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  Overseas studies with so many options can certainly be very confusing, tiring and tedious process, if not planned properly. “A journey of thousand miles start from the first step” and the first step in this direction is to start early in a planned manner. On the other hand, a well-planned approach with reference to international studies can result into much more time for researching, making well informed right decisions, saving lot of money with scholarships and most importantly securing student’s future. You get to choose the best between many possible options. It helps you bring in efficiencies in reference to all other post admission processes like accommodations, air tickets, VISA processing etc. First and most essential requirement is the ‘Clarity of Mind’ – The clarity of mind means as a student or parent you should have absolute clarity with reference to the following – 1.     Purpose – Why you want to pursue overseas studies?  2.     Course / Degree or Diploma – What do you want to study? 3.     College / University – Where do you want to study from? 4.     Country selection for overseas study – What is your expectation – a good paying job, permanent residency or come back to home country? 5.     Financial Bandwidth – What is your ability to fund your overseas studies? 6.     Educational Loan or Scholarships – What could be other possible funding options? 7.     Course benefits and university’s overall and course rank –Why should you choose particular course and university? The absolute clarity on these 7 questions will help you in taking a right, well informed decision. This can be achieved through the professional help of a reliable, trusted consultant. At ‘Edustori LLP’ our results are testimony to the fact that we spend a lot of quality time in finding the clarity for all these 7 questions so that every individual is a happy individual and owns up his own decision-making process. Our dedicated research team helps individuals at every stage of this explorative journey. We are a call away for any kind of help /query. You can ask any question and resolve your queries by writing in to us at info@edustori.com   Is there a right time to start the process?     While there is no right time for starting study abroad process but starting early say from 9th grade onwards is a decent idea. The clarity of the above mentioned 7 questions will help you know exactly when should you start. If one is aspiring for admission into USA, Canada, UK, IVY League colleges or Top 50 Universities Globally, certainly 9th onwards is the ideal time as you need to adequately build your profile (academic as well as non-academic) basis the university’s requirement for securing admission. Academic profile consists of your performance in class 10th to class 12th, research projects along with some of the international tests like SAT, AP etc. Non-academic profile consists of your exposure and proficiency in extra-curricular activities like sports, debates, other hobbies, creativity, leadership, social work and entrepreneurship ventures. For other countries and universities, one may require a little lower preparation time wrt profile building and allied works. However, it is important to keep in mind that for undergraduate admission assistance one should not delay and certainly take professional help from 11th grade itself. Let me elaborate this with one student’s case. Mr. Prashant Singh – father of Ananya Singh contacted me for counseling session for her daughter. Ananya was class 9th student studying at one of the prestigious schools of Delhi. During the process we figured out that Ananya is very intelligent, smart and inquisitive student. We realized that she is quite passionate about space, space engineering since childhood times. While her overseas study admission intake is fall 2024, she took up our professional guidance services and has already been working on her profile since last 1.5 years. As she is only targeting top US universities hence, this journey of well curated profile building and extra efforts is one of the most essential requirements along with her regular school routine. Know more details on www.edustori.com for profile building services. Author : Amit Rathi (Director & Co-Founder Edustori). Sales & General Management professional, Edtech entrepreneur with 25 years of rich General Management experience at P&L roles in the telecom and FMCG industries. Have worked at senior levels with large reputed Multinational organizations like Gillette India, Hutchison Essar, Vodafone India.  

