You caught it: the virus of studying abroad.
You went abroad with an Erasmus scholarship for one semester and experienced how fun a multicultural environment can be. And, after engaging in a foreign classroom and discovering your true potential, you are now ready to have the full experience of a degree abroad.
However, if picking an Erasmus programme during your Bachelor’s was easy, now you have to choose an international Master’s on your own. Questions like: “where should I start looking?”, “What are my options?”, and “can I afford a Master’s without a scholarship?” start buzzing around your head, putting a damper on your experience.
Luckily, Studyportals has gathered all these important questions in one place and is available to explore for free.
There are over 72,000 English-taught Master’s degrees for you to choose from all over the world, and Studyportals can help you find the information you want in order to help you to make an informed choice. As a student who wants to continue studying, you should think about where to go, what to study, and if you can afford the costs. But there are more factors you should consider when searching for the best choice of studies for you. Here are a few lesser-known tips Studyportals suggest you should think about before deciding on a Master’s:
Advanced tips for deciding on a Master’s abroad
- Check university rankings for inspiration, but don’t limit yourself to just the general world rankings. You can filter most rankings by country, continent, or discipline, but also more subtle factors like internationality and teaching quality. The most well-known university rankings are World University Rankings, QS Rankings, Academic Rankings of World Universities, and Best Global Universities by U.S. News. Business studies have their own prestigious ones such as The Financial Times, The Economist and Forbes.
- Don’t overlook online Master’s degrees which can be a good option if you plan on working during your studies. Blended-learning Master’s mix online learning with periodic on-campus studies. Online degrees from prestigious universities can be just as valuable for employers as classic on-campus ones.
- Master’s awarding double degrees let you specialise in two distinct fields, making you more valuable in the job market.
- You should also consider how interdisciplinary a Master’s degree is. Such programmes prepare you for working in a multitude of fields, resulting in better long-term job security. Versatile experts are not easy to find and your skill set would be applicable for diverse job opportunities. Find more about interdisciplinary Engineering Masters here.
- Think about what careers are going to be more popular in the future as technology advances. This way you will be well-equipped to jump into opportunities in occupations that did not previously exist and have been created only recently.
- Try to decide whether you want to work in a large company or a small business, if you want to create your own start-up, or whether you find liberal professions more appealing. You may need to develop different skills depending on the type of job you wish to go for; consider all possible careers.
- Finally, keep in mind if the university where you are planning to study in is located in a large city or a town. Location can have a strong influence on your overall experience, especially considering what you will be able to do after class, and how difficult or easy it will be to travel home or to neighbouring countries.
You can read more about other study-abroad topics such as:
Studyportals’ tools may help you to decide on a country or discipline for your Master’s
When you’re making a decision, it’s not only a matter of information or the variety of study choices but also of receiving help when you get stuck and don’t know which option to choose.
When deciding which discipline you want to study, you should ask yourself a few essential questions: Are you happy with the course you have studied so far? Did you like the projects you had to complete? It is never too late to change your career path or add more to your current skill set. The Studyportals free personality test can help you make a decision, accordingly.
Next, knowing where you will study is very important. Will you need a visa? Is it an expensive country? Will you be travelling? As an Erasmus student, you already know how much the country where you are studying your degree can make a difference. That’s why the Studyportals’ free country test can give you more ideas about potential study locations.
Finally, before making your final decision, you should weigh all the pros and cons carefully. Comparing two or more degrees, reading student reviews, or checking how much your previous experience fits a programme, are some of the options that can help you pick the right university. Studyportals offers both a comparison tool and a best fit tool to help you with the final decision.
Review your university, help others and win
Over the years Studyportals has collected more than 37,000 reviews from students who wanted to share their experience of studying abroad. Yes, you read that right: 37,000 reviews! And they are not stopping here.
As student experiences are so important in helping others decide their own path, Studyportals is giving you/students a chance to win one of two wireless speakers. You simply have to leave a review of your programme or university before the 15th of March 2020. Do your part in changing the life of another international student, such as yourself!
