United Kingdom is a chosen option for students from across the world. With traditions of excellence which date back hundreds of years, solid dependable institutions and flexible patterns, the United Kingdom has become a preferred option for students from India.
However, what really makes the United Kingdom stand out? Why would a student want to go to the UK instead of the US?
Growing Destination
The top ten countries sending students to the UK are:
1. China 50,755
2. India 19,205
3. Greece 17,675
4. Republic of Ireland 16,790
5. USA 14,755
6. Germany 13,265
7. France 12,455
8. Malaysia 11,450
9. Nigeria 9,605
10.Hong Kong 9,445
Worldwide Recognition
In terms of education UK higher education institutions are recognized for their high education standards, world class faculty and excellent campuses. Some known names are Oxford and Cambridge, but there are several more reputed institutions whose names can resonate with any employer and that’s one of their key advantages. In the US too there are similar universities and their names are also easily recognizable. What is creating a ripple is the fact that even till a decade ago, the words `higher education’ were synonymous with the U.S. but the pattern is now changing with many students ready to explore the U.K. as an option
Education Costs are Lower
The cost of education for an international student in the UK can be lower compared to the USA and other countries. Some courses in the USA can be $25,000 plus a year in tuition alone. Tuition for the majority of UK higher education institutions is in the region of £6,000 to £7,000 a year!
One can also save a lot of money because a degree will generally take less time to complete in the UK than in other countries. Although four-year programs are increasing in popularity, most degree programs in the UK require a three-year course and a master’s program is typically between one and two years.
Work Opportunities
Both the U.S. and the U.K allow international students to work up to 20 hours and this enables students to partly fund their expenses. However, there is no reassurance that jobs will be available and the student can fund his own education.
Scholarships/ Loans
Financing an international education is always difficult. The best approach includes lots of preparation, careful analysis of your budget, and hard work in researching and applying for scholarships. There are a variety of scholarships and loans available to students who wish to study in the UK as well as in the U.S
Multicultural Nation
The UK is known for having a multicultural society with all religions and faiths represented in some way. The UK is very open to new traditions and cultures - something that is a great thing for students from other countries!
Reputation
A total of 14,000 highly respected academics in 131 countries were asked to rate the world's universities according to how good they thought their research and teaching were.
The results, published by Times Higher Education magazine, reveal that UK universities are second only to those in the US when it comes to reputation. While the US has 45 institutions in the top 100, the UK has 12. Japan came third with five
universities in the top 100.
Harvard was placed first, followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Cambridge University came third, Oxford sixth and Imperial College London 11th. University College London (UCL) took 19th place.
Only academics who had published more than 50 research papers and had worked in universities for more than 16 years were asked to take part in the survey.
There are several other league tables of the world's universities, but this one is the first to go purely on reputation. Universities are likely to use these rankings, among others, to judge how much they should charge in tuition fees.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
How Can One Choose An MBA College From The Numerous Options Which Are Available Today?
Higher education becomes the basis of one’s future in the corporate world and is the dividing line between a good job and a great job. Obviously, it does not come easy and an MBA degree from a good school requires a certain amount of effort in terms of time and money. Not every student can get an MBA degree from Harvard’s and Kellogg’s but that does not mean that there are no other good options.
Also, every single student would like to clear CAT or XAT and get into one of India’s IIMs or other top B-schools in the country. But the fact remains that every year there are nearly 400,000 students who appear for the state level entrance tests while there are barely 15000 seats across 100 odd MBA colleges. Obviously, the next best choice is to go abroad and here it becomes extremely challenging for students to decide which college to choose. To complicate matters, one also has to choose the country and across the U.S., Europe, Australia and Asia Pacific opportunities abound making the whole decision making process tiresome.
Here are some tips to consider when choosing a college:
Step one is to decide whether one really wishes to procure an MBA degree and then the second factor which for many people becomes a roadblock is cost factor. There is no option of not spending the money, especially when it comes to education. But one must see that the money is spent on the right place with the selection of right institute for education.
Brand Name: The name of the college is extremely important for MBA degrees as there is a huge difference in acceptance levels in corporates when it comes to appointing MBA students. In fact, everything starting from salary to position is determined by the university from where the student completes his MBA. An MBA from a reputed college like an IIM will obviously attract better jobs than an MBA from a local college.
Quality of education plays an important role as an MBA program is extremely close to real life scenarios as it prepares the student for managing situations in the corporate world. Faculty’s qualifications, style of teaching, their knowledge sums up the entire experience. Therefore, it is worth the while to check out the faculty before opting for a program in a particular college.
