This is the question that most students studying at the Bachelors level ask and think about i.e., whether to go for Masters right after completing their Bachelors or whether after doing job for sometime. Well, the answer is that there is no particular generalized RIGHT time. It depends on your own will, your circumstances and also on when you get the chance. Each of these two approaches has its own benefits.
• If one wants to go right after his Bachelors, then the plus point of this approach is that it
would be comparatively easier for him to study as he would be in that studying routine.
• On the other hand, if one starts doing a job after completing his bachelors and plans to go
for Masters after 2 or 3 years, then the plus point of this approach is that he would have
acquired practical knowledge and would have seen the things in action that he had
studied. However, it is recommended that in this case, the plan shouldn’t be delayed too
much, i.e., one should go for Masters after at most 2 or 3 years. The more delay there is,
more are the disadvantages that one might face.
European countries are social welfare states; therefore education is free in most of the European countries. In most of the European universities, there is no tuition fee, however in some cases, there might be some fees of student unions, social security funds or registration fee but these are very less. All the universities are state-funded; this is from where they cover up all their expenses. The industries also contribute a lot to research and provide funding. Note however, that a very few universities do charge regular tuition fees and other charges.
A few years ago, the higher education in most of the European countries was in their native language. Now almost all the top universities conduct higher education in English. If a program is termed as International, then all of its courses would be in English, which is normally the case for most Masters programs. However, still a few universities conduct courses in their native language.
The study programs are available in all the fields including Engineering Sciences, IT, MBA & Business related, Medical, Law, Social sciences & Humanities etc.
The duration of masters in most of the European countries is two years, except in Sweden where it is 1.5 years and in U.K it is of one year duration. However, in U.K the education is not free. More detail about education in UK is given later in a separate section. The two year period consists of 4 semesters with exams at the end of each semester. Normally one has to take 5 courses per semester. The last semester is usually dedicated to the thesis.
The universities are very good and so are the faculties and the environment. The universities are very well equipped containing high-tech buildings, labs and class-rooms. Also there are lots of huge libraries containing thousands of books and other material.
Sweden Denmark
Finland Netherlands
Belgium France UK
http://www.deutschland.de
http://www.sweden.se
http://www.denmark.dk http://www.finland.fi
http://www.netherlands.nl http://www.belgium.be
http://www.france.com
http://www.i-uk.com http://www.direct.gov.ukGerman Swedish, English
Danish, English Finnish Dutch Dutch, French
French EnglishNote that Pakistan Standard time is GMT+5. In France, currently most of the courses are taught in French only, so if you want to go there, you would have to learn French first.
Krone (DKK) +45 GMT+1
Euro (€) +358 GMT+2
Euro (€) +31 GMT+1
Euro (€) +32 GMT+1
To start with, you should have a fair & general idea about the field you would like to study in. Do some research, consult your seniors, friends, professors, and other professionals around you, see what are your interests and what are the fields which are currently on top and which fields have good scope in coming future (future job market). As you would continue with the admission procedure, you would soon be able to decide the particular fields and programs that you want to specialize in.
During the whole admission cycle, you need to do three things: think (about what you want to do), obtain enough information, and communicate with others with similar experiences and intentions.
During the process you need to be very clear (1) about what you want to achieve, (2) how would you achieve it and (3) possibly alternate backup plans if the original one fails.
Following are the steps that you would follow for seeking admission:1) Decide which program and field you want to study
2) Search for and short list the universities where you want to apply, which offer the program of your choice, along with their department names, research strengths and TOEFL (& GRE/GMAT) codes
3) Download, fill and print the application forms
4) Prepare customized SoP and letter of recommendations
5) Complete the documents required (list given in a later section)
6) Check that the application set is complete in all regards
7) Post the application (ideally well before the application deadline)
8) Wait for the admission results
9) Apply for Visa
Keep in mind that you would have to start preparing for admission at least 10-11 months before your intended studies start, e.g., if you are planning to start studies in August 2005, then you would have to start preparations from round about September 2004.
• The admission process and dates vary from university to university. Normally the admission process continues from January to March/April. The classes start in late August or September/October. Admissions are carried out only once a year.
• A few universities require you to apply online.
• For details and dates of a particular university, see the website of that university.
• It is strongly recommended that you apply as soon as possible and well before the application deadline, as in most cases the seats are filled very early. An earlier application might give you a better chance of admission. Moreover, you will get the response earlier and would have enough time for decision or applying for Visa etc.
• Make sure that you have all the necessary documents (mark sheets, degrees, certificates, TOEFL score report etc) well in time. The list of the required documents is given below. It is strongly recommended that you prepare these documents before the start of the admission procedure.
• Also keep in mind that international mail normally takes about 7-15 days.
Since the European universities don’t have any application processing fee, so it doesn’t cost to apply. The only cost would be that of postage (which, in Pakistan, is approximately PK Rs. 200, if you send the application through registered mail). So apply to as many universities as possible (recommended is to apply to at least 5 universities), as the admission criteria vary vastly from university to university, year to year and also depends on the applications received. So be on the safe side and apply to 5-6 universities at least.
