathird-personperspectiveonyouasanindividual.Whileyourgrades/scoresaresupposedtorepresentyourintellectualcapabilitiesandyourSoPallowsyoutheopportunityofpresentingyourpointofview,recommendationsbythosewhoknowyou,givetheuniversityanindependentassessmentofyourskillsandqualities.Theyverifyyourclaimsandprovidetheadmissionscommitteeanopportunitytolearnmoreaboutyoufrompeopleyouhaveworkedcloselywith.Rememberthateverypartofyourapplication,buildsanimageofyourpersonalityinthemindsoftheAdmissionCommittee.Therecommendationlettersprovideathirdpersonsperspectiveonthekindofpersonyouare.Whatarecommendationletterwritesaboutyoushouldaddorsupplementwhatyouclaimtobethroughyouressays/SoPandworkexperiencedetails.Inpreparingreferenceletters,focusmoreoncontent.Agoodreferencelettershouldbereasonableandspecific.Reasonablemeansthatthepersonwritingtheletterknowsyouwellandhasthequalificationstoevaluateyou(eitherinthecapacityofbeingyourprofessororbeingyouremployer).Andspecificmeansthatthelettershouldntcontaingeneralorvaguestatements,insteaditshouldbespecificaboutyourabilitiesandqualitiesandifpossibleshouldcitespecificexamplesaboutyouandyoureducationalandprofessionalcareer.Youhavetotaketherecommendationlettersfromyourprofessorsorincaseyouareemployedsomewhere,thenitisrecommendedthatyoutakeoneletterfromyouruniversityandonefromyouremployer.Taketherecommendationlettersonlyfromtherightpeople.Donevertakerecommendationlettersfrompeopleotherthanyourprofessorsoremployer

i.e.,donttakerecommendationlettersfromnon-professionalpeopleorpeoplewhodontknowyouprofessionally.

TheLetterofrecommendationfromaProfessormaytouchonthefollowingpointsofpotentialinteresttotheadmissionscommittees:Howgoodareyourresearchskills(ofgreatinteresttomostgraduateprograms)?Doyouofferthoughtfulcontributionstoclassdiscussions?Doyouhavegoodinterpersonalskillsthatenableyoutogetalongwithfacultyandotherstudents?Doyouexhibitstrongleadershipskills?HaveyoucontributedtothevariousextracurricularactivitiesoftheDepartment?

Inordertogettherecommendationletters,youwouldbeconfrontedwitheitheroneofthefollowingtwooptions:

1.Eitherthepersonyouwanttotakerecommendationletterfromwouldwritetheletterhimself.Inthiscase,providehimwithyourCurriculumVitae(CV),StatementofPurpose(SoP),ResultCards,detailsoftheprogram&universityyouwanttogetadmissionin,pointsthatyouwouldlikehimtomentionintherecommendationletterandpossiblythetipsmentionedbelow.

2.Hemightaskyoutowritetheletteryourselfandgiveittohimforreviewingandsignature.Inthatcasepreparetheletteryourselfwiththehelpofaforementionedthings.Forothertips,seebelow.

Alsokeepinmindthatifyouarewritingmorethanonerecommendationletterforyourself,thenbediverseandmaketheselettersdifferentfromeachotherby

presentingdifferentaspectsofyourpersonalityineachoftheletters.Moreoverthelettersshouldntcontainidenticalsentences.Andasalwaysdontlieanddontmislead.

TipsforRecommenders

Followingarethepointsthatapersonshouldkeepinmindwhilepreparingtheletterofrecommendation(forhimselforforsomeoneelse).

1.Reviewacopyoftheapplicant spersonalstatement(SoP)orapplicationessa


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yssothatyourletterofrecommendationcandovetailwith--notconflictwithorduplicate-therestoftheapplication.

