Going global with education

Going global with education

The competition in the field of education is growing every year and in a quest to get the best education and exposure, more and more Indian students are aiming for foreign universities. However, you need to consider a few factors like finance, choosing the perfect country, university and, of course, the right course before you plan to pursue education abroad. 

Nilesh Gaikwad, country manager, EDHEC Business School, India, and an alumnus of the school, has been working with the team at EDHEC to design programmes that are best suited to the large population of Indian students who can benefit from the school’s expertise in the finance stream of education — one of the most sought after subjects among management aspirants. EDHEC Business School is one of the leading French Grandes Écoles specialising in business and management. Gaikwad was recently in the city for an admission tour for schools from France. 

Excerpts from his interview: 
How is EDHEC helping Indian students get the best opportunities abroad and ensuring that they get the right career path and placement assistance?
EDHEC runs a programme called Talent Identification and Career Development through which students are groomed professionally and helped in networking with the right industry professionals. They also attend mock interviews related to industry, etc. The career centre also organises job forums, a  platform where HR and senior managers meet EDHEC students and discuss recruitment opportunities. EDHEC has country managers in five regions — India, UK, USA, Singapore and Russia. The country managers also work on establishing corporate relations within these countries. Thus providing opportunities to EDHEC students who are interested in working within these countries.

While the admission to foreign universities is tough, the fees are also high. How does EDHEC assist students in this sphere?
EDHEC offers Indian students an option to apply for scholarships. These are of three kinds — excellence or 30 per cent tuition waiver, distinction or 20 per cent tuition waiver and foundation or 15 per cent tuition waiver. In addition, EDHEC also has co-financed scholarship in partnership with the French Embassy in India wherein two students joining EDHEC’s Master in Management (MIM) Programme can benefit from a 50 per cent tuition waiver scholarship. Finally, EDHEC is also the only French school to offer a French learning scholarship to get its students acquainted with learning French. This is an up to 40 hours free French coaching scholarship that the students can enroll prior to joining EDHEC. In addition, we are also partnering with Prodigy Finance for assisting students for some of its programmes. 

What are some of the most important guidelines or tips that you would like to share with students here?
They should have clarity on the programme, and the country and university where they want to pursue their studies. Students are required to undergo essay writing as well as appear for online interviews. These are necessary to understand the actual profile of the students and judge if they would be a right fit in their universities. Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), if required, are the only scores which the students can change for better. Hence, they should try and score as much as possible. Students should also find out if the said university has a representative within the country. 

After Brexit and Donald Trump becoming US President, getting student visa for the UK/ US has become tough. In that case which are the other educational destinations for Indian students?
Due to innovative training policies, research capabilities and relaxing of visa norms, France is becoming one of the favourite student destinations. At EDHEC, the students pursuing an MIM programme are eligible to apply for a job search visa post their studies. Through this visa the students can stay back in France to search for jobs for a maximum period of two years. Additionally, Indian alumni from our institution are also eligible to apply for up to five year Schengen Circulation Visa on successful completion of their Master’s degree. 

What are the kind of skills that globally educated students can bring to corporates in India?
Globally educated students are exposed to different cultures during their training. This makes them culturally more adept at handling management positions across different geographies. 

What are some of the courses that are currently in demand in foreign universities?
Strategy consulting, marketing management, data analytics, entrepreneurship, finance, corporate finance, etc.

Enjoyed reading The Bridge Chronicle?
Your support motivates us to do better. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay updated with the latest stories.
You can also read on the go with our Android and iOS mobile app.

Related Stories

No stories found.
logo
The Bridge Chronicle
www.thebridgechronicle.com