Definitely Abroad With #DefinitelyPTE

A good education is undoubtedly the foundation of a successful and rewarding life. The importance of education cannot be overestimated and right from school to college, every institution one studies in, shapes the life greatly. In fact, a person is all about what he has learned and experienced in his years of education. Even though there is no dearth of good educational institutions in India, many other macro factors limit the seats and hence, students look towards other lucrative option in foreign lands. Some of the greatest educational institutions are situated abroad and boast of an enviable alumni list. Many Universities offer very affordable fee structure while some, an extremely rewarding cultural life. To experience such education is indeed a matter of great privilege. However, to join a good university abroad, apart from funds, there are many things that are needed to be taken care of. After one chooses his or her preferred university on the basis of criteria like the course of choice, fee structure, location, scholarship alumni, and the like, comes the next steps- the paperwork and the English Language Test. The paperwork including visa and passport formalities, medical certificates and travel insurance can be managed without much trouble but the latter requires knowledge and skills to crack the barrier and move ahead towards the goal. This test is taken by students whose native language is not English. The valid score card of an English language test like ILETS (The International English Language Testing System) or TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is necessary for admission to universities abroad.

IELTS comes in two variants, viz, ‘The Academic’ and ‘The General Training’. While the former is for those aiming for higher education in foreign universities, the latter is for those wishing to migrate to Canada, Australia and the UK or to apply for secondary education, training and work experience in an English-speaking country. More than 10K institutes and training organizations across the world accept IELTS score while more than 9K colleges in 130 countries accept TOEFL. A good score in these can ensure the success of the endeavor to study or work abroad.

Studying abroad is definitely not a cakewalk; there are problems like financial aid, tax issues, and medical certifications apart from competitive test scores. Some universities offer hostels while for others, students need to manage their own accommodations. This can be daunting a bit but can be managed with a good professional help. English tests like ILETS and TOEFL too can be successfully cracked with professional help like that of Pearson Academic. Foreign countries that have English as native language prefer a good score in such tests so that the student faces no major issues when he or she arrives to the institution.

PTE Academic is by far the best way to crack the English Language Test. Scores arrive as early as within five days and the testing system is fully computer based. These scores are accepted in all the universities in Australia, Ireland and New Zealand and also in most universities in other major education hubs like UK, USA, Singapore, Canada and Europe. Moreover, one can send the scores to as many universities as he or she desires without any additional fee! #DefinitelyPTE is the best choice in this regard!

PTE Academic is a hassle free three hour computerized test that can be taken round the year and is highly accurate and unbiased. It comprises of three parts after a one minute intro in the beginning. Part I is ‘Speaking and Writing’ with is 77-93 minutes long. Part II is ‘Reading’ and is 32-41 minutes long and Part III is ‘Listening’ which is 45-57 minutes long. An optional scheduled break of ten minutes is given as well making it easy on the nerves of the student! A good score can push up the chances of being accepted by the dream university. Thus for this, we can refer to PTE Preparation Course that come in three packages namely, Silver, Gold and Platinum Test Preparation Kit and can be purchased online on pocket friendly prices!

Once you are prepared, the test centre needs to be decided. PTE Academic has no dearth of test centers round the world. In India, 25 recognized centers including PTE’s own test centers are available for choice to the student. Thus any centre across the country that is most suitable can be easily booked! These centers are available not only in metros like new Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, but in smaller cities as well like in Rajkot, Patiala and Nagpur, to name a few. The process is trouble-free; PTE Academic test can be booked on phone by calling the PTE Administrators or online by logging in to their web page. The candidates have to register themselves with the basic information and once the registration is successful, a test can be scheduled as per the student’s convenience!

PTE Academic is widely accepted by thousands of universities and educational institutions around the globe. Even Ivy League ones like Harvard and Stanford accept PTE scores! Some universities in this long list are-

·        INSEAD (Fontainebleau & Singapore)

·        Frankfurt School of Finance & Management

·        Tokyo International University

·        Birmingham City University

·        Durham University

·        Princeton University

Studying abroad is an enriching and rewarding experience. Travel and cultural mixing takes one out of his or her cocoon and throws wide open the doors of success through which several amazing opportunities come rushing in! Trust PTE Academic for making your dream of securing a foreign degree a concrete reality!

#DefinitelyPTE gives wings to your dreams!

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collegedunia.com - A Boon for Students

The elder son of one of my relatives is a pro in technology and takes to it like fish takes to water. Still in his teens, he shows a deep inclination towards this field. During one of our casual conversations he expressed his confusion and doubts concerning a plethora of engineering colleges and a deep set desire to join an IIT. This is a dilemma common to all the young students who are still in school and are going to enter the world of higher education in a year or two. For them, collegedunia.com  is a boon and I advised the young man to visit this wonderful site that is a mine of information for every college aspirant. Here one can find detailed and relevant info on more than 10,000 colleges in the country and other things like their maps, pictures, events and even festivals. Students can take appropriate decision and choose a college that matches with their expectations, scores and budget structure.

