Education Consulting Services for Study in USA, UK, Canada & Abroad - The Red Pen

College or MBA Admissions Interviews Coming Up? Some Useful Tips You might be getting ready for your interview with admissions officers, other university representatives or alumni in preparations for your studies abroad. While the purpose of the interview is to help a university better understand where an applicant may fit into the campus environment, it is also a wonderful opportunity for you to ask questions, convey your sincerity and things that can’t always be put down on paper. Some useful tips and reminders we often share with our clients… Mind your manners and appearance. Dress appropriately and arrive on/dial in on time. Remember the interviewer’s name and to say thank you at the end of the interview. DO NOT text, What’s App or take calls during the interview. If doing the interview by Skype or other online platform, ensure that you have a backup Internet connection and that no one will walk into the room during your session.  Know all the details on your applicat...

Should you study at the Indian campus of a global university? As global universities set up campuses across the world or affiliate with local universities in various countries, you may ask yourself “Why should I go all the way to America or Canada or the UK to study? Why not join one of these campuses closer to home?” While the countries of origin may have a lot to offer in terms of tradition and established reputation, an affiliate or satellite program may suit your purposes just as well, or better, by offering different dimension to your experience. Right within India there are a number of colleges, degree programs and short courses set up by global education brands. For example Parsons has collaborated with the Indian School of Design and Innovation (ISDI) to build a creative network. While the transfer to Parson’s New York is not guaranteed, the exposure to a innovative teaching methods, diverse faculty and the rigors of the design process may give you a better sense of whet...

Trumped by US education? Consider the Netherlands In the current political climate many students are looking beyond the US and UK for higher studies abroad. In this case, I would urge such students to consider the Netherlands, which offers a wide range of over 300 bachelor’s degree courses in English for international students. Fees are among the lowest in Europe (ranging from approximately Rs. 5-10 lakh in annual fees, plus Rs. 50,000-75,000 per month in living expenses) and quality is maintained through rigorous accreditation standards of the Dutch Government. Beyond cost and quality, it is the learning environment that sets Dutch Universities apart. They have cultivated an informal academic environment, which encourages student-teacher interaction and values student participation in classes and research. Educational hierarchy in the Netherlands is flat and promotes learning through discussions, simulations and presentations rather than lectures and exams. There are two ti...

MBA Interview Prep 3: Difference between admissions committee and alumni interviews 3rd in a 4-part series on MBA interviews Different institutes conduct interviews in different ways, and knowing the format for these interviews beforehand can help you prepare. While all interviews are aimed to learn more about the applicant, in terms of their personality, motivations and whether he or she would thrive in that program, the style and focus of alumni interviews are often different than those conducted by the admissions team. For some schools, including Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, and Carnegie Mellon Tepper, a member of the admissions committee (AdCom) leads the interview. For other programs, such as Columbia Business School, Stanford GSB, Chicago Booth, and Northwestern Kellogg, alumni, typically those living in the region, interview potential candidates. In general, for AdCom interviews, the interviewer has read some or all of your application materials, including the res...

Are You Choosing the Right Subjects for Class 11 & 12? This is an intense time of year for class 10 students – on the cusp of young adulthood, as these kids face rigorous board exams in the coming months, they are also being asked to select subjects in their 11 th and 12 th standard curriculum. With the expansion of board options, subject selection becomes a tricky question for students who hope to study abroad within the next few years. Unfortunately a wrong choice at this critical phase can dash the dreams of aspiring students, which they only come to realise once it is too late. Depending on where you want to study, your approach to subject selection will vary slightly. In the UK, colleges set minimum entry requirements for specific courses. For example a BSc in Management Science from University College London requires students to achieve top scores in the highest level of math. Note that economics, business studies, accounts are not entry requirements for such courses ...

Want to study abroad in Fall 2018? You can still apply to Singapore universities! If you are keen to study abroad starting in Fall 2018, but are starting the application process late, you may want to consider Singapore. With applications due in February and March, there is still time to apply. In the last couple of years, Singapore has become a popular choice for Indians interested in engineering, computer science, business and media studies. Universities in Singapore There are six public universities in Singapore that receive funding from the government, and include: National University of Singapore Nanyang Technology University Singapore University of Technology & Design Singapore Management University Singapore Institute of Technology and Design Singapore University of Social Sciences These universities also offer programs in partnership with international campuses, both at the undergraduate level, like Yale-NUS and graduate level, like the MIT-NUS/NTU colla...

Waiting for admissions results? Some tips to keep you sane After running the gauntlet that is college applications, you might, in the month of March, be wondering, what now? It’s a difficult process not just because of all the work you have to do, but because of all the waiting you have to do as well. As admissions results trickle in, soon to become a flood, it can be hard to stay calm and centered, especially if you are waiting on lots of decisions, worried about your applications, and feeling pressure from fellow classmates. In other words, if you are a student in 12 th grade anywhere. So here are some tips to help you keep calm and carry on before you hear from your dream schools. First of all, stop scouring message boards for information! Though you are longing for answers, rumors and speculation about admissions release dates and statistics will ultimately cause your mental health more harm than good. Instead apply the same discipline you would to any form of social med...

Applying for an MBA in the upcoming application cycle? Consider these guidelines for effective time management If you are thinking about applying to MBA programs this year, or even thinking about thinking about MBA programs this year, you probably feel like you have plenty of time to apply. And of course, you do have a lot of time, right now, in this moment, to apply to business school. But the problem with time is that it just slips away from us, doesn’t it? We have countless applicants who, despite signing on early, end up scrambling to make their deadlines. While the pressure of deadlines might be your best motivation, the reality is that the best work submitted to universities is work that has been carefully drafted over a period of time. Applicants who manage their time well and work progressively on their materials not only submit stronger applications, but they tend to have internalised their goals, stories and strengths in ways that help them communicate comfortably du...

Waitlisted? Guidelines on using this time wisely College admissions results are in! Some exciting, some disappointing and some ambiguous. What do you do if you receive a notification that says you have been placed on a school’s waitlist? It is not an outright rejection, rather a position of uncertainty, which can be unsettling. And if you have been waitlisted at a school you love and really want to attend, the main question is “What can I do now?” Below are some useful guidelines to help you navigate this confusing time. Keep in mind, there is no guarantee you will be taken off the waitlist, but in the event the waitlist opens up, your new information might make all the difference and improve your chances of success. Follow instructions and do what the college has asked you to do! If they want you to tell them whether or not you want to remain on the waitlist, do so, immediately. If they want additional materials, or an updated transcript, new test results, send them. Some c...

Don’t Mind the Gap – Top 3 Reasons to Consider a College Gap Year The concept of taking a gap year has been around for a long time, but lately the popularity of the gap year is increasing as high profile students such as Malia Obama opt to take a year out before joining Harvard. According to some reports, there has been a 23% increase in gap year students in the US as of 2016. In fact, more and more prestigious colleges and universities are strongly advocating students take a gap year before joining college. Harvard has seen a 33% increase in gap year students, and even MIT has seen a substantial increase in the number of students opting for a gap year. Institutions such as Tufts, Princeton and The University of North Carolina even have service-based gap year programs and fellowships built into their admissions process. If you haven’t thought about it yet, here are three reasons to get you thinking about why a gap year might be an excellent idea to consider – Better Equipped : Ac...