   Since you have started reading this blog, which clearly reflects that you are kind of willing to explore the international studies journey. Normally it is perceived that study abroad is very complex and requires a lot of documentation. If you don’t understand the nuances, it is quite cumbersome and chaotic. But if you follow step by step approach, frankly speaking the requirements and processes are very-very simple. As an International studies consultant, I have come across many students who were totally confused when they approached me for my professional services. Once the study abroad counselling process started the chaos and confusions started fading out. The overseas study requirements may vary from country to country and university to university. Follow these simple yet effective 10 steps process for exploring international studies – 1.     Start Early –     The sooner you start the journey to gain clarity and get ready wrt documents requirements, eligibility, possible courses, possible recognized universities etc., the better will be your chances to get admission.   2.     A Good Trustworthy and Reliable Consultant –      Lot of students prefer to apply on their own. That’s perfectly ok approach. But one should certainly take help of a good reliable consultant who will guide at every step and will help you achieve your goals by leveraging his/her experience. The selection of course, college and country could be a tricky one. And many students and parents go wrong here.     3.     Decent Grades / Marks in 10 & 12th –     The higher you score in 10th to 12th class examinations the chances to get into some of the ranked universities increases multifold. Min one should attempt for at least 80%. If you score lower % also you can get admission into some of the international universities certainly better than many Indian institutions. 4.     Valid Indian Passport –     This is a must and it should be ready at the start. There are many eligibility exams for which also the valid Indian passport is required. The application to universities can also not be done without your valid Indian passport. So have it checked that your passport is valid and also not about to expire in sometime. 5.     Well Curated Academic Profile –      Along with good grades in class 10th to 12th one should write some of the international tests like SAT – Scholastic Assessment Test, AP – Advance Placement Test etc. This puts a high weightage to your resume and overall profile. 6.     Extra-Curricular Activities –     This is another critical step which is to create a very strong Non-Academic Profile. Any hobby, interest or passion which you can excel up to advance level. This also includes improving multidimensional skill sets, social connect-awareness, research orientation and other managerial traits.  7.     Subject choice for 11th and 12th Grade –      Many of the higher courses admission into global universities require Mathematics as a mandatory subject unlike India. So, it is advisable to pursue mathematics as a major or minor level subject up to 12th Grade. 8.     English Language Proficiency tests –     There are many language proficiency tests like IELTS/ TOEFL/PTE etc. which should be attempted and are required by almost every university as an eligibility criterion. 9.     Pleasing Personality & Excellent Communication –     The minimum expectation is to be well groomed, confident, presentable and should possess good communication skills. Some of the universities as a part of admission process requires / calls for a personal interview.   Financial planning – Last but not the least, you should be in a position to fund your studies (Cost of fees, living expenses and other general expenses). If you don’t have bandwidth to afford for self-funding, you should at least have collaterals or family profile to get an education loan sanctioned.            Author : Amit Rathi (Director & Co-Founder Of Edustori). Sales & General Management professional, Edtech entrepreneur with 25 years of rich General Management experience at P&L roles in the telecom and FMCG industries. Have worked at senior levels with large reputed Multinational organizations like Gillette India, Hutchison Essar, Vodafone India.  

  In today’s competitive world it is imperative to have specialized skill sets to stand apart from the crowd. Hence, higher studies have taken all the more prominence in shaping up your required skills and thereby future. It is often said that more than luck what determines your success in modern VUCA world is your preparedness to be future ready. This article will help you understand as to why one should certainly consider pursuing higher studies from abroad. This certainly doesn’t mean that Indian education doesn’t have avenues but very limited options exist for average to good students. The professional higher studies in India is subject to qualifying the entrance examinations like NEET, JEE and likes. In recent times we see many students solely focusing on the preparation for these entrance tests while the end result is already pre-defined i.e. only a certain percentage of the applicants will qualify for admission seats and more importantly get the particular subject stream they have been eyeing for. Even if you qualify but do not get high % marks or percentile, you don’t make to top colleges or pocket friendly institutions. You have some of the private university’s options but those are very expensive. So, the dilemma, confusions and chaos remain and ultimately lands you into low self-esteem, low morale and there by depression / anxiety attacks. I have attended to many such students as part of career counselling experience who were in very low morale state, confused and shattered. My humble suggestion here is to prepare well and give your best shot for these entrance examinations. But in parallel, also have a backup plan right from beginning. It is pragmatic to think well ahead, what will you do if you don’t get to some of the colleges or streams you have been waiting for or if you can’t afford the cost of these studies? Do you have Plan B and its relevance?         