(IIT  Bombay Academic Building)

The boy was bent towards joining his dream college IIT Bombay so we explored its page on the collegedunia.com and came to know regarding the 12 courses the institute offers along with facts like facilities, faculties and placement structure. I told him that he could also try getting into Top10 Universities in India and fulfill his dream to be an engineer. After all there are 725 Universities including Deemed, State, Central, Open and Autonomous ones that offer world class education.

Students can also download the full brochure from the page. Apart from that, one can join communities and discuss their queries as well as experiences with others on the website. Hence, it gives an immense psychological support to a student confused and lost in the jungle of information, and he can take a considered decision. Even those who are looking for further options for Post-Graduation courses and research can explore this site and make their choices.

After all, isn’t a good life a string of wise decisions? And as we all know, education is its nucleus.

Brains In The Drains

A benevolent elderly lady who lives near my house casually told me a thing that left me pondering about attitudes that can eat up our nation like termites. She told me that her daughter, an MBBS, MD, got married into a wealthy business family. However, things were not rosy for long; only after a few months, she was forbidden from practicing by her parents-in-law, who felt that household and kids should be the utmost priority of her life. She tried a lot to convince them but finally, they put their foot down and now she is a full time housewife and a devoted mother to her two college going children. Her medical degree not only got wasted but this has far reaching effects as well. A medical seat that she had occupied got wasted since as a doctor she is not contributing anything to her country that is always short of trained doctors. Also, a lot of taxpayers’ money goes into making one specialist doctor and non-practicing people from medical profession only add to the liability of the nation.

In yet another case, a lady I know personally is a trained mathematics teacher but was forced to quit her job after she had had her first kid and since then is a full time housewife. Despite repeated requests from her and her parents, her in-laws are still adamant about the issue. Maths is not a subject that many kids enjoy and that can boast of a good teacher pool in the country. In such a case loss of a trained teacher that too one who decided to take up the profession out of her love for teaching the subject is a big loss indeed.

There is no dearth of such reports, facts and figures; we all know that millions of students, especially girls, occupy college seats but provide nothing in return. There are a few things that I really wish to shed some light on. 

Firstly, Higher education that churns out specialists like doctors, architects and engineers etc. costs any nation a lot and it is literally a crime to waste the national wealth like this. If someone aspires to be a skilled professional, she/he should always keep in mind that giving services back to the society is the most important thing, the aim of higher education. Also, I personally feel that education liberates you from the banal and monotonous drudgery of life and elevates living and mental standards.

One of the girls I know is an MBA but left her job as soon as she got married. The reason she gives is really annoying: her husband will take care of all the expenses and she need not work. Another girl I know is a PG but stays at home all day and spends her precious time in day dreaming or chatting. She has her own reasons; she says that since her father is rich enough, a job is not required. Job or business, whatever you take, adds to personal growth as well. An independent and empowered woman can maintain and protect her self-esteem and can ‘choose’ to even walk out of an abusive or broken marriage, hence saving her life for better.

We can further add to the list, the people who acquire higher education in some special professional field and then switch over to an entirely different one like administration, entertainment and showbiz, politics or business, which has little use of that professional skill and in which they could have done well even without snatching and wasting one seat from some other deserving and needy aspirant.

We cry ourselves hoarse on ‘brain drain’ but what about those millions of brains that are doing nothing for the nation and are wasting their precious skills in other mundane things.

Images taken from:

http://www.rediff.com/news/report/code/20060509.htm

http://sitagita.com/todays-tips/Indian-House-Wife.html

I Forgive You Mr. Kapoor! -- A Short Story

Sitting in my office, my stare moves from window to ceiling and then to the desk, where lies a huge mess of old and new files, samples, rusted scissors, scattered stationery and amongst all this, a cup of tea, cold as ice by now. However, for me the only thing important is my job that I take damn seriously. I have even told Mr. Kapoor all this minutes back.

Mr. Kapoor, my boss, is short and stout with a hanging lower lip that seems to indicate that it is too tired to keep the beetel and pan masala from coming out of those pursed lips. However, whenever Mr. Kapoor calls me ‘beti’ instead of Sarika, I can’t even describe the feeling.

It was only 20 minutes ago when I was summoned to Kapoor’s office, a cubicle tastefully decorated in maroon and purple, strange as himself. Anyways, as I entered he interrogated -

“Helloji, everything fine?”

“Yes sir”

His calm and composed ‘every thing is fine?’ question is actually the lull before the storm. I could see his hawk -like eyes, his computer like mind was ready to bombard me with some unforeseen issue.

