Alumnus- your helping hand

Deciding to study abroad is a long process. It involves innumerable aspects like deciding on the country you want to study in, the universities you want to apply for, choosing the program you wish to study, managing your finances, finding accommodation, preparing various documents, applying for visa, giving proficiency tests, etc. While you take care of all this, the most important decision you are expected to take is the country and the university you wish to study in. It is this decision that decides your further course of action. For this purpose making the right choice is of utmost important. The deciding process involves a lot of research. Usually when students start looking out for universities abroad to study from, they take to the internet first. This is followed by asking and interacting with peers that include parents, teachers, friends, bosses at work, counselors, etc. However, students hardly think of talking to the alumni leave alone actually doing it. Networking and interacting with the alumni is the best way to find out in detail about a specific country and university. Given below are the reasons why networking and interacting with the alumni is crucial: First Hand Experience of Studying Abroad: When you approach the alumni of the universities you are deciding to apply for, they give you their first-hand information of how their lives were in a foreign land. Interacting with them will help you understand how moving away from their family and studying abroad helped them grow personally and professionally. A Detailed Account of the University:Once you decide on a university, connecting yourself with the alumni will provide you with a deeper insight about the university, its faculty, study methods, syllabus (if your choice of program matches with that of the alumni), extra-curricular activities, etc. This helps you in preparing yourself to study in the university as you get a holistic understanding of the student life in the university and also how the specific university functions through an alumnus himself/herself. Job Opportunities Available: As the alumni spend more than a year studying abroad, they gain not just information about the job opportunities available but also the experience of working on a foreign land. Due to this experience gained, they are in a position to narrate to you clearly and in detail about how you can search and apply for jobs, which jobs can you apply for and where, how will it help, how much will you earn, and most importantly what it is like to work and earn in an unknown destination. Thinking one step further, if you happen to get into the same country and university, previously created connection with the alumni might also help you in finding and securing a job. Basic Understanding of Conducting Yourself in a Foreign Environment: Interacting with the alumni will also help you gain the basic knowledge and trivia about the destination you plan to study in like the local culture, language, common food, stores to buy regular requirements from, sources to collect notes and buy books from, etc. Additionally, they also help you understand the rules and regulation of the country/city and the basic ethics and values that you might be required to follow. Learn from Their Mistakes: It can so happen that while sharing their personal experience, they might end up sharing with you a mistake they did during their time and tell you or rather alert and warn you from making the same mistake. This can be an eye opener for you and can be extremely helpful. Though there are many other ways to carry out your research and find out about the universities and the country you decide to study in, you must always consider connecting and talking with the alumni to get a closer all round perspective of the student life abroad. We at Edwise also enable our students to meet our alumni and give them a chance to interact with them during the pre-departure event. Here the alumni come forward to help the next batch of students flying abroad and throw light on various topics discussed above. TESTIMONIALS: Student Name: Chaitrali Rane Helped me with all my application, submission and university in and out details. Edwise was always there to help me whenever I needed it. It was extremely helpful in making me understand the entire process and also simplify it for me. Country: USA University: New Jersey Institute of Technology Student Name: Siddhart Ashok Kumar Edwise International was very helpful in helping me choose the right pathway. It provided me with excellent guidance. The counselor guided me at all levels. It was an excellent Experience. Thank you Edwsie Country: UK University: Sheffield Hallam University Student Name: Mouni Maddukuri The experience with Edwise was great, very helpful, informative, and supportive. I was provided with great counseling. Edwise made my study abroad dream come true. Country: Canada University: Conestigo College Edwise Overseas Education Consultant We at Edwise streamline and personalize the process for each student irrespective of the destination, institution, course or any level of study. Our team of experienced professionals will provide you individual attention and exceptional guidance throughout your process of application. We provide assistance related to course selections, admission, visa, bank-loan and scholarships. We also host University delegates for direct student interaction and all these services are provided free of cost. Edwise International was established in 1991 and has been maintaining strong networks with over 725 universities in 16 countries, thus giving us a unique insight into the finest educational establishments worldwide. Start your education overseas with valuable information on everything you need to know about studying abroad, from study permits, temporary resident visas and how much it costs, to finding the best suited program for you.