Why should one chose to study in the UK rather than in India?

Isn't this an interesting question. And this question is asked by each University before they issue a CAS. Why is it a University desirous of finding out why I want to study in their country and not my home country? After all, I am paying good money for a degree from that Unversity and I believe this degree would help me further my career, so isn't this a simple explanation? I mean isn't this the very reason which should be acceptable across all Universities? Why do they want me to elaborate further on this? Surely they know I can cook up any story and write a paragraph or two on such a story? Maybe I can get someone to write a better paragraph than I could write, my friend, a mentor, a teacher, maybe even pay for someone to write my resume? After all there are so many people who are in the business of writing resumes? So why do I at all need to write the reasons for why I am choosing another country instead of my own country? Why at all?

This is a very profound question and needs to be discussed at length. Why are you at all planning to go to the UK to study? If immigration is your objective, either straight away or eventually, then there are other routes too. Why spend so much money on first year fees and living expenses in the UK, only to discontinue studies? if you are reading this then it I take it that you are really interested in studying. When you have spent good amount of money in the first year, and the UK Government allows you to work for 20 hours a week, take this as an opportunity to earn your degree and join the mainstream legally. Following paragraphs would explain from my point of view, and I am sure quite a few students will share this view too, that really studying in the UK is beneficial for plenty of students. Read on.

The first is getting out of your comfort zone. When I first migrated to Delhi in 1997 from a small town Lucknow, one of my friends remarked that I have a strong career ahead and I might travel to far off places including the UK and the US. We used to laugh about it, and say migration of 300 odd miles is no migration at all, and yes, he is right, there are brighter things in store in life for us outside of our comfort zone of Lucknow, where our families are quite well to do, settled for over a 100 years, well connected, lots of family and friends and well wishers, and there is a charm with small towns, particularly where you are born and brought up, which gives you so much comfort that it is difficult for you to envisage another life outside of this comfort zone. And I would say broadly India can be classified as this comfort zone, as once you progress in your career, you travel and visit places and sometimes live in other cities, but within India, any city engulfs you in its comfort zone, as the language, culture, food, despite its diversity, is still of our motherland. And a mother always wants to keep her child happy, and protected, no matter which corner of the house the child is at that moment.  

One of my friends, in this middle age, working for a multinational company, decided a couple of years back to go to Ireland to study a management course, and get a post graduation degree. The reason he gave me opened my eyes too. His entire purpose was to go a different and developed country and make friends, contacts and give his life a fresh lease. He comes back in less than two years, with the degree under his belt, and immediately joins an IT company as a Project Leader at about double the salary. So in 3 years he will not only have recovered back his investment, but would have surplus and provide for his family in a better manner. What the 2 years in Dublin did to him was further polish him as a senior resource, and being with 200 people from different countries with differring ambitions, makes for a terrific learning. You just cannot get that learning in a classroom in India, he says. The contracts from so many countries in his LinkedIn profile by itself is noteworthy. He says this will propel him to the next league. And I can only secretly admire him, for taking this step in life, out of his comfort zone, away from his family, in a new territory, learning new cultures and generally developing himself well as a human being. 

Yes, you would meet maybe even more career counsious individuals as your co students in any University in India. But your comfort zone would still be there. You would not imbibe any new vibes from different cultures, different connects, and a worldwide span. The key is worldwide. Imagine what development your mind and skills will undergo simply be being in a classroom with some brilliant minds from all over the world. More than half of the friends you make at an Indian University would go on to manage their father's business. You are now torn between the desire to become an entrepreneur, or find an employment, in between lamenting how unlucky you are that your father does not own a flourishing or even a languishing business where you can step in and take to new heights. Sadly, you would need to create your own destiny, and meeting people hungry for success from every part of the world should definitely give you some edge. 

Nalanda and Takshila were the epitome so far as educational instututions go and were the ivy league of yesteryears. Sadly, my country which should have progressed from there to dominate the world in the field of eduction, research and new inventions could not climb up and reach its rightful place. Since then India has its own ivy league of the IITs and IIMs, but to get into one of these institutions, is similar to getting a chance to play for  the Indian cricket team. Between these, and the medical and IAS exams, it appears as if the system is out to test your and thwart your resillience even before it welcomes you in its fold. The fierce cut throat competition is not what I am comfortable with. I have always wanted to learn at my own pace. I cannot be part of an unforgiving rat race to make my career. I once tried to study hard for a whole year to get into one of these, but what are they really testing in the entrace exams? My ability to memorise, or take a quick decision, or an IQ which is above average so I don't disappoint my professors?  

In India, like everything else, education is at a premium, and is reserved for the best. There are hundreds of other public and private Universities and colleges, but the whole concept of education takes a backseat over there, at least for me. And I am sure if I would crack the entrance exams of the top institures in India, I would still remain myself. I don't like to be rushed, I abhor the idea of excessive competition at schools, and a sense of enttitlement reserved for the brightest, be it in civil services, or as a management graduate from an IIM. For this, I need to look Westward. India is a vast country, still there appears to be scarcity in everything. The land available to the masses is undeveloped, the markets are crowded, the good institution and schools to study are scarce. And now, the costs have been increasing every year, to very soon probably be at international levels. So if I can afford a reasonably good institution in India, I might as well study outside of India in a better country. Afterall, just being in a better country opens your mind, and creates a better individual out of you.  

So yes, any day I would prefer a UK education over Indian. Imagine the overall vibes of a beautiful campus, well preserved architecture, the seriousness of the environment, the effort by the teachers who are really content in life unlike in India where most teachers at one time or the other think perhaps it would have been better had they not been a teacher and their earning and standard of living would have been higher, being with similar individuals from around the world in positive harmony, is what the whole deal for me. No amount of serious study in a semi serious environment within my comfort zone can prime me for life better that 3 years spent in the UK. Someone who just came back from the UK tells me, the moment you land in the UK, the moment you take the first breath in the pure air, the moment you step into the marvellous environment, the moment you set you foot in the campus, are all life defining moments for you. When you come back, you come back as a much better and accomplished individual, and your aura itself is sufficient for an employer in India to treat you with respect you would perhaps not recive if you have the same degree from an Indian University. So yes, it is my dream, and also my need, to graduate from a University from the UK.