My IELTS Experience for Scholarship & University Admission

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My IELTS Experience to Let You Inform and Prepare for Higher Education with Scholarship

One of my grave mistakes in my life was wasting my valuable time as I did not prepare for the IELTS early. I could not apply for the admission in many universities. Most universities require English proficiency tests results to apply from non-native English speakers. So I could not apply for my higher studies at a full swing. 

With my IELTS result, I have got 3 scholarships and so be ready! (You can jump to the last paragraph if you are in a hurry.)

The author is in the middle: MFAMILY Erasmus Mundus 6th Edition Welcome Session 

In my view, most non-English-speaker students cannot apply for higher education outside their country is the fear of the English test (one of the conditions for admission). Particularly some of us, who have not studied in English Medium or version, have fear of IELTS or TOEFL. It seems that fever can occurs if some people hear the name of the English proficiency tests. I know many people who do not even have the courage to take the exams after doing coaching for an English proficiency test.

The Medium of Instruction Certificate - English

The situation is that we want to study in Europe or America, but we can't sit for IELTS. My own situation was almost similar and those thoughts still bring a smile in my face. At that time, I was looking for the universities that require only "Medium of Instruction (English)" instead of any English proficiency test for the admission. As the Medium of Instruction (MOI) of my BSS & MSS degree at the University of Dhaka (DU) was English, I collected that certificate (MOI) from the University Registrar Building. In Germany, you can apply to a few universities only with the MOI (English) certificate and don’t have to show the IELTS results separately.

My IELTS Preparation

When I saw most universities asked for the English proficiency test result, I started thinking of preparing myself for IELTS test. At the same time, I got support from a close friend of mine who needed IELTS score too for higher education. In November 2017, my friend told me to book the IELTS exam date in IDP Education Bangladesh. Though I did not have enough money for the registration, he forced and helped me to register. 

With a few days of preparation, we sat for IELTS exam. I was busy with my office and got only a few days. As expected, the result was not satisfactory and I got an overall band score of 6.5. It was unfortunate for me. Yet I was happy because I qualified to apply to many universities. Then I found out that in some universities, I can apply for admission with a fully-funded scholarship showing my IELTS result. Then I took the IELTS exam again and got IELTS score 7.

The main techniques to prepare you in a short period of time:

# Register for the IELTS or other English Proficiency Test in advance (1-3 months according to your knowledge & experience on English skills). It will inspire you to study hard. 

# For writing section, practice and get your writings corrected by an English teacher. If you don’t find an expert, create an account with Grammarly and it will solve your problem easily. It has a free option and a premium version with many options.

# Find a partner or friends (if possible) who are also going to sit for IELTS. You can motivate each other.  

# Talk to your friends in English. If you don’t find anyone then try to speak in front of a mirror.

# You must study official books as these materials are from real examinations.

# Follow some websites to get updated information on English Proficiency Tests.

# Before the actual test, give mock tests to gain practical experiences and confidence.

# Read and listen to English as much as possible.

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Language skills - English proficiency 

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Erasmus Mundus Scholarship

The author is Mahmudul Hassan, an Erasmus Mundus Scholar (2018-20). The Picture credit goes to MFAMILY Erasmus Mundus Sixth Edition Welcome Session (2018).