2.Asktheapplicanttosupplyyouwithadditionalinformationlikearsumanddetailsoftheprogrametc.3.Describeyourqualificationsforcomparingtheapplicanttootherapplicants.Ihavebeenteachingfortwentyyearsandhaveadvisedapproximately450studentsonindependentresearchprojectsoverthelastfiveyears.

IhavepersonallysupervisedteninternseverysummerforthelastfiveyearsplusworkedwithovertwohundredcollegegraduatesinmycapacityastrainerforBigBankCorp.

4.Discusshowwellyouknowtheapplicant.IwasabletogettoknowMr.Alibecausehemadeitapointtoattendtwoofmysectionseveryweekwhenonlyonewasrequired.

MissSoniareporteddirectlytomefortwoyearspriortoherwell-deservedpromotiontothepositionofSeniorinourBigSixAccountingFirm.5.Choosetwotothreequalitiesthatyouobservedintheapplicant.Imranhasarareblendoftopwritingandinterpersonalskills.Thecombinationoftenacity,analyticalabilities,andgoodcommunicationsskillsfoundinMr.Aliistrulyunique.

6.Indiscussingthosequalities,supportyourstatementswithspecificinstance

sinwhichheorshedemonstratedthoseattributes.Beasconcreteanddetailedaspossible.

HeistheonlystudentIeverhad,whocametoallmyofficehoursaspartofarelentlessandultimatelysuccessfuldrivetomasterfinancialtheory.HewasoneofjusttenpercentintheclasstoreceiveanA.

BecauseofSonia swritingskills,Ididn thesitatetoaskhertowriteareportwhichwasusedbyourPACasthebasisforamajorpolicystatement.7.Trytoquantifythestudent sstrengthsorrankhimorhervisavisotherapplicantsthatyouhaveobserved.Hewasinthetop10%ofhisclass.ShehasthebestanalyticalskillsofanypersonofheragethatIhaveeversupervised.8.Avoidgeneralitiesandplatitudes.9.Youmayincludesomemildcriticism,typicallythe

flip-sideofastrength.TheonlyfaultIhaveencounteredinhimishisretiringnature.Hismodestysometimeshidesayoungmanofremarkablestrengthandbroadinterests.

10.Discusstheapplicant spotentialinhisorherchosenfield.IenthusiasticallyrecommendMr.Alitoyourbusinessschool.Thiswell-roundedstudentwillbeafinebusinessperson.

Withherexceptionalleadership,writing,andquantitativeskills,MissSoniawillbeanoutstandingstrategicconsultantandacredittothebusinessschoolsheattends.SampleLetterofRecommendation

(Itisjustasample,DONOTcopyitoruseasitis,Prepareyourown)

LetterofRecommendation

Itisapleasuretoproviderecommendationfor[Applicant].[Applicant]wasmystudentin[Institution].Ihavebeenteachingin[Institution]forthelastfiveyears,[Applicant]isamongtheverytalentedstudentsthat[Institution]hasproducedinthisperiod.Hewasaverygoodstudent,extremelyquickingraspingtheconceptsandideas.Heiskeentolearnnewthings.Heisahard-workingperson,workswellwithpeople,iscourteous,anddependable.


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Hisfinalyearprojectwas[ProjectName]undermysupervision.Aftergraduatingfrom[Institution],hejoined[CompanyName],abranchoffice-----------------.Thecompanyhassuccessfully--------------------.Hewasinvolvedindesignandimplementationof----[ProjectcarriedoutbytheCompany]-----.Hepossessesnotonlyacriticalmindbutalsorepresentstheidealcombinationsoughtafterinathoroughprofessional.Heispunctual,promptandcompleteinhiswork.Hisattitudetowardscolleaguesiscooperativeandcongenial.Hisconductisuprightanddecent.Hiscommunicationskills,bothinspeakingandwriting,areexcellent.

