Do you want to study in UK
If studying in UK was your dream for a very long time, then you would be happy to know that same is the case for a lot of other Indian students aspiring to study abroad. Dreaming is one thing and realizing it is a completely different game.
Realizing it requires having adequate information about the selection process, courses and universities coupled with an ability to finalize the best combination of university and course for oneself. This is easier said than done. With a billion search results talking about everything related to studying in UK, it gets quite hard for students to understand the real deal. This article aims to make things easy for you by helping you understand the details of studying in UK. Let us begin:
Benefits of studying in UK
Top quality education
UK is one of the most preferred destinations for overseas education. Anybody who wants to study abroad has UK in his (her) priority list. As per a study done by US News and World report for best countries for education, UK was consistently one of the top 3 destinations for education year after year.. A degree from any of the universities in UK is recognized and acknowledged worldwide by employers and educational institutions. Such a world class reputation is built using a combination of factors. To begin with, the entire curriculum is research intensive and loaded with real life case studies and practical application. Such a balanced mix of theory and examples helps students understand and apply the concepts better and they get a whole new perspective about dealing with issues at workplace. The second reason is the variety of international students that come to study in UK which adds to the cultural diversity of the campuses. Such a varied interaction helps students in broadening their understanding of the world and improves their thought process. It also aids in improvising their creativity. These qualities are highly desirable in organizations and in different social settings since it expands the scope of problem solving by introducing newer paradigms.
Course variety
UK has one of the largest varieties of courses to offer. To give you a glimpse of it in numbers, there are approximately 30,000 undergraduate courses. That is superb news since it means that there is a course available for everyone. However, it is also an overwhelming situation since as an applicant, it requires one to do a complete research about the courses before deciding on one. One of the most compelling reasons for Indian students choosing to study in UK is this variety. Often students want customized courses with a combination of subjects of their choice, or time duration that suits their plan or a super specialized course in a particular domain in which they want to deepen their knowledge further or a financially more affordable course or a course that has better job opportunities. Whatever their reason, it is always not possible to get a course in their home country as per their criteria and hence they look out for opportunities abroad. In fact, it is with this aim to accommodate students with different objectives that universities in UK make sure that they have courses catering to the interests of wide variety of international students.
Shorter duration courses
The courses in UK are diverse not only in their content format but also shorter than their counterparts. While it may seem odd to an outsider but when one analyzes the benefits does the true advantage become apparent. In fact, this is one of the most common queries that UK education consultants in India face from aspiring students. The first advantage is of course that shorter duration courses mean an equivalent decrease in course fee and other financial expenses without compromising on the quality of education provided. So, if you are someone who is aspiring to study abroad and wants top quality education at a more affordable fee structure, then you may look at studying in UK. Another advantage of short duration courses is that they can be completed during breaks that professionals take during their career or students get during their yearlong studies. A lot of aspiring students look for small courses to get good exposure and enhance their resume. The shorter courses in UK are a perfect fit to these requirements. Less duration also gives students more time to experience the culture of UK, enjoy the scenic beauty and explore the uniqueness embedded in the UK environment.
Worldwide work opportunities
If you happen to ask any overseas education consultant about degree courses that have immense global recognition and huge work opportunities, chances are that the universities they would name would mostly be from UK. Certifications and degrees obtained from universities in UK are acknowledged worldwide and thus they increase the chances of a candidate to get work opportunities not only in India but across the globe. Some of the top universities in UK like University of Oxford and University of Cambridge have been amongst the top universities of the world for ages now. This criterion is important for students who want to acquire an overseas degree to increase their options for job opportunities. A lot of students wish to go global with their career ambitions and a degree from a recognized university from UK comes as a perfect fit to help them launch their lofty goals. So, if you are someone who wants to give an impetus to your career, you may want to consider getting a degree for a course of your choice from one of the globally recognized universities in UK.
