All copyrights to this file vests with MITUL GADA & ASSOCIATES pvt ltd. No part of this presentation either in part or in whole shall be copied, printed, electronically reproduced, sold or distributed without the written consent of the company and any such violation would entail initiation of suitable legal proceedings. An orientation on study abroad planning & SAT prep guide by Mitul Gada USA UK Europe Australia Academic Career Prospects Visa Regulations Costs Availability of Scholarships Poor Average Very Good Excellent Canada www.mitulgada.com Breakup of Costs Average Annual Figures in USD Actual costs vary SATatly depending on program type, deSATe level, university, geographic location, etc. www.mitulgada.com Scholarships Scholarships and Fellowships offered by Universities •International Organizations offering Scholarships •Fulbright Commission •The United Nations •AMIDEAST •World Health Organization Trusts / Scholarships in India for Studies Abroad •K C Mahindra Scholarship •Nehru Trust for Cambridge University and Trinity College •Singapore International Airlines – Youth Scholarships •Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) •J N Tata Endowment •ITC Scholarships www.mitulgada.com Loans International Banks • • • • With/Without Co-signer 1. Citibank 2. Bank of America Upto 25 years to repay Begin installments upon graduation or a year after Competitive Interest Rates (10 - 15%) Other Loan Programs • Access Group • Sallie Mae • International Education Finance Corporation Indian Banks •Security to be provided by parents •State Bank of India, Bank of India, Andhra Bank, Syndicate Bank, Canara Bank, Private Banks, Centurion Bank of Punjab •Upto 15 years to repay www.mitulgada.com Application Procedure Standardized Tests • Future Career - specialization • Short-list destination(s) • Short-list Colleges (be realistic) • SAT • TOEFL / IELTS Additional requirements •Applications • Extracurricular Activities & certificates • Academic Transcripts • Recommendation Letters • SOP • Financial Aid/Scholarships www.mitulgada.com TOEFL (Test Of English as a Foreign Language) • Accepted in the US, UK, Canada, Singapore • Internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT) – Administered by ETS • 4 Sections - Listening , Speaking , Reading , Writing • All sections worth 30 points. Total score out of 120. Good Score 90+ • Scores valid for 2 years ; register at www.toefl.org • NO coaching required for an above average student • Get any 1 books out of: Barron’s, Kaplan, Princeton, Cliffs www.mitulgada.com “The Application Race for the Aug intake” Decision 10th vacation SATTOEFL 11th beginning (oct/nov/ dec/jan) Complete & Send SAT-II (if required) Apps 12th beginning (oct-nov) 12th grade (Dec) Admns. Decisions 12th grade (mar-may) Prepare and Apply For Student Visa june Pre Departure Orientation Jul– Aug www.mitulgada.com How Important Are These Scores? Large University Small University Personals SAT Scores SAT Scores Personals Grade Point Average Grade Point Average Personals include Applications, Extra Curricular Activities, sports international conferences etc. www.mitulgada.com Resumes LORs Essays Essays, SOP, LORs Consider this a “sales pitch” Choose the “right recommender” Make a strong presentation of yourself and your qualifications Describe how you will contribute to the college’s unique community Talk about your characteristics and back them with examples Keep it concise, comprehensive, relevant Don’t use flowery language and please follow instructions Ensure its genuine Proof read for spelling errors Study-abroad Consultants There are two types of study abroad consultants you come across: 1) Commission based agents who have B grade tie-up universities and whose advt. we see regularly in the newspapers or who call you up via telemarketing. Beware of them. 2) Genuine study-abroad consultants who are very few in