Why higher studies?

Are you a graduate from one of the engineering schools in India? Are you stuck in an unfruitful and meaningless 9 to 9 job at some company? Have you come dangerously close to quitting your job to start your own company/prepare for civil services examinations? Do you get jealous of that friend of yours who posts his pictures with random people at random bars in a “foren” country? If the answer to any of the above questions in yes, I might have something interesting to tell you….

The way people describe their life in these countries, combined with the mundane underpaying overtime jobs we have in India, often makes one ponder: should I go abroad for an MS/MBA as well?

The answer is YES! A lot of people do it and you can too.

Read on to find a few reasons why you should actually consider going abroad for higher studies.

1. A new way of learning: The main difference in the education system of India and US lies in the pedagogy used in schools. In US, schools do not train you to mug up equations and definitions which you forget merely in a few weeks after you vomit them out on the answer sheets. On the contrary, the emphasis is on the analysis and applications of what is taught in the class. Remember the “farras” that you used to hide in the washroom as a backup during the exams; those small chits that had the scariest looking equations which you weren’t able to get in your head no matter how hard you tried ?? Yeah, guess what, you are legally allowed to carry those chits to the exam with you and they’re called cheat sheets over here. These cheat sheets are designed to let the students focus on the important things and write down all the crap that we were made to mug up, on a piece of paper. These smaller differences coupled with the extra focus on assignments which give the students a hands-on experience of the course actually make learning a fun exercise.
2. Better degree = Better pay: If you’re one of those people who are in the game of life just for making money, an MS/MBA from a good university in US/Europe can get you in the top league. Some of the colleges in these countries offer great placement opportunities at the leading companies in the world. Now you would be wondering “Sure it gives a better payoff but my family is not in a position to pay for my tuition and expenses when I live abroad“. But what if I tell you that you actually can do it? I’ve seen many people take education loans for studying in very expensive universities like Carnegie Mellon, University of Michigan, etc. However if you look at the average pay of the graduates from these colleges, you’d certainly be able to justify the huge loans that you’ll have to take. Fresh graduates often repay their loans in a maximum of two years and then continue to make huge savings for their future with their handsomely paying jobs. This could be food for thought for those money-centric people who sulk about their jobs over a beer next time.
3. Great exposure: There’s a reason why countries in the west are tagged as ‘first-world’ countries while India and other south asian ones are categorized as developing nations; you can see a notable difference in every walk of life. From the nature of people to the technologies they use, from their standard of living to their way of life, you’ll see how they’re way ahead of us. It will definitely help in opening your mind to things that are still considered a taboo in the Indian society. You’ll see how they use technology to solve problems that we have been cribbing about since ages. The whole experience will leave you a broad-minded and much aware person than you were before. Furthermore, being in the heart of the technology hub of the world, you are surely bound to get awesome ideas for your first startup.
4. Personality development: Many of you would agree that the hostel life is a very important part of one’s life. If you look beyond the awesome fun moments with your buddies that it brings, you’ll see that it actually brings maturity to your life. You learn how to manage your finances. You start appreciating the food that your mom prepares when you are tired of eating the shitty food in the hostel messes. I can go on enumerating the benefits of hostel life for a student, but I hope you get the hang of it. Now compare the situation of living in a hostel in a city not too far from your hometown to living in a place at the opposite end of the globe to you. Sure it seems frightening to be in an unknown country with unknown people with no familiar faces or heck not even familiar names for that matter. However, if you look at the bigger picture it makes you more independent and self-reliant. With no maids to take care of your home and prepare food for you, you learn to cook  and be a better housekeeper. At the end of your graduate life, you’ll find yourself a better person with the magical powers that you thought only your mom can have. So now you know why girls go crazy for the “NRI munda” :P.
5. Fun times ahead: Last but not the least, if nothing else you will have a fun time here. You can actually get to visit places that you always dreamt of going. From the beaches of Miami to the hills in San Francisco, you won’t fall short of options when it comes to planning a vacation. This last one’s purely from a guy’s perspective (sorry ladies :P). If you ever wondered how Barney or Joey can easily pick up girls from the bars and thought if any of that is even possible, you’re in for a surprise. Yes, my friend, most of what you see in the Hollywood movies and the sit-coms is true. Obviously, they don’t have a scene similar to what is shown in the American Pie series but you do have a pretty awesome scene at college bars. Rest assured you’ll surely have the time of your life while you’re there. Who knew studying could be so much fun!

[polldaddy poll=9655387]

Surely I’ve just painted the rosy picture here. The graduate life does involve a few (your definition of few may be about to change soon :D) sleepless nights when you’ll realize that assignments are somethings that are actually supposed to be done individually and are not sheets just copied from the “ghissus” when the professor asks you to submit one. You’d definitely miss your sweet home, especially on days when you don’t see any single change in the daily activities of the people around you and on festivals like Holi or Diwali. But I am sure you’ll steer yourself gracefully through these days just like everyone else does!

Also, don’t forget to like our Facebook to stay up to date with more such useful information.