As far as my cool and composed ‘yes sir’ was concerned, what a junior merchandiser can say even if she has to fight for her chair and water jug every morning with other employees. Actually chair means literally that- ‘chair’, the ubiquitous four legged furniture but Kapoor has not replaced those office chairs since Noah built his ark so a fight follows every morning with employees going even to the extremes of making insignias on them.

Kapoor started in his husky voice-

“What do you want to do in life?”

“Sir ?”

“What do you want to do in life?”

“Sir a comfortable life, what else?”

“How will you get a comfortable life beti?”

This beti word is a sign of danger, for it allows 61 year old Kapoor to scold staff like one scolds one’s own children- much more ruthlessly.

“Sir, by good performance. What happened sir?”

“No don’t ask me beti you know better”

“Sir I did send the samples to ‘Anks’

‘Anks’ was one of the clothing brands I was handling.

“I also contacted the sourcing department for the exact color of buttons they want and the thread number required”

“Hmmmm” said Kapoor in a low tone as if gauging his prey before pouncing and tearing it into unrecognizable pieces”

“Sir I have worked really hard”

“Just like a donkey right beti?”

“Sir??”

“Sir my foot! You stupid girl… the buttons you ordered were of exact colour but have you checked the shade? Did you make the minutes of the meeting on Anks? You took two days, two full days, to respond to the department about the status of the sample”

“But sir, I have to handle four brands more sir. That’s why the delay”

“No, the delay was because of our incapable staff” he said looking me into eye. “And yes, your disinterest for work. What if you handle five brands? What if? Look at me, I have three kids and a wife and a house and a company and a club and my investments and my health and a thousand other issues to take care of. Getting some inspiration or not?”

Kapoor said adjusting his glasses and grinding his teeth when he stopped to inhale some air as if it were glucose that would give him more energy to shout.

“I know” he continued “I know a normal merchandiser can handle two brands normally, but always remember you only said for yourself at the time of recruitment ‘Sir, I want to prove myself’. Now I have seen the proof” he shouted, making funny hand gestures.

I have been working here ever since I have earned my diploma in merchandising from an institute nearby, affiliated to some obscure university somewhere in South India. I report to Kapoor directly.

“Do not stand here and let your work suffer now, go and complete the entire work now only”

“Yes sir”

“Got it?”

“Yes sir”

“Go now. By the way, do you think you deserve another chance here?”

“Yes sir, Please trust me. I will prove myself for sure and you will definitely see zero mistakes from now” I said wiping my hot tears. He then gestured me again to get back to work.

His is the only room that has all the things in working condition in fact. He sits on a high Godrej chair and has a peculiar habit of scanning every staff member from head to toe from behind his gold rimmed glasses as if he could detect cocaine hidden in someone’s stomach.

I swear on my dead husband, if I were not having all the EMIs to pay along with the home loan he took for our one room flat and for my child’s education and yes, only if I were a little more educated, I would have spat on his devilish face.

But as I sit here under the ancient fan that always seems to be begging for retirement by creaking loudly, I have pardoned Kapoor once more for behaving rudely with me. After all, you see, I am not like him, insolent and rude, so I forgive him for all the rudeness he shows to me after all he has called me ‘beti’!

…

Images: http://www.shutterstock.com
http://daniwao.wordpress.com/

Fiction 55 -no.2

That day kitty party was in her posh penthouse.

They raised a toast for the hapless children, spoke highly on how child labor must be stopped at all costs and that such kids desperately need love, education and care.

When done, hungry Chhotu rushed to clean the mess with his tiny hands and hopeful eyes.

Her 'illiterate' mother

It was a cool Sunday evening and I was sitting in my hall, when she came. She is the daughter of our colony’s press-wallah. She is mal-nutritioned and stick thin like her mother and the rest of the family who never skip a day no matter how kind or cruel the climate is to them (I feel they can much better feel the mood of the climate for they work everyday without any break under a tin shed clasped to a small tree).

Yup, coming to the actual thing, she came inside and saw me reading. I could see a twinkle in her eyes that comes only when she spots a book. She told me that her illiterate mother is very particular about her studies (she studies in a local govt school) and wants her to study to the highest level. She told me that her mother never ever discriminated between her sons and daughters and wants them to become educated and sophisticated and that she personally asks each sibling to explain what happened in the class, that she tells them not to throw garbage on roads and that to carry a book with them always to avoid any time waste. These thoughts look nice to hear but even nicer when they are come from an illiterate woman having half a dozen children.

Now in contrast, the ‘literate’ people who teach their kids attitude and arrogance, to treat public property like a dustbin, to use hook or crook to get things done, middle class mothers who start looking suitors right after their daughters’ graduation. And all those educated families preferring sons over daughters. Now the basic purpose of this post is what the meaning of education is – to be able to read and write or to be able to understand things and create a positive and open outlook? I feel that illiterate mother of six kids is far more educated then all the degree holders.

The English statesman and author George Savile (1633-1695) had said

“Education is what remains when we have forgotten all that we have been taught”.

How true!!