The Hindu E-Plus International Education Fair a big draw

Students interacting with representatives of foreign unversitities at The Hindu Education Plus International Education Fair at The Gateway Hotel in the city on Saturday. —Photo: C.V. SUBRAHMANYAM

There are 23 stalls set up by educational institutions from several countries

If you are a student at the crossroad of a career and aiming for higher education abroad, how do you sift through the multitude of options to zero in on the right university and course? How do you take the first step towards the admission process?

Scores of such doubts were addressed at The Hindu Education Plus International Education Fair, that was organised for the first time in the city at The Gateway Hotel on Saturday.

A meeting point for students and institutions, the fair had 23 stalls set up by educational institutions from countries like the USA, Canada, Holland, Singapore, New Zealand, UK, Dubai, Germany, Malaysia, Australia, Italy and other European countries who gave an overview of various courses to suit every student’s need. The official education boards from different countries presented seminars on education opportunities.

US remained the top favourite among students looking to pursue undergraduate or graduate courses. Tanushka Bali, Educational Adviser, United States-India Educational Foundation, underlined the important steps when applying in universities in US, during the seminar. “Admission to US universities is a holistic process. Academic records and transcripts, standardised test scores (eg: GRE, GMAT, TOEFL), statement of purpose, extracurricular and co-curricular interests, letters of recommendations and work/research experience are some of the areas that students need to focus on when applying for higher studies in US. Also, once you get the I-20 from the selected university, VISA can be applied as early as 120 days before your programme starts,” Bali said.

Canada has emerged attractive destination for Indian students due to significantly lower tuition fee compared to its southern neighbour. Chris Busch from the University of Windsor, Canada, said there was a good demand for business management courses apart from engineering.

Many students and parents made a beeline for the stalls to know more about the admission and visa processes. “It is a great platform for students aspiring to go abroad. Meeting the officials of the universities and education boards personally gives a better perspective of the processes,” said Madhavi Kuppili, who came to collect information for her daughter’s higher education abroad. Ram Vikas, who completed his B.Tech this year, said, “I have already applied for MS in Computer Science in a university. The sessions helped me know more about visa related issues and scholarships.”

State Bank of India was the official Education Loan Partner for the event and Thomas Cook was the official Forex and Travel partner.

Source: The Hindu