Things to Know Before Taking the GRE Test

If you’re preparing to study in the United States, you are well aware what GRE is all about. Educational Testing Service (or ETS) has assimilated an entrance test for graduation schools all over USA. GRE attracts a lot of Indian students as it provides a gateway to quality higher education and attractive career opportunities. But before you fill in for GRE, we at Santa Monica Cochin would like to tell you about these three facts:  

GRE score is sectionalized: Before you sign-up for GRE, do know that the score is not aggregated from all the sections. This means you can’t rely on a single section alone. The sections include − Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning and Analytical Writing. 

The first two sections are scored between 130-170 points. Both these sections are evaluated in single-point credits. Unlike Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning, Analytical Reasoning is scaled between 0 and 6 points.

The division of scores serves a better purpose for the universities. They can set distinct score requirements for different courses. For example, enrolling in a creative writing degree would require you to have a high score in Analytical Writing.

GRE is adaptive: The difficulty of GRE is quite peculiar. The score somewhat depends on the number of correct answers you give in each section. GRE keeps a tab on aspirant’s performance. The test throws in difficult questions as you make progress through the sections. Although it seems like a formidable challenge, it doesn’t impact your score negatively. Performing badly in the harder sections but acing the easier ones won’t bring down your score.

Five year validity of the score: GRE scores are valid for 5 years. If you’re unable to enroll yourself through GRE, do not worry, you can always try next year.   

Santa Monica Study Abroad Pvt Ltd is an overseas education facilitator. We have tie-ups with more than 300 universities across 30 countries. Visit our website at http://www.santamonicaedu.in/ for more information about our services. 

Ways to Study Abroad on a Budget

Studying abroad is a wonderful yet challenging opportunity. Whether you’re funding it yourself, or just seeking a way to help your parents save some cash, Santa Monica Cochin suggests some tips and tricks to save money and prepare students for the trials that come with studying abroad. 

Book your flights early 

It’s quite obvious, but the moment it gets confirmed that you will be studying abroad, start looking for flight tickets. Depending on how far you are going, buying a ticket beforehand could save you a large amount. Further, you can use this saving for additional travel on weekends or during semester breaks. 

Crowd-funding Campaign

Online crowd-funding is a latest trend amongst students in which you can garner donations from family, friends and anonymous donors who believe in your capabilities. If you are independently funding your education, you probably have a unique story to tell. People will understand your story and know more about you. Some unanticipated donors will definitely come forward for help!  

Share your accommodation 

Living in a shared accommodation not only saves money, but it’s also a great way to make new friends in a new city. You can also look for shared accommodations on websites such as WeRoom.com, SpareRoom (for the UK), EasyRoommate.com, Student.com, and Craigslist (in the US). 

Scholarships

You can probably avail government and privately funded scholarships for studying abroad. Depending upon your subjects and career goals, there are several opportunities for receiving scholarships to pursue education abroad. 

Use public transport 

You can take buses, metro, or any other local commuting facilities while studying abroad. Google Maps must be your best friend, as it suggests the right bus/metro routes to take in major cities. Moreover, check if you can avail any student discounts on public transportation. Many universities provide guidance on how to get student discounts on travel cards. 

Knowledge is power and you must know exactly what is expected of you financially at the time of studying abroad. 

5 Ways To Boost Brain Power While Studying

Mental gymnastics is essential for sharpening memory and enhancing thinking abilities. Playing memory games isn’t enough to boost the brain power. There are many other memory improvement exercises that keep the brain active and fortify the complex nerve connections.

SantaMonica, the most trusted global educational consultancy in Kerala, suggests five simple ways through which you can easily activate the brain’s little-used pathways and keep it fit and healthy.

Physical exercise is important: Improve the health of your brain by combining mental exercises with the physical ones, such as swimming, aerobics, running or cycling. It will boost the flow of oxygen, strengthen brain cells and stimulate new neuronal connections, making the brain sharper. Improved learning and memory skills will allow you to absorb more from books or lectures.

Socialise for better brain performance: Socialisation renders many cognitive benefits. Countless studies have proved that healthy relationships and meaningful interactions between individuals help in stimulating the brain cells. Active social life not only promises good emotional health, but also offers many memory-boosting advantages.

Keep a tab on stress: Your brain’s biggest enemy is stress. It affects the hippocampus, a part of the brain that’s primarily related with memory and spatial navigation. Stress busting, therefore, is extremely crucial. It might involve activities like breaking out of the monotonous daily routine, expressing your bottled-up feelings to dear ones, maintaining a healthy balance between work and leisure, making new friends, having a good laugh, trying new sports, meditating, and so on.

