November 2020

nn “Right after my elder brother moved to Canada, I too wanted to move abroad for a Master’s but honestly growing up we never thought that we’d be moving abroad and especially to Canada for higher education. Such is life. Always expect the unexpected. n Hey, I am Amitoz Kaur, currently pursuing M.S. Cyber Security from NYIT, Vancouver. I cracked the admission based on my BTech in IT, IELTS and GRE score. This two-year duration course consists of a total of 31.5 credit scores, but since I took a prerequisite, it’s 34.5 for me. Also, aspirants planning to study at NYIT, if you are getting any prerequisite course by University in their LOA’s, please confirm about it with the Dean at the University. This confirmation might help you to remove any prerequisite course if you have already studied that course or any certification related to it. nn M.S. Cyber Security is a comprehensive course that helps to develop an understanding of computer security and its impact on networks, web services, infrastructure, cybersecurity, databases, and software design. Throughout the course, one majorly learns: n To critically evaluate various technical/architectural solutions to limit risk, mitigate the effects of hostile action, and recover from attacks. n Design, implement and maintain software tools to support network security across multiple operating systems. n Oversee the information life cycle of an organization, including planning, acquisition, and implementation of secure infrastructures. n Study algorithm concepts, computer forensics, risk management and legal issues, and intrusion detection and hacker exploits. n It is a high demand-driven programme with a salary at entry-level positions starting at $63,538 per year, and most experienced workers making up to $118,154 per year in Canada. n NYIT is a U.S. based University Institute for technology committed to educating the next generation of leaders. I received the offer letter from the University three times but couldn’t make through because of some personal reasons. It was only in the last Summer intake that I finalized my admission, but even before I could pack my bags, the lockdown was announced. Since then, I’ve been in India coping with my classes according to Canadian time. They typically start from 09:00 PM IST to 06:00 PM IST and sometimes even continue till Indian afternoon. Initially, it was tough, but I got used to it. nn n The University is highly accommodative towards students and even offered extended help in terms of increased instalments with a gap for paying their tuition fees because of the COVID-19 crisis. Also, according to the University guidelines, one cannot complete 50% of his education from outside Canada. The total credit score required for my course is 34.5, and I can complete up to 17 credits from India. Further, I hope to complete 16.5 credit scores before moving to Canada in December”. n

“I was preparing for IIT JEE when I decided to apply for Universities abroad and selected HKUST over all the other universities is because of the following reasons: nn a) Affordable tuition fee, n b) High global ranking, n c) Less time difference in comparison to India, n d) Familiarity with the place due to our family business, n e) Hong Kong is a global city. n n Hi, I am Aditya Jain. I pursued my bachelors from HKUST with majors in Industrial Engineering and minors in Business Studies. So, Industrial engineering is a bridge between technology and business. It is defined as the optimization of complex systems or processes that reduces the cost and produces better outcomes. The curriculum at HKUST helped us study everything from Engineering to Business in sizable bits. It also involves a lot of statistics and mathematics. We study technological designs and decision making in-depth to understand and improve the performance of a product or project. So, if you ask me to code, I might not be able to do it. However, I can understand the problems faced by coders. n Having scored an aggregate 90% in class 12th, I got into HKUST in the academic year 2012 based on my grades, Extra-Curricular activities, Application presentation and Interview. nn The education system here is different from India. The Bachelor’s at HKUST is for four years, but if one is from an International Board, they are eligible to skip the first year (depending from case to case). The environment at the University is very accommodating, along with the relationship shared by the students and professors. However, language can be a barrier if you have Chinese professors. Also, there is no compulsory attendance requirement for most courses, but it is essential to attend the classes in order to understand the concepts and to keep up the pace of assignment submissions. Furthermore, there is a clear shift from textbook-based education to practical project-based education. n n Being one of the oldest and most prominent financial hubs of Asia, its job market primarily focuses on Finance and Insurance sectors. While jobs are available in other sectors as well, one might have to compromise on the profile or salary. In recent years, Hong Kong has seen a rapid expansion in the IT sector as well, with lots of technology startups finding their home in Hong Kong. Civil Engineering is another program which could land you a very juicy paycheque. However, language can be a significant barrier to get into that market. nn As far as accommodation is concerned, the rent is excruciatingly high even for the tiniest rooms with limited walking space. At the University, I stayed at the best hall of residence, which was exclusive for people involved in performing arts. I play the guitar and almost everyone there is good at least one form of the performing arts. Imagine, coming back to your accommodation after an exhausting day and being a part of a live jamming session. You instantly feel uplifted, light and detoxed. Over three years, I was paired with different kinds of musicians as roommates. Also, we had this little musical community complete with music rooms, activities, jams, cultural nights, dinners etc. This little community helped us grow as musicians as well as social beings. The atmosphere was very relaxed, and one could easily knock on any door if you were craving for a jam session. Also, every accommodation had a hall master (referred to as ‘Hall mom’ in my case). A hall master is a professor residing at the accommodation, who maintained the decorum of the hall and helped students with their problems related to residing in the hall. Also, the hall would frequently invite musicians and other artists to interact with us. In my opinion, these facilities added a lot to my tenure at HKUST. nn Being a vegetarian initially, I had many problems with food at the beginning. The campus did not have a lot of vegetarians options initially. However, later, along with some friends, we found an Indian lady who agreed to cook for us in exchange for money. We raised several requests to the management about this, and later, they even added a decent amount of options in the menu at various cafes. n n During my time at HKUST, we initiated a lot of new things like HKUST’s first charity fashion show, and its first society for South Asia Culture promotion. We also founded the first chapter of ‘Alpha Kappa Psi – Chi Phi Chapter’, the first business fraternity in Asia. nn While Hong Kong is a fantastic place to live in, I felt that India has a lot more opportunity as compared to anywhere in the world. So, I came back to India after seven years of staying in Hong Kong and have started my fintech in the space of microlending and gateway services working towards creating a better, financially inclusive society. n n In a nutshell, Hong Kong would always be my second home. I am grateful that I got this opportunity and would cherish my time there always. nn One piece of advice for all the fresh aspirants, before planning to study abroad; it is essential to do extensive research about the Courses, University, job and culture of a country before investing your early crucial grooming years”. n

