Studying abroad in the times of COVID-19

Here I am finally addressing the elephant in the room (A large, persistent, and rather pesky one at that!). Sorry for the delay in putting together a comprehensive strategy (as comprehensive as possible in these times, really) on how you should plan your master's education with COVID-19 dictating every aspect of our lives in almost every corner of the world. Whether you are confused about joining university abroad this fall, planning for a Master’s in 2021, or unsure about how COVID-19 will affect your job prospects on graduating, you should read this for I have shared my humble opinion.

No one (not even the universities themselves) is certain about how the situation will play out. Hence, it is difficult to arrive at an ideal decision. However, 100s of Gradvine’s students have heard back from several top universities regarding the COVID situation and we have collated information. Added to this is the hours of deliberation among members of the Gradvine team, which has led to the following information. This is probably the most comprehensive set of steps you can take to ensure the best decision is made. I would recommend you think about this step by step and correspond with the university in the following manner to ensure you are in the best position.

1.) Check what the university’s stand is for an on-campus fall 2020 term:

Some universities like Columbia have said that they are positive that a fall 2020 term on campus will be possible even for international students. If you are indeed able to join campus this fall, I would recommend you go for it. I have addressed the concerns about jobs and the recession at a later point. However, certain others like Purdue aren’t as positive. Write to the university and check what they think will be possible. Personally, due to the international travel issues, I believe you will have to be ready for the possibility of not being on campus for the fall 2020 term. Do not worry if there are last-minute changes made to travel policies by the USA government after you’ve made a decision and paid deposits. Universities will not allow circumstances out of your control to make you lose your admit. What if an on-campus Fall 2020 term is not allowed by the university? Read on.

2.) What should you do if ONLY an online fall term is offered by the university?

In this case, you have to check for 2 things. The first is important! Check with the university if you will still be eligible for a CPT to do your summer internship. The current rules require you to have 2 semesters or 9 months on campus at an American university for you to be eligible. Spending the fall term away from campus could affect your eligibility. Some universities like Carnegie Mellon have made special considerations and have taken prior permissions in the past that allow students to do internships despite not having spent 2 semesters on campus. Hence there is an existing mechanism in place that universities can use. Check with your university if they’d do the same. If the summer internship is not possible because you aren’t eligible for the CPT, then you should think of NOT doing the online fall term.

What if you are able to get CPT and hence the summer internship according to the university- Then it might be viable to take up the online fall term. However, considering you’d be paying the same fee, the issue of value comes up. Also being off-campus for a semester will affect your networking opportunities that being on campus will provide. However, these are less significant issues and you should be able to overcome these without too much trouble. If you are getting the CPT, you should consider joining the fall 2020 intake.

3.) If you’ve decided to defer due to issues with the CPT or reluctance to take up an online semester

Different universities will have different policies with respect to terms of deferral. Some allow you to defer only by a semester (Fall 2020 to spring 2021) or by an entire year. The first rule to keep in mind- If you’ve received an admit from a top university, do not lose it at any cost. If the university allows only a deferral to spring, check with the CPT for the summer internship again. There is a lower likelihood that the CPT for the summer will be offered in this case. Also, be sure to check if you’re required to take classes in the summer. In case the summer internship is not possible, go ahead and join anyway. You might be able to secure internships after your first two semesters as well. It's true that most internships are offered in the summer and it isn’t ideal to lose out on the same, but this isn’t an ideal situation either! If you have an admit into a university you are keen on and is good, go ahead with the admit. You will be able to overcome the summer internship issue as a good university will open doors to later internships as well.

4.) Recession, job opportunities, second wave. Am I going to be in trouble?

After all the complications, I have a simple answer to this. No. You won’t be in trouble. The people most affected by COVID-19 are the ones who are graduating this May. The people graduating in May 2020 are those who perhaps joined their 2-year master’s courses in August 2018. They must have applied for the same in November- December 2017. Never will they have imagined that a dude eating a bat/pangolin will make them lose their jobs 2 years down the line. They'd have probably thought you were insane if you told them this would happen at that point. Why am I telling you this? Because the only certain thing is uncertainty. We would never know what could transpire.

If you’re joining university in Fall 2020 you will be graduating in December 2021 or May 2022. The economy should begin to recover by then. The Virus may be well behind us too. Hence, as of today, I don’t see career growth and RoI being an issue for you. Those of you planning to apply for fall 2021 should worry even less. Things will be back to normal by then.

Phew! That was a complicated answer. But these are complicated times. Unprecedented, rather. I hope my explanation seems logical and has given you a slightly clearer picture. Please reach out to us at Gradvine for any further queries. If you are planning an application in the future to the USA, Canada, or Europe, look no further. In times like these, going to a top university is the only way you can secure your future. Gradvine students have admits to 48 of the top 50 American universities and 98% of our students make it to a top 50 university for their program in their country of choice. Stay in touch!

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