The[Company]employssomeofthemosttalentedstudentsinPakistanandhaveahighlychallengingandcompetitiveworkenvironment.Iconsider[Applicant]tobeanindispensablememberofouroutstandingteam.Heisbothprofessionallyandacademicallysoundinhischosenfieldofspecialization.Iampleasedtostronglyrecommend[Applicant]foradmissiontoyourgraduateprogram.Iamconfidentthathewillshowexcellentperformanceinhishigherstudiesandinadvanced,graduatelevelresearch.Pleasefeelfreetocontactmeifyouhaveanyquestions.

[Recommender]Name&SignatureEmail,TelNos&Address

YoucanusetheinternettosearchforsampleLetterofRecommendationsandothertips,alsoseethefollowingwebsites:-http://www.uwm.edu/People/ccp2/work/recletter.htmlhttp://www.psywww.com/careers/lettrec.htm

UsefulWebsitesfortheAdmissionProcess

Afewwebsitesusefulforthevariousstepsintheadmissionprocess(preparingCV,SOPs,recommendationletters,TestPreparations,findinguniversitiesandseveralothertips)arelistedbelow:Accepted.com:http://www.accepted.com/GraduatesHotline:http://www.graduateshotline.com/OSVita.org:http://www.osvita.org/InfoZee.comhttp://www.infozee.com/PurduesOWL:http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/pw/index.html

AttestationofDocuments

Bearinmindthatapplicationswithincompletedocumentsorun-attesteddocument

sarenotconsidered,somakesureyourapplicationanddocumentsarecompleteinallregardsandthattheyareproperlyattested.Notethatthedocumentsmustbeattestedeitherbytheissuingauthority(issuinguniversity,institute,collegeoreducationalboard)orbythenotarypublic.AfewGermanuniversitiesrequirethatdocumentsbeattestedonlyeitherbythenotarypublicortheGermanconsulate/embassy.Checkforthisrequirementintheadmissiondetailsontheuniversitywebsiteandfollowitstrictly.

Thingstocheckforwhenpostingapplications

Putlotsofeffortandconcentrationwhilepreparingyourapplicationandotherrelateddocuments.Dontbecomplacent.Dontgetlazy.Whenyouareabouttopostyourapplications,youshouldcheckforthefollowingpoints:

1.Yourapplicationandallothernecessarydocumentsarecompleteandthatnothingisremaining.Incase,youdonthaveanyrequireddocument(e.g.,yourDegreeorTOEFLscorereport),youcansenditlater.Howeveryoumustmentionthissomewhereintheapplicationandalsomentionthatwhenwouldyousendit.Makesurethatallthedocumentsreachtheadmissionofficeoftheuniversitybeforethespecifieddeadline;otherwiseyourapplicationwouldberejected.

2.Ensurethateachdocumentisattestedproperly.3.SeethatyourSoPandrecommendationlettersareintheproperformatandthattherecommendationletters


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areinproperlysealedandsignedenvelopes.4.Checkforyourcontactdetails,necessarysignaturesanddates.

Bearinmindthatyouhavetosendtheapplicationandotherdocumentsthroughpostorcourier.Youcantsendtheapplicationbyfaxoremail.Waitingfortheadmissionresults

Onceyouhavepostedyourapplications,itstimetowaitfortheadmissionresults.Asmentionedpreviously,youshouldapplyto5or6universitiesatleastsothatincaseofrejectionfromsomewhere,youstillhavebackupoptions.Normally,theadmissiondecisionisconveyedtoyoubyemail.Ifitsacceptance,theuniversitywouldrequireyoutoreplytothatmailandtoconfirmthatyouarestillinterestedandthatyouwouldbejoiningtheuniversity.Afteryouconfirmthis,theywouldsendyoutheofficialadmissionletterandotherdocumentsbypost,afterwhichyoucanapplyforVisa.

Incase,youreceiveacceptancesfromseveraluniversities,thenyouhaveadecisiontomakeastowhichuniversityyoushouldchoose?Thisisanimportantstep,sodoitcarefully.Consultyourfriends,orpersonsfromthoseuniversitieswhohavestudiedthereorarecurrentlystudyingthere.InadditiontothefivepointsmentionedpreviouslyinSearching&SelectingUniversities,thepointthatwhichuniversityprovidesscholarshiporotherfinancialaidshouldalsobetakenintoconsiderationwhilemakingadecision.