Job placements–Campus recruitment is the best place for MBA students to get jobs and the better the reputation and name of the college the better choice of companies it attracts to the campus.
Campus-The facilities of the campus is also very important. A large campus with a lot of space frees the mind of the student and expands his personal horizon. A great campus is like a wonderful memory in a students life and therefore its importance cannot be discounted.
Fee Structure-Though every management college charges a huge amount as a fees for their education services, but still its an important factor to be kept in mind before investing. The fees involved should justify the services and the standard of education provided by the institute.
Also, every single student would like to clear CAT or XAT and get into one of India’s IIMs or other top B-schools in the country. But the fact remains that every year there are nearly 400,000 students who appear for the state level entrance tests while there are barely 15000 seats across 100 odd MBA colleges. Obviously, the next best choice is to go abroad and here it becomes extremely challenging for students to decide which college to choose. To complicate matters, one also has to choose the country and across the U.S., Europe, Australia and Asia Pacific opportunities abound making the whole decision making process tiresome.
Here are some tips to consider when choosing a college:
Step one is to decide whether one really wishes to procure an MBA degree and then the second factor which for many people becomes a roadblock is cost factor. There is no option of not spending the money, especially when it comes to education. But one must see that the money is spent on the right place with the selection of right institute for education.
Brand Name: The name of the college is extremely important for MBA degrees as there is a huge difference in acceptance levels in corporates when it comes to appointing MBA students. In fact, everything starting from salary to position is determined by the university from where the student completes his MBA. An MBA from a reputed college like an IIM will obviously attract better jobs than an MBA from a local college.
Quality of education plays an important role as an MBA program is extremely close to real life scenarios as it prepares the student for managing situations in the corporate world. Faculty’s qualifications, style of teaching, their knowledge sums up the entire experience. Therefore, it is worth the while to check out the faculty before opting for a program in a particular college.
Job placements–Campus recruitment is the best place for MBA students to get jobs and the better the reputation and name of the college the better choice of companies it attracts to the campus.
Campus-The facilities of the campus is also very important. A large campus with a lot of space frees the mind of the student and expands his personal horizon. A great campus is like a wonderful memory in a students life and therefore its importance cannot be discounted.
Fee Structure-Though every management college charges a huge amount as a fees for their education services, but still its an important factor to be kept in mind before investing. The fees involved should justify the services and the standard of education provided by the institute.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Does An MBA Program Help Working Executives?
MBA’s for working executives is often referred to as `The Executive MBA Program’. Designed specifically for working managers and professionals with a minimum of at least three years work experience which can go up to 11 years, the course normally requires the candidate to have some managerial experience. The whole program is designed in such a way as to support working executives to continue to remain in employment during the duration of the program. This ensures active participation of current situations in the workplace which are relevant and encourage active discussion and participations amongst the students.
How does the program work
The EMBA program is often designed to develop managerial skills by combining practical experience with key theories in a classroom where the peer group can challenge each other. The most important point to note about EMBA is the fact that students who enroll are not freshers but come with a wealth of experience and their whole objective to join a program is to expand their knowledge and perspective and to better career perspectives. Hence the key difference between MBA and EMBA is the fact that students are experienced and hence have the ability to challenge theories. They can also immediately put into practice their learnings and finally they benefit hugely as the course often teaches them to fill in gaps in skills and knowledge which they may not even be aware that they are missing. They, in fact, become effective managers on completion with astute decision making skills, effective problem solving abilities and well prepared leaders who can take more challenges and responsibilities.
For Yogita Ghotkar, the reason for choosing further studies is simple! “To further my career prospects!” she says, “I have around 3 years of experience as a software developer and I know that to grow further I need to study. It will help me achieve my goals faster.”
Benefits of an Executive MBA Program
Top Faculty
Since Executive MBA students have work experience and hence are more knowledgeable they automatically becoming extremely demanding students who expect the faculty to know things they don’t know. This ensures that the faculty themselves are highly educated and experienced people with consulting experience in the business world.
Exceptional Peer Group
Interaction and communication become the key highlights of an EMBA program as students share real-life experiences and day-to-day work challenges with each other. This becomes a wealth of knowledge for students who can avert issues before they crop up and sometimes promote good practices which were not even thought of earlier. In this way both students and organisations benefit from EMBA programs.