number. Always take some references of some past students before you approach them. We are not professional consultants and hence restrict ourselves only to test prep but we do guide our students regarding various aspects of applications based on our knowledge and our interaction with our ex-students. We also help students with a list of genuine study-abroad consultants so that they can approach them easily. www.mitulgada.com SAT TRIVIA • Register at www.collegeboard.com (administered by ETS) • Exam fees U.S $ 94. Postponing fees $ 22 • Conducted 6 times a year in India (oct/nov/dec/jan/may/june) • Scores valid for 2 yrs. • An option of discarding the scores • Scores to 4 colleges free; Additional score report: 9.5 $ each. • Accepted in U.S and Singapore • A decent score 1800+ exceptional score 2100+ • Recommended to take SAT twice • Calculators are allowed • Special concession for students with disabilities (dyslexia etc.) SAT paper pattern No. of sections Type of sections Details 3 Math (800 marks) 25 + 25 + 20 = 70 mins 3 Critical Reading (800 marks) 25 + 25 + 20 = 70 mins (blanks + passages) vocab based 3 Writing (800 marks) 25 + 35 + 10 = 70 mins (essay + grammar based Q) _______ 9 ___________ __________________ (2400 marks) 3 ½ hrs. + breaks MATH • • • • • • ARITHMETIC Number properties Fraction n decimal Percents Ratio n Proportion Averages (mean, median, mode) Exponents n roots ALGEBRA • Basic Algebra • Simple Equations • Quadratic Equations SYLLABUS • • • • • • GEOMETRY Lines n angles Triangles Polygons Circles Solid Geometry Co-ordinate Geometry • • • • MISCELLANEOUS Counting (P n C) Probability Rates (STD / Time n work) Sequence n Series www.mitulgada.com How is SAT different from school syllabus exams? • importance of concepts • a lot of “reasoning & logic” involved • scores based on mathematical reasoning (not maths) and verbal reasoning (not english) • methods and steps don’t matter • taking help from the options • quick thinking required www.mitulgada.com How is the SAT testing related to practical life managerial aspects? • • • • time management stress management working with the available resources “out of the box” thinking www.mitulgada.com The 2 factors on which your score depends: • inbuilt aptitude for this exam (which differs from person to person ; hence don’t compare and don’t generalize the study plan) • up-gradation till a certain level (taking genuine SAT training, using the right material, taking authentic tests, organizing your study plan based on your strengths and weakness) www.mitulgada.com The 3 imp skills for acing the quant sec: • Concepts • Understanding the language of the question • Approach -Conventional - Modern (Variables (Substitution Equations Back solving n elimination Formulae) Smart use of calci Following the trend Visualization Diagramatic presentation) www.mitulgada.com The 3 imp skills for acing the verbal section • Word Power (vocab) and its application (sentence completion) • Grammar rules and essay writing abilities (writing section) • Reading and Interpreting simultaneously (reading comprehension) Authentic SAT material (a big dilemma) Basic • Barron’s SAT math n verbal workbooks • Kaplan SAT math n verbal workbooks • Princeton math n verbal workbooks Advance • Mitul Gada’s SAT workbook • Barron’s SAT • Kaplan 2400 • Mitul’s hard math n verbal question sets Full length tests • Kaplan 12 test papers for the SAT • Princeton 11 test papers for the SAT www.mitulgada.com Books “NOT” to be used • Kaplan SAT • Princeton: Cracking the SAT Our own publication (for private circulation only, not for sale) MATH WORKBOOK FOR THE NEW SAT by Mitul Gada www.mitulgada.com How to start your preparation? • part A (topic wise concepts n practice) • part B (section tests : math, reading, writing) • part C (full length tests : 10 approx) www.mitulgada.com prepare (10th vacation • Best time to or the