Bachelors Or Masters Abroad ?

Discussion in 'Education & Personal Growth' started by hrastro, Jan 21, 2021.

  1. hrastro

    hrastro Platinum IL'ite

    Messages:
    1,548
    Likes Received:
    3,582
    Trophy Points:
    283
    Gender:
    Female
    Thanx for your response @Laks09 ! Am looking for answers from the collective wisdom at Indusladies, so any pointers from you would be valuable learning for me.

    Yes. That's a great start. Actually, I have benefited from and also been of help to a lot of my linkedin contacts. But never thought students could also have an account... most of my students are currently 14-17, so I just checked, they can open an account once they are 16 = age limit in linkedin India!

    Mmmm... Great idea! Many students do have relatives who are in good MNCs or startups.

    Do you suggest internships for students of 12th std also, maybe after their admissions are finalized?

    I think GitHub is the most popular open source repository! Will check out the kind of projects that are in vogue out there and see what my students can contribute!

    Yes - this is something they need to work on seriously. I had many students' parents asking for internships too. I also think that the student should approach himself/herself and parents should not interfere !

    Many private universities (esp in the list of "Institutes of Eminence" status) have semester abroad programs in the 3rd year - the best top students (maybe 10-15 out of 500) are given an option to spend a semester in partner universities and the credits are transferred. These universities may not be the top ranking ones, but they give a great exposure to the students - new country, new professors and friends, new teaching methods etc... And the student only pays the living expenses for the 6 months, so it is not bank-breaking.

    Yes please @Rihana ! Thanx. The more the merrier!
     
    Laks09 likes this.
  2. hrastro

    hrastro Platinum IL'ite

    Messages:
    1,548
    Likes Received:
    3,582
    Trophy Points:
    283
    Gender:
    Female
    Yes, I meant INR 50 lakh for all 4 years combined.
    Even the most expensive private university in India - you can have a Bachelors degree with INR 30-32 lakhs including hostel and food. Most institutes of eminence, top NIRF/Times ranking private univ - you can finish your Bachelors in 16-25 lakhs.

    So, the students can have some funds leftover for a Masters abroad!

    When we look at Bachelors degree, Indian universities are not too bad - many tier 2 colleges are comparable to tier 2 colleges abroad !
    With Germany, the tier 1 colleges are also affordable! Bachelors is possible within inr 50-60 lakhs - as the tuition fees in negligible. But you need to learn German and also the entire course is taught in German - even in English courses, I've heard that a lot of insights are lost in the translation, so it is difficult for a Bachelors student to gain knowledge. Also due to the language, the student takes an extra 1-2 years to complete the undergrad course.

    Definitely considering Germany for Masters - as they have some awesome work going on in Engineering - automobile, robotics and environment & sustainability!

    You're right about the maturity - the students think they are wise and mature - but the new language, loneliness, food and the cold climate - takes a psychological toll on them - especially the kids in India grow up relatively protected.
    Nowadays, I don't meet completely pampered & spoilt kids, they are independent enough, but still they get a culture shock!

    Loan is something these students may consider for Masters if required!
    Wouldn't suggest loans for Bachelors when there are alternatives in India.
     
  3. hrastro

    hrastro Platinum IL'ite

    Messages:
    1,548
    Likes Received:
    3,582
    Trophy Points:
    283
    Gender:
    Female
    Thanx for your response @MalStrom!

    Yes, I see several students opting for Bachelors degree even from India!

    They are ones whose kids were born during their H1B or have citizenship there. Some of them are not allowed to write some entrance tests here.
    There are also those who can afford the amounts. Several of my friends & relatives have their kids in international schools or IB curriculum planning to write SAT and do Bachelors abroad. And they do very well there and settle abroad! Mostly without loans because the parent are able to afford the Bachelors degree without aid.

    I am looking at those students who are really good academically, able to afford private education in India but unable to afford the living expenses abroad without breaking into retirement funds or selling assets!
     
    MalStrom likes this.
  4. Laks09

    Laks09 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    6,682
    Likes Received:
    11,157
    Trophy Points:
    440
    Gender:
    Female
    I suggest it for all high schoolers here. It’s hard to find internships for high schoolers but not impossible. The summer after 12th grade when they are relatively free is a good time to look out for something. The only issue I foresee is the kids busy preparing for exams and entrances won’t have the bandwidth to get a resume ready and apply for internships. If they are able to do it, it’s a good thing.

    I know a couple of kids who have done that. They actually ended up finding employment here and stayed back. That’s a good option too. I had forgotten about it. Do check on the pricing though. I did hear the fees were really exorbitant.
     
    hrastro likes this.
  5. nuss

    nuss Platinum IL'ite

    Messages:
    1,551
    Likes Received:
    2,970
    Trophy Points:
    283
    Gender:
    Female
    This is a loaded question. Disclaimer: I am neither in computer science nor deal with undergraduate education directly.