WhatifYouDontGetAdmission?????

Life,almostalways,nevergoesthewaywewantitto,causeifithadbeenso,believemeitwouldhavebeenveryboring.Thebeautyoflifeliesinitsdiversityanditsuncertainty,theuncertaintyassociatedwiththefuture.AfriendofmineoncesaidtomeLifeisnotperfect,Doyouknowwhy?Becausewearenotperfect,neitheryounorme.

Ifyoufailanddontgetadmissionanywhere,dontloosehopeanddontgetdis-hearted.Pauseforamomentandthinkthatitsnottheendoflife.Justrealizethatmostprobablyitwassomefaultonyourpartbecauseofwhichyoufailed.Thebestthingthatyoucandoafteranyfailureistolearnthelessonsfromit(causesofthatfailure)andthenneverrepeatthosemistakesagain.

Ifyoufailtogetadmissionsomewhere,ponderandscrutinizeastowhatwentwrong?Wasit:Yourlowgrades/GPA?LowTestscores?ImproperRecommendationlettersorSoP?Documentswerenotfullypreparedorwerenotattestedproperly?Yourdocumentsreachedthereafterthedeadline?Theuniversityhasveryhighadmissioncriteria.Orwastheresomethingelse?

Whateverthereason,trytoremovethosebyreworkingonthemandbemorecarefulandmoreplannednexttime.Hopefullyyouwouldnotfailagain.

Afewuniversitiesdogiveyouachancetoappealagainsttherejectiondecision.Ifyouaregivensuchachanceandalsohavebeeninformedofthereasons,thentrytoeliminatethosereasonsthatcausedtherejectionandappealagainstth

edecision.

Expenses,Scholarships&JobsExpenses

Sincetherearenotuitionfees(exceptUK),sotheonlyexpensesthatyouwouldhavetobearwouldbethoseofliving(accommodation+transport+food+clothesetc).AlthoughtheexpensesvaryfromcountrytocountryandcitytocityandalsoonyourlifestylebutyoushouldkeepinmindthatwhereveryouareinEurope,youwouldbehavinganexpenseofaround350-500Euros(app.20,000-40,000Pakistanirupees)permonth.Outofthis,yourbiggestexpenditurewouldbeon


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accommodation(app.half).

InGermany,thetotalaveragemonthlyexpenseisaround350-500Euros.InDenmark,thetotalaveragemonthlyexpenseisaround2800-3500DKK.InSweden,thetotalaveragemonthlyexpenseisaround3500-4500SEK.InFinland,thetotalaveragemonthlyexpenseisaround500-600Euros.

Forcurrencyconversionandexchangerates,useXE.comsUniversalCurrencyConverter(http://www.xe.com/ucc/)orForexPK.com(http://www.forexpk.com)Accommodation

Theaccommodation(insomecases)isarrangedbytheuniversityandifitsthecase,theywouldinformyouabouttheproceduretoapplyforaccommodationonceyougettheadmission.YoushouldstrictlyfollowthatandapplyfortheaccommodationassoonaspossibleashousingopportunitiesarelimitedandstudenthousingisverycostlythroughoutEurope.Incasetheuniversityisnotarrangingaccommodationforyou,thenyouhavethefollowingoptions:

1.Ifyouhavesomefriendsoracquaintanceslivingintheplacewhereyouaregoingtostudy,askthemtohelpyouinsearchingforaccommodationwellbeforeyouleave.