first half of 11th grade year for SAT I… similarly for SAT II, either the 11th vacation or the first half of 12th grade) • Total duration of preparation(for an above average student, 2 months without school/college and 3.5 months along with school/college) • Per day efforts (4 hrs. without school/college, 1.5 hrs with school/college) • Prioritize SAT over your socials etc… (a half hearted preparation and attempt can cost u time, money and carrier plan) www.mitulgada.com Bottom line • test of endurance (maintaining concentration for 4 hrs at a stretch) • test of maturity (keeping yourself calm n composed without getting panic) • test of smartness (you don’t have to be super intelligent to crack the SAT; just be smart enough) www.mitulgada.com SAT subject tests (SAT II) • Required by few top colleges in addition to SAT I • Evaluates your command and knowledge in specific subjects • Questions more direct and indepth than reasoning based (unlike SAT I) • Duration : 1 hr • Can take either SAT I or SAT II on a particular SAT date; but not both • Can take upto 3 subject tests on the same day • Confirm with the unis and/or your counselor reg the subjects chosen • Books (for any subject): Barrons, Kaplan, Princeton www.mitulgada.com List of subjects for SAT II subject tests English Literature History and Social Studies U.S. History (formerly American History and Social Studies) World History Mathematics Mathematics Level 1 (formerly Mathematics IC) Mathematics Level 2 (formerly Mathematics IIC) Science Biology E/M Chemistry Physics Languages Chinese with listening French French with listening German German with listening Spanish Spanish with listening Modern hebrew Italian Latin Japanese with listening Korean with listening www.mitulgada.com Practice tests tips ! • take the tests in ideal testing conditions • score the tests • always check the explanatory answers after u finish the test • learn from the mistakes and upgrade www.mitulgada.com Importance of “genuine” SAT TRANING • myths n misconceptions • direction and regularity • pool of students to interact with • comparative performance • avoiding loss of opportunity cost (time n money) www.mitulgada.com How are WE different ?? • expertise : trainers with 2300+ SAT scores and indepth subject knowledge • experience : exclusive SAT experience of 9 yrs. • methodology : topic wise practice, sectional tests, full length tests • material : authentic SAT books (barrons, princeton, kaplan) • Support : doubt solving sessions till the exam date www.mitulgada.com Options for students: • class-room training • personal training • video-conference training (for students outside Mumbai) 4 Golden Tips... 1 : Don’t be “penny wise pound foolish” • To students who have already scored decent on SAT or a 95+ percentile in CAT and hence absolutely confident abt their concepts and approach, we generally recommend not to take any coaching as just preparing from our “SAT power dvd” will suffice. We give all the necessary guidance reg how to go about the power dvd and draft a rough study plan for them. • But for those who haven’t been exposed to any kind of “entrance” training earlier definitely should not take any chance. They certainly miss the important concepts, shortcuts, smarter approaches, regularity, interaction with other SAT students etc. which can happen only in a classroom ambiance. Not scoring on SAT for the first time not only makes you spend the exam fees again but also makes you waste a lot of time again. Moreover it also shakes your self belief. And all this is definitely not worth saving a few grands. You might as well finish it off once and for all by preparing in style and not leave any stone unturned. 