All you need to know about your career

What is the approximate cost of study for an undergraduate program abroad?
—Rishwa Sukthankar, Dombivili
The cost of education varies from country to country. An undergraduate degree in the US costs anything from $30,000 to $60,000 a year. The cost of a three-year undergraduate degree in the UK ranges from £15,000 to £23,000 a year. In comparison to this, the cost at Singapore ranges between SG$20,000 to SG$30,000 a year. There are various scholarship/financial aid opportunities that students can apply for.

What is the importance of application essays for admission to an undergraduate program?
— Anahita Mistry, Worli
The application essay gives universities a chance to get a personal glimpse of you, an insight that is not possible in the grades and numbers that make up the rest of your application. In general, essays should be open-minded. Colleges look for qualities, accomplishments, incidents, failures, beliefs and ideas as part of the application essay or personal statement. Essays also allow admissions officers to assess writing and organisational skills along with academic ability.

As a student, am I allowed to work during the course of my degree?
—Farhan Ahmad, Pimpri
Yes, depending on the country of your choice. Getting a job while you study can help improve your organisational and language skills. International students are often allotted a set number of hours per week to pursue an on campus job. It is advisable to get in touch with the university’s International Office to understand the rules and regulations to work while studying.

I am studying in class XI science and plan to do MBBS abroad. Please let me know the procedure and will it be a right choice.  
—Chayya Chedda
Pursue your MBBS in the same country where you want to practice. If you wish to practice in India, study MBBS in India. Abroad, you may pursue it in a country like Singapore or Australia.

There are two reputed schools in Singapore that offer MBBS. One is the National University of Singapore (NUS) – Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) - Lee Kong Chian (LKC) School of Medicine. LKC has an entrance test called BMAT. BMAT is a BioMedical Admissions Test that is administered by the Cambridge Assessment.

The selection interview is held in April and the offer is made anytime between April to June. They also have a health screening as per their enrolments. NUS requires good grades in high school for subjects like Chemistry and either Biology or Physics. The admission to medicine will be based on the University score and the Faculty score.