Every year, more than two lakh students plan to study at leading Business schools. So did Pruthvi Erandole, who moved to Paris in September 2018 to study for an MSc in International Business at SKEMA Business School, France. n Let us see what he has in store to share with the MOWE readers. n n “International Business is a two-year programme designed for future global business leaders that teaches students about general management skills required in the multipolar world order. The course is vast and vague but focuses on teaching business survival techniques and knowledge required for the global economy. On a broad level, the course teaches: n How firms decide to go abroad and manage their internationalization process. n How industries change and firms compete on a local as well as global level. n How markets are managed, and financial decisions are made. n How to cope with legal issues and diversity in the workplace. n The courses consist of multiple subjects that focus on interpersonal development to industrial skill requirements for goal-specific projects. For example, the courses like HRM included understanding ethics and governance of a workplace; International Business Strategy focused on business building techniques; International Negotiation – a course which focuses on trade-specific deals used by the companies and teaches us to tackle similar situations. We also had multiple case studies for various courses where we read about world events and monitored the movements in the market. Till now, one might have understood that the course requires a fair amount of understanding of corporate needs and global development. It has a lot of scope with some impressive job profiles such as Marketing Manager, Policy Analyst, Business Development Manager, Sales Manager, and Economist. n n While applying to SKEMA, I had a checklist while applying for admissions, and they outnumbered many points like: n Two-year course work in place of one, providing time to grasp, learn the subjects, and to explore the country. n Practical coursework experience. n Chance to explore new niche domains of International Business like Negotiations and Corporate Governance. n Depending upon the course, the university chooses to provide early-bird discounts and scholarships as well as minor discounts on a one-time payment of tuition fees. n University’s extended help and investments for student start-ups and business plans (Depending on the pitch of the plan and its potential). n Organization of meetups and after-work programmes with other member organizations like Erasmus that helped in networking. n There are also other organizations as well like the Maharashtra Mandal and South Indian Communities that help in networking, internships, and jobs. They organize multiple events and celebrate festivals all year round. n France is reasonable to travel to but expensive to live in. When I came here, I was worried about the expenses and the language barrier. However, I was able to manage both of them by taking a part-time job and learning the language. I recommend to anyone who is planning to study in France to at least learn the basic language before coming here. Also, to explore the country, try interacting with the locals, but, do so cautiously because theft and other violent crimes are recurrent here. The second most worrisome factor is finding accommodation in the right area. It’s really important that anyone who is planning to study here should first finalize the place that one is going to live in. Unlike other countries, not all areas are safe for residence. Before booking accommodation, please check with Indian groups or Skema Business groups on Facebook for advice. n n I plan to do an internship in France and later I’m willing to move to other parts of Europe for job purposes. I hope my experience elsewhere in Europe will be as thrilling and amusing as Paris is”. n