6 powerful things for BS and MS students in Pakistan that we are not doing and we should do!
1. Apply for International Summer Internships
Mostly these internships completely cover your expenses. During this internship, you'll have to complete a research project under the supervision of a professor. It's a great chance to prove your worth, enhance your CV, do research at a renowned institute, and gain international exposure.
2. Apply for a student exchange program
Various international institutes offer an exchange program in which you get to study and spend one semester at that university, where you study various elective courses out of your choice. You get international exposure and improve your soft skills.
3. Poster Presentations
Young researchers should present their ideas and initials research findings at local conferences within Pakistan. Your research doesn't always have to be a journal paper. Start with a poster! You get a chance to have early feedback and also potential collaborations.
4. Research Collaborations
This is really important. Why look for a potential supervisor within your university when there are millions of professors out there? Reach out to professors early in your degree, email them, discuss your interests, seek potential collaboration. Ask if they can co-supervise you, or maybe just collaborate with you on a research project. Then talk to your local supervisor and they'll happily agree for collaboration. The second best part is that you don't have to worry about travel grants anymore, the foreign prof will do that for you. And the first best part is that you'll get his name on your thesis, on your research article and on your CV. You get their recommendations and you can even start a Ph.D with them if you really impressed them during the course of your degree in Pakistan.
5. Summer Schools
A lot of international conferences or specific research group communities offer fully-funded summer schools in which their focus is to mentor students. Give them a perspective of what kind of research is being conducted in their area, how they can find a thesis topic, how they can build a research network and more importantly how you can improve your soft skills.
6. Volunteer at conferences
Perks of volunteering are that you get partial funding, you get to meet and greet your favourite researchers in person. You get to attend the whole research conference and get new ideas and directions for your research. You also get to find new potential collaborations.
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Powerful Ways to Compensate Low CGPA
One of the most frequent questions that many scholarship aspirants ask is ‘Can I get a scholarship with low CGPA?’. The right and short answer are ‘Yes’. Students can get scholarships with low CGPA if their rest of application compensate for it.
Scholarship selection committees don’t rely only on CGPA. The overall evaluation process has different factors such as your language test score, CV, Letter of Motivation, Letter of Recommendation and work experience. You can put your efforts to make all the other factors better than average students’ profiles. If you have research publications, certifications, and online courses there will be high chances that your application will stand out from the competition. In this article, you will read some powerful ways that will help you to compensate low CGPA.
1. Work Experience
The research-oriented universities are always looking for candidates with work experience related to their programs. Fresh graduate can compensate for their low CGPA with internships and training. Moreover, you can participate in workshops to get hands-on experience of the latest technologies and revise your technical skills.
2. Research Publications
No one can deny the fact research publications are one the best option to compensate your low CGPA. Together with work experience, having a research paper in a good journal or conference will make your application more appealing for admission. Research publications are also beneficial for pursuing a career in academia and getting funds for Ph.D.
3. Letter of Motivation
Letter of Motivation (LoM) is also one of the major essential elements to get scholarships and it can really help you to compensate for low CGPA. Normally, it weights up to 20-40% of the overall evaluation depending on the university and scholarship. You cannot make a perfect LoM within a night that’s why you need to spend your time and efforts to make an effective LoM that illustrates your strong motivations towards the intended program. You have to present yourself as a suitable applicant using storytelling strategies to highlight your relevant skills and capabilities.
4. English Language Proficiency Test
If you are not native English speaker, you have to provide an English language proficiency certificate to let the intended institute know that you have enough English language skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking to pursue higher education in English as the medium of instruction. In the selection criteria of some university, the level of English knowledge weights up to 10%. You can attain decent points in this section if you prepare well and secure good score in language tests (IELTS/TOEFL).
5. Online Courses
MOOCs are not only important for career advancement but adding relevant online courses in CV can really help you to stand out from the other candidates. Carrying out an online course demonstrates that you have intellectual maturity, personal drive, discipline, strong willingness and indicates passion to learn new skills. All of these are important to grab the attention of the selection committee.
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