How to Shortlist Universities for Studying Abroad: 7 Game Changing Tips (for USA, CANADA, UK)

Summary

In this video transcript, the speaker shares their experience of selecting universities for a master's degree in the US. They provide guidance on how to choose the best university based on personal needs, aspirations, and a detailed analysis of factors like admission mode, course offerings, national rank, fees, deadlines, acceptance ratios, and location. The speaker emphasizes the importance of making informed decisions and not taking unnecessary financial risks, offering a comprehensive approach to university selection.

Takeaways

• 📚 The speaker emphasizes the difficulty of selecting universities for a master's program in the US and offers guidance on how to choose the right one.
• 🗂️ The speaker created a detailed spreadsheet to help in the selection process, including factors like university name, admission mode, course, national rank, fees, deadlines, acceptance ratio, location, specific requirements, and additional notes.
• 📈 The spreadsheet included admission modes, distinguishing between rolling (first-come, first-served) and non-rolling (all applications reviewed before decisions) admissions.
• 🏫 The speaker shortlisted 32 universities but only applied to 10, based on their suitability for personal needs and aspirations.
• 💼 The importance of considering the national rank of universities was highlighted, to avoid applying to less prestigious institutions.
• 💵 Financial considerations were crucial, with the speaker advising against taking financial risks that could jeopardize one's or one's family's financial stability.
• ⏰ Deadlines were noted to manage the application process effectively, especially considering rolling admissions where early application can be advantageous.
• 📊 The acceptance ratio was considered to gauge the competitiveness of different programs at various universities.
• 📍 Location preferences were noted, with the speaker having a preference for the West Coast but also considering other regions.
• 📝 Specific requirements such as GRE, TOEFL, and GPA scores were listed, acknowledging the varying importance of these factors post-COVID.
• 📝 Personal notes were included in the spreadsheet to track thoughts on each university, such as the suitability of certain programs and application deadlines.

Q & A

What was the speaker's challenge when applying for a master's program in the US?

The speaker had a tough time selecting universities and received many queries from others on how to choose the right university.

What approach does the speaker suggest for choosing a university?

The speaker suggests creating a detailed spreadsheet to compare various factors such as university name, admission mode, course, national rank, fee, deadline, accept ratio, location, specific requirements, and additional notes.

How many universities did the speaker shortlist during their application process?

The speaker shortlisted 32 universities from the US for their master's program.

What is the difference between rolling and non-rolling admission modes according to the speaker?

Rolling admission reviews applications as they come in and offers admission on a first-come, first-served basis, while non-rolling admission reviews all applications before making decisions.

Why is it important to consider the national rank of a university according to the speaker?

The speaker emphasizes that the national rank is important because it plays a significant role in the university's reputation and the value of the degree.

What financial advice does the speaker give regarding university fees?

The speaker advises to gauge one's financial capacity and not to take financial risks that could put oneself or one's family in danger, suggesting taking calculated risks instead.

How did the speaker use the deadline information in their application strategy?

The speaker used the deadline information to prioritize applications, applying to universities with earlier deadlines first and potentially stopping applications if admitted to a preferred university.

What is the significance of the accept ratio mentioned by the speaker?

The accept ratio indicates the percentage of students accepted into a particular major at a university, which helps the speaker understand the competitiveness of the program.

Why did the speaker consider both East and West Coast universities despite a preference for the West?

The speaker considered universities on both coasts to keep options open and increase the chances of getting admitted to a suitable program, even though they had a preference for the West Coast.

What was the speaker's strategy for noting down specific requirements for each university?

The speaker documented specific requirements such as GRE/GPA scores and other criteria for each university to ensure they met the eligibility before applying.

How does the speaker emphasize the importance of personal decision-making in the university selection process?

The speaker stresses that while they can provide guidance, the final decision must be made by the individual as they are the ones who will be pursuing the degree and responsible for its outcomes.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 Selecting the Right University for Masters in the US

The speaker discusses the challenges of choosing the right university for a master's degree in the US. They emphasize that while they cannot recommend a specific university, they can guide the process based on individual needs and aspirations. The speaker shares their personal experience of creating a detailed spreadsheet to evaluate various universities. The spreadsheet included factors such as university name, admission mode, course offered, national rank, fees, deadlines, acceptance ratio, location, specific requirements, and additional notes. They explain the difference between rolling and non-rolling admission modes and how it affects the application process. The speaker also advises on considering factors like national rank, fees, and course relevance to ensure a suitable university selection.

