Step by Step Approach to Higher Studies (Summary)

When I was an undergraduate/ fresh graduate, I had many confusions regarding the process of pursuing an opportunity for higher studies. I was stuck in many moments when I could not decide the steps I should proceed with and the order of these steps. I talked with many lecturers, seniors, friends and read various articles on the web. There were many people who supported me strongly and encouraged me a lot. However, the process is still centred on your contribution and commitment.  It may be time-consuming and arduous if you are clueless regarding the process to follow for achieving some scholarship or a stipend. Therefore, I just thought it will be beneficial for some beginners if I shared my experiences throughout my 1 - 2 years of time after graduation. This is the process I followed and there are also many other ways you can try. 

I strongly believe that your dream will certainly be realistic if you follow the mentioned steps passionately and in the correct order. For each step, you can refer to further information in the next articles.

Order of steps I followed to obtain a scholarship/ stipend 

1) Research publications

https://malhansi.blogspot.com/2020/11/research-publications.html

During my undergraduate period, I did not have enough time to complete the undergraduate research study and write research papers. So after final year exams, I completed my research study, and around 4-5 months were used for writing 2 research papers since I was working at that time. It’s better to have at least 1 research publication (journal/ conference) to obtain a stipend/ scholarship for MSc (by research) / PhD.

2) Obtaining all the academic certificates

https://malhansi.blogspot.com/2020/11/educational-certificates.html

It's better to obtain the academic transcript (and also if possible degree certificate) at the start of the process. If they are not ready, then pending results sheets given by the university may be sufficient.

3) Country and university selection

https://malhansi.blogspot.com/2020/11/3-country-university-selection.html

Selection of the country and the university where you need to pursue the postgraduate degree is crucial and it depends on the personal preferences and qualifications. Before taking any examination mentioned below or writing to professors, it is always recommended to find the preferred countries/ universities and admission requirements. 

When selecting a country, personal preferences and their immigration laws can be mainly considered (Ex: Issuing a spouse working visa, postgraduate working hours restrictions, climate, financial stability, the ability to get a PR, racism, welfare, etc.). 

Then for the university selection, country, world rank, scholarship/ stipend quote, availability of interesting research areas, deadline, cost of living, IELTS/ GRE and other entry requirements,  potential supervisors and links for their academic profiles are some major factors that can be concerned.

4) IELTS

https://malhansi.blogspot.com/2020/11/ielts-toefl.html

Both IELTS and TOEFL are international standardized tests of English language proficiency recognized by universities across the world. Both tests consist of four sections: speaking, listening, writing and reading. I have done Academic IELTS which is needed to be eligible for postgraduate study at many universities. But some universities have flexibility in the need for IELTS scores. If the student does his/her bachelors in English medium, they don’t have to provide IELTS scores. But in my experience, many universities require IELTS scores. 

IELTS is not a hard task if you really commit. Before doing IELTS, I have heard it’s difficult to obtain a score like 8, and it’s not very common. I have taken two attempts and the following scores were achieved. I have improved the overall score from 7 to 8 by these 2 attempts. If you follow correct materials, do enough practice tests, and don’t get panicked during the examination, you can certainly get a good score in IELTS. Since most of us are doing our bachelors in English medium, I don’t think IELTS is hard. The only thing is that you need to learn techniques in IELTS. Getting a good score in IELTS is also good to give a positive impression to your profile. Most universities require a minimum IELTS score of 6.5. TOEFL is also accepted by many universities.

5) GRE

https://malhansi.blogspot.com/2020/11/gre.html

GRE scores are only needed by some universities. Based on my experience and some of my friend's/ senior's experiences, universities in the USA, Singapore (NTU and NUS), a few Canadian Universities and some high ranking universities in Europe have some entry requirements for GRE scores. However, these universities also have some exceptions for GRE in some graduate programs. Therefore, it’s recommended to check the eligibility of postgraduate programs on university websites. General GRE test score is usually needed (Another type is the Subject GRE test). The General GRE test consists of 3 sections (Quantitative (Q): 130-170/ Verbal (V):130-170/ Analytical Writing (AW): 0-6). Most universities have minimum requirements of GRE score 310+ (total from Q and V) and 3 or 3+ score from the AW section. On average, 1-6 months are used for GRE preparation. Magoosh, Manhattan, Barron, Princeton Review have some learning materials and practice tests. 

6) Making the academic CV

https://malhansi.blogspot.com/2020/11/academic-cv.html

Making an academic CV is different from the CV prepared to apply for a job. First, I studied how to make a good academic CV and I used my own format. But, the order I used is common (Ex: Objective, Education, Publications, etc.). I included all my achievements, qualifications, experiences, exposures which can make a good impression on the viewer. 