2.Inaddition,thereareseveralorganizationswhichhelpforeignstudentstofindaccommodations.Youruniversitymightprovideyoualistofsuchorganizatio

nsalongwiththeAdmissionLetter.UsethefollowingforGermany&Denmark:

AccommodationforStudentsinGermany:http://www.studentenwerk.mhn.de/servicepaket/index-uk.htmlAccommodationforStudentsinDenmark:http://www.ciu.dkForothercountries,searchtheinternetorcontacttheuniversityandaskthemtohelpyou.Notethat,inordertoreduceexpenditures,youcanalsosharetheaccommodationwithsomeoneelseprovideditisnotagainsttherulesatthatplace.

TheVisaauthoritiesofmostoftheEuropeancountriesrequireyoutotaketheexpenseswithyoueitherforthefirstyear(app.7000Euros(500,000PKRupees))orforthewholedurationofyourstaythere.YoucanhaveafairideaoftheexpensethatyouwouldbehavinginthatparticularcitybyvisitingtheFAQssectionorlistofpracticalmattersoftheuniversitywebsiteyouareapplyingto.

Theexpensementionedtherewouldhoweverbeslightlyexaggerated,andyoucanconsidertheactualexpensetobe75-80%ofthat.

Youhaveseveraloptionstobeartheexpenses:1.Youcantakealltherequiredmoneywithyou2.Youcanseekascholarship3.Youcandopart-time(student/odd)jobstomeetyourexpenses.Thisiswhatmostpeopledo.

Thesearefurtherexplainedbelow.TakingAlltheExpenseswithYou

Ifyouarewell-offandcanaffordtotakeallyourexpenseswithyou,thenitwouldbegood,sinceyouwouldnthavetodopart-timejobsandyouwouldbeabletoconcentratefullyonyourstudieswhich,mindyou,arereallydemandingfull-timestudies.

Scholarships

Scholarshipsmakelifequiteeasier,sotryyourbesttogetone.Unfortunately,mostoftheEuropeanuniversitiesdontofferscholarships.ThisistrueespeciallyincaseofGermanyandSwedenetc,andespeciallyifyoudonthaveanexceptionaleducationalorprofessionalbackground.MajorityofthescholarshipsandfundingareofferedatPhDlevel.

Howeverexceptionsareeverywhere.UniversitiesfromNetherlandsandBelgiumdo


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offerscholarships.Moreover,someformofT.A.(TeacherAssistant)orR.A.(ResearchAssistant)shipsarealsoavailableinvariousuniversities.Thisdependsontheprogramthatyouarestudyingin,theuniversityandalsoonyourowncapabilities.Theinformationwhetherscholarshipsorotherfundingareavailableornotwouldbementionedontheuniversityswebsite(mostprobablyintheFAQssection),soseethewebsitetofindinformationregardingthescholarshiporemailthem.Whenapplyingtoauniversity,youcancontactitsprofessorsoradmissionscommitteeforfundingandcheckifyoucangetsomesortofscholarship.Alsonotethatincaseascholarshipisbeingofferedbyauniversity,thenthedatetoapplyforitwouldusuallybeearlierthantheactualadmissiondeadline.Someuniversitiesmightgiveyouscholarshipatthestartofyoursecondyearstudies,ifyouhaveperformedexceptionallywellduringyourfirstyear.

InGermany,forfindingScholarships&funding,trythefollowinglinks:

DAAD(GermanAcademicExchangeService)offersvariousscholarships:http://www.daad.de/deutschland/en/2.4.htmlHumboldtFoundation:http://www.humboldt-foundation.de/en/programme/index.htmStipendInformationbyAuswaertiges-amt.de

ForfindingScholarships&fundinginSweden,trythefollowinglinks:Stint:http://www.stint.se/SwedishInstitute:http://www.si.se/

ForfindingScholarships&fundinginFinland,trythefollowinglinks:CIMO:http://www.cimo.fi/Resource.phx/cimo/services/scholarships.htxTheAcademyofFinl

and:http://www.aka.fihttp://www.syl.helsinki.fi/english/grants03.htm

ForfindingScholarships&fundinginNorway,trythefollowinglink:NORADFellowshipProgram:http://siu.no/norad/Inadditiontothesourceslistedabove,thereareseveralothersources(firms&organizations)whichprovidescholarshipsandresearch/studygrants.TipsforObtainingScholarships

Followingareafewtipsforsearchingandobtainingascholarship.1.Keepyoureyesandearsopentoallsourcesfromwhereyoucangetinformationaboutscholarships.Theseincludenewspapers,emails,websites,emailornewsgroups(e.g.,variousYahoogroups(http://groups.yahoo.com)).

