To help students prepare for postgraduate studies, the University of Macau (UM) Future Studies and Placement Centre organised an experience sharing session on 22 November. Dr. Hari Venkatesan from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities (FAH) was invited to give students advice on how to increase their chances of success while applying for postgraduate programmes.
For those who intend to pursue a higher degree but are not very familiar with the application procedures, Dr. Venkatesan reminded them to start preparing at least one year in advance so as to obtain all the relevant information including entry requirements, and to take GRE, TOFEL or IELTS exams if necessary. He also offered some useful tips on how to increase the chances of success while applying for postgraduate studies. According to Dr. Venkatesan, a personal statement should try to impress the admission committee within the first five minutes. He suggested that one should write the personal statement in the same way one writes an academic paper, in the sense that all unnecessary information should be omitted. He also encouraged students to try to obtain recommendation letters from outstanding professors in the relevant field.
Students asked a lot of questions in the Q&A session. When asked whether working experience increases the chances of acceptance, Dr. Venkatesan stressed that working experience, although important, is just one of the many factors that are considered in the admission process.
Dr. Venkatesan also used his own experience to point out the do’s and don’ts when applying for postgraduate studies.
Should you have any enquiries about the press release, please feel free to contact Ms. Albee Lei or Ms. Kristy Fok at（853）8397 4325 or prs.media@um.edu.mo or visit UM webpage www.umac.mo.
