Study abroad with your pet: a step-by-step guide

A few months, and definitely a few years are a long time to spend without your pet. It is only natural that when you get accepted to your dream school abroad, your first worry is how to get your pet there as well. It is not enough to find a dog friendly hotel for the first few days– you will need to think about a long term plan for your pet.

Let’s help you out! We have prepared a step by step guide to clear the fog around some procedures you’re going to face. We also interviewed the one and only Dave Lorch, an expert on positive dog training, on the psychological aspects of the move for your dog. 

Bringing your pet to study abroad with you – a step-by-step guide

1. CHECK out the immigration status for your pet. Each country has its own regulations. Here is where to start your search in the most desired destination countries for international students:

→ UK: Start your search at The Pet Travel Scheme (PETS). Make sure you come from qualified EU countries or non-EU qualified countries.

→ US: after a quick overview, check out the Centers for Disease & Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Agriculture's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

→ AUSTRALIA. Start here. Beware that in most cases, the pet will need to spend some time in a quarantine facility to ensure he/she has no disease.

→ EU. It may depend on which EU country you are going to. Anyway, start your journey here.

√ Tip: also check out the formalities to bring the pet back to your country once you complete your studies.

2. CHOOSE a pet friendly airline. Read relevant airlines’ websites to see if they allow pets. Then contact the airline to verify that your specific route allows pets.

√ Tip: Do not take a layover flight unless it’s long enough so you can take your pet out during the layover. The connecting flight increases the stress for the pet, and direct flights reduce the possibility of loss.

3. READ the airline’s requirements for pet travel (such as here). There are breed restrictions, crate guidelines, etc.

4. CALL the airline. Make sure you got it all right and notify you’re flying with a pet.

5. PAY an extra few hundred bucks for flying your pet (depends on the airline).

6. BUY a pet carrier kennel crate that this airline approves (they are very strict on this!)

7. ASK yourself: are you taking your dog in cabin or as luggage?

→ In cabin. Generally, it will have to be a small pet that fits under the seat in front of you. The pet will need to travel in the carrier kennel crate.

→ Pet as luggage. Technically, you check in your pet as luggage. It is supposed to be between 45F/7C and 80F/26C in both ends of the trip (even then, pets are exposed to high heat on parking ramps and in baggage handling areas).

8. PACK: your dog's leash, a bowl for water/food, plastic bags, absorbent diapers /pads, canned food (unpacked food is not allowed (including treats)).

9. HAVE the dog chipped. Make sure the chip is of the type that can be read in your destination country. Have a collar with ID tag and contact phone numbers.

10. INCLUDE up to date vaccination records plus an approved veterinarian checkup one week before travel (you may need another checkup at the airport to ensure the pet is healthy enough to travel).

11. CHECK IN EARLY. Allow plenty of time at the airport. Checking in the pet takes forever.

√ Tip: You can use a pet shipper to help get all parts of the process complete. The shipper looks after all the paperwork, and makes sure everything conforms with the requirements.

12. ONCE YOU ARRIVE you may still need to travel in the US to your final destination, by train, or otherwise. Remember that your dog is at least as exhausted as you are, and try to find a way to travel where you can be together. 

Still not sure what university is your best fit? Visit www.gradtrain.com or download the GradTrain app to try our university matching predictor! 


Interview – Dave Lorch – positive dog trainer

Dave Lorch, an expert on positive dog training, gives some great advice on helping your dog go through the move without liking you less by its end.

Would you suggest to take or not to take the dog with me when I study abroad?

Dog owners may be distressed at the thought of separating from their dogs for an extended period. Dogs in the millions have flown and gone on to live happy lives. Speaking for your dog's psyche, most mentally prepared dogs do not experience long-term psychological trauma from flying. Average post-flight depression is minimal.

That said, flying with a dog is a risk, albeit a statistically minor one. Major US airlines - Delta, Continental, United, etc. - fly tens of thousands of pets per year (each). In 2013, the Department of Transportation reported only 42 flown pets were "injured, lost or deceased". That's a very small percentage. Unfortunately, if it happens to you, the statistics don't matter.