Mid Career Growth
It is often quite possible that professionals drift into what is called the `mid-career crisis’ where they have reached the optimum position which their education and experience can carry them to. Often these professionals find that others jump ahead or sometimes outsiders are brought in to fill up senior positions. This happens especially if knowledge and skills are perceived to be inadequate by the organisation. In such cases, an EMBA helps to fill in knowledge gaps even as it bestows an additional esteemed degree upon the professional. It is now nearly impossible for any organisation to pass over a professional with an EMBA and on the other hand, organisations retain such executives and offer them better positions to attract them to stay on. Thus EMBA is a mid career propeller.
Learning Experience
During the early part of one’s career one is more open to learning and absorbing information, but as one reaches a certain point in one’s career, it is easy to fall into a pattern of set habits, values and decision making capabilities. Advice from seniors is often perceived as criticism and further hampers healthy growth. However, an EMBA program, allows relationship building at the executive level where one learns team building skills and the importance of peers to help one to succeed. By creating a healthy sharing atmosphere, students transfer skills and best practices to each other.
Immediate Applicability
Unlike most theory oriented learning programs, an EMBA because of its relevance to the current business world finds applicability almost immediately. Students even on a day-to-day basis can take back to the office their classroom learnings and convert these into best practices.
New Business Methodologies
In the field of education there are always new updates and current methodologies which working professionals may not have the time to read about. They may, therefore, be caught in outdated practices. An EMBA program brings current relevant learnings to the table.
Thus, EMBA programs are effective educational programs designed for professionals who wish to see their career goals achieved and climb to the next rung in the executive ladder.
How does the program work
The EMBA program is often designed to develop managerial skills by combining practical experience with key theories in a classroom where the peer group can challenge each other. The most important point to note about EMBA is the fact that students who enroll are not freshers but come with a wealth of experience and their whole objective to join a program is to expand their knowledge and perspective and to better career perspectives. Hence the key difference between MBA and EMBA is the fact that students are experienced and hence have the ability to challenge theories. They can also immediately put into practice their learnings and finally they benefit hugely as the course often teaches them to fill in gaps in skills and knowledge which they may not even be aware that they are missing. They, in fact, become effective managers on completion with astute decision making skills, effective problem solving abilities and well prepared leaders who can take more challenges and responsibilities.
For Yogita Ghotkar, the reason for choosing further studies is simple! “To further my career prospects!” she says, “I have around 3 years of experience as a software developer and I know that to grow further I need to study. It will help me achieve my goals faster.”
Benefits of an Executive MBA Program
Top Faculty
Since Executive MBA students have work experience and hence are more knowledgeable they automatically becoming extremely demanding students who expect the faculty to know things they don’t know. This ensures that the faculty themselves are highly educated and experienced people with consulting experience in the business world.
Exceptional Peer Group
Interaction and communication become the key highlights of an EMBA program as students share real-life experiences and day-to-day work challenges with each other. This becomes a wealth of knowledge for students who can avert issues before they crop up and sometimes promote good practices which were not even thought of earlier. In this way both students and organisations benefit from EMBA programs.
Mid Career Growth
It is often quite possible that professionals drift into what is called the `mid-career crisis’ where they have reached the optimum position which their education and experience can carry them to. Often these professionals find that others jump ahead or sometimes outsiders are brought in to fill up senior positions. This happens especially if knowledge and skills are perceived to be inadequate by the organisation. In such cases, an EMBA helps to fill in knowledge gaps even as it bestows an additional esteemed degree upon the professional. It is now nearly impossible for any organisation to pass over a professional with an EMBA and on the other hand, organisations retain such executives and offer them better positions to attract them to stay on. Thus EMBA is a mid career propeller.
Learning Experience
During the early part of one’s career one is more open to learning and absorbing information, but as one reaches a certain point in one’s career, it is easy to fall into a pattern of set habits, values and decision making capabilities. Advice from seniors is often perceived as criticism and further hampers healthy growth. However, an EMBA program, allows relationship building at the executive level where one learns team building skills and the importance of peers to help one to succeed. By creating a healthy sharing atmosphere, students transfer skills and best practices to each other.
Immediate Applicability
Unlike most theory oriented learning programs, an EMBA because of its relevance to the current business world finds applicability almost immediately. Students even on a day-to-day basis can take back to the office their classroom learnings and convert these into best practices.
New Business Methodologies
In the field of education there are always new updates and current methodologies which working professionals may not have the time to read about. They may, therefore, be caught in outdated practices. An EMBA program brings current relevant learnings to the table.