Ideal place to develop your language skills
One of the major motivations of going for overseas education is to be in an environment that helps a student improve his (her) language skills. Be it English or any other foreign language, it is often advised by language experts that one of the best ways to imbibe a neutral accent and improve fluency is to practice a language with native speakers or if possible, spend more time in the company of native speakers so that one gets an opportunity to observe and ingrain their style of using the language. English is the official language of most of the countries in the world. And the ideal accent preferred by organizations worldwide is a neutral or a native speaker like accent. For an Indian student, attaining a neutral or a native speaker like accent is only possible when they get to practice English with native or near native speakers. An option to study in UK may just be that opportunity.
Welcoming atmosphere
UK has been home to international students for a very long time. A lot of students after course completion also explore ways to work and finally settle as permanent residents. Such a system has ensured that the population in UK is a mix of indigenous cultures and people who settled from outside. Such a diverse population mix has very good consequences for international students. International students find a very welcoming atmosphere when they arrive in UK. Such a warm environment helps students to settle down faster and mingle with others easily. With reduced communication barriers and an open mind towards new students, Indian students find it very relaxing to start their degree in such conditions and while they are still away from home but they are able to create an environment which is as friendly and secure as home. Hence, if you are looking for countries that are quite receptive to international students and base merit above caste, creed or color, then you may want to explore UK as your overseas education destination.
Cultural diversity
As mentioned above, UK represents quite a diverse population mix. While the dominant ethnic group is that of native British but increasingly a generous part of the population (around 15%) is represented by groups settled from other countries, prominent among them being the Asians. This has been possible because UK provides ample job opportunities, a flourishing economy, an open mindset to embrace various other cultures, pleasant climate, a robust security system in place to maintain law and order, merit based culture that promotes hard work and intellect, world class education system, and research oriented teaching pedagogy. The entire system aims to develop an ecosystem of sustainable development in UK using resources optimally, encouraging research in every field and embracing differences among various cultures with a broad mind.
Opportunity to learn other languages
While English remains the most used language in UK, there are other dialects which are used in different regions of UK and being exposed to them would help a student ace them gradually. Some of these languages are Scots (spoken in Scotland and Northern Ireland) and Welsh (used mostly in Wales and parts of England), Irish (most commonly heard in Northern Ireland, Glassgow, Liverpool, Manchester etc). This is particularly useful for students who wish to work in UK after completion of their courses or even wish to seek permanent residency of UK someday. Fluency in local languages not just gives confidence to the speaker; it imparts an edge to connect with locals on a more personal level using their language. It sends off the message that one is ready to integrate himself (herself) with the culture and hence deserves a fair chance at opportunities presented to him (her).
Quality audits
It is an integral part of the education system in UK to conduct regular quality audits at different departments in every university. This audit is meant to measure if the quality is maintained at par with the peers, to ascertain if the curriculum is in sync with the course objectives and includes all the latest case studies to develop the mindset of learners, to evaluate if the teaching pedagogy caters to the diversified needs of the leaner’s and to find out if there is any further room for improvement to make the course better for the learner as well as for the teachers. Such an initiative highlights the focus of the government to ensure that the courses remain updated and relevant to the needs of the learners and the skillset demanded by the industry. This is just one of the ways to ensure that UK remains an attractive overseas education option for international students no matter how the external environment changes. This is one of those rare steps taken by a government to ensure that the quality of education provided remains in sync with the changing dynamics of the external world.
Easy financial aid
Studying in UK depends on a student’s ability to bear the financial expenditure. For some, it is affordable and there are some students who look for financial assistance. Education in UK does not let its financial cost exclude meritorious students. A lot of financial assistance is available in the form of scholarships given by government, universities and colleges. Adult learners also have the opportunity to apply for grants and bursaries if they find it hard to bear the financial cost of getting a degree in UK. While Google search provides billions of search results for this, but the information overload can get quite overwhelming for students looking for ways to reduce their financial burden. That is where a UK Education consultant in India might be of big help. Most of the overseas education consultants have detailed information on this to help their students find the most suitable financial aid. At GoCan, having sent thousands of students successfully to UK year after year, we have built a big database of the various options available for students looking for financial assistance for their overseas education in UK.