    Undergraduate or Master’s from abroad!

    undergraduate degree: It is usually expensive. A minimum of US$ 30,000 is a norm. It is 4 years which means parents have to spend money for 4 years and possibly a little more for an MS before the students will start earning.
    However, I would say if the student is very interested in pursuing undergraduate from the USA (I am only familiar with USA and somewhat to Australia) there are several ways to bring the expenses down. However, most of this needs planning in advance. Many universities provide scholarships to international students (fully or partially funded degree program). John Hopkins, Brandeis, University of Arkansas, California system, University of Nevada system are some of the examples.
    Most universities look for students who have shown leadership potential (starting a club, captain of their school team/ house, a part of an NGO etc.), any other activity (study abroad has been discussed above, several schools in India have 3-4 weeks long program in European countries during summer) - are great ways to show that the students are emerging leaders and are adaptable. Good ACT/ SAT score and GPA is not everything but of course required. Another very important piece is the college essay. Our undergraduate admissions officer mentioned to me that they have given full scholarship to international students based on the essay.
    Under students are allowed to work on campus. Students who are hardworking and mature, can potentially earn enough for boarding/lodging. Under students can also apply for small scholarships through their department/ college. These are usually $500-2000 but these add up.
    In short, undergraduate degree can be very expensive but with some planning and luck can also be very inexpensive. I would recommend students to apply and see if the universities offer them scholarships. If not, there are many great places in India- Ashoka university, Ahmadabad university etc. are new and build on the US education system providing holistic education. BITS Pilani/NIT, several state colleges are also good.

    Masters: in my discipline, most if not all masters students are funded. They receive fellowship (GA or TA) and are eligible for in- state tuition. In engineering programs, I have noticed that scholarships are few and tuition is usually out of state. However, again a good GRE, GPA, leadership qualities, research/ internship experience, and personal statement/ essay could help getting a fully/ partially funded Masters.

    I deal with graduate admissions and I have seen that many good students from India fell short on their essays. Most of the time the essays are written probably by a counselor and a faculty member reading the whole package can easily figure it out.

    Since masters is usually 2 years, the commitment is shorter and the students are usually more mature and motivated.

    Depending on the student, I would suggest looking in undergraduate first and if that doesn’t work out, there is always opportunity to do masters abroad.

    This is all I can think of right now. Will come back if I think of something else.
     
    Laks09 and hrastro like this.
  6. nuss

    nuss Platinum IL'ite

    Messages:
    1,551
    Likes Received:
    2,970
    Trophy Points:
    283
    Gender:
    Female
    Soft skills are absolutely important and unfortunately many students lack these. I deal with a lot of students from India- kids of my parents/siblings friends, from my former college/ university etc. Almost always their parents want to talk to me, not the student.
    I help them with resume, proper email etiquette, practice with phone interviews and follow up.

    I cannot stress enough on the importance of the soft skills. These skills are so important, way more than 95% score in the 12th exam.
     
    Laks09 and hrastro like this.
  7. shravs3

    shravs3 IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    3,207
    Likes Received:
    5,845
    Trophy Points:
    425
    Gender:
    Female
    But nowadays schools in India are ridiculously expensive. And moreover if they are US citizens then they have to pay NRI fees which is very high for the usual Indian salaries. How are they managing? Also is there anything like such kids have to travel US once in few years to maintain US citizenship?
    Just curious to know
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2021
    Laks09 and hrastro like this.
  8. MalStrom

    MalStrom IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    4,191
    Likes Received:
    7,009
    Trophy Points:
    408
    Gender:
    Female
    The parents we know are earning extremely well in India even by dollar standards, so they are able to afford the school fees. Once you become a US citizen you can live anywhere in the world you want. You don’t have to come back to the US to maintain it. There are some complications regarding taxes for working people but no worries for kids.
     
    Laks09, hrastro and shravs3 like this.
  9. Laks09

    Laks09 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    6,682
    Likes Received:
    11,157
    Trophy Points:
    440
    Gender:
    Female
    For my daughter I paid the fees that everyone else paid in school. Schools of
    all kinds are expensive in India for sure.

    Only for college admissions, they cannot write the regular entrance exams and have to apply via the foreigner quota or something. I came back before that so I’m not sure how that works.
    We do have friends who have kids paying this fee and going to engineering college in India. If I was spending that money, I would be sending mine to a US school for undergrad for sure.
     
    shravs3, hrastro and MalStrom like this.
  10. hrastro

    hrastro Platinum IL'ite

    Messages:
    1,548
    Likes Received:
    3,582
    Trophy Points:
    283
    Gender:
    Female
    For schools we pay at least 1 lakh per student for tuition fees + you have uniform, books, transport etc extra 30000 - this I'm talking about the cheapest.
    I have IGCSE, IB students who pay almost 10-12 lakh per year for school! Dont know why!

    The management seats in any engineering college is expensive - for instance - the most expensive Computer Science seat management quota in RVCE (best known for best placements in Computer dept in Bangalore) is 50 lakh for the whole 4 years. But the same seat at an MVJ/CMR (tier 2 pvt colleges, but still very good placements) would cost max 25 lakh for tuition fees (5 lakh per year).

    Both NRI students and Indian students are eligible for management seats.

    NRI students write the national level exams like SAT, JEE Mains and Advanced, NEET etc, but are not eligible for some state level exams like CETs or they might have a quota in some states - so domicility or address proofs make a lot of difference.
    Entrances for private colleges -BITSAT, VITEEE etc - all can write and get through.

    For students who get a good rank and get through state level govt colleges, max tuition fees would be 1 lakh per year, but most private colleges are approx 2-3 lakhs per year for normal Indian students. Max like BITS, MIT would be 5 lakh.
    IITs/NITs/IIITs etc are approx 2-3 lakhs per year.
    So a parents outlay for 4 year engineering course ranges from 4-5 lakhs (if student is local) to almost 25-30 lakhs (including hostel etc)

    Keep smiling
    HR
     

Share This Page