Thus, EMBA programs are effective educational programs designed for professionals who wish to see their career goals achieved and climb to the next rung in the executive ladder.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Does an MBA Degree Give You A Degree OR Do You Gain Knowledge?
Obviously the first question which comes to mind when one is considering an MBA is, will the degree just help me to get a great job or will it help me to perform the job well. Imagine a scenario where a student lands a job in a large organization and the job even though at fresher level still requires a certain amount of basic managerial knowledge. What will the student do if he or she did not attend classes and instead chose to do some last minute studying to complete the exam? A student who has not got the right exposure or adequate knowledge during the program is setting himself or herself for failure at the workplace!
The whole reason organizations pay a lot of money to MBA students is to get knowledge workers who can be decision makers and problem solvers from the word `go’. An MBA degree gives one the advantage of landing a job, but it is knowledge that ensures that the person can perform the job efficiently and thereby sustain and grow in his or her career.
But the fact to be remembered is that an MBA does give one a degree. A degree is the first step to landing a job of one’s choice and for freshers’ this is the only information they can add to their CV. Obviously, great organizations will look for qualifications first. Even within the large spectrum of MBA degrees, depending on the job profile and the organization one chooses, where or in which university the MBA was procured can also be a deciding factor. Therefore, one of the key factors to be kept in mind is to choose a good and recognized MBA school. The other key advantage of choosing a good school is, the faculty and curriculum will be on par with the best international schools and will ensure that the student does not just study to get a degree but gains actual knowledge to ensure his success in the workplace.
Protyush Banerjee says a student who is doing his MBA from Hult International Business, Boston Campus, that he chooses this particular university for the simple reason that it is a one year course. “Also,” he adds, “there is global rotation options at no extra cost in a one year curriculum – Boston, San Francisco, London, Dubai, Shanghai. Students are posted in a Fortune 500 company for 4 -6 weeks in the one year curriculum and work with professionals in strategizing future growth deliverables.”
A good MBA program is structured to include practical lessons like case studies and many of them require an end-to-end business plan to be written by the end of the program. These practical lessons along with group discussions and interaction with faculty ensures that the student is gaining exposure to practical work related issues and is equipped to perform the job that the MBA degree is sure to get him.
To summarize, while an MBA degree is adequate to get a job, it is knowledge which will ensure that the person can perform his duties satisfactorily without fear or lack of confidence. A smart knowledgeable worker is what an organization looks for when hiring an MBA student and this can be achieved only when the student has looked at the program from the angle of `gaining knowledge’ and not from the angle of `gaining a degree’.
The whole reason organizations pay a lot of money to MBA students is to get knowledge workers who can be decision makers and problem solvers from the word `go’. An MBA degree gives one the advantage of landing a job, but it is knowledge that ensures that the person can perform the job efficiently and thereby sustain and grow in his or her career.
But the fact to be remembered is that an MBA does give one a degree. A degree is the first step to landing a job of one’s choice and for freshers’ this is the only information they can add to their CV. Obviously, great organizations will look for qualifications first. Even within the large spectrum of MBA degrees, depending on the job profile and the organization one chooses, where or in which university the MBA was procured can also be a deciding factor. Therefore, one of the key factors to be kept in mind is to choose a good and recognized MBA school. The other key advantage of choosing a good school is, the faculty and curriculum will be on par with the best international schools and will ensure that the student does not just study to get a degree but gains actual knowledge to ensure his success in the workplace.
Protyush Banerjee says a student who is doing his MBA from Hult International Business, Boston Campus, that he chooses this particular university for the simple reason that it is a one year course. “Also,” he adds, “there is global rotation options at no extra cost in a one year curriculum – Boston, San Francisco, London, Dubai, Shanghai. Students are posted in a Fortune 500 company for 4 -6 weeks in the one year curriculum and work with professionals in strategizing future growth deliverables.”
A good MBA program is structured to include practical lessons like case studies and many of them require an end-to-end business plan to be written by the end of the program. These practical lessons along with group discussions and interaction with faculty ensures that the student is gaining exposure to practical work related issues and is equipped to perform the job that the MBA degree is sure to get him.
To summarize, while an MBA degree is adequate to get a job, it is knowledge which will ensure that the person can perform his duties satisfactorily without fear or lack of confidence. A smart knowledgeable worker is what an organization looks for when hiring an MBA student and this can be achieved only when the student has looked at the program from the angle of `gaining knowledge’ and not from the angle of `gaining a degree’.
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