Top universities in UK
As per QS World University ranking 2021, following are the top 10 universities of UK:
When do I need a consultant
If you are wondering whether to go for a consultant or not, then the following pointers would be able to sort this out for you:
Locating the best course
when you are looking for a course in a country that offers some 30000 courses, it may take months to finalize on a particular course. Scanning every course for its particularities, narrowing down to the ones that fit your criteria, analyzing them for their merit, researching on their popularity, keeping a track of their recognition among future employers, evaluating future prospects and application in different industries and finalizing a course which suits your interest is nothing but an uphill task. With so many things to manage, research, analyze, it could get quite chaotic and confusing. This is when you should ideally look for a UK education consultant in India. In fact, it is advisable to look for consultant located nearby since it would mean that availability would be offline as well as online. Say, you are in Ludhiana, and then you may want to look for a UK education consultant in Ludhiana.
Documentation
Documentation is one of the most critical and even one of the most dreaded parts of the entire selection process in UK. It’s because of the complexity involved in ensuring that the relevant and correct sets of documents have been sent along with the application. An important point to remember here is that documentation just does not involve papers. It also involves student essays, admission essays, SOPs and/or letter of recommendation, whatever is applicable in each case. All these are long form essays that are to be written keeping a specific purpose in mind. While every essay related to admission or visa would want the student to write few lines about himself but in reality the expectation is a beautiful story weaved out of the important life events of a student and to align it with the short and long term objectives of his (her) career and the course that he (she) wishes to study. This story makes the essay engaging and interesting to read. The alignment of career goals and course helps the admission officer to understand and estimate the seriousness of the student and how interested the student would be in pursuing and completing the course. After all, every admission officer wants to admit only those students who are highly motivated, are willing to complete the course, interested in creating a larger impact on the society through their work and are overall of a good conduct and hence would be able to mingle with others easily. While it may sound easy to read, but often students find themselves at crossroads when they are asked to write such an essay. They may have all the points in their head but putting them all in a coherent fashion requires superior writing skills and adequate experience. This is where one may need an overseas education consultant who also provides help with documentation and writing admission essays of any format. At GoCan, we have dedicated experts with years of experience in guiding students craft beautiful and engaging admission essays and SOPs which helps candidates stand out and make a positive impression.
How do I choose the best education consultant
Check out what happy clients say about them
Testimonials are a great way to understand how good the services are. If you have a list of UK Education consultants in Ludhiana and you are not sure of the best among them, it is a good idea to scroll through the commentary written by the clients. The more the number of commentaries, the more experienced and popular is the consultant. Not only this, the commentaries many times also highlight the particular services in which the consultant is highly recommended.
Their experience
Another way to find out how good a consultant is to go through their experience. One gets a fair amount of idea about their experience by going through the number of candidates that a consultant has placed successfully, the number of countries that they cover, variety of courses that they have an expertise on, range of services they offer and their understanding and deliverable in every service. At GoCan, we offer a variety of services but there is one service offering that is unique to us and that is our cultural sensitization program. We are the only overseas education consultant in Ludhiana to have a formal training on culture sensitization ad adaptation. This is as much a critical part of going abroad for studies as documentation and hence we ensure that we provide our students with a formal exposure of it so that they are better prepared for the transition.
Their knowledge center
A lot can be revealed by going through the blogs at the knowledge center. There is a reason why blogs are referred to as the knowledge center. That is the only place where a consultant gets to showcase his (or her) understanding and expertise of a particular service. A very good overseas education consultant’s blog will have news related to all the updates, changes and revisions happening in the overseas education space and what all of that means for an aspiring student in India. It would also reflect on the changing dynamics of industry and future skillset expected from this generation of students. It is through these informative blogs that a consultant establishes himself as an expert in his (or her) field. If you want to understand how good your consultant is, make sure you go through their blog section.
FAQs