2.Donotdependononesource;contacting&exploringmultiplesourceswouldyi

eldmuchbetterresults.3.Applytoasmanysourcesaspossibleandasearlyaspossible.Thiswillincreaseyourchancesofgettingascholarship.4.Search&applyforscholarshipsintelligentlyi.e.,particularlyapplyforthosescholarshipsthatarespecifiedforyourfieldofstudy.5.Havinggoodacademicbackground,goodgradesandgoodscoresinTests(TOEFL,IELTS,GRE,GMAT)willalwaysworktoyourbenefit.6.Filltherequiredformsanddocumentscarefully.7.Meetthedeadlinesofsubmittingapplicationsforscholarships;infactitismuchbetterifyousubmittheapplicationsanddocumentswellbeforethedeadlines.8.Thegreatertheeffortyouputin,greaterarethechancestoobtainascholarship.9.Dontgetlazyanddonttakeanythingforgranted.

Followingisalistoforganizationsthatprovidescholarships:AsianDevelopmentBank(ADB):http://www.adb.org/AsianScholarshipFoundation:http://www.asian

scholarship.org/InPakistan,inrecentyears,HEC(HigherEducationCommission)hasalsostarted

offeringscholarshipsforPakistanistudentswhowishtostudyabroad,buttheyrequiresomesortof2-5yearsbond.Whetherthisbondsuitsyouornotisuptoyou.Forscholarships,theHECalsotakesaGREtypegeneraltest.ThewebsiteofHECishttp://www.hec.gov.pk,lookfornewscholarshipsofferedbyHEContheirwebsiteorinthenewspapers.

Forotherorganizations,searchtheinternetandusethetipsmentionedabove.J


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GermanyDenmarkSweden

MonthlyExpense

350-500Euros2800-3500DKK3500-4500SEK

Jobpays/Hour

Office-TypeOdd11Euro8Euro125DKK100DKK135SEK110SEK

JobProbability

Office-TypeOddEasyEasyHardEasyHardHard

Living,Life-StylesandLanguageproblemsLiving&Life-Styles

ThroughoutEurope,lifeistoughandbusy(e.g.,ascomparedtothatinPakistan).Asyouwouldhavetodostudies,job,shopping,cooking,washing,cleaningetcallbyyourself.Youwouldhavetobeyourownmom,dad,cookandservant:.Itwouldbeaspracticalasitcanget,asyouwouldbedoingallthethingsbyyourself.Itisthereforestronglyrecommended,thatbeforeleaving,youlearncookingandwashing/cleaningetc.

AfewgeneralpointsaboutlifeinEuropearementionedbelow:

Europeanpeoplearemostlyhonest,niceandhelpful.Theyrespectyourindividualityandtheygiverespecttoeveryonewithoutanydiscrimination.InmostoftheEuropeancities,marketscloseat6:00pm,citiesgetdesertedandyouwillseeonlyfewpeopleafterthat.However,thisisnotthecaseatweekends.TheweatherinmostoftheEuropeisingeneralcoldandgray.Inwinters,thetemperaturecandropto20degreeCelsius,andinsummersthetemperaturemaytouch30to35degreeCelsius.Theweatherissnowyinwinterandrainyinsummer.Day-LightSavingsisobservedi.e.,theclocksareadvanced(normallyonehour)inspringandtakenbackinautumntogetmaximumadvantageofthesunlight.Thelifestylesvaryfromcountrytocountry,likee.g.,inGermany,youcanhaveafarmoreentertaininglifeincludingsports,partiesetc.Germanyisalsocalledthehea