05:03

📅 Organizing University Applications with Deadlines and Acceptance Rates

In the second paragraph, the speaker continues to describe their method for shortlisting universities. They mention the importance of considering application deadlines and acceptance ratios to prioritize which universities to apply to first. The speaker also discusses the significance of location in their decision-making process, noting a preference for the West Coast but also considering East Coast and Midwest universities. They mention the varying requirements such as GRE, TOEFL, and GPA, and how these have changed post-COVID. The speaker provides an example of how they noted down specific details for each university, such as the safety of a Computer Science program and alternative options like Computer Systems Engineering. They conclude by emphasizing the importance of personal responsibility in the university selection process and invite viewers to explore their channel for more informative content.

Keywords

💡Masters

A 'Masters' refers to a postgraduate academic degree that represents a level of mastery in a specific field of study. In the video script, the speaker discusses their experience applying for a Masters degree in the United States, emphasizing the importance of selecting the right university for this advanced level of education.

💡University Selection

University Selection is the process of choosing which university to attend for higher education. The speaker in the video script provides guidance on how to select the best university based on personal needs and aspirations, highlighting factors such as admission mode, course offerings, and national rank.

💡Admission Mode

Admission Mode refers to the system by which universities process applications, either on a 'rolling' basis or with a set deadline. The script explains that rolling admissions review applications as they are received, potentially offering earlier decisions, while non-rolling admissions wait until all applications are submitted before making decisions.

💡Course

In the context of the video, 'Course' refers to the specific academic program or major a student chooses to pursue in university. The speaker discusses the importance of aligning the chosen course with personal career goals and how different universities may offer variations of a course, such as software engineering versus computer science.

💡National Rank

National Rank indicates a university's standing compared to others within a country, often based on factors like academic reputation, faculty credentials, and graduate outcomes. The speaker mentions considering the national rank as a key factor in university selection to ensure the institution's prestige and quality of education.

💡Fee

Fee in this context refers to the cost of attending a university, which can be a significant factor in the selection process. The speaker advises prospective students to consider their financial capabilities and avoid taking unnecessary financial risks when choosing a university.

💡Deadline

A 'Deadline' is the final date by which applications must be submitted for a particular course or university. The script mentions the importance of tracking application deadlines and aligning them with the admission mode to strategize the application process effectively.

💡Accept Ratio

Accept Ratio refers to the percentage of applicants that a university accepts for a particular course. The speaker uses the accept ratio as a metric to gauge the competitiveness of a university's admissions process and to help in the decision-making process.

💡Location

Location is a critical factor in university selection as it can influence factors such as cost of living, job opportunities, and personal preference regarding climate and culture. The speaker mentions having a preference for the West Coast but also considering universities on the East Coast and in the Middle of the U.S.

💡Requirements

Requirements refer to the necessary qualifications or criteria that must be met to apply for a university program. The script discusses how requirements such as GRE scores, TOEFL scores, and GPA might vary by university and program, and the importance of understanding these before applying.

💡Resources

Resources in the context of the video refer to the various informational materials and tools that the speaker used to research and apply to universities. This includes university websites, application portals, and potentially other online resources or guides.