You should bring your dog with you unless they'll be happier or safer without you. There are many potential difficulties for dogs who fly internationally. Some you can prepare for, others you can't. We'll talk about many of them today.

Generally speaking, dogs are more adaptable than we are. It completely depends on your dog. Sick, injured, or old dogs should never fly. Some dogs come off airplanes more relaxed than their owners. But dogs can experience stress-inducing stimuli while flying that they would never encounter otherwise. For example, dogs that aren't already used to traveling or spending many hours in a cage or kennel will not fly well. Any health issues dogs have may be exacerbated in a cargo hold. Dogs' food and medicine needs may be difficult to meet overseas. Owners' living situations or time availability may become less conducive to their dogs' needs. These and more are reasons your dog may have difficulty flying.

How do dogs feel during long flights if they are allowed to fly in cabin?

This is a tough question. How do humans feel on long flights? To the extremes, some of us feel gratitude at a few phone-free hours to catch up on some projects while others can't taxi a runway without popping a Xanax. Like us, all dogs are different.

Dogs are most afraid of new and surprising experiences. Dogs are more comfortable flying if they've done something like it before. First time flyers will be a little distressed and uncomfortable, regardless of their species. It's important that dogs become accustomed to a simulated flying experience as much as possible before they fly.

Dogs are usually not permitted to exit their kennels from the time they enter the airport until they exit at the other end, which can cause some dogs higher than usual anxiety and/or energy. Veterinarians used to recommend sedatives for dogs who fly but they now recommend against it due to risks of heart and respiratory complications. Vets do recommend that dogs fly on an empty stomach so your dog could feel hungry and/or lethargic. Your dog's health, age, breed and flight destination are all considerations when restricting diet. You are allowed to open your dog's kennel to pet your dog and give them treats. Ice cubes are good treats for most dogs on flights. Dogs on flights should receive petting and treats only while behaving calmly to increase the likelihood of this behavior. Attempting to comfort dogs when they're already anxious on planes usually has the opposite effect.

Overall, dogs are often nervous in a new situation. As long as your dog reaches you safely at the other end, they usually recover quickly.

How do dogs feel during the flight if they fly in the cargo bay?

They feel about the same as dogs who fly in cabin. If dogs are well-prepared, flying in the cargo bay feels to them somewhat like your typical workday, maybe a little longer, depending on your destination. Unprepared dogs could be terrified by separation from their owner among new, stressful stimuli.

Some airlines won't allow certain breeds - usually snub-nosed breeds like bulldogs and mastiffs - to fly in the cargo bay due to health considerations. Dogs that fly in cargo bays are sometimes left in cargo holds or on the tarmac if flights are delayed, so weather at the time of your flight is a consideration. Flight length, health conditions, both mental and physical, and age are all important considerations also when deciding whether to fly with your dogs in the cargo bay.

Any tips on how to prepare the dog for the journey?

Do your research. Know that the conditions of your flight will be safe for your dog.

There are numerous aspects of flying for which you can prepare your dogs. Today I'll discuss four of them: CAPS - Crate training, Acclimation, Potty training and Separation. It's best to begin at least 3-6 months before your dogs fly.

- CRATE TRAINING. Dogs need to stay in airline-approved crates for numerous hours while flying. Crate training your dogs before this experience is essential. Long before departure, buy the crates your dogs will fly in and start reinforcing positive associations with it. Feeding inside crates is an easy positive association to start with. Gradually and with the help of a professional dog trainer, help your dog learn to stay in the crates calmly for a flight simulation - a long car ride in a cage. The more time your dog can safely and calmly spend in their crates before flying, the better.

- ACCLIMATION. Walking your dogs regularly in areas they've never visited before will help them prepare for the adjustment to a new environment. Keep walks positive and fast-paced. Reward curiosity only when it doesn't include pulling on your leash.

- POTTY TRAINING. You'll be required to pad the bottom of your dog's crate with absorbent material. You should give your dog regular access to water until the time of travel. If your dog aren't used to holding it in for the length of transit, they'll need to pee inside. Pad your cages with "pee pads" (potty training pads) and train your dogs, with the help of a professional trainer, to pee on these pads indoors only when the pads are available. This will help avoid discomfort for dogs who wouldn't otherwise pee indoors.