When starting applying for admission, make a separate folder for each university that you apply to, to store the admission information, related documents and subsequent correspondence. This’ll help you to keep things organized and manageable.
All the communication between you and the university should be proper and neatly typed or printed.Have patience and perseverance throughout the admission process (or anything else for that matter). Sometimes things may not work the way you want them to, but DO NEVER LOOSE HOPE and keep on trying. Sooner or later you will get what you want.
The exact documents that each university requires would differ, however in general, while applying for Masters, following are the documents (attested photocopies) that universities require you to submit along with the application:
• Application Form (provided by the university)
Fill the application form carefully. You would either have to print and fill the forms or fill and print the forms. It is recommended that if possible; use either computer or type-writer to fill the forms. If asked for, use your own handwriting. Fill the application forms carefully and properly.
• Bachelors Degree + Detailed Mark Sheets + Certificates
• HSSC / F.Sc / A-Level Certificates + Mark Sheets
• SSC / Matric / O-Level Certificates + Mark Sheets
• TOEFL/IELTS Score Report
A few universities require that official Test scores (TOEFL, GRE, GMAT) be sent to them directly from ETS. You would have to arrange this on the test day as mentioned in the following section. For details and preparation of TOEFL & other tests, see the next section.
• Your C.V (Curriculum Vitae)
Unless you are a very big scholar or researcher, limit your C.V to two pages at max. Tips for preparing a good CV are given in a later section.
• SoP (Statement of Purpose)
• Two Letters of Recommendation by your Professors or Employer The contents of these letters and the recommendations matter a lot in the admission procedure, so make sure you get them from your well-reputed professors. These letters should be enclosed in properly signed and sealed envelopes. Also note that some universities might have specific format for the recommendation letters which they ask your referees to fill out, answering short answer type questions, or ranking you among the students they have taught. If this is the requirement, it would be mentioned alongside the list of documents required, follow it.
It is recommended that you get one letter from your university and one from your employer (if you are doing a job).
See the section titled “How to prepare your Letter of Recommendations” for tips on how to prepare these letters and a sample letter.
• Your Photographs (passport size)
• Experience Certificate (in case you have done or are doing job somewhere) Having a professional background in the field you are applying for Masters, would help you a lot, as some universities give quite importance to the work experience in the related field.
Additionally, following documents may be required by some universities:
• Photocopy of your passport
• Medical Certificate
• Financial Certificate
Also note that if any of your degrees, mark sheets or certificates are in a language other than English, then you would also have to submit their English translations along with the photocopies of the originals.
Make sure that the information you present in the form of the Required Documents or any other additional info, should be coherent and should not contradict each other.
Don’t mislead, deceive or present false information.When you make sets of photocopies of documents, letters of recommendations & SOPS etc, it is recommended that you make TWO OR THREE EXTRA SETS, as you might require them at some later stage.
Bachelors Degree:
For admission to Masters, you should (or about to) have a Bachelors degree from a recognized university in the related field for which you are applying for Masters. Although the exact criteria varies from university to university; but usually many universities prefer applicants who have achieved good marks & grades throughout their educational career. The applicants having achieved positions and other distinctions are obviously preferred more.
If you have some publications or research papers in some journal or conference, it would be a great plus for your admission.
However, this is not the case every where; students with lower grades or marks may also be admitted if they have excelled in other fields, projects and they have a strong professional career.
Just bear in mind that if you WANT to pursue higher education and make reasonable efforts for admission and do it sensibly, then no matter whatever grades you have, you have quite good chances of getting admission wherever you wish to.
Also keep in mind that having achieved high marks won’t guarantee your admission alone, there are several other things that matter including your SOPs, letter of recommendations, C.V, TEST scores etc.
TOEFL/IELTS GMAT GRE:
Almost all the universities (which teach courses in English) require that you have taken either the TOEFL or the IELTS test. Moreover, some embassies also have requirement of TOEFL for issuing VISA.
For MBA and other business related courses, GMAT is required.
For other requirements, e.g., GRE etc, see the university’s website.
If your courses are not in English (but are in the native language), then there is no requirement of TOEFL or IELTS, however in that case there is a requirement that you have proficiency in that language and the university might require you to show some certificate or proof etc.
A few general points about these tests are mentioned below:• These Tests (TOEFL, IELTS, GRE, GMAT) are GENERAL and the questions in these tests are not related to any particular field. These TESTS test the knowledge that has been acquired over a certain period of time and not relating to any specific field of study.
• Keep in mind that although for every type of test, there are minimum score requirements which you must clear, you should get as high scores as possible. This’ll not only increase your chances of admission but would also help you in other things too e.g., applying for a scholarship, funding or TA ship etc.
• In order to register for any of these tests, you should have a valid passport (this is a special requirement for test takers from the sub-continent), so if you haven’t got one yet you should get yours as soon as possible. In Pakistan, in order to get your passport, you would have to go to your regional passport office and fill up the form along with the fee (PK Rs.1500) and required documents. You will get your passport after 14 days from the date of submission of forms.
• You would have to take your passport to the test centre on the test day as proof of your identity.
