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Face to Face
Look your future mentors in the eye at the QS World Grad School Tour
Visiting university representatives at a dedicated masters and PhD fair is an increasingly important part of choosing where to study for a postgraduate qualification. Former Head of Recruitment & Admissions at the London School of Economics & Political Science, and now a leading International Education Consultant, co-editor of QS Top Grad School Guideand advisor to the QS World Grad School Tour, Tim Rogers outlines some of the key areas students must consider when attending an education fair.
The advent of a whole host of institutional and generic advisory websites has reduced much of the need for face-to-face contact with counsellors and academics from individual universities. But the opportunity to talk to someone in person should never be passed by. By doing so, you can gather a uniquely valuable insight into your lifechanging decision to study for a postgraduate qualification in your own country or overseas.
| 'A new type of education fair, however, is now emerging as a more dynamic and worthwhile format for those seeking masters and PhD degrees' |
Education fairs have been an established way of meeting universities and their representatives for many years. Arranged and promoted by commercial and governmental organisations alike, education fairs provide an exciting format for potential students and universities to meet one another. A new type of education fair, however, is now emerging as a more dynamic and worthwhile format for those seeking masters and PhD degrees. Each year, the QS World Grad School Tourprovides an opportunity for potential students and institutions to meet each other in over 20 cities across Europe, Asia and North and Latin America. Participating universities and graduate schools attend specifically to present their postgraduate programmes so you have a much more satisfactory level of contact, unencumbered with undergraduate students and their parents. Full details of this year’s tour are available at www.topgraduate.com.
Preparation is essential if you want to make the most of your opportunity of meeting a university representative or admissions counsellor. What you must avoid at an education fair is arriving with no clear idea of the questions you want to ask and the type of information you want to get. All events of this kind are well publicised ahead of time and have clear attendance lists for participating institution so you know who's going to be there before you arrive.
So, how do you prepare? Well, the first thing you must do is explore the range of programmes on offer at the institutions participating in the fair at your local venue. Make sure you have either a paper copy of their prospectus or view book, or at least access to their online course catalogue, so that you can review the type of programme available in the subject area that interests you. Pay particular attention to how the programme is structured, how it is taught – whether by lecture or by seminar – and who teaches on the programme.
Broader issues around choosing the right institution for your postgraduate degree also have to be taken into account. Though experience of international education is in itself a good thing to have on your resume, prospective employers tend to have a more sophisticated approach and look for qualifications from recognised and academically respectable institutions. Make sure the institutions that you target are well known and, in both a national and international context, recognised and accredited. Your qualification will need to be transportable and valid wherever you decide on settling.
Above all else, do your homework on costs. If financial aid is your primary concern, ensure that your background research has established which institutions offer financial aid and which do not. Fees for masters and PhD programmes vary enormously from subject to subject, institution to institution and country to country. Additionally, consider the cost of living related to the institution you are interested in. Are there opportunities to take loans or offset some of the costs by working and studying at the same time.
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