Leveraging research experience to get into top universities
Even if your CGPA, GRE, or IELTS scores are not stellar, you can still gain access to top US universities if you possess a driving passion for research and have some published work.
Most students may have the preconceived notion that either IELTS, TOEFL or GRE, alongside a very healthy CGPA, is a must to obtain the opportunity to pursue post-graduation or higher studies with fully-funded scholarships abroad. But Rezaul Karim Ripon will tell you a very different story.
While he didn't sit for any language proficiency exam, he also had a meagre CGPA of 3.46 at the end of his third-year of Bachelor's Degree programme for Public Health and Informatics in Jahangirnagar University.
Still, these so-called shortcomings couldn't stop him from earning a nod from Harvard University, one of the most prominent educational institutions around the world, for a Master's Degree programme.
One may wonder how. But to Ripon, hailing from a middle-class family in Noakhali, the answer is quite simple: by making the best use of his four years of undergraduate career.
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By the time he applied for Harvard at the beginning of December last year, though only his sixth semester (of eight) result had been out, he'd already had as many as 20 research papers published in different international journals, including The Lancet, the world's highest-impact academic journal. Ever since, he has got six more papers published.
Additionally, he also had excellent ACP (Academic and Career Planning), great network with the world-renowned professors of his field, attractive recommendation letters, and experiences of remotely working for the Center for African American Health Disparities Education & Research, Inc., Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), and American Society for Nutrition among others.
"I effectively utilised the time during the coronavirus pandemic. At that time, I would even travel all the way from Mirpur to Savar's Livestock Research Institute, either on foot or by riding my bicycle, to learn the basics of research. Then I applied that knowledge in my own research works," recalled Ripon.
Such dedication towards his goal has ultimately borne fruit. Harvard authorities were quite impressed with his portfolio and SOP (Statement of Purpose), and simply the Certificate of Medium of Instruction (MOI) instead of IELTS, TOEFL or GRE was enough for him to earn the offer letter for attending the Master of Public Health programme.
"I didn't even have to bear the application fees, and all my tuition and insurance fees have also been waived. Another external scholarship means I will not have to bear my living expenses either. Instead, I will earn some money myself working as a part-time researcher," informed Ripon.
Ripon firmly believes that if one wants to go abroad to obtain higher degrees, the undergraduate years are the best period to indulge in research works and obtain practical knowledge.
And the same sentiment is echoed by others also leaving the country for higher studies abroad this fall semester.
To the professors of top-ranked universities, it's irrelevant whether you have a high score in a language proficiency exam or a good CGPA. All they care about is your research and work experiences. If your previous works align with their own field of interest, and make them feel you are eligible to work on a certain project, they will hire you,
Syed Nazmus Sakib, after obtaining his Bachelor's Degree from Patuakhali Science and Technology University, is going for a PhD programme in Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) at University of Idaho.
Sakib first availed himself an international scholarship during his third-year for research experience, and has been working on different research projects ever since, with his expertise being in Machine Learning and Deep Learning.
He also has several conference papers published to his name, and after graduation, he worked as an Associate AI Engineer for an IT company in Dhaka for some time.
Though Sakib sat for the TOEFL exam, according to him, his research works and practical experience in the domain were what availed him to acquire a Teaching Assistant role under a professor alongside the PhD programme.
"To the professors of top-ranked universities, it's irrelevant whether you have a high score in a language proficiency exam or a good CGPA. All they care about is your research and work experiences. If your previous works align with their own field of interest, and make them feel you are eligible to work on a certain project, they will hire you," said Sakib.
Meanwhile, Shahariar Nobel, a post-graduate in Mass Communication and Journalism from Comilla University, is going to attend the Oklahoma State University for a second Master's in journalism. He too had a number of published research works to his name, while he acquired vast practical knowledge in the field of journalism.
Especially during the Covid pandemic when everything came to a standstill, Nobel and some of his other batchmates were lucky enough to work remotely on research projects with their professors, funded by the University Grants Commission (UGC). Then he also worked on a project regarding constructive journalism under Deutsche Welle.
At the same time, Nobel applied his theoretical knowledge to practising journalism. Apart from being a campus journalist, he worked as an editor for MCJ News, an online news portal run by the students of Mass Communication and Journalism in Comilla University.
While still being a student, he also authored two chapters of a text book on online journalism. After graduation, he worked several years for one of the country's leading online platforms as a correspondent.
And these all combinedly helped Nobel fulfil his dream of studying in the USA. "When you have a mixture of theoretical and practical knowledge, it becomes easier for you to reach your goal," said Nobel.
