While University Seeker has traditionally only catered for students applying for undergraduate (bachelor) degrees, I (Humairaa) am now in the process of researching for my Masters. Hence, I thought it would be helpful to document the process and share my insights: I am hoping this helps current Bachelor degree students or Bachelor degree graduates in determining whether studying abroad for a Masters is worth it for them and if so, what are the factors they need to consider.
Keep in mind that I am still in the process of researching. I do not have confirmed Masters offers under my belt. I am saying this so that you manage your expectations and do your own research as well. Don’t take my word for what’s in this article: cross-confirm.
Now let’s dive into it. In this article, we will discuss the first 4 steps to initiate your path to a Masters:
- Intention-setting
- Option elimination
- Degree decision
- University list
The first question to answer: Why do I want to do a Masters in the first place?
There is no one right answer but there are wrong answers. Let me explain. There are many different valid reasons for wanting to study for a Masters. These range from wanting to develop further knowledge in the subject / industry to using the Masters as a pathway for working or immigrating in the country of studies. This is NOT an exhaustive list. You may have very niche reasons. The wrong reasons on the other hand all revolve around misinformation and lack of knowledge about what a Masters can and can’t achieve for you. Of course, that also depends heavily on the personal situation and background of the person. For someone who’s been consistently bottom of their classes, it is highly unlikely that a Masters will change that (unless the person happens to be better at research vs studying coursework). Similarly, going for a Masters in a country that is very aggressively against immigration is highly unlikely to result in you getting a job offer and immigrating in the country. Manage your expectations and do your research properly.
My reason for wanting to do a Masters are two-fold.
#1 – I want to evolve into an academician further on in my life as one of my professions. What does that mean? I want to become a part-time or full-time professor (and keep another career on the side). To become a professor, I need a series of degrees and a strong academic background. The Masters is just a way for me to strengthen my academic background before going into a PhD (although it is possible for me to go directly to a PhD).
#2 – I want to use the Masters as a way of staying in the country, getting work experience there, and facilitating my immigration into the country. This is a strategic move. It requires more planning and research. I am potentially going to consult an immigration lawyer in a few countries to sort this one out.
Why do I share? It should be clear by now that I have thought through my life plans and I know exactly what I want the Masters to do for me. This is the clarity of mind that you should be striving for.
What do you do if you don’t have the clarity of mind? I can’t answer that for you, but I can tell you that sometimes good decisions also come from going with the flow. That being said, know that it carries a risk. If it helps in any way, I am happy to do a peer counselling session with you, listen to you and help you brainstorm. If that’s interesting to you, reach out to me through the Contact Me page.
Other reasons for you wanting to do a Masters could be: for better living standards and safety, to establish a business, for reputation, better value-for-money.
The second question: What options should I eliminate?
From the above step, you are likely to have come across certain limitations that you have. Mine is that I need a Masters that enables me to continue to a PhD, and I need a Masters that facilitates my immigrating to that country. Hence, I will eliminate from my list all countries where these requirements are not present. Easy peasy (though it took me a lot of time to figure that out and also find the list of countries).
This step is important because it gives you a more focused drawing board to work with. It’s a tough job to apply to Masters if you are considering 10 countries. Much easier if you are able to narrow it down to 2-5 countries.
Next, you want to eliminate certain types of universities. For example, with my needing a PhD afterwards, it is much more in my favour to apply to universities whose Masters are reputable and accredited. Masters which are highly viewed within academic circles are a big plus for me. So I will not apply to universities whose Masters programs are not strong / well-developed. I will also IN GENERAL prioritize larger universities since they are more likely to be reputable within academic circles (note that smaller universities may also have high reputations, so this is just a general guideline in my case).
Your process will be the same but personalized to your answers to the first question.
The third step: Make a shortlist of degree options
Although you may think that you should pursue a Masters in the exact subject you’ve done your Bachelor degree in, it may be worthwhile and more strategic to pursue a slightly different degree. In some cases, completely changing the degree subject may work better for you.
For example, my degree is a BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration) in Marketing and I can see how an MBA would merely be a repeat of the classes from my BBA. A Marketing degree or (based on my interests) a Masters in Business Analytics would actually make me a stronger corporate candidate.
Similarly, someone who did a Bachelor in Chemistry may choose a more specialised field for their Masters. This applies to virtually any type of Bachelor degrees.
Masters programs also have generous admission criteria when it comes to what Bachelor degree you completed, within reason. While you may find it hard to transfer into science / tech degrees without a similar background, shifting to a different degree within the same general field should be easy.
The fourth step: Make a list of universities to apply to
While people think this is the hardest step, it actually is the culmination of the previous ones and is just a formality.
Your list of universities need to have a mix of reach, target and safety options. Reach universities are those that are very hard to get in for you but that you still have a chance to. Target are those that you can comfortably get admitted in. Safety are guaranteed admissions. The exact number of each that you apply to depends on what amount of risk you want to take.
Finally, keep track of admission requirements and deadlines through Excel / calendar. You can use more sophisticated tools such as Notion too.
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