12-months plan; admission in European universities

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Offline md

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12-months plan; admission in European universities
« on: May 30, 2011, 11:08:01 PM »
12-months plan; admission in European universities


admissions in European universitiesMany people have asked the procedure to apply for masters and PhD in European universities. The procedures for masters and PhD are quite different therefore they need two different posts. This post is more specifically about time planning from June 2011 to June 2012 to apply for admission (for masters programs) in European universities.

We have already written a “guide to apply for masters program in Norway” (which can be applied to get information regarding programs and admission in most of the European universities) and “Application deadlines for admission in European universities”. This post is also a continuity of these two previously written posts.

Most of the European universities open admissions between Sep-Dec every year. But as getting admission is quite competitive in these universities therefore it is strongly recommended to students (who want to study in Europe) to start preparing at least three months before. So here is the 12-months plan to help you in keeping your application and its followups on schedule.
June 2011

As most of the European universities use English as a language of instructions so they expect their perspective students to have good command on English. If English is not your native language and you have to present a proof of English proficiency in form of IELTS or TOEFL then you should start preparing for the test from the next month i.e. June 2011. Also find a test center in your city and get registered to take test at end of July 2011.
July 2011

Spend this whole month to prepare for IELTS or TOEFL and try to take test at the end of July 2011. Additionally along with the test preparations, also start preparing Statement of Purpose (SOP) and ask your references (teachers, employers, etc) to write recommendation letters for you. Your references might be busy so give them a month to write the letters for you. Keep reminding them from time to time.
If you need to provide some other documents (transcripts of bachelor studies etc) with your application then also start preparing in this month
August 2011

If you have already taken IELTS/TOEFL and you got the score required in a university of your interest then its well and good. If due to any reason you can not pass the test, don’t be discouraged. Find reasons due to which you did not pass the test and spend this whole month to prepare for the test and take test at the end of Aug 2011.
Whether you have passed the test or not, get recommendations letters from your references and finish your SOP.
September 2011

Most of the European universities open online admissions in September or October. In case if it is September then try to get registered yourself in online system of the university of your interests. Try to apply in two or three universities so that if you cant get admission in one university then you have chance in other one. At same time, also arrange all of your documents and find a post service (e.g. regular post of your country, DHL, FedEx, UPS etc)to send your documents to the universities. Sometimes it is also possible to send scanned copies of admission documents to the universities. So ask the university about exact procedure.
October-November 2011

In case if you are late with your English tests or other documents, then perhaps November is your last month to do final efforts, as courier companies also take time in delivering your documents. If you have already prepared documents then follow the process mentioned in above paragraph.
If you have sent your documents and submitted your online application, then keep tracking the delivery of your documents. Due to any reason, if your documents are not delivered then don’t hesitate contacting the admission office of the university (whom you sent the documents) or sending another copy of all of the documents.
December 2011

So this is end of 2011 and most probably your documents are already delivered to the universities. If this is so, appreciate yourself that every thing has been on schedule and you are a good time keeper.
January-April 2012

This is the time when admission offices evaluate your applications and make their decisions. Usually they send their decisions at end of April or in May by email, regular post or update your status in their online database.
If you have been admitted at a university of your choice, congratulations. If you could not secure admission in either of the universities then don’t be disappointed. Because this is not end of the world. Look back and figure out what were weak points in your whole application procedures. Improve your application documents (e.g. SOP, letters of recommendations etc) and gather spirits to apply again (if you are still interested).
May 2012

If you have successfully secured admission and the university is not in your city, country or content, then start preparing to travel to the location of the university. If you are not from same country (where university is located), you might also have to get residence permit (visa) to study in another country. In that case prepare documents to apply for residence permit and submit your application.

Hopefully this guide would help you in your whole admission process.