6 Reasons Why You Will Not Enter Your Dream University (Study Abroad Guide -2021)
We all have dreams! One of them is to enter the university of your choice. Most fail and settle for less. It could be you if you don’t read till the end!
In this article, we will explore what are the main reasons that international students fail to enter the school of their choice.
Most of the information here could save you (hundreds) thousands of dollars lots of future headaches, and most importantly, your bright future.
So stay tuned, take notes, and don’t fall for the traps that almost all of the students fall.
Reason #1 — Impostor syndrome
Truth be told, we all have tremendous potential to achieve great things. However many feel that they are not capable of achieving them. This is also known as the impostor syndrome.
According to a study by TheOpenNotebook, more than 70% of people experience the impostor phenomenon. This leads to brilliant students having low self-confidence, doubts and not applying to study abroad to their dream schools.
(Below we have a Survey from the University of Michigan, showing the same issue).
I remember, before applying for my dream school at the time (American University in Bulgaria) it seemed beyond my reach. I had no doubt that the school was going to reject me. It was a stretch to even think about studying abroad!
However, I got in! And after being accepted, I went on to have a great GPA and connect with many brilliant students.
So ultimately, the first step towards entering your dream school is to try. Just by doing that, you are ahead of the 70% of the people who will not even give their school a choice!
You have nothing to lose anyway!
Reason #2 — High tuition fees
Education is expensive! Top schools are even more expensive! Here at Genie Consulting, we have had hundreds of students who could not afford to enroll in their dream school.
However, after a thorough consultation with the students, we managed to save them up to 100% of costs through scholarships or other external funding.
Doing extensive research before applying to any school is crucial. Websites like Scholarships, College Board, DaaD have tons of material to inform you on the most widely approved scholarships.
To conclude our point, education is expensive, but it does not have to be for you!
Planning ahead, addressing student consulting services, and researching should be on the top of priorities before choosing to study abroad!
This will bring us to the next point, which is…
Reason #3 — VISA ISSUES
More than 1 million international students in the US face the risk of losing their visas. Many more get their visa rejected, even when they are accepted from their university of choice!
As an international student myself, I have witnessed many issues when applying for a student visa or getting a work permit. It is extremely hard for international students to get their visa approved without proper knowledge of the country’s laws, visa interview questions and not knowing the necessary requirements to apply for it.
First of all, you need to choose the countries where the schools of your choice are located. Next, check the necessary requirements specific to your country. Reach out to the embassy and be reassured that you are indeed doing the right procedure.
Most importantly, check the timeline! Make sure you have enough time to apply, reserve an interview with the embassy in power and get the visa in time before starting the first year in school!
At Genie Consulting we offer a FREE video chat session where we will a consulting session and timeline for your situation.
Reason #4 — STANDARDIZED TESTING
In order to enter your dream school, you need to attend a Standardized Test depending on the requirements of the program.
A more formal definition of Standardized testing is as follows:
“ A standardized test is any form of test that (1) requires all test takers to answer the same questions or a selection of questions from a common bank of questions, in the same way, and that (2) is scored in a “standard” or consistent manner, which makes it possible to compare the relative performance of individual”
The statistics here are ruthless! Standardized tests are for most students the breaking point, preventing them from entering their dream school.
The amount of stress, the hours of study and the otherwise expensive nature of the exams are some of the most common problems encountered at Genie Consulting. The dedication required to break even at these scores in unparalleled (almost 1% of students worldwide make it to the top schools).
However, it is not impossible. At the end of the day, it is just a test. It can be broken.
In order for the students to achieve their desired scores, many things need to be prior considered:
· English proficiency
· Quant Abilities
· Problem Solving
· Writing Skills
· Endurance & Stamina
· Performance Under Stress
That’s why at Genie Consulting we believe that no guide fits each student! Instead, it needs to be tailored!
However, one can do many things before taking the tests. Our recommendations include:
· Sign up for the Scientific American, The Economist & WSJ magazines
· Solve on the daily basis at least 20 GMAT / GRE problems from Gmatclub.com & Greclub.com
· Sign up for the GregMat tutor (for only 5$) and use Vince Kotchian vocabulary app daily
The abovementioned tips shall help you also in IELTS, TOEFL, SAT and LSAT.
The most important part is to simply refuse to lose! Don’t give up until you reach your score (whether it takes 1 week or 1 year)!
REASON #5 — HIGH SCHOOL OR UNDERGRAD GPA (AND recommendations)
An important part of applying to study abroad (assuming a top school) is definitely the GPA, as well as the recommendations from your professors.
Truth is, there is no working around this one. If you messed up, and got a GPA below 3.5 it would be hard to be considered for schools at Ivey League level.
Below you have some statistics regarding the average number of applications, and acceptances gathered from the Business Insider magazine!
Even though the cut-off rate is very high, there are still chances to get accepted in, even if you have a low GPA (still has to be 3.0 > ).
An application is viewed in a holistic manner. Other important factors, which could divert the attention from the low GPA, are:
· Recommendation Letters (Have to highlight your performance and be perfectly crafted by established academics)
· High SAT / GMAT / GRE (Higher than the class average)
· Extracurricular activities (With Significant Influence)
· Essay (You really have to kill it here)
· Background and Ethnicity
Here at Genie Consulting we have sent many students with low GPA’s in Ivey League schools, so nothing is impossible. Life is a sum of choices and we indeed believe that even by reading this article, you are ahead of the competition.
REASON #6 — Luck
As Orson Welles would say — “Nobody gets justice. People only get good luck or bad luck.”
At such a high competitive level, it often is really hard for the admission committee to distinguish the right candidates.
But in a similar fashion, bad luck in one school could be transformed into great luck for some other school!
This is the main reason why we recommend applying at least to 10 universities of your choice, and as early as possible. Consider every factor (in this case even luck) to utilize it to your advantage!
What do you think is the most important reason why you WILL enter the University of your choice?
Comment, Share,and Spread the Love! — The Genie Consulting