- SEPARATION. Some dogs experience severe distress when left alone. If they must fly, they should get focused separation training with the help of a professional trainer.

How do dogs adjust to a new country?

By experiencing it. Dogs are more adaptable than we are. As long as a primary motivator they know from home (you) is available, they adjust by socializing with new stimuli in calm, pleasant and preferably familiar ways. Long walks are a great start.

Is there any influence to the dietary change resulting from the move abroad?

Bringing bottled water and bags of dog food can help minimize dietary adjustment periods. New food or water should be gradually introduced by mixing it into imported food or water in gradually increasing proportions.

What can I do to ease the adjustment for my dog?

If you plan to leave your dog with a sitter while you go abroad, try to sleep and eat with your dog where they'll be staying a few times prior to departing. Dogs should go to sleepover camp with familiar items from home like their food, toys and beds.

If you bring your dog with you, prepare them behaviorally for flying (with CAPS training, see above). Bring everything your dogs could need. Know the dog service providers (veterinarian, food vendor, groomer, etc.) you'll use at your destination. Socialize your dog when you arrive with numerous walks, even in extreme weather (with your veterinarian's approval). Try to follow routines that your dogs are familiar with from home – such as training, playing and exercise. Exercise your dog often because tired dogs are happier dogs. Pet and praise your dog when they behave calmly. Enjoy your adventure together!

________

Dave Lorch is an expert on dog training and is the developer of the Positive Dog Training for Humans method. Visit Dave's website on www.caninerefine.com. Contact Dave by email (dave@caninerefine.com) or Facebook (facebook.com/croleva).

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Graduate school abroad – how will it impact my career?

Planning your career after grad school is an important step towards reaching your goals in life. How will the choices you make about studying abroad impact your career?

Sometimes it is hard for us to plan a few years forward, but in the case of grad school abroad, you should view it as a step on the way to something.  Gone are the days of paying $50,000 a year and just going abroad to have fun. If you can afford it just for the experience or have full funding from other sources – good for you, though most people cannot afford it (and even those who can should plan ahead as well – this time in your life will not return), and therefore should plan how grad school will fit into their career trajectory.

The economy around the globe in recent years forces us to be very deliberate in our choices regarding study abroad. If 6-8 years ago, international graduates had a reasonably high chance of finding a good job in the country where they studied (especially in the fields of business, engineering and law), since the economic crisis in 2008, it has become much harder.  This is not to discourage you from trying – there are still many people who are able to find jobs even now, and graduate school abroad can set you up for career success in other countries as well, but you must calculate the risk and see how it will fit into your future career.

There are three main factors that should be considered when making the decision to attend graduate school abroad that can impact your career: The field of study, the target country and the school / university that you are targeting.

The field you choose is important – If you studied a general field for your undergraduate degree and have several options to choose from for your graduate studies, consider which fields are currently trending positively in the global market and in your target country, but also remember to consider how it will be like to go back home after your studies and find a job in that field (believe it or not – most people go back to their home country after completing their studies). If you are completing a specific undergraduate degree (e.g. Engineering, Law, Biology), look into the situation in your field in the countries you are targeting. Examine which fields are in high demand in the target country – such as engineering and nursing in the US are now.

The geography is important – Think US vs. Europe / Asia in 2007 – it may have been promising to find a job then in the US, but those who graduated one year later in 2008 in the US faced a big challenge and may have been better off studying in their region. If you can choose a field that is transferrable to other countries (including your home country) - that is best. The goal should be that even if you are not able to find a job in the country you are studying in, you will go to your country or to another country and be in a better position than you were before you went to study abroad (and will be able to repay the loans you will take out to fund your studies). If there are indications that the markets in the country you are targeting are on the way down, or that the field you are considering is unstable, consider postponing your studies for a year to see what happens, or apply to more than one country / field of study. 

