We all know that post graduation acts as the ladder that brings you closer to your career goals. The two very important reasons for doing masters’ are – a better and wider understanding of the subject matter and developing a perspective that was nonexistent prior to the course. This is why a masters’ degree is fetches you the brownie points during placements and more and more people are keen to undertake a postgraduate course. Following are the points you must keep in mind while choosing your course –

1. Scope of the course – The most important factor is how many opportunities the course provides you while you’re pursuing it. Look out for mandatory internships, thesis, examination pattern, learning tools etc. to understand whether the course is theoretical or more practical in nature. Ultimately you will be using your learning in the real world and it needs to be worth it.

2. Professional reach of the course – There are some courses that are deemed more professional than others. You have to make your choice whether you want to stick to a strictly professional course like an MBA or you wish to go for an Msc. that is more research oriented. While an Msc. opens up more avenues for a Phd. Or further studies, an MBA would land you in the swanky job you always wanted. Pick wisely!

3. Does the course fit your personality – Following the rat race, many students blindly take up a post graduate course without analysing whether it is fit for their personality type or not. It is the biggest cause of dissatisfaction later and can lead to dropouts as well. Sometimes we need to know whether we are crafted for the pressures of a rigorous masters’ degree or not!

4. Rating of the course – The last and the most important point to remember is how the course is rated in the rankings that come out. For example – you might be getting a course in the most premium university but the course is not recognized anywhere in the rankings then it might not be worth the risk. In the end the course rankings are very important and adds up to your credentials later on. Most students make the mistake of choosing the institution brand over the course. This can be a huge career mistake sometimes!

A postgraduate course will take a lot of your time, money, energy and effort. Make the decision that you will not regret later in life. Get counselling to clear your doubts and research well before calling the shots! We wish you all the best!