Timetable:Tests and Applications

Once you’ve decided that you really want to study abroad, you have to plan your next step. With patience, organization, and some luck, the application process should be a relatively painless experience. A lot of preliminary research can be done over the internet but be warned: A lot of legwork is involved, including getting your recommendations, following up on your transcripts, and taking your exams.

You have to decide when you want to start your studies and then work your way back to approximately two years. Don’t be intimidated by the two-year leeway: This includes preparing for exams, researching for schools, and planning your finances. Once you’ve made your decision regarding your school and program, the next step will be to go through the application requirements. A year will give you enough time to apply to the school of your dreams. Just be aware that the timetable you are working on should be based on the academic schedule of the country where you wish to attend school.

Most schools and programs in the U.S., for instance, require the following: taking the Test Of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), or Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), MCAT (Medical College Admission Test), or LSAT (Law School Admission Test) depending on the field of study; recommendation letters; personal essay; official transcript of records; resume; etc. Getting all these together will take some time and you should give yourself enough time to get all your requirements in order.

The TOEFL and GRE (as well as SAT and AP for high school students) are administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), and all are computerized. They are called Computer-Adaptive-Tests since the computer program adapts to your answers—if you answer a question correctly, it moves on to a more difficult question; if you make a mistake, the computer provides easier questions. With computerized exams, test scores are provided immediately, and you will be spared the months of waiting to find out how you fared. There used to be copies of the bulletins at UP's Vinzon's Hall but it might be more convenient if you visit the ETS website (http://www.ets.org/) or the websites of the specific exam you want to take.

Educational Testing Information
http://www.ets.org/
To Register:
Region 6 - ASIACall: 60-3-7628-3333 (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
FAX: 60-3-7628-3366

Cebu City
Test Center Number: 8473
TESTS OFFERED: GRE, TOEFL, PERMANENT CENTER

Manila
Test Center Number: 8475TESTS OFFERED: GRE, TOEFLPERMANENT CENTER

Testing Websites:
TOELF http://www.toefl.org/
GRE http://www.gre.org/
GMAT http://www.gmat.org/
LSAT http://www.lsac.org/
MSAT http://www.aamc.org/

APPLYING FOR YOUR CHOSEN SCHOOL

Once you’ve narrowed down the number of schools where you want to apply, make sure you have their most recent catalogs, and check their Web sites often for updates. This helps you plan better and have more realistic grasp of the deadlines. Our checklist in the next section provides a timeframe for all the things you have to do and when to do it.

Your application schedule will also depend on when you want to start school. Foreign universities have different academic years compared to our local schools. In the U.S., there are the Fall (August to December), Spring (January to April), and Summer Terms (some schools may have two summer sessions). The UK has three terms; in Oxford they call these Michaelmas (October to December), Hilary (January to March), and Trinity (April to June). In Australia, they have Semester 1 (February/March to May/June), Semester 2 (July to November), and the Summer Semester (December to January/February). Japan’s academic year is also different: The First Semester begins in April and ends in September, while the Second Semester is from October to March.

Some courses have strict rules about when students should begin their studies. If you are going to take your MBA, you will most probably be required to start classes at the beginning of the school year. Other schools allow rolling admissions where you can pretty much start in any term. An ideal situation, in the U.S. at least, would be to start in the first semester, and you can gradually adjust to the change of seasons. Starting your course during the second semester means you could complete your course earlier and take advantage of having two summer terms.
After you’ve made a list of the schools you plan to apply to, make a check list of each school’s requirements. Below is a list of the most typical requirements.

1. Application form. Try to see if you can download the form into your computer so you can make an extra copy in case you make a mistake. Fill out the form neatly and legibly. If your handwriting is difficult to read, use a typewriter or if the application form can be converted to a word file on the computer, fill it up that way.

2. Personal Essays. Aside from good grammar, you should also present yourself in the best possible light. Find out what they are looking for in their students – social responsibility, academic excellence, creativity, independent thinkers – and present yourself as having the qualities they are looking for.

3. Transcript. Some schools might require your university to mail it out for you. Make sure that they do. Allot more time for this since university registrars are known to take a long time to process transcripts, especially when it’s graduation time. Try to get extra copies for backup.

4. Recommendation Letters. Two to three recommendation letters are normally required. Recommendation or reference letters are usually sealed in an envelope and signed by your reference across the envelope flap. Make sure that the person whom from whom you asked the reference is confident of your potential, skills, and intellectual capacity and will give you a positive and glowing recommendation.

5. Exam Results (GMAT, TOEFL, GRE, etc.)

6. Application Fees

Tip: Hector Tiongson (Georgetown University, Washington, DC) was supposed to start in the spring term of 2001 but due to delays in the paperwork, he missed the first week of classes. He decided to defer his acceptance for the summer term. Should a similar situation happen to you, call the department of the college you’ve been accepted in and inquire if you can do something similar. Make sure you call first and acquire a written confirmation that deferment is possible (for visa and immigration procedures). Don’t be afraid to ask.

Tip: Disappointed you didn’t get accepted into the school of your choice? Try to find out what was missing or lacking in your application. Was it your exam score? Were your recommendations less than glowing? Do you have to work more on your application essay? Once you have figured it out, apply the following year.