Choosing a school is a complex and personalized process, which involves many factors such as personal interests, career goals, academic background, financial ability, and ability to adapt to the cultural environment. During this process, many students and parents may feel lost and anxious, and do not know how to make the best choice for them.
However, mastering some basic school selection strategies and routines can help us be more calm and wise in the process.
Here are some practical tips for choosing a school to study abroad, hoping to provide some guidance and inspiration for your study abroad journey.
Step 1: Clarify your goals and understand your personal situation
Before deciding to study abroad, you must first clarify your purpose for studying abroad. Is it for academic advancement, or for better employment opportunities? Is it to experience a different culture, or is it to immigrate?
Different goals will affect the focus of your choice of school and major!
▪ If you aspire to academics, you should pay attention to the scientific research strength and faculty of the target school;
▪ If you are looking for employment, you should look at the school's industry reputation and alumni network.
▪ If you are obsessed with cultural exploration, you should choose a country or region with deep cultural heritage and openness and inclusiveness;
▪ If you want to live as an immigrant, you need to pay attention to the local immigration policy and social environment.
After clarifying the purpose of studying abroad, the next step is to fully understand your actual situation, including but not limited to academic background, financial strength, language ability, and personal interests. Only by fully evaluating one's own conditions can one ensure the feasibility and rationality of the study abroad plan.
Step 2: Clarify the country you are applying for and explore the major you are applying for
Now that the purpose of studying abroad has been confirmed, it is necessary to further clarify the country of study and start exploring the professional field that suits you.
At present, most of the domestic companies returning to China for employment will refer to the rankings of the world's major school ranking agencies, which will be limited to the top 100 or top 50, so in order to return to China for employment, students should refer to internationally renowned ranking agencies when choosing a school!
▪QS世界大学排名 (QS World University Rankings)；
▪U.S. News世界大学排名 (U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities Rankings)；
▪泰晤士高等教育世界大学排名 (Times Higher Education World University Rankings)；
▪软科世界大学学术排名 (Academic Ranking of World Universities, ARWU) 等。
For the sake of experience
If studying abroad is for the sake of experience, it is recommended to investigate the culture, climate, and scenery of the area where the target school is located will affect your study abroad experience.
Choosing a city or region that you like can increase your study abroad satisfaction. Also consider the safety situation in the area where the school is located, and choose a safe place where you feel safe.
If studying abroad is for academic research and students who are going to explore more in their major are basically considering doing a PhD, then consider opportunities such as the length of study or scholarship opportunities in the area.
For example, PhDs in Commonwealth countries are generally three years, and there are opportunities to study for both master's and doctoral degrees. PhDs from Hong Kong, China and Singapore are more supportive of doctoral scholarships, so they can prepare to apply early, as the requirements of the two places are also more stringent.
If studying abroad is for immigration, then it is advisable for students to choose a study abroad country that is easy to immigrate to, such as Australia or New Zealand.
Australia offers a variety of visa pathways, including skilled migration, employer-sponsored migration, and investment migration. Generally, undergraduate or master's students who have studied in Australia for more than two years can obtain a two-year visa. In Australia, there are many professions that currently have employment gaps, such as early childhood education and nursing.
Once you have decided on the country, it is time to choose your own major. Generally, there are two situations: the application of the major and the application of the interdisciplinary major.
The most common application mode for this major to apply for study abroad is generally the focus on the degree of course matching, standardized grades and university grade points.
Requirements vary from country to country:
▪ Most universities in the UK have their own separate list of institutions for Chinese students applying for their own master's degree, and students need to confirm whether the undergraduate institution is on the list before applying.
▪ Australia's grade point requirements for students from 985,211 and double non-secondary institutions are gradually decreasing;
▪ Universities in Hong Kong, China, are particularly interested in the institutional background of their students and prefer 985/211 students.
Students applying for interdisciplinary studies need to pay attention to whether the pre-requirements of the target university for the major can accept interdisciplinary applications, or whether there are requirements for relevant work experience.
Some majors and study abroad countries allow you to apply for a change of major or apply without relevant background. For example, in the management of pan-business majors, there are schools in various countries or regions that can accept applications for non-business majors; and business administration majors, which generally only require years of work experience in various countries or regions; Or Australia's business or IT-related courses, which can be interprofessional by extending the master's cycle.
