While for many of us, the internet is the first port of call when we want information, this isn't always enough. Sometimes only a face-to-face conversation can allow you to find out the specific answers to your specific questions, there and then.
This is particularly the case when you're thinking of making a sizeable investment, for something like, say, grad school – which is why university fairs can be so useful.
After all, in other cases, would you really invest US$80,000 in a product that you have only ever researched and experienced online? Or would you consider buying a top-of-the range BMW or Mercedes without taking it for a test drive to judge the way it corners or accelerates?
For many prospective international graduate students considering a master's degree in another country those are essentially the situations they face before deciding where to study. A typical US master's degree costs the equivalent of a luxury European car, yet no one in their right mind would “buy blind.”
Web-based world
Such dilemmas are at the heart of how many international graduate students are asked to make decisions on where they will study for one, two or more years in another country. With online behavior dominating almost every aspect of our lives, most students quite naturally refer to university websites and other online platforms to gather as much information as they possibly can on the subjects they are interested in or the country or university that might suit their ambitions best.
Once the information is absorbed and judged, what follows is then often entirely web-based, from the application process through to an online registration process for all those successful students embarking on their program.
Yet, according to Peter MacDonald, Commercial Director at QS, students who confine themselves to an online-only approach to their grad school search might not be making the best decision on where they will succeed as an international graduate student: “Of course the internet continues to play an enormous role in choosing a top university or grad school, but knowing a master's or PhD program is exactly right for you can sometimes rely on understanding the related challenges – and this is best done face-to-face.”
The 'human element'
MacDonald goes onto explain the value of key opportunities for prospective students to get more of the “human element” in their university search process: “Current students from the university can give excellent advice on the actual experience of being a student, while alumni can talk about how their qualification has helped them in their career, but admissions officers and other staff at seminars and education fairs can add the real detail to programs and entry requirements that the web often misses."
Where online research offers an almost unparalleled resource for many international students, however, is in both the volume of information about an enormous number of top universities and its ability to clearly explain the process of applying and, subsequently, becoming an international graduate student.
Students can almost instantly compare the entry requirements of similar programs in different countries at the click of a mouse and some websites allow students to shortlist their choices and make direct and accurate comparisons.
Jason Newman, Group Head of TopUniversities.com at QS, believes the role of internet and online research continues to be centrally important for any future graduate student thinking about studying abroad: “It is completely unrealistic to think that students can always visit an international university or meet with exactly the right member of staff before they make an application.
By searching online and consulting a range of web-resources, students can build a detailed picture of where they might want to study. There is no doubt that searching online and consulting resources like those at QS is only one piece of the jigsaw – but it is an important element nevertheless.”
Integrated approach
Of course, many top universities and grad schools have successfully blended the online experience with a virtual face-to-face experience for international students who are simply unable to meet staff or travel overseas before they start their program.
Whether through an interactive online platform, with embedded videos offering a flavor of campus life, or increased student-to-student advice through greater use of Facebook and other social media, the idea of bringing online information to life has been adopted by many universities for the benefit of their applicants and other future students. For those students looking for extra information or seeking the reassurance of something a little more human, these innovations can be invaluable.
But if the opportunity does exist to spend time with a university representative, either from the admissions office, the faculty or the current student population, nothing quite beats that time spent asking questions, discussing your options or simply getting a “feel” for a university and its programs as represented by someone who has “been there.”
Unlike many decisions in our service driven international culture, there can be no doubt that choosing where to study for a graduate degree is not simply a question of online research. Indeed, where to study is as much of an emotional decision as it is one based on facts, statistics and university rankings and to make such a decision confidently, the human element has to be a significant factor in the equation.