There is no doubt that the only thing harder than studying abroad is thinking about studying abroad. It’s easy to get confused and frustrated almost to the point of hitting your head on a wall. But before you do that, take a moment to go through this and hopefully you’ll want to save your head and the wall.

1. START PREPARING EARLY
The one big mistake most people make is thinking they can rush through the admission process. From meeting deadlines to submitting required documents to getting feedbacks from your school all require enough time and rushing it just puts unnecessary tension and anxiety on you.
As a matter of fact preparation should start as far back as possible and when I say as far back as possible, I mean as far as your first day in Secondary School for undergraduate admissions and 100level for graduate admissions. This might seem far-fetched but schools abroad make use of your high school grades coupled with your WAEC result to calculate your GPA and come to a decision. Same goes for your university course grades. These grades or the entirety of it are called transcripts and are a major part of the admission process.
In essence, if you want to study abroad, then you or your ward would need to take your high school and university years very serious. But what happens when your high school grades, WAEC result or University GPA are not really good, well then you need to….,

There is no doubt that the only thing harder than studying abroad is thinking about studying abroad. It’s easy to get confused and frustrated almost to the point of hitting your head on a wall. But before you do that, take a moment to go through this and hopefully you’ll want to save your head and the wall.

2. TAKE THE REQUIRED EXAMS REALLY SERIOUS
The first thing you need to know is, these exams are international exams and are a deviation from the usual exams we are so used to in Nigeria, so adequate preparation is highly recommended.
For Undergraduate admissions, the SAT exam is one thing to prepare for. It’s simple logic, the higher your score, the higher your chances of getting admissions. And if you are looking at getting scholarships, the SAT score can and in most cases be the one single factor in determining if you would get the scholarship.
For graduate admissions, the GRE or GMAT is the go to exam depending on your choice program. It would be fool hardy to think you can adequately prepare for these exam in two weeks. And please the GMAT is not the Verbal and Quantitative reasoning you did in primary and it’s also totally different from the GMAT used for Job aptitude tests.
At EXAM PLANET SERVICES, we recommend at least 2 months of intensive study for these exams. In addition, test of English exams like the TOEFL, IELTS and PTE should be taken just as seriously. Scores in these exams can make or mar your desire to study abroad. But even before thinking of these exams you should first try to……,

3. KNOW THE REQUIREMENTS
Every school abroad have their requirements and while there are some general requirements like your letters of recommendation and statement of purpose, there are still some specific requirements peculiar to each school abroad and even some more requirements depending on your choice program
Your best bet is to know these requirements and work towards meeting them because unless your grandfather is the dean of student affairs or sits on a chair big enough to dwarf the Iron throne in game of thrones, meeting these requirements is the only way to get admission.
Be rest assured however that no one is taking your slot, no one would ask you to pay an exorbitant amount for admission, all you need to do is know these requirements and meet them.

4. TUITION FEE PAYMENTS
One thing that seems to baffle most people is paying of tuition fees. However even before you think of applying you should know how much that program would cost you, who your sponsors would be and how you intend to get funds. You can also tailor your choice of schools to an amount you can afford.
Another very vital point is, for UK schools, you’ll be required to pay your fees before you leave the shores of Nigeria, for Canadian schools about 70% of your tuition fees should be paid before leaving Nigeria while for US schools, you pay your tuition fees when you get to the school.
Some other cost includes but not limited to feeding and accommodation and also cost of study materials. This brings us to a very important point…,

5. GETTING SCHOLARSHIPS
Ask anyone who wants to study abroad and the first question is ‘How do I get a scholarship?’ The answer to this question is simple as it is complex. It is simple in the sense that contrary to popular belief, scholarships are not meant only for exceptional students though the lines between those who deserve to get a scholarship and those who don’t is pretty thin.
Also, scholarships come in various forms and grants and schools differ in how and when they provide scholarship opportunities. The major points to note however is, there are criteria for granting scholarships and meeting these criteria is the first step to ensuring that you get scholarships. Another important thing to note is the fact that these scholarships have application periods different from the usual application for admissions.
It is important to stress however that even if you didn’t get a scholarship as at the time of applying you can’t still get a scholarship grant once you get to the school as there are so many opportunities for returning students. Studying abroad no longer has that air of mystery around it and anyone willing to put in that extra effort can do so. All you basically need is a little push in the right direction.