All about the iSchoolConnect Study Abroad Fest 2021!

 

The study abroad process can be confusing and complicated. We decided to help students get first-hand authentic information from experts from all over the world! That was what the entire iSchoolConnect Study Abroad Fest was about. Read more about it in this blog.

‘What’s the most difficult aspect of studying abroad?’, we asked over 200 students. The answers we received ranged from ‘how to apply for scholarships’ all the way to ‘preparing for the visa interview’.

The internet is filled with information about countries, universities, and study abroad tests like IELTS, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, etc., and it can all be very confusing. During our survey, one student said, “There are so many blogs and so many different websites. I had no clue what I could actually trust!”

We reached out to experts in each of their fields and organized 8 amazing workshops over the span of 2 days from 5PM to 9PM IST!

Benefits of the study abroad workshops

Workshops and webinars are always popular knowledge-building opportunities. Here are a few reasons students attended these simple 1-hour workshops:

1) Informative sessions

Accurate study abroad information is very difficult to find on the internet. These sessions helped students get updated, post-COVID information about various topics like visas, tests, student finances, etc.

2) Advice from global experts

Not only were these sessions informative, but they will be hosted by some of the most exceptional global experts around the world.

3) Giveaways!

At the end of these sessions, our panelists gave out some really helpful giveaways that have landed in the inboxes of all the participants’ registered email addresses. We’re super efficient with these things!

4) Live Q & A sessions

All the students who had questions about studying abroad, got their answers in this segment. The live Q & A sessions with the experts were a huge hit!

What was the workshop schedule for the iSchoolConnect Fest?

These workshops were divided into 8 different hour long sessions that were held on the 20th and 21st of February 2021. We had an amazing group of intellectuals and study abroad officials who contributed to these sessions. Take a look-

Day 1- 20th February 2021

Session 1: USA vs UK vs Canada vs Australia

5 pm to 6 pm IST

USA, UK, Canada, and Australia, are some of the most popular education destinations when it comes to study abroad aspirants. Many students are confused between which country is better for them. In this session, Ana Rumschisky, PhD Information Sciences from Complutense University, Spain, and Roopali Birman, a Senior Counselor at iSchoolConnect talked about the pros and cons of going to each of these countries.

Session 2: TOEFL vs IELTS: Which is better for you?

6 pm to 7 pm IST

IELTS and TOEFL are 2 of the most popular English proficiency tests among all study abroad aspirants. So, we’d invited Ben Worthington the CEO of IELTS Podcast and LaNysha Adams, the Principal Consultant at Edlinguist Solutions, to explain each of these tests and help students choose between IELTS vs TOEFL.

Session 3: All about studying on a budget

7 pm to 8 pm IST

For all the students that needed tips to save money while they study abroad, the experts in this amazing workshop had some amazing details. Tarek Malouf, Estefania Puente, both alumni at ESCP Madrid, and Guy Arthur the CEO of Guy Arthur School of English and a Professor at University of Stuttgart, shared some easy money-saving hacks and real-life experiences for all the current students.

Session 4: Decoding test prep | GRE vs GMAT

8 pm to 9 pm IST

Your Statement of Purpose(SOP) is what makes or breaks your university applications. In this special workshop, Trish Ruben, a US university professor, Author, and Higher education expert, told students all about how to ace their SOP.

Day 2- 21st February 2021

Session 1: How to apply and win scholarships for studying abroad

5pm to 6pm IST

Scholarships are some of the most important parts of a student’s university applications and Ashish Fernando, the CEO of iSchoolConnect, is a Bentley University alumni who received a 100% scholarship when he studied abroad in USA. His exclusive tips on how to apply and win scholarships for studying abroad were highly informative.

Session 2:  How to ace your study abroad interviews | For universities and visa

6 pm to 7 pm IST

The university interviews before your admission and the visa interviews after that, are some of the most important aspects of the whole process. Immigration lawyer Elizabeth Ricci, and University of Virginia alum Akshay Singh offered great suggestions on how students can ace each of these interviews.

Session 3: How to build an impressive student resume

7 pm to 8 pm IST

Who better to talk about the best ways to create your student resume than university officials themselves? Hosted by Temple University, USA, this session told students what universities expect from them when they review their applications.

Held by Peter Lundbye, the Director of International Admissions and Michael J. Usino, the Assistant Dean of Admissions at Temple University, this session was a smashing hit!

Session 4: GMAT vs GRE: Which one should you choose?

8 pm to 9 pm IST

Choosing between the GMAT and GRE exam is one of the most common dilemmas students face. So, we decided to bring in the big guns and invited the folks at Kaplan and Manhattan Test Prep to host this session. John Cho, the GRE-GMAT expert from ManhattanPrep gave some exceptional insights into these tests with live problem-solving sessions!

Weren’t able to attend these sessions at the iSC Fest? Don’t you worry! To help you get all the information even after the session is done, we’re gonna add in all the links to these workshops.

While Interacting face-to-face might be difficult during these COVID-times, we hope these workshops help you understand every important aspect of the study abroad process!

Stay tuned for our next study abroad fest. Until then, make sure you check out the videos and follow us on our social media channels @ischoolconnect for more updates!