1 : Don’t be “penny wise pound foolish” • A lot of students who claim to “manage” SAT on their own forget that they don’t have to manage it but have to “excel” at it. • The cost of SAT training is not even 1/100th of the total cost of your MBA/masters. • If studying on own from the books were enough, then there wouldn’t be any concept of SAT training. Don’t take chances with your scores. An authentic SAT training can only upgrade your scores. • Make sure that not only the concepts are in place, but also the over all planning reg the material, practice, approach, mock tests, analysis, booking the exam date etc. is impeccable. • Not scoring on SAT for the first time not only makes you spend the exam fees again but also disturbs your entire planning for the year. Moreover it also shakes your self belief. 2 : Beware of tall claims • According to a recent article by TOI, since there is dearth of genuine SAT trainers around, a lot of non qualified individuals pose themselves to be training for the same. Ignorant students become easy prey to such consultants who lure them by tall claims and low pricing. • Don’t get carried away by any “guarantee score”. Use your common-sense. No body can give guarantee on your behalf. If at all a “guarantee” was possible, SAT wouldn’t have existed at the first place !! • It’s the trainers & not the BRAND who help you upgrade your score. Hence meet the trainers personally to know their expertise and experience. • You realize these problems only once you pay up as most of these test prep companies neither provide any testimonials nor any demo/trial SAT sessions which helps you making a judicious choice. • Hence we have uploaded a list of more than 130 students, along with their scores & email ids, so that you may have a reference check with few of them before you proceed. As a lot of these students are second timers, we have also mentioned their earlier trainers with whom they dint have a pleasant experience. You may check the authenticity of these email ids of copy-pasting them to view the facebook profile of that particular student. • “We are the only SAT prep center in India to do so to maintain utmost transparency.” 1) Randomly email 20-30 students and ask them about their experience & value addition with us. 2) Attend demo/trial SAT sessions at any of our centers so that before enrolling, you exactly know what you are paying for. Prior registration required. We generally recommend students to follow the above two steps with all the SAT test prep companies that they have shortlisted. You cannot go wrong with this sensible and logical way of reference check. 3 : Traveling inconvenience, a trivial factor • Traveling convenience or inconvenience is a very trivial factor when it comes to authentic SAT training. • Something closer to your place may not be a better place for SAT training. • Traveling a bit is less painful than not getting the desired and deserving scores in SAT. • Mentioned next is the details of few students who have understood and the above mentioned point and have travelled all the way to our Andheri / Kemps Corner center. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Neeraj Dubey, dubey.neeraj@gmail.com (Thane) Nikit Gangwani, nikit.gangwani@gmail.com (Thane) Ashish Khunger, ashishkhunger@yahoo.com (Thane) Mandar Vengurlekar, mandarvengurlekar@gmail.com (Dombivali) Khushboo Gala, khushg15@gmail.com (Bhandup) Amit Salvi, amitsalvi1984@gmail.com (Bhandup) Siddharth Gupta, siddharthgupta1234@gmail.com (Vashi) Ajatshatru Kotwal, ajatkotwal@gmail.com (Vashi) Rischav, rischav@gmail.com (Vashi) Rahul Shah, rahulmshah08@gmail.com (Pune) Paras Shah, paras990@yahoo.com (Ghatkopar) Hitesh, hitesh1221@gmail.com (Chembur) Smit Badai, smitbadai@gmail.com (Pune) Ruchi (kuwait), ruchi165@gmail.com Nikhil Keswani, nikhilkeswani@gmail.com (Lagos, Africa) Vivek Shah, vivshah@gmail.com (U.K.) Kairus Kavarana, kairuskavarana@gmail.com (Columbia, USA) 4 : Don’t be hasty • Just because you wake up late, that doesn’t mean you ll be hasty in taking the exam date or college applications. Just because you want to meet the deadlines, that doesn’t mean that you will take chances with your SAT scores or the quality of your college. • Remember that the brand of a particular college is going to remain with you for the next 40 years of your life. Its still makes sense even if you have to defer your applications by one year in order to get quality education. • Give adequate time to you SAT prep and take the exam only if you are confident enough to get the deserving and desired score. • Give sufficient time to your SOP, LoRs and other documentation in order to make your entire application as strong as possible. • Our course includes not only the concepts, shortcuts, approach and practice but also regularity, direction and guidance regarding which topic to prepare from which book, which books to start with, which books to end with, which tests to take, when to take them, suitable time to appear for the exam and other imp things related to the exam and applications. • Our comments on the above mentioned aspects of training eliminate any scope of confusion and frustration among students, bring a lot of convenience and clarity in the training process and make sure that the prep is going in the right direction. www.mitulgada.com TESTIMONIALS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Samarth Goenka, Ambani Anvisha Pai, 2350, Ambani, MIT Neil Satra, 2350, Ambani, neil.satra@gmail.com Anika Havaldar, 2200, Ambani, anika.havaldar@gmail.com Agastya Shastri, 2140, agastya.shastri@gmail.com Yash Saraf, Ambani, saraf.yash@gmail.com Akshat Goenka, 2030, Ambani, agoenka27@hotmail.com Shally Madhok, 1900, Ambani, shally_madhok@hotmail.com Rishabh Bhavnani, 2030, SAT, Singapore int, rish_devil91@hotmail.com Yuvraj Rajan, Ecole Mondiale, babson, rajanyuvraj@yahoo.co.in Sanaa Jhurani, Ecole Mondiale, babson, sjhurani1@gmail.com Anjali Merchant, Ecole Mondiale, babson Aakanksha Goenka, Ecole Mondiale, agoenka27@hotmail.com Yashwardhan Rajan, Ecole Mondiale, yvr_rules1@hotmail.com Agrima Batra, Ecole Mondiale, agrimabatra@hotmail.com Radhika Nehlani, Ecole Mondiale, radhi_92@hotmail.com Rishika Srisrimal, Eciole Mondiale, rishika.shrishrimal@gmail.com Abhinav Subramaniam, Ecole Mondiale, Abhinav.subramaniam@gmail.com Tulsi Mehta, 2020, SAT, Ecole Mondiale, saveurself@gmail.com www.mitulgada.com • • • • • • • • • • Siddhant Kothari, 2050, ASB, sidaddy@gmail.com Yash Kothari, 2020, ASB, Meera Brunner, 2030, ASB Meloni Bendre, melonibendre@gmail.com Ayesha Pagdiwala, ASB, ayaeshapagdiwalla555@hotmail.com Chloe Berman, ASB, csberman@yahoo.com Miel Yusuf, ASB, miel@yusuf.us Nishant Mehta, 2050, SAT, Jamnabai Anmol Thakeria, Podar international Shradha Bhatia, 2030, Podar Intl, shradha_b@hotmail.com www.mitulgada.com • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Rohan Mehta, rohan_m2000@hotmail.com (previously joined Princeton) Ruzeveh Godrej, r_godrej@hotmail.com (previously joined JAMBOREE) Ankur Seksaria, ankurseksaria@gmail.com (previously joined R.Saraswati, Vile Parle) Sanjit Oberoi, soberoi@gmail.com (previously joined IMS) Hitesh, electronic_rogue@yahoo.com (previously joined IMS) Abhishek Kothari, abhismailbox@gmail.com (previously joined Jayant Pai, dadar) Vivek Laddha, vivekladdha@gmail.com (previously joined TIME) Rachita Kumar, (matunga), rach.kumar@gmail.com (previously joined KGC, pedder rd) Merlyn D’souza, Merlyn.ds@gmail.com, (previously joined both Sonia Mutalia, khar & IMS) Nikhil Tanwani, (khar), nikhiltanwani@gmail.com (previously joined Sonia Mutalia, khar) Anand Piramal (Piramal group), Harvard, anandpiramal@gmail.com (previously joined Ezra, colaba) Puneet Sehgal, (juhu), Darden, puneetsehgal@hotmail.com (previously joined prof Narsee, andheri) Nikhil Keswani, nikhilkeswani@gmail.com (previously joined prof. Narsee, andheri) Uday Kumar, yuukay76@hotmail.com (previously joined Eduworld, churchgate) Rohan , Bhopal, rohans69@gmail.com (previously joined KGC, pedder rd) Kairus Kavarana, kairuskavarana@gmail.com Aditi Doshi Mehta, doshi.aditi@gmail.com Dishank Kamat, kdishank@gmail.com Aditya Sangle, adityasangle@gmail.com Amisha Gulati, amishagulati@yahoo.com Ajay Aswani, ajayaswani@gmail.com Natasha Bharucha, natashabharucha@gmail.com Aarti Karia, aarti_karia@hotmail.com Aseem Nambiar, aseemnambiar@gmail.com Akshay Chug, Wharton, akshayc7@gmail.com Leesha Tirodkar, leesha_tirodkar@hotmail.com Vikram Kukreja, vikramdityakukreja@gmail.com Pooja Raheja, poojaraheja9@gmail.com Rutu Shah, shah_rutu@hotmail.com Trimaan Chandok, trimaan_chandock@hotmail.com Ridhi Ghelani, ridhighelani@hotmail.com Neeraj Dubey, dubey.neeraj@gmail.com Manoj Nair, manojdevnair@gmail.com Adir Bhastekar, admire_kids@rediffmail.com Robin Dsouza, robindsouza87@gmail.com Kunal Lala, kunal.lala@gmail.com Pranay Ambwani, pranayambwani@gmail.com Karan Sharma, karansk@gmail.com Sawmya Jagannath, sawmyaj86@gmail.com Amrit Pal Singh, amritpalsinghsaini@yahoo.co.in Abhilash Joseph, josephabhilash@rediffmail.com Soham Narang, sohamnarang@gmail.com Advait Phatarford, advait.phatarfod@gmail.com Sakshi Sehgal, sakshisa06@gmail.com Rhianna Prabhu, rhianna.prabhu@gmail.com Dipti Hingorani, dipti.hingorani@yahoo.com Rayomand Pastakia, rayomand.pastakia@hotmail.com Hiral Sanghavi, hiralsanghavi88@gmail.com Mihika Baruah, mihikabaruah@gmail.com Bhavik Khandhar, bhavikkhandhar@gmail.com Zahir Kachwalla, zahir.kachwalla@gmail.com Prachi Parikh, prachi89@gmail.com Radhika Mehta, radz.mehta@gmail.com As mentioned earlier, traveling convenience is a very trivial factor when it comes to Authentic SAT training. Mentioned below is the details of few students who have understood and followed the above mentioned point and have travelled all the way to our Andheri / Kemps Corner center. Neeraj Dubey, dubey.neeraj@gmail.com (Thane) Nikit Gangwani, nikit.gangwani@gmail.com (Thane) Khushboo Gala, khushg15@gmail.com (Bhandup) Siddharth Gupta, siddharthgupta1234@gmail.com (Vashi) Ajatshatru Kotwal, ajatkotwal@gmail.com (Vashi) Rischav, rischav@gmail.com (Vashi) Rahul Shah, rahulmshah08@gmail.com (Pune) Paras Shah, paras990@yahoo.com (Ghatkopar) Hitesh, hitesh1221@gmail.com (Chembur) Smit Badai, smitbadai@gmail.com (Pune) Ruchi (kuwait), ruchi165@gmail.com Nikhil Keswani, nikhilkeswani@gmail.com (Lagos, Africa) Vivek Shah, vivshah@gmail.com (U.K.) Kairus Kavarana, kairuskavarana@gmail.com (Columbia, USA) & many more … Our students in HARVARD • Anand Piramal (Piramal group), anandpiramal@gmail.com • Kulin Lalbhai redbrother@gmail.com • Edouard Delvaux, (Harvard 2 + 2 program) • Shloka Nath, shloka.nath@gmail.com & in other TOP b-schools… • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Revant Ruia (Essar group), Stanford Shom Hinduja (Hinduja group), Columbia Akshay Chugh, akshayc7@gmail.com, Wharton Rohan Suryavanshi, rohans69@gmail.com , Wharton Aditi Jain, aditipjain@gmail.com, Wharton Kairus Kavarana, kairuskavarana@gmail.com, Columbia Nikhil Jaisinghani, nikhiljaising@hotmail.com, Kellogg Devangi Nishar, devangi.nishar@gmail.com, Cornell Jai Bhatia, jaibhatia@mac.com, Oxford Aditya Sharma, aditya1000@hotmail.com, LSE Apoorva Modi, apoorvamodi@gmail.com, LSE Shivani Sharma, sharmashivani7@gmail.com, LSE Amisha Gulati, amishagulati@yahoo.com, Babson Neha Tankhiwale, 700, nehatankhiwale@gmail.com , Emory Dishank Kamat, 650, kdishank@gmail.com, Michigan ROSS & many more … Mitul Gada & associates Mitul Gada & associates 4th floor, A-wing, BEST complex, Next to Mc Donalds, Opp. Railway station, Andheri (W) Mumbai – 400058 Damodar Mahal, 132, Cumballa hill rd, lane opp. to Shalimar hotel, behind birdy’s, Kemps Corner Mumbai - 36 Fax: +91 22 2628 7508 Email : math@mitulgada.com Web : Mobile : www.mitulgada.com +91 98197 15357 Mitul Gada & Associates’ new SAT centers in THANE & VASHI (opening this month)