Step 3: Assess your personal situation and start submitting your application
Now that we've got everything in place before applying for a master's degree, the next step is the most important step: assessing your situation. This helps you make informed decisions and improve your chances of a successful application. Here are some of the key aspects to evaluate.
Consider your school background, undergraduate grades, major, relevant courses, and any academic achievements or awards.
Students of 985/211
▪ For UK applications with a list of institutions, students from 985/211 colleges can be described as "invincible", but the UK's master's GPA requires a "first-class" and "2:1" degree, and the basic GPA is 80-85 points.
▪ Australian universities mainly pay attention to grades for students from 985/211 institutions, with a GPA of 80-85 points can apply for the top three in Australia (University of Melbourne, University of Sydney and University of New South Wales), and students below 80 can apply to Monash University, University of Queensland, etc. (different majors will be different).
▪ Hong Kong, China or Australia are especially preferable to 985/211 students, especially the recommended GPA of 85 in Hong Kong III.
▪ Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and National University of Singapore, which are commonly used by Chinese students in Singapore, also prefer 985/211 students, with a recommended GPA of 85 or above.
Students of double non-resident colleges
▪ For UK applications with a list of institutions, students from double-non-affiliated institutions need to first determine whether the undergraduate is on the list of the other institution. Do not apply if you are not on the list, and you need to see if the required score is met in the list.
▪ Australian universities mainly pay attention to grades for double non-resident students, with a grade point of 85 or above can apply to the top three in Australia (University of Melbourne, University of Sydney and University of New South Wales), and students with 80-85 can apply to Monash University, University of Queensland, etc. Students under 80 can apply to the University of Western Australia and the University of Adelaide (applications will vary depending on the major).
▪ Hong Kong, China or Australia are particularly preferring 985/211 students, and Hong Kong 3 recommends a GPA of 90 for non-non-Chinese students. Students with a score of around 85 can apply to City University of Hong Kong or the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
▪ Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and National University of Singapore, which are commonly used by Chinese students in Singapore, also prefer 985/211 students, and it is recommended that double non-resident students have a GPA of 90 or above.
Post-secondary students
Post-secondary students can choose to study in the UK for top-up and post-secondary master's degrees, or they can choose to study for post-secondary master's degree in Australia, depending on the student's GPA.
Assess your ability in English or other language of instruction and consider whether you need to take a language test, such as IELTS, TOEFL, etc.
▪ Most majors in UK universities require an IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum score of 6.0. However, if you want to apply to G5 universities or some popular majors, you may be required to have an IELTS score of 7 and a minimum score of 6.5. For those applying for popular majors such as finance and computer science in prestigious schools such as G5 or "Wang Man Aihua", it is recommended that students can prepare a GRE or GMAT (business majors are more required).
▪ Most majors in Australian universities require an IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum score of 6.0. Top 3 (University of Melbourne, University of Sydney and University of New South Wales) may require a 7.0 with a minimum score of 6.5. The University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney may require the GMAT for certain business majors.
▪ Most majors in Hong Kong or Macau require an IELTS score of 6.5 or even lower, and there is no minimum score requirement. However, the competition in Hong Kong, China is very fierce, it is recommended to prepare for a score of 7 to have a chance to apply for the top three in Hong Kong (the University of Hong Kong, the University of Chinese of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology), and it is recommended that students can prepare a GRE or GMAT for popular majors such as finance and computer science (business majors require more).
▪ Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and National University of Singapore (NUS), which are the most popular schools for Chinese students in Singapore, require an IELTS score of 6.5 for most majors. However, there are few schools in Singapore and the competition is very fierce, so it is recommended to prepare for a score of 7. Some science or business majors make the GRE or GMAT mandatory.
▪ The UK master's degree is only 1 year, and the tuition fee and living expenses add up to about 30-45W RMB (the difference between different regions is large).
▪ Australian master's degree is mostly 1.5 to 2 years, and some schools and majors have one-year master's degrees, and the cost of one year is about 30-40w RMB.
▪ A master's degree in Hong Kong, China is generally 1 year and costs about 30-40 RMB (the difference between different majors is large). Master's degree in Macau, China is generally 2 years, and the annual cost is about 20W-25W RMB.
▪ Most of the master's degrees in Singapore are 1-1.5 years, and the annual cost is about 25-40W RMB (there is a large difference between different majors).