Kathmandu :

Studying abroad is a dream that most students harbour after completing +2 education in their home country. But they have to pass a number of gateways to successfully accomplish this dream of theirs. Preparing the complete documents and appearing in the exams that students need to to study abroad are some to name a few. Students can make the necessary arrangements and preparations on their own but there are also a number of institutions around town offering help if they want to seek any professional advice.

Dr Mansoor Agha from India was here in Kathmandu recently to conduct free seminar on application and documentation for studying abroad, GRE and GMAT preparation for MS and MBA programmes and SAT and TOEFL preparation for studying in US. Agha is a consultant at the Universal Language and Computer Institute (ULCI) and has conducted seminars in a number of places.

According to Agha, being a very good academic student does not ensure a good score in these exams as the questions are tricky and fancy language is used in such tests. As a result, there is a greater chance for students to make silly mistakes.

During the three seminars that he conduced at ULCI, Agha warned the students to be conscious about the tricks and traps inherent in these tests and provided them with practical tips to see these traps. Agha believes that, for the preparation, what is expected from the students is not hard work but a balance between a hard work and smart work.

“I found that most of the students are very hardworking but shy. They hardly came up with questions that students are expected to come up with after a seminar. Maybe it’s part of our Asian culture. I had to rhetorically inquire about things and answer on my own at the end of the seminar,” he said.

The first question that comes is how does one prepare that guarantees that one gets selected. In Nepal and most of the Asian countries, Bri-tish English is used in the education system. But these tests are American English tests. Agha believes that improving vocabulary is a limitless process but students really need to know very good American vocabulary. He points at reading fiction and non-fiction books to be really helpful. One should even develop speed-reading skill and build the ability to critically analyse what one has read.

“Being able to read between the lines is very critical to get a good score,” says Agha.

Agha believes that preparatory classes and taking help from professionals really help a lot, but students must be ready to be flexible and adaptive to new ways of working, be smart working, and never hesitant.

Of course money is a big matter but if you are committed to work hard, money will automatically start flowing in. For those who score high, there are a number of provisions for various degrees of scholarship to fee-waiver schemes and even if you are not able to bag any of these schemes, student loans are always there to help you realise your dreams.

So if you are also aspiring to study abroad, enroll in an institution offering these preparation courses and ensure high score because high score ultimately means better future prospects.