7) Writing the first email to supervisors

https://malhansi.blogspot.com/2020/11/first-email-to-supervisors.html

The first thing to do is refer to the university and department websites well and make a list of supervisors based on your desired research areas. Many research-based master's and doctoral programs in some universities expect you to connect with a potential supervisor prior to applying. For that, you have to write to potential supervisors and make a connection. Writing to supervisors is not easy if you actually need to get a considerable amount of responses from those supervisors. The first email should be specific and not copied. All the important documents should be attached to the first email. I have prepared the first email after studying the materials and comments given by various professors and experienced graduate students. 

Many supervisors receive lots of emails daily from prospective students and these emails will be stacked up. The most important thing is that many supervisors do not prefer to read ordinary or generic emails which have the same content written to all Professors. So it is advisable to be specific, then the supervisor will have a good impression that you have a real interest in working with him. Then, send the email according to the time zone. 

8) Interviews with supervisors

https://malhansi.blogspot.com/2020/11/interviews-with-potential-supervisors.html

After 1st contact, some supervisors prefer to have an interview/meeting with you. I have experience in interviews with 7 professors. Among them, only 1 supervisor told me to give a presentation related to one of his research papers. With the other professors, I only had Q/A session type interviews. They were basically about 10-40 minutes long. Questions were related to my educational qualifications, research experiences, interest to work with him/ her, the reason for the selection of a particular country/ university, future goals, strengths and weaknesses, some specific questions to check my attitudes, some basic technical questions, etc.  I got positive results from 5 professors and they mentioned that they were impressed with the answers/presentation. I think the most important thing is to give a good impression and talk confidently and friendly. An interview is also a kind of screening test before the supervisor’s approval to work with you. 

9) Research proposal

https://malhansi.blogspot.com/2020/11/research-proposal.html

A research proposal is a document needed to suggest and present your research project you are expecting to continue with a particular supervisor/ any professor with a similar research interest. Only some universities recommend contacting potential supervisors with a research project. But in my case, I made research proposals only after the supervisors have agreed to take me and told me to apply. Otherwise, it may be time-consuming to make research proposals for all potential supervisors. Most universities require research proposals at the stage you are applying. There may be various methods to make a research proposal, but I made it according to the current research projects of respective supervisors. I have selected one or a few research papers of supervisors and referred literature related to that area. Then, I found a gap in that area to do some future research. After that, I prepared the research proposal which was usually 2-3 pages long. My research proposal usually consists of these sections. They are Title, Objective, Background, Methodology, Expected Outcomes, Resources Requirement and Availability, Conclusions and References. 

10) Preparing SOP

https://malhansi.blogspot.com/2020/11/sop.html

SOP which is also known as Statement of purpose/ Statement of intent is a kind of document which states your real intention/ purpose to pursue a postgraduate study. SOP is usually needed when you are going to make your application to the university. However, some people also send this when contacting supervisors for the first time. SOP is usually 1-2 pages of documents that should be unique to yourself. It contains details of your education background, your future goals, expectations in postgraduate studies, reasons for the interest to respective supervisor and university, most importantly the story of your passion for the respective research area and also for doing postgraduate studies. Write SOP with a good flow and as a story. It’s not recommended to write it as a general story and be specific to show your real intentions and passion. 

11) Application to universities

https://malhansi.blogspot.com/2020/11/msc-phd-application-to-universities.html

When the supervisor is satisfied, he/she tells you to apply for the MSc/PhD. It’s usually through an online portal and all the soft copies of relevant documents should be uploaded. After creating the online account in the university portal, you have to provide your personal, educational, professional details. Application fee should be paid and it can be varied according to the country and university. Deadlines should be considered when you need to start your postgraduate studies at a particular university intake. 

Recommendations should be provided for each application and the number of recommendations needed by the university usually varies from 2 to 3. You should provide names/positions and contact details of lecturers/ referees who will provide recommendations for you when an online application is made. After that, the university will contact referees and ask for confidential recommendation letters/ reports. Usually, recommendations should be provided by an academic person from your university (better if you learn from/ work with him/her). If there is a necessity of 3 recommendations, then the 3rd person can be someone outside the academic field. In my experience, I obtained one recommendation from my training supervisor (who is working in the industry) except for 2 recommendations from my university lecturers. When providing referee details, prior contact with referees is mandatory and you should ask whether they are willing to provide recommendations for you. 

*Please keep in mind that there may be several variations in the process of obtaining a higher study opportunity. 

*Therefore, please thoroughly refer to the websites of the prospective university in advance to get a good understanding of the admission process, scholarships/ financial aids and also the available postgraduate study programs.