• For registering for any of these tests, you would have to pay the registration fee, which you can either pay by credit card or bank draft (for making a foreign currency bank draft, contact your bank or a money changer). For other modes of payment, see the official website or the appropriate brochure of the test.
• For taking the TOEFL/GRE/GMAT tests, you would have to register with ETS (Educational Testing Service: http://www.ets.org).
ETS has started online registration, so now you can register online using a credit card. Or you can also download the form (International Test Scheduling Form) from their website, fill it and fax it to the RRC (Regional Registration Centre), which for testtakers from Pakistan is in Malaysia.
Or you can also schedule the test appointment via telephone, for which you would have to call the RRC in Malaysia.
For exact details of how to register for a particular test, see the official website or the appropriate brochure of that test.
• You can take these tests only once per month i.e., if you have taken any of the tests (TOEFL/GRE/GMAT) in a particular month, then you can’t take the same test again in that month.
• On the test day, after you have taken the test, you would have the option of sending your test (TOELF/GRE/GMAT) scores directly to up to 4-5 universities of your choice free of cost. For this you would need to know their TOEFL/GRE/GMAT codes, which you can get from the university websites, and if these are not mentioned there, email the universities to get them. For sending scores to other universities or sending scores later, you would have to pay extra fees (app 15$ per university), so ensure that when you go to take any of these tests, you have the names and TOEFL/GRE/GMAT codes of the universities where you want your test scores to be sent.
• The test scores for any of these tests is valid for only a certain number of years (e.g., in case of TOEFL, the test scores are valid for only two years). When you apply to a university, they require that you have a valid test score i.e., you have taken that test in the previous 2 (in case of TOEFL) or 5 years (in case of GRE/GMAT) and not earlier than that.
• The admission procedure of most of the European universities start from January, so ensure that you have taken the required test and have your official score report (which takes app. 5-6 weeks after you have taken the test) with you by the end of December or January. Although you can also send the score report later (after applying), yet it is recommended that when you send your documents for admission, they are complete in all respect.
• In Pakistan, the test centers are located in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.
In each of these tests, one or more sections contain multiple choice questions. For each multiple-choice section of the test, there is a large pool of potential questions ranging from a low to high level of difficulty. Each section of the test starts with a question of moderate difficulty. If you answer the first question correctly, the computer will give you a harder question next. If you answer the first question incorrectly, your next question will be easier i.e., the level of difficulty of the next question varies with whether the current question has been answered correctly or not. This process will continue until you complete the section, at which point the computer will have an accurate assessment of your ability level in that section of the test i.e., a computer adaptive test automatically adjusts to your skill level.
In a computer-adaptive test, only one question at a time is presented. Because the computer scores each question before selecting the next one, you may not skip, return to, or change your responses to previous questions.
In a computer adaptive test, your score is determined by:
• the number of questions you answer
• whether you answer the questions correctly or incorrectly
• the level of difficulty and other statistical characteristics of each question;
Tips and other useful points to be kept in mind for any of these tests are given later in the section titled “Useful Points to be kept in mind for any of these tests”. Details about TOEFL, IELTS, GRE and GMAT are given below.
TOEFL measures the English proficiency of non-native speakers of English. Most people who take the TOEFL test are planning to study at colleges and universities where instruction is in English.
For TOEFL, the normal minimum score requirement of most universities is 213, while for some others it is 237 (out of 300, this is for Computer Based TOEFL).
TOEFL is easy and with the preparation of 3-4 weeks, you should be able to score in excess of 250. I prepared for a couple of weeks and my score was 280.
• The fee for taking the TOEFL test is 130$.
For details and how to register, visit the TOEFL website http://www.toefl.org and download the TOEFL bulletin, which contains all the necessary information.
Tutorials Listening Structure
Reading Writing7 Tutorials 30-50 Questions 20-25 Questions
5 minute Break 44-55 Questions 70-90 mins 1 prompt 30 minsUntimed
40-60 mins
15-20 mins
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0-30 (scaled to100) 0-15 (scaled to 50)
When you have taken the TOEFL Test, you can view your unofficial Listening & Reading scores at the test center; however, because of the essay scoring process, you will not be able to view your Writing scores at that time. Instead you would be given a range (e.g., 230-280) in which your final total score would lie.
The various sections of the TOEFL test are described below:• Listening (Multiple Choice Questions)
This section measures the ability to understand spoken English. This section tests comprehension of main ideas, supporting ideas, important details and inferences. You will both see and hear the questions before the answer choices appear. In this section, you would listen to short conversations, longer conversations & class discussions, lectures & talks and then you would have to answer the questions about what you have listened. Since this section is Computer Adaptive, so once you have confirmed your answer, you can’t go back and change your answers.
• Structure (Multiple Choice Questions)
This section measures the ability to recognize language that is appropriate for standard written English. The language tested is formal, rather than conversational. In this section, there are two types of questions; namely incomplete sentences and sentences with underlined words and phrases. They are presented in random order. Since this section is also Computer Adaptive, so once you have confirmed your answer, you can’t go back and change your answers. The score in this section is combined with the score on the essay that you compose in the writing section.
• Reading (Multiple Choice Questions)
This section measures the ability to understand short passages similar in topic