Do not ignore your health problems: Health and lifestyle imbalances lead to multiple mental disorders. Therefore, timely identification and treatment of health issues is very important for proper functioning of the brain. Ignoring health ailments will not only take a toll on your physical strength, but also affect memory and emotional stability.

Indulge in sound sleep and power naps: A good night’s sleep works magic when it comes to improved critical thinking, better creativity and enhanced memory consolidation. Also, taking some time out for a rejuvenating power nap in your busy day is enough to repair and replenish the brain cells for improved learning power and superior problem-solving abilities.

At Santa Monica Study Abroad PvtLtd, we have multiple teams of skilled educationists, trainers and counsellors who assist students in achieving their career aspirations. We help students with Scholarship Tests, Career counselling, Visa, Travel, Relocations, and, much more. Visit http://www.santamonicaedu.in for details.

GRE Essay Writing Tasks: How To Use The 30 Minutes

GRE refers to the competitive Graduate Record Examination for admissions in graduate schools in the US, the UK, Australia and Canada. GRE's Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) is specifically created to test a candidate’s critical thinking abilities and analytical writing skills. Sound written communication, thus, forms the basis of a GRE writing test .GRE’s Analytical Writing Section involves two writing tasks: Analyse an Issue and Analyse an Argument.

Breaking down the 30-minute AWA writing task

• Reading: 2 minutes
• Skim through the provided passage quickly
• Read it twice and retain some pointers in your mind
• Argument Task – Create a quick distinction between the main conclusion and the supporting premises
• Issue Task – Focus on the cause-and-effect relationship

Ideating: 5 minutes

• Brainstorm and create ideas
• Define your position on the given argument’s issue or analysis
• Design a rough outline in your mind
• Pick a single sentence to summarise the entire essay
• Generate a four-paragraph structure that has an introduction, two supporting sections, and a conclusion.

Typing: 20 minutes

• Follow varied vocabulary and sentence structure for different paragraphs and passages
• Elaborate the points that you noted while ideating
• Use a coherent rhetorical structure
• Stick to the specified word limit

Editing: 3 minutes

• Keep this time for proofreading and editing
• Do not write anymore
• Read the essay twice
• Check grammar and spellings
• Use formal English with precise and clear ideas

Points to remember

• The Writing section is not computer-adaptive
• Tests are marked by real examiners, not computers  
• No spell-check or grammar-check is available for the writing test
• Scores vary from 0-6

Ace the timing, and you’ll crack GRE. Get professional assistance from our experts at Santa Monica Study Abroad Pvt Ltd. The best overseas education agency in India, Santa Monica (Cochin) provides counselling and training to students to help crack, GRE, IELTS and PTE competitive exams.

How to Improve Problem Solving Skills

Problem solving is a vital skill in routine life, which is why employers are so keen on it. “Problem solving is all about applying logic to a given situation and come up with an intelligent solution”, says the owner of Santa Monica Study Abroad. The success of Apple’s Co-founder, Steve Jobs, lay in the fact that he was the greatest problem solver of his time. Therefore, many companies today are looking for problem solvers. Here is how you can utilize your time to enhance your problem-solving skills:

1. Identify the problem

In a nutshell, problem-solving skill is the ability to identify the nature of a problem, analyze it and plan an effective set of actions to address the prevailing challenges. Great problem solvers try to identify the nature of a specific problem which can be noticeably distinguished, tackled and ultimately solved.

2. Label the key elements of the problem

The next step in problem solving is an ability to break down the problem into smaller and more manageable bits by defining the key elements of the problem. It is a crucial step and a skill to develop both managerially and psychologically.

3. Analyze the possible solutions

Finding feasible solutions is a very tricky step in the problem-solving process, as initially it appears like most of the work is already done and the ultimate objective is close. Actually, you must not look for simplistic ways to deal with the elements of the problem. You should discover the most effective ways and change them into an opportunity to make a great success story.

4. Seek lessons to learn

Now, once the problem is solved, you must sit down with all your problem-solving strings and action plans, either alone or jointly if it is a group project. You must look back and see if there is a need to enhance the work that has been completed and learn lessons for future.

Reasons to Contact Education Consultancy

Migrating to a foreign land for studies is a life-altering move. The doubts and apprehensions that come as the part and parcel of the decision are, undoubtedly, nerve-racking. Many things hit our mind: where to study, how to apply, the best courses to take, the top universities or institutes, the list of questions seems endless. An expert’s advice, thus, seems imperative in such times. This is exactly where Education Agencies step in.


What is an Education Agency?

