Maximum full
suite of services guides students smoothly through the application
process and ensures that they arrive totally prepared for their
higher education. Our objective is to accompany students on every
step of the journey, right from the moment they make up their
minds to study abroad till their first day at the Foreign Institution
of their choice.
We
provide our students with the following services
Course
Recommendation:
Based on your educational background and practical experience
we suggest the course you are most likely to succeed in.
College Selection:
Based on your academic profile we assist you in finding the University
best suited for you.
Standardized Test Preparation:
Our advisors prepare you for the Standardized tests required for
your admission into an Institution
Statement of Purpose / Essays Review and Editing/ Resume Editing
We assist our students while preparing the Statement of Purpose
and also review and edit their Essays and Resume, and essay editing
services.
Transcript/ Recommendation Preparation
Documentation forms an integral part of your application packet.
Students benefit from our experience and expertise in preparing
the required documentation
Bank Statement / Financial Affidavit Preparation
Our drafts make the cumbersome process of obtaining a bank statement
and financial affidavit an enjoyable one
Financial Aid/Scholarship Application
Our expertise lies in negotiating a financial aid/scholarship
for you thus reducing the cost of your education
Visa Counseling
Students benefit from our expertise in Visa counseling. Our mock
interviews and checklists ensure that the student has won the
battle even before it has started.
Pre-Departure Orientation
We provide our students with a pre-departure orientation which
makes the transition process easier for them.
As a student seeking to identify colleges abroad, you are constantly
facing an information overload. While the information may be easily
available to you, the key to successfully identifying the right
college for you lies in your ability to sift through the information
intelligently and base your college selection choice on your academic
and financial background.
At Maximum
we assist in leveraging opportunities available to you thus maximizing
your chances of entering a top notch college and of receiving
financial aid.
Consulting is a real guidance service and at Maximum we have people
with tried and tested answers for your queries. Our team of advisors
include alumni from reputed universities who annually help over
500 students successfully pursue their dream of an education abroad.
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Personal Attention:
Maximum Consultancy prides itself on its personal attention
to students and consciously seeks to avoid an assembly line
approach to counseling students
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Experienced
Advisors:
Consulting is a real guidance service and at Maximum we have
people with tried and tested answers for your queries. Our team
of advisors include alumni from reputed universities who have
helped over 500 students successfully pursue their dream of
an education abroad.
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Cost
Effective:
Applying to universities can be an expensive ordeal. By ensuring
that there is a perfect match between the student and the university
we help keep costs low.
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Expertise
in Visa counseling:
Students benefit from our expertise and experience in Visa counseling.
Our mock interviews and checklists ensure that the student has
won the battle even before it has started.
Pre-application
process with universities is optional.
By doing the pre-application, you will get the brochures, application
forms etc. of universities, which may eventually help you decide
which universities to finally apply to . it is always advisable
to do a pre-application with the universities you are interested
in applying to.. Approximately 2-4 weeks after you email the pre-application
form to the universities, you will start receiving their application
forms and brochures. Please open their envelopes carefully and
do not damage the materials inside. Also, it is advisable not
to throw the envelopes, but instead keep them and write on the
top right hand corner of each envelope the following information:
Deadline
Application Fee
Total cost
Financial Aid and Scholarships
Any other information
Doing this will make you more organized and you will enjoy the
application process .
Selecting University
Facts to