Highlights

Difficulty in selecting universities for masters in the US

Guidance on choosing the best university based on personal needs and aspirations

Creating a detailed sheet to evaluate universities

Importance of considering admission modes: rolling vs. non-rolling

Analyzing course offerings and how they align with personal interests

The significance of national university rankings

Budgeting for university fees to avoid financial risks

Understanding application deadlines to manage the application process

The role of accept ratio in university selection

Considering university location preferences

Listing specific requirements such as GRE, TOEFL, and GPA

Using references and additional notes to aid in the decision-making process

Shortlisting 32 universities from a comprehensive list

Applying to 10 universities from the shortlisted list

The importance of personal accountability in university selection

Encouragement to watch more informative videos for international students

Invitation to subscribe to the channel for more content

Transcripts

so when I was applying for my masters in

us I had a very tough time selecting the

universities and I know most of the

students who do that go through that

phase and I receive a lot of queries

where people ask me that what university

should I op for iush would you like to

suggest something aush would you

recommend something so see I cannot

personally recommend you what univ

university should you choose but I def

definitely can guide you on how to

choose the best university according to

your particular situation your

particular needs and your particular

aspirations I may say so you may you I I

don't know if you can see the sheet or

not but at my time during my time when I

was applying to the US for my forther

education for my higher education I made

a sheet where it had multiple things in

there I had University name I had

admission mode I had course I had

national rank I had fee I had deadline I

had accept ratio I had location I had

specific requirements I had link to that

particular resource which I referred and

I had extra notes I had deadline link

and I had application start dat so you

see how detailed the sheet was I just

made sure that I don't miss out on

anything and I would recommend you to

follow something like this itself so

I'll be discussing in detail that what

exactly I did and is is there anything

else that you should do so firstly uh

there are almost almost 32 universities

on my list I didn't apply to all the all

of those I applied to only 10 of them

but I shortlisted 32 of them of all the

universities in the US because I felt

somehow they were um suitable for my

needs so I had University name where I

listed down all the universities then I

had admission mode admission mode is

something um which refers to a rolling

based admission or a non-rolling based

admission in Rolling based what happens

is like if there are 200 applications

and the university has to select only

100 so as soon as people apply they

start reviewing your applications so

they will not wait for all the

applications to complete and then

they'll start reviewing no it's not like

that it is somewhat similar to first

come first serve basis whereas in

non-rolling based admissions if a

university has to take 200 students for

a particular course for a particular

major and if there are thousands of

applications so it would review all of

them before giving out the uh result and

then I had course like the major which I

want universities here have different

different Majors but it would all sum up

to something similar I you can

understand I'll take an examp example to

make you understand if you are from

computer science field you may see that

there are various subdomains in that

field software engineering your Robotics

and AI your computer engineering core

computer science etc etc but all in all

they they route to that same particular

domain that is computer science so

similarly you can research that okay if

a university is offering software

engineering and computer science and uh

which one is like cheaper not exactly I

would say cheaper on in terms of fee but

uh which one suits my need and which one

does not I will explain this in detail

how you can go about this if let's

suppose if there is a university with

ranking 30 and if and there is a

university with ranking 70 in the

University whose rank is 70 you are

getting core computer science whereas in

the 30 you're getting like software

engineering so OB obviously you will be

opting for software engineering in the

University which has better ranking so

this is how you have to play this game

and you have to think very like minutely

and in detail you have to do all the

analysis so that you don't make the

wrong decision after that I had national

rank on the list that the universities

that I added in there I made sure that I

don't pick any um like uh ordinary

University because that also plays a

very important role and then I had the

fee fee is something that I would highly

request you to make sure you gauge how

much you can pay and how much you cannot

so that you don't have to regret later

on I would not suggest you to take

Financial risks which can put you or

your family in danger not exactly in

danger but yeah that would be a sort of

financial danger itself so take

calculated risks and uh hit that shot

because if you have to take a risk it

should be calculated that's what I mean

to say then I had deadline in there

deadline showcases that for this

particular major and for this particular

University the deadline is this like for

CS in a particular University the

deadline is this for computer

engineering in a university it is this

so that helped me um sort the list in

such a way that okay firstly I have have

to apply for this University and then I

have to wait like is if the admission is

a rolling based admission I'll wait that

okay if admit comes in there and I

wanted that University I'll stop my

applications and I'll go for that

University itself so it was uh all of

these factors played a very important

role in sorting all of them down then I

had the accept ratio accept ratio uh

basically means that for that particular

major and that University how much does

it accept students like um like I have

have it right here UIC Chicago accept

73% of students um for computer science

major then I had location I made sure

that either I'll go to completely east

side or completely West Side still my

inclination was towards West but uh I

had East Side universities also and some

of the universities which were located

in Middle us um although I was

refraining from applying to them but

still I did for a few so this was it and

then I had requirements requirements at

my time was like G tol your GP etc etc I

don't know I've heard that universities

have stopped um taking gr into account

for your admission process but I don't

know what's the exact situation now

because after covid um the GRE scene was

something like uh universities some

universities were taking it into

considerations and some were and some

were not so I have it written that uh G

has been waved of minimum G requirement

for this is this tol is this GPA is this

so I wrote it down as well and then I

have the link which I referred to for

adding all these particular details I

had notes also I'll read one out for you

I wrote it here that CS is safe for me

but I can search for computer systems

engineering also this is for SDSU San

dieo State University and for one I have

written I can consider CS in this also

the deadline is 1st March so I I wrote

it down that way so this is what I

personally did I wanted to share it with

you because I receive huge huge huge

number of requests for shortlisting

universities on your behalf I can't take

decisions on your behalf you have to

take the decision because you are the

one who will be pursuing that degree who

will be studying who will be looking for

jobs if anything happens you would like

you have to take accountability of of

yourself I I just mean to say that

so this is what I had to share in this

and uh I hope you found it informative

as usual if you are an international

student and you if you're looking for

other resources other videos other

informative videos I may say uh then

please have a look at my channel I'm

definitely sure that you will love it um

till then I'll see you in the next one

take care bye and do subscribe to the

channel if you already haven't I'll see

you uh most probably next week take

care e