Having a plan B is a smart approach which will certainly boost your confidence and you won’t lose out the time which is all the more critical. The plan B on other hand, can help you pursue your dream course or subject stream from very good and globally ranked university. You will write these competitive exams at ease without fear, stress and or panic. The best results are achieved out of the stress-free minds and in relaxed mental state. You may crack these exams with required percentile marks and get admitted to your dream stream/ college. You would have heard many stories about some students getting into unwanted, uncalled for activities as a result of poor or low performance in these entrance exams. You can certainly avoid this situation. Plan B actually could be a trade-off between possible scores and cost while still pursuing your dream Subject and in the process getting international exposure…. Maybe doing better than your peers who did get admission to courses/colleges in India. Can international studies make you independent and future ready? With International studies option, you not only get admission into some of the world’s best universities but also study amidst some of the best world class modern infrastructure, state of art and hi tech advanced technological set ups with all possible modern facilities. The international studies help you expose to different cultures, build global connect and network. Networking is another very important ingredient in modern age hyper competitive and collaborative world.    The higher studies in international universities makes you truly independent by allowing you to work on part time basis. It is normally restricted to 20 hours per week (may change as per government policies applicable in the country of your choice). The part time work experience facilitates faster understanding of the job dynamics, local market and sentiments. This also helps you earn and self-fund the pocket money, living cost and miscellaneous expenses. It is highly recommended that as an international student you must take up a part time job in the nearby vicinity immediately along with your studies.    As a ranked university pass out, you have a great opportunity to grab decent new age job with attractive initial salary and associated perks to yourselves. The undergraduate or postgraduate degree from world class universities along with other parameters certainly increase your chance to also get permanent residency in a foreign country.   It is normally considered that international education is very expensive. While the fact remains, that at a little extra cost you get a state of art, research led undergraduate – postgraduate programs which equip you better for the future jobs with great multinational companies. If you are able to create a robust and wholistic profile for yourselves, you can get scholarships as well which will reduce your financial burden. You may take our professional services around profile building by exploring more details on www.edustori.com. To clarify the myth, the Indian higher education other than renowned govt colleges is also very expensive. The masses get into expensive higher education in India due to this and coupled with quota reservations which leaves general candidates with very limited options. Life is happy when you plan in advance and more importantly execute it flawlessly.     Author : Amit Rathi (Director & Co-Founder Edustori). Sales & General Management professional, Edtech entrepreneur with 25 years of rich General Management experience at P&L roles in the telecom and FMCG industries. Have worked at senior levels with large reputed Multinational organizations like Gillette India, Hutchison Essar, Vodafone India.

The SAT can work wonders for your college application. It brings success for you in school and aids you during college applications. The SAT has also undergone quite a few changes over the years to reflect the students’ preparation efforts better. While your SAT scores do not represent your whole application, they hold a pretty important place in your college application. Doing well on your test is integral to your application getting approved. And for a good score, you need to be familiar with the test pattern. Knowing the test pattern beforehand allows you to be confident and prepare well before giving the test. The SAT scores are accepted in several colleges across the US, UK, Australia, amongst many other countries. College Board made the latest change to the test pattern in 2022. A press release was issued on January 25 and declared that by 2024, the SAT would go completely digital. "The SAT will be delivered internationally beginning in 2023, and in the US in 2024." – Direct quote from the press release. What to Expect from the New Exam Pattern The SATs will now be conducted as a computer-based exam as opposed to the pen-and-paper format of the past. Along with the change in delivery mode, there will also be several format changes. The exam length will be shorter and feature easier passages for reading. The test questions are also going to be more adaptive. The test duration will now be two hours instead of the current three. This provides students with more time to answer the questions. Students will now also receive their test scores in a few days as opposed to waiting for weeks. Calculators are now permitted for the complete Maths section. Another change is that the digital SAT suite score reports will include the information and resources to local two-year colleges, workforce training programs, and career options. This was done to reflect better the range of paths students opt for after high school. The Reasons for the test becoming Digital. The vice president of College Readiness Assessment at College Board has stated that the digital SAT would be easier to take and be more relevant. Students, after taking part in the November global pilot of the digital SAT, provided the College Board with feedback. The students collectively felt that the digital SAT test experience was less stressful compared to the current form. According to them, the shorter passages helped concentrate more on what the question was asking from them. While students find it easier to take the new SAT, educators also stated that it is easier to administer. The teacher proctors who administered the tests in the same pilot stated that the experience was better than administering the current pen-and-paper test. They no longer have to undergo the hassle of packing, sorting, or shipping test materials. Instead of a fixed schedule, schools and districts now have ample options for where, when, and how often the SATs will be administered. Along with these benefits, the digital format also makes it possible for students to showcase their strengths better. To Sum Up Even though most colleges removed the compulsion to submit SAT scores during the pandemic, most students still opted to take the tests. This indicates how instrumental the SAT scores are in opening doors and opportunities for students. A good SAT score can enrich your college application and help you stand out from other students. We at Edustori understand this importance and thus, have made sure to provide aspiring students with enough resources to ace their SAT exams. For the students aspiring to obtain a great score on their SAT, check out our website for preparation material.