How To Begin University Research

In the previous articles, self-assessment should have helped you identify what you want from a foreign university experience. Now, you should conduct some research. In this article, we are going to discuss what to look for, where to find it, and how to understand and utilize the information thus gathered.  

There are three primary stages of university research -  

Related articles:

College Research: The Importance Of Being Realistic

College Research: Understanding College/Class Profile Information

The whole research stage is an exciting one. You will discover so much information, and you will come across a perfect fit at a college that you have never heard of. You will find reasons for why you want to apply to a certain university or why a particular college is a perfect fit for your profile.  

Research is the first step while helps you decide the universities to which you will apply. Selecting your universities changes the dream of applying to a foreign university into reality. Each college that you choose will have a personality and a process that goes along with it.  

With more than 10,000 colleges and university options abroad, finding the right one is going to be easier than you imagine. You will come across many universities that are a good fit for you, but you can't apply to all of them. So the challenge is matching what you want with what is realistic.  

As you shrink the list of 10,000+ colleges and universities down to a handful of best-fit universities, you need to keep a few things to keep in mind. First, research will be confusing, which can lead to frustration. Every foreign university has its own application process. Also, every educational system in the world is a little bit different.  

Don't just research. Research your process, what is required to apply to a college and how to do that to be accepted. Most importantly, take your time researching colleges. 

Which brings us to the second thing to keep in mind. If you have identified some specific features that you want in a University, you will be tempted to narrow your college options down very quickly. Or if you haven't identified those features, you need time to explore.  

Regardless of which group you fall in, you will have questions that will need answers. And finding those questions and answers takes time.  

The question is how much time? Well, a guideline most college counselors would suggest is that you should spend ten hours of research on each college that you will apply to. This is just a guideline, and you may need less time than that, or you may need more time than that. When you are finished, look at your list and ask yourself, how well do you know these colleges. 

The third thing to remember is that most of the information you will find online is going to be written for international students as a group. You are not going to find information that addresses your needs specifically. It is because there are too many students to provide that kind of specific information.  

So finding answers to your important questions is going to take some time and extra research. Sometimes you will have to use information that is meant for native students as a guideline. It will be good enough to guide you through the process.  

Remember, the research process is not homework, something to dread. It holds the key to your future. You will not be scored for this hard work, but it is worth it for the feeling of excitement when you finally find what you were looking for.

Complete Series: How to Apply to Universities Abroad