The decision to study abroad could be that defining moment that will change your life. Nothing will be the same once you have studied abroad. Your perspectives will be global, your attitudes will be international and you will have memories that you will cherish forever. Your resume will be more attractive, almost certainly your language proficiency will be advanced, and you will have developed lifelong friendships…

In this era of the "global village" where competition – be it for a job or for business - is extremely tough, some things that give a definite edge are knowledge of another language and / or another culture.

One of the best ways to learn another culture is to be immersed in it. You get to understand how different people look at the same issues. You begin to appreciate how your perspective need not be the only one. You also begin to appreciate the comforts of staying at home.

Studying abroad is much more than just a degree. It is also a crash course in being independent.

In addition to all of that, it also greatly increases your opportunities for travel and to see new places, meet new people and to test those newly acquired language skills.

All of these of course will change you as a person leaving you with memories that you can cherish forever, but it also has a very tangible material benefit – it greatly enhances the value of your degree. The fact that you have studied in another country opens up doors even beyond the ones that your degree alone could. You could look at becoming a "cultural sensitivity" trainer either in your home country – educating people about the issues and culture of your host, or your host country - educating people about your home country.

You could also look at working in the fields of politics, international relations, journalism, and many more where your unique perspective would be an invaluable tool.

Any way you look at it, you have a lot to gain.

Countries that Indian students look at for higher studies are U.S.A., U.K., Australia, and New Zealand, Germany and Canada to some extent. Each country has its own requirements that have to be fulfilled by students seeking admission there. Most countries require certain level of proficiency in the language of English as a prerequisite to get admission into universities. The two major English proficiency exams are TOEFL and IELTS. TOEFL is accepted by all universities in the U.S and Canada. Universities in the UK and Australia accept IELTS scores.

Majority of the students go to the U.S for higher studies – mostly to pursue either MS or MBA. The universities consider GRE scores for the MS admission process while GMAT scores are considered for the MBA admission process.

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