HINDUSTAN TIMES, MUMBAI, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 06, 2012

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When you think of whoshould study abroad, severalstereotypes come to mind:rich kids from IB schools,total brainiacs from A-listcolleges or IITians who wantan MBA. Here I hope to muddle those stereotypes a bit and dispel some of themyths around the kind of students who can studyabroad.

MYTH 1: I AM NOT A TOPPER SO I CANNOT GET INTO ANY COLLEGE IN THE USColleges like Harvard andStanford are distant dreamsfor almost everyone. Thegood news is that there areover 2,500 four-year collegesin the US and thousandsmore in the UK, Australiaand the rest of the world thatwelcome international stu-dents. If it is your SAT scoresthat are tripping you up, take a look at some of the testing-optional programmes. While parentsoften hesitate to spend onlesser-known colleges, suchplaces often offer scholarships to offset the costand still provide excellentresources, facilities and avaluable education that willprepare you for a greatfuture.

MYTH 2: MY FAMILY CANNOTAFFORD TO SEND ME TO COLLEGE IN THE US. IN FACT WECAN BARELY AFFORD THE APPLICATION FEESI worked with two studentslast year who fit into this category—they studied in theHSC board, with 90% to 92%in ICSE, 78% to 82% scores inClass 11 and Class 12, and SATscores just below 2000. Theywere both awardedPresidential Scholarships atthe University of Richmond tostudy finance (ranked 15th inundergraduate finance pro-grammes by Business Week)and got additional aid to coverover 80% of their total expens-es for all four years. They areproof that deserving studentscan get a chance; however,they were strategic in creatingthis opportunity and it took alot of hard work to find theright programme and aidpackage for them (they gotother competitive offers aswell). And incidentally, severalof their application fees werewaived.

MYTH 3: I AM INTO SPORTS, NOTSTUDIES Great news! The rest of theworld values sports in a waythat you may have neverexperienced. In the US, thereare over 3,80,000 studentathletes, many of whom areactively recruited to play fortheir college teams, therebyalmost ensuring their admission. The process forrecruitment is complicatedand it is important to startearly, but there are greatresources for helping you get through the process (see box). And if you havebeen dedicated to a sport oractivity, but do not have thetalent or interest in pursuingit into college, your deepinvolvement in somethingother than studies will likelyhelp to stand out in yourapplication essays andextracurriculars.

MYTH 4: I AM INTO ARTS, NOTSTUDIES Again, as with sports, thededication and discipline youdemonstrate in pursuit ofyour art form will set youapart. It’s important that youare highly honoured in yourchosen stream (whetherkathak, painting or tabla),and that you have performedwidely and won awards—simply being ‘interested’ inmusic and passing Trinityexams is not enough. Thisfocus also allows you to consider some competitivearts colleges that offer anexcellent education as well asa refinement of your craft.

Still not sure that higherstudies abroad is for you?Check out some of theresources I have shared, andresearch how realistic it is.Talk to anyone you know whohas been abroad for college,and meet counsellors andrepresentatives from a variety of colleges who visitMumbai, or visit the countrycentres.

The author is a study abroad advisor and co-founder of

The Red Pen. For more discussion on Education

Abroad with Kimberly Dixit visit her blogat theredpenmumbai.blogspot.in

‘Not restricted to rich kids & nerds’study abroad

Kimberly Dixit ■ USA: www.usief.org.in/Mumbai.aspx ■ UK: www.educationuk.org■ Australia: www.studyinaustralia.gov.au■ Learn more about US higher education including financial aid, athleticscholarships and other considerations: www.educationusa.info■ Financial Aid and other resources: www. internationalstudent.com■ Learn more about international athletes: www.athletes-usa.com

GOVERNMENT SPONSORED INFORMATION AND GENERAL RESOURCES