An education agency is an organization that assists and guides students who are willing to move abroad for study. The main role of an education agent is to counsel students according to their qualifications, aspirations, and field of interest. These companies handle everything, right from university form-filling, application submission, visa arrangement and flight booking to the necessary pre-departure arrangements.


Benefits of contacting an Education Agent

Santa Monica, the most trusted global educational consultancy in Kerala, lists a few points why contacting an education agent is beneficial for you.


· Knowledge and expertise: Education agencies have complete understanding of the application process. They possess deep knowledge of student visa application requirements and overseas education systems. In addition to this, these specialized agents keep themselves updated with the altering immigration rules and policies. They are also familiar with several programs run by international education providers in varied locations.


· Partnership with multiple universities: These agencies maintain strong relationships with multiple universities. International universities also prefer admitting students who are directed to them by reputed education agents. As a candidate aspiring to study abroad, this will help you in more ways than one. For instance, it may benefit you in terms of quick review of your application, negotiations related to transfer and continuous legal support throughout your stay abroad.


· Assistance in visa application process: Education agents take complete responsibility of filling forms for admissions and dealing with international universities/colleges directly on the candidate’s behalf. Also, they apply for student visas, keeping in mind the specific policies of each country. In addition to this, they impart the necessary training required in terms of language proficiency to support and boost the student’s visa application.


· Support related to accommodation, transport and other arrangements: These agencies effectively address all the queries or concerns of the candidates related to overseas education. This may include details about the general cost of living, hostel facilities, homestay accommodation, additional school costs, transportation modes, cultural practices, health insurance cover, and so on.


Santa Monica Study Abroad Pvt. Ltd. is one of the most reliable Overseas Education Consultants in Kochi, India. Our expert visa consultants and education specialists are here to make your ‘study abroad’ experience absolutely smooth and hassle-free. Visit www.santamonicaedu.in/ and book yourself an appointment with our experts today!

Myths About GRE That Are Very Common

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a registered trademark test recognized for admission in graduate and business school programs worldwide. It is conducted and managed by the US-based organization Educational Trust Service (ETS). Candidates aspiring for a Master's degree from international institutes or willing to pursue an MBA or anyone planning on a Doctoral degree or any specialized post-graduation course are eligible to take the GRE Test. It evaluates the candidate’s knowledge in the chosen field from the seven main educational domains, which are psychology, chemistry, physics, English literature, biology, mathematics, and biochemistry, cell and molecular biology.

Common Myth associated with GRE

When it comes to taking up the GRE Test, candidates usually are doubtful. There are several misconceptions surrounding the test that deter thousands of GRE aspirants from entering their dream colleges. Santa Monica, Kerala’s most trusted global educational consultancy, helps us in busting some of these myth.

1. GRE is mandatory for admission in every graduate or business school.

Fact - Absolutely not! There are many global business universities, MBA schools and graduate-level programs that recognize GRE scores. But there is also an endless list of institutes that do not consider GRE at all. Remember – GRE is not a universal obligation. The question that whether you should or shouldn’t take the test completely depends on the university and the course of your interest. For instance, Doctoral and Masters Programs in humanities may not require you to go for GRE. However, mathematics and science based grad-level courses would require a good GRE score.

2. Good GRE Score guarantees admission in the desired grad school.

Fact - GRE is just one of the factors of the evaluation process, but not the only one. There are no predetermined passing/failing grades in GRE. The more a candidate scores, the better will be his/her prospects to get admitted in an elite business school. However, good GRE scoring solely does not promise a golden ticket to your favorite institute. There are many other factors associated with your overall profile, such as internships, projects undertaken, research papers published, academic aggregate, and so on. In fact, your prospects of admission would be higher if you have a stellar application with worthy academic accomplishments and a comparatively lesser GRE score.

3. GRE can be taken just once.

Fact - Contrary to the popular belief, a candidate can take GRE test as many times as desired. The little catch here is that ETS has come up with a new feature called ScoreSelect. This allows you to send the scores only from the desired test dates. Universities and schools will only be able to see the best results you had send them and not the rest. This feature assures that you are able to put your best foot forward without anyone getting to know that you took GRE multiple times. You can do this with any of the test you have taken within five years. However, with every new test, you will have to pay the fixed fee.

Santa Monica Study Abroad Pvt. Ltd. stands amongst the Best Overseas Education Consultants in Cochin. Our experienced and highly-skilled visa and immigration experts as well as education facilitators offer 100% legal and reliable guidance on all your immigration queries. Simply visit www.santamonicaedu.in/ and get quick assistance on Scholarship Tests, IELTS Training, Education Loan, Travel & Relocation, and much more.