Studying In India

[kingry]

I am currently a student who is deciding whether to study abroad. One of the places of thought of was India. I am not sure what university my school correlates with, but I am happy to hear any recommendations. I do not know anything about traveling outside of the US. I would like some travel advice!
Thank you guys!

 

[Chahal]

What subjects do you study?

If youve got anything related to science and technology then try getting into one of the IIT's in India and you will never regret your decision. You will study amongst some of the brightest people on Earth. Getting admissions is not easy though but being a forign student you might be able to buy a seat for yourself if there is such an option but if you have to appear for an entrance exam.... good luck with that. Millions apply for admission into one of the IITs and only a few hundred get in every year. IIM's are pretty good for management courses but again getting admissions would be a big deal.

 

[Admin]

Hi Kingry, Welcome to India travel forum.

What subjects do you want to study?

 

[Talking Monkey]

IIT's are the best in the world. It would be cheaper aswell and the pay package IIT pass out students get is fantastic, just for being a student at IIT is a matter of pride.

To give you an idea, the Guy that heads Google these days is from IIT as well : Sundar Pichai - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

India is also famous for some of the best boarding schools like the ones at Mussoorie for example are considered to be some of the best in the world.

 

[rajesh]

Science Background - Just like Chahal, Admin, and Talking Monkey said, IIT (Indian Institue of Technolgy) is the best institution for you if your subject background is science related.
Top 5 IIT locations:
1-IIT Kharagpur
2-IIT Bombay
3-IIT Kanpur
4-IIT Madras
5-IIT Delhi

Commerce Background - If you are from commerce background, Sri Ram College of Commerce in New Delhi is the best college for you. It is the No 1 college for the students of commerce in India.

Arts Background - St. Stephens College,Delhi is the best college for you if you have an Arts background.

I hope this helps.

 

[briannagodess]

Hi! What course would you like to major in? Generally, here are the top ranking universities in India:

• Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. This university is well-known for its research on engineering and technology. It has constantly ranked high among the top universities in Asia as well.
• Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi. If you're interested in engineering, then this university is for you as it's founded mainly as an engineering school.
• Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay. Again, this university focuses on engineering courses but has some other arts and humanities programs as well.
• University of Delhi. If you're interested in non-technological or engineering subjects, then this university is perfect for you. It offers lots of courses and degrees as compared to other universities.

I hope this can help you. Good luck!

 

[jnorth88]

I really recommend study abroad programs, but you have to be careful and know your own personality to make it work. First, these are for outgoing people who could actively participate in the local communities and learn the language. Personally, I am an introvert, and had to overcome a lot of my own inclination to get the most of my programs. Second, it can be very difficult to do this in India successfully, since there is less support than in Europe or China and Japan. Support really helps. For instance, the costs for tuition might be covered and a stipend paid to students in certain European nations.

 

[tabby]

@kingry You should probably check with your school first if they have an existing student-exchange program with an Indian University. If your school supports such kind of program, then surely there are steps and guidelines you can look into. I guess to me an exchange program is something to look into first just to see if you truly would like to take your whole university life spent in India or perhaps you just want a short-term experience such as the kind that student exchange programs offer.
Oh, why don't you look into USIEF (The United States - India Educational Foundation) as one of their thrusts is to provide educational advising services for U.S. students interested in studying abroad in India and for Indian students interested in pursuing higher education in the U.S.

 

[daniel john]

I was wondering what languages are used in some Indian universities, and whether or not there are some courses taught in English? I'd be interested in studying in India, but it'd have to be at an institution that mainly taught in English because I don't think my Indian dialect is up to scratch just yet.

 

[Bonzer]

English is the de facto medium of instruction for all courses in India. Unless, you opt to study specialized courses like ancient Indian culture, Sanskrit (the oldest language and the mother language of all Indian languages), you don't get to study in any other Indian languages.

Of course, I'm talking about higher studies and NOT pre-university courses.

 

[Danny Luke]

The school you are going to attend will depend on the course or field that you want to study. You should understand that a lot of the universities in India focus on certain fields. For example, there are universities that excel in information technology. There are those that excel in agriculture. And there are those that excel in medicine and related fields. With that said, it's very important that you decide on a course or field to study before you start scouting for a university or college to attend.

 

[dane]

I'm a student of Mathematics and Statistics, would be interested to know what the options for masters are? are courses ever delivered in English? what is the quality like?

 

[AnnaBanana]

English is the de facto medium of instruction for all courses in India. Unless, you opt to study specialized courses like ancient Indian culture, Sanskrit (the oldest language and the mother language of all Indian languages), you don't get to study in any other Indian languages.

Of course, I'm talking about higher studies and NOT pre-university courses.

I'm grateful that english is the de facto language of instruction in India. I dream of going there one day soon and being able to score an internship with a prestigious school, or hospital. Would having a good base of knowledge of Sanskrit be an important advantage?

 

[Chahal]

Would having a good base of knowledge of Sanskrit be an important advantage?

No one speaks Sanskrit in India. Sanskrit is mostly limited to ancient texts and religious ceremonies.

 

[dane]

So is there many foreign students in India? what would be the make up of foreign student population? undergrad or postgrad mostly? what countries are most represented?

 

[AnnaBanana]

According to Study in India :: Why study in India ?, students hail from "Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Surinam, Syria, Thailand, UK, US, Vietnam and Zimbabwe etc for their higher studies." There are many internship opportunities, which is exactly what I am looking for.

According to International Students in India, the number of international students in India during the 2011-2012 year was 33,151 students (both public and private institutions.) Here is a breakdown of the nationalities and percentages: Nepal 19%, Bhutan 8%, Iran 7%, Afghanistan 7%, Malaysia 5%, Sudan 5%, Iraq 5%, Sri Lanka 4%, the United States 3%, UAE 2%, with all others constituting the remaining percentages. I have yet to find out if those numbers reflect both undergraduate and postgraduate studies.

I read that Nepal and Bhutan constitute the largest percentages of foreign students. The United States was relatively low on the list. I had posted these static, but because of the link I'd added, that post hasn't been approved yet.

 

[dane]

Yea I've never heard of many US or European students who had gone to study in India unless they had family connections there. Wonder if it's quite difficult to fit in, how different the structure of courses are.

 

[AnnaBanana]

Earlier it was mentioned that english is the de facto language for all of India's institutions of higher education. Because of this, I assume it wouldn't be difficult to adapt to a new structure. Any educational institution shouldn't leave you completely alone to figure everything out, especially in an environment foreign to you. And India is well-known for its prestigious schools, who would be invested in their students' success.

I found a wiki article saying that India is the world's third largest higher education system, behind China and the United States. Many of India's universities have been given global acclaim and has the world's largest university by number of students: Indira Gandhi National Open University.

 

[dane]

Would really love to hear from someone who had studied in both India and another western country and could tell the differences.

Has anyone an idea of the costs associated with studying in India?