rtofEurope.InDenmark,itiscomparativelyboringanddull.MostoftheEuropeancountriesdohaveareasonablepopulationofPakistanis,sostudentsfromPakistanmightbeabletofeelathome.Yourseniorstudentswouldbeveryco-operative,especiallythosefromyourhomecountryandtheywouldtrytohelpyouasmuchastheycan.Youwouldbeabletofollow&practiceyourreligionfreely.ForMuslims,Halalfoodisavailableatmostoftheplaces;howeveratsomeplacesorsmalltownsyoumightfinddifficultyinfindingHalalfood.Youwouldthenbeleftwiththeoptionofcookingyourself.Whenyouarethere,followalltherulesandregulations(includingthoseofworkpermitetc),andbeagoodcitizen.Itllbegoodforyouaswellasforthereputationofyourhomecountry.Moreover,youcanroammostofEuropewithoutneedinganyadditionalVisa.Thatsareallycoolthingifyouhaveenoughmoneytotravel,asEuropeisaverybeautifulplace.

Keepinmindthateverycountryhasitsownculture,traditionsandcivilization.Youshouldhaveanopenmindandbeabletoadjustinanycircumstances.Butdoneverforgetyourorigin,yourmoralvaluesandyourreligion.Astheysay,DoinRomeasRomansdo,butdontbecomeaRomanyourself:.

LanguageProblems

Althoughforstudying,languageisnotaproblemandyoudontneedtolearntheirnativelanguageifallofyourcoursesareinEnglish.Howeverlanguagewouldb


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ethebiggestproblemwhenitcomestodailyliferoutines;sincemostoftheEuropeansprefertousetheirnativelanguageeveniftheyknowEnglish.ThisisespeciallytrueforcountrieslikeGermany,FranceandDenmark.Thelanguageisalsothebiggestsetbackthatyoufacewhenyoutrytoseekajobinthesecountries.Althoughnotstrictlyrequired,yetitishighlyrecommendedthatyoulearnthebasicsoflanguageofthecountrythatyouareplanningtogotoforstudies.Forthis:

Youcandoalanguagecoursesomewheree.g.,inPakistan,youcanjoinNUML(NationalUniversityofModernLanguageshttp://www.numl.edu.pk),GoetheInstitute(Karachi,Lahore)orsomeotherinstituteetcorTrylearningthelanguageusinglanguagesoftwaresandtheinternet.

Learningthelanguagecangiveyouthatextraboostwhileseekingajobandwouldalsohelpyouinday-to-daylife.LearningGerman

TheGermanEmbassyrecommends(althoughnotmandatory)thatyouhavetakenaGermanLanguagecoursesomewhere.TolearnthebasicsofGermanLanguage,seemyguideGermanLanguage.Youcandownloaditfromhttp://www.tauseefafzal.com/SomeGermanuniversitiesalsoconduct(freeorcharged)languagecoursebeforethestartofthestudies.Youruniversitywouldinformyouofanysuchopportunity.Ifitisfree,thenitisstronglyrecommendedtoattendsuchacourse.Alsoyoucanusethefollowingwebsites:http://www.deutsch-lernen.com/http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/german/index.shtmlhttp://german.about.com/http://www.germanfortra

vellers.com/http://www.exeter.ac.uk/german/abinitio/chap1-0.htmlhttp://www.webgerman.com/http://www.learn-german-online.net/http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,2469,00.htmlhttp://www2.dw-world.de/static/language/urdu/dwn.shtml(30languagesincUrdu)http://www.wannalearn.com/Academic_Subjects/World_Languages/German/http://www.wm.edu/modlang/gasmit/grammar/grammnu.htmlGerman-EnglishDictionarieshttp://dict.leo.org/http://dict.tu-chemnitz.de/http://quickdic.org/index_e.htmlhttp://ww