The school is important – Seeour post on the ranking of schools. The school you attend is probably the most important factor in determining your next step after school and how high you can go quickly. There are exceptions of course, but going to a leading school (Ivy League in the US, Oxford or Cambridge in the UK etc.) will make it much easier for you. In many cases, employers will actually come to look for talent on your campus in these schools, so you will have a direct opportunity to meet them and impress them. Remember though – the school is only the way to open more doors for you – you will still need to work hard and prove yourself when you are already on the job. You won’t be able to ride the “I went to Harvard” card forever…

So how do I decide?

The combination of these three factors: The field of study, the target country and the school / university, should help you make a better decision. Put together a roadmap / flowchart that will simulate your career outcomes following the choices you make on graduate school. Start by choosing a field of study and country and then narrow down a list of schools / programs that could be suitable for you. You can use our acceptance predictor to narrow down your list of potential schools. Then, go to the internet to see what the graduates of this school are doing today, or try to connect with a person who has already studied there (www.gradtrain.com/search) to understand where it can lead. Read about the situation in your field in the target countries and in your home country. Repeat the same process for all of the fields and countries you are considering. Now that you have the full picture, you can decide if this is the right field to pursue, do you need to do anything to improve your chances against the known rivals in your dream schools (seeblog on reach, match and safety schools), and perhaps to even consider not travelling abroad for school at this time until the economic situation abroad improves.

Generally, graduate school abroad can set you up for academic and career success. This is an experience that will open your mind and expose you to different cultures and can be a life changer. The choices you make will have an impact on your career, jobs will depend on it – whether it be in academia or in the private sector and you will need to spend large sums of money to fund your studies. Therefore, you should consider these factors early on to guide you and set you up for success.

Go to www.gradtrain.com to use data tools to assess your chances of acceptance and find a coach who has been through the process successfully and can guide you to make the right decision.   

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How to find friends when you study abroad

One of the biggest challenges for foreign students is often a strong feeling of loneliness, or hardships in finding local friends. This is unfortunate, because for many of us, one of the main reasons to study abroad is to expand the network of friends and connections internationally. The fact that when you get to school, you find yourself glued to international students from your own country is understandable, but kind of defies the purpose.

At GradTrain, we hear these concerns often. Students come to the United States with the expectation to meet more people and expand their cultural and social circles beyond what they know from home. But it is not always as easy as expected. Here are some common feelings of international students:

• “Americans ask ‘how are you?’ and ‘how was your weekend?’ but they are not really looking for an answer. It’s just another way of saying hello. I learned quite fast not to be offended by it, but I still don’t understand when it’s “right” to engage in a conversation.”
• “No one understands my sense of humor.”
• “People have stigmas about people from my country, and I feel like I live under a mission to refute them. It is very tiring.”
• “When I am in my home country I am just me. But here, I feel I’m first of all ‘that girl from the Middle East.’ I am expected to know and to be able to explain – and sometimes to criticize - everything my head of state decides. It is quite frustrating – and people often do not understand my point of view.”
• “Americans speak very fast. I am used to being the smart guy in the group – kind of a leader. The one that everybody listens to when he speaks. But I am not that guy here. I am even afraid that I lost my “touch” and will not get it back even when I get home."
• “There is very little to talk about. We often do not share the same value system, we don’t watch the same TV programs, we do not have the same interpretation to historical events and we have different cultural sensitivities.”

So how do you make yourself approachable to American classmates?

Our first and most important tip is to treat yourself to at least one coaching session with a GradTrain coach from your own country who has gone through this process. Our coaches offer the best help you can get – to overcome some of the hurdles they faced when they were in your shoes. All of our coaches offer help in getting adjusted to school abroad. This is just what you need.

Let us also give you some helpful tips from the general experience of former international students. Before you start, allow us to tell you that Americans would often also love to have you as a friend. But they too don’t know exactly how to start, and they too are afraid to look like they are patronizing you, or to make cultural mistakes, or to be rejected. So they stick with what and who they know. Our tips are meant to help you make it easier for them too.

1. LANGUAGE. Learn American English before you go. We are not talking about reading and writing. We are talking about speaking. If you can find an American in your neighborhood back home, it’s a good time to befriend him. Otherwise – go on GradTrain or elsewhere online – and have a video session in English. Watch movies. Practice your spoken language including slang. Oh – and body language. Definitely get some idea of how American body language is different from the one you know from back home. 
2. SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT. Try to create common experiences to talk about, because you grew up in different places and these things may not come naturally. A good way to start is to use your studies as a common ground and experience. Talk about your classes, your labs. Weather is also a common, safe resort. Sports is also a good ice-breaker. Americans are into sports. A lot of their slang and even business language is from baseball. American Football is very popular, so you can learn about it and start from there. (And don’t preach to them that it’s not real football, eh!). And learn the art of small talk. Americans are experts in small talk. You will need to be able to speak about the weather for more than one minute. Compare it to last winter, compare it to another city in America – find a way to make a conversation.
3. JUDGMENT ASIDE. As foreigners, you naturally compare what you see in America to what you know from home. The food doesn’t taste the same, American parties are not the dancing parties you may know from home (as someone once defined it – an American party is people standing in a well lit room, talking and drinking), and the fashion is different. But people feel when they are judged – and it doesn’t make you seem nicer. Besides, it’s not necessarily “less good”. It’s just different. So avoid judging, if you can.
4. AWKWARDNESS. This is something about Americans that is very very hard to understand as a foreigner. Americans hate feeling awkward. They avoid it at any cost. “Awkward” is when you are in a situation where you do not know what to say, are unfamiliar with the situation or otherwise feel inappropriate. When you as a foreigner approach an American, you trigger the awkwardness radar. They start thinking they may not understand your accent, you might say something weird, they might look stupid. If you wear a traditional garb – they would not know if they are supposed to say something to you or not – and it may make them feel awkward. Understand it and see the next tip for dealing with that.
5. DRESS. Of course, nobody should be judged by their looks. Well – the world isn’t fair. If you dress more like everybody else, you will look more like one of them, and it would be easier for Americans to start a conversation with you. While we are at it, note: regardless of where in the world you are from, Americans probably have more clothes than you do. They also have more shoes. They simply do. You won’t see your classmates wearing the same shirt to school as they did yesterday – or the day before (yes, even if it’s still perfectly clean). Oh and “dress codes” are meant to be followed. It’s beyond recommendation.  
6. BE AWARE OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCES. If you are from Africa or the Middle East, it is customary to ask – “how are you and how is your family?” when you meet a friend. America is more individualistic and people may not actually know how their families are doing. They would also not understand why you care and may view it as an intimate question. You will make them feel awkward (a big no-no). If you are European, socialism in America is not exactly something to aspire to.  And anyway, political discussions are usually also saved for a later stage in the acquaintance. As well as any criticism. Learn how Americans view history. For example, if you are from Vietnam, you call the 1957-75 War “The American War”. Well, Americans call it “the Vietnam War”. Just so you know.
7. BE COMFORTABLE. Maintain a comfortable corner – where you also have friends from your home country – and other international friends. Some people recommend you shun away from having friends from your home country – in order to force you to socialize with Americans. We disagree. You need to have one corner of your social life that is not a struggle.

We hope this helps. However, many things can be individual from country to country and from person to person. We strongly recommend that you get intouch with a GradTrain coach from your country who can guide you on this matter! before you depart to your studies – or when you start facing some issues.

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How to: Find and choose the right study abroad program

You know you want to study abroad. But WHERE should you apply?

Some of your friends may be applying to Harvard, Stanford or Columbia. Others - to the University of Florida in Miami. Others are applying to MIT or Georgia Tech. Where should YOU apply? How do you even start approaching this question? Here are three steps that will help you narrow your search, take the right factors into consideration, make sure you are making the best choice, and even save some money in the process! The first two steps provide you with some guiding questions to consider, and the third provides a formula that will help you prioritize your application portfolio.

FIRST STEP: DETERMINE YOUR FIELD OF STUDY

The first step to narrow your search is to decide what field you want to study. Most of the time, that’s the easy part: if you know you want to be a lawyer, you know you want to go to law school. And if you want to be a literature scholar, you probably don’t need a PhD in Linear Algebra.

Sometimes, though, the question of what to study can be less straightforward. This usually happens when your field of interest is interdisciplinary or borderline - thus falls into more than one field of study or is defined differently in different schools (for example – Music Therapy could be in the Music Department or in the Psychology department or in both, or in some cases will not even be a full degree program).

Our best advice for you for this stage is to consult with people who studied or are currently studying the field you are considering - to help you choose. Consulting with people who are a few years down the road, or learning about their career paths from credible sources (such as in the GradTrain community), can give you a lot of valuable information.

Make sure you take a broad view of the matter, and try to choose between your options based on short and long-term factors, such as - what are your chances of acceptance to each degree? What is the probability to get scholarships in each of them? Is there a difference in salaries when you enter the job market depending on the degree you pursued? What career paths do these degrees lead to in your home country or in the country where  you plan to study? What doors do these degrees open, and what doors do they close?

Again, the best way to answer these questions is to consult with people who have gone through this process and can guide you.

SECOND STEP:  DETERMMINE THE GEOGRAPHICAL AREA

The second step is to know WHERE you would like to study. This is where you begin to grasp how big the world is, if you haven’t already. You can, for example, study in the US or in Canada; in the UK or in France; in China or in Israel and in many other countries.

If you don’t have a specific inclination, then there are many considerations here. What languages do you know? How do you feel about snow? And hot weather? Do you need an Indian / Chinese / Jewish / Muslim / LGBT community around you? A specific church? Direct flights home? A cheaper place to live? Affordable tuition? Do you plan to test the option of immigrating to the country where you will study? Need a place that can allow you to convert a student visa into immigration status? Do you have family members who will come with you? Are you limited geographically because of your spouse’s professional plans?

Answering these questions will help you narrow your options according to geographical considerations and will make the list of universities that are actually relevant to you all the more manageable.

THIRD STEP: BUILD A PORTFOILIO OF PROGRAMS / UNIVERSITIES

After choosing an area on the globe, you need to compose a list of universities to apply to. This point is highly important. A recommended approach is to view your application like an investment portfolio. This will help you spread the risks in your portfolio and will help you leverage offers from lower priority schools when you apply to your top choice schools. Compose a list of schools from three categories:

1.     Reach schools. Schools where you have lower chances of getting accepted to, but you will be much happier if you do get in.

2.     Match schools - where you have a reasonable chance of acceptance and would be happy if you got in.

3.     Safety schools - where you have a very high chance of getting in, but a lower desire to study there.

How do you build such a portfolio?

1 - First, check out the ranking of the schools. Generally speaking, the higher the ranking is – the less likely you are to get accepted.

2 - Check out schools’ requirements. Determine what GPA (average score) you need to get in and what exams you need in order to qualify (GMAT, GRE. TOEFL, LSAT etc.). Then choose schools where you are slightly below their acceptance threshold requirement as REACH schools, schools where you meet their criteria as MATCH schools, and schools where you are above their criteria as SAFETY schools. And hey! No self-deceit here. Be honest with yourself about your chances and don’t over-estimate your chances. What feeds your ego can kill your application!

To make your life easier – use an acceptance predictor. At GradTrain, we created a predictor that will tell you what your chances of acceptance are for all Engineering and Business schools in the United States. This is a useful tool to help you narrow down your portfolio of schools and not waste time and money on schools that are way out of your range. We will add additional fields of study into the predictor over time.

Following these three steps – choosing the field of study, the geography and creating a program portfolio, will help you focus your efforts (and your spending – remember – each application costs money!) in the process of applying to graduate school abroad. You are taking a brave and big step by choosing to study abroad – this is your chance to do it right and make the most of this experience.

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University rankings – should I care?

This post will help you understand a bit more about university rankings and how to use them to inform your decisions on graduate school abroad.

In the United States, ranking, and particularly university ranking is practically a national sport. But how important are these rankings? Should I care about them when I apply to graduate school abroad? And if so – which ranking is the right one to look at?

Universities are ranked by different bodies, such as – newspapers, news websites, academic oversight bodies, student recruitment agencies and more. Each use different criteria to determine the rank, and, not surprisingly, each one comes out with a slightly different ranking. If the answers are indeed different, does it really matter then?

The short answer is – yes. The more accurate answer is – it depends on who you are, what career you want to pursue, where in the world, and how high you are aiming. Studying abroad opens doors. Great schools open more doors.

Especially in the US, the ranking of the school you went to could haunt you for the rest of your life (or make your life much easier). In some cases, especially in the extremes of the school rankings charts, it will indeed have a very strong impact. Being an Ivy League (Harvard / Yale / Columbia / Penn etc.) graduate allows many advantages and career opportunities and provides a network of peers who will be able to help you with business and personal development later on in your career. A good university serves as a proxy that you are a good job / academia candidate and will open many doors for you. There is also probably a strong correlation between a school being ranked as a top university and the actual quality of that school.

A low ranked university will make it much harder for you to get accepted to further academic degrees and find a good job in the U.S. (this is unfortunate, but in the US it is quite true). In the second tier  universities (the mid-range of the rankings scale), rankings get a bit trickier, and the ranking becomes all the more important, since there is a large variety and range of quality of schools, so you need to better understand the rankings of these schools. Some schools may be number one in one field, but not so good in another. Don’t be fooled by the schools’ PR. They will always try to present themselves as ranked highly on some sort of ranking. For instance, a school may write on their website – we are the no. 1 ranked school in the State, when there are actually no schools in that State that are ranked highly on any national or international rankings. So the statement is true, but will not help you meet your goals.

So – how do I navigate this ranking maze?

Some things never really change. The top 10-20 universities in the US have been so for hundreds of years! Most chances are they will remain in that range for years to come.

Try to anchor your understanding in data. Look at things that will matter to you. What percentage of grads finds jobs in business, how many in academia? Are any of the professors at that school ranked highly? You will need to be in a class led by a specific professor for your field of interest – you may want to assure that they will be good teachers, mentors and recommenders in the future.

Have a strategy when you approach your application and look at the rankings. What does your profile look like? How are your scores as they compare to last year’s cutoff for the schools of your choice (the GPA and GMAT / TOEFL/ GRE cutoffs will be shown in many of the rankings)? You can deduce some clear actions from what you see. If your GMAT / GRE scores are too low – redo them. If your TOEFL is too low – redo it. Or decide that you are willing to go to a lower ranked school – but remember the potential consequences.

In general - don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Just like in investments in stocks – you need to diversify your application strategy – you can do this with the help of the rankings:

1. Check out your profile as it compares to the various rankings (look for the cutoff scores and compare them to yours).
2. From the ranking lists, choose 5-10 schools / programs you are interested in.
3. Rank the schools you are interested in compared to your chances of acceptance.
4. Filter down the list until you have 2-3 “safety schools” that you feel like to you have a 80-100% chance of getting accepted to and will be happy if you get in to.
5. Choose 2-3 schools that are below your profile but you could still live with if you ended up going to them.
6. Choose 2-3 schools that are your “dream schools” but you have a lower chance of getting in to (10-20% chance).
7. Now you have a list of 6-9 schools to apply to. If you can and feel confident in your chances, try to apply to 5-6 programs and save some money (applications are not cheap…).

To make your life easier, below are some of the leading rankings in the world right now. It is best to compare your program across several rankings to determine its actual “value”. Another way to learn about your prospects is to look at GradTrain profiles of grads of the universities you are considering and see where they came from, what they achieved and if that is where you want to be in the future. You can of course connect with them and discuss your chances.

US News and World Report – probably the most popular ranking of US Schools ONLY:

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools

Times Higher Education:

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2012-13/world-ranking

Ranking web of universities:

http://www.webometrics.info/

The Guardian rankings:

http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/world-university-rankings

The Telegraph rankings:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/

World university rankings:

http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings

Still not sure how to understand the rankings and how they pertain to your profile? Post your scores on the GradTrain forums (you can do it anonymously) and one of our coaches will give you a rough assessment of your chances and what you need to improve. If you want a deeper look and detailed advice, search for a coach and connect for 1:1 consultations.

Remember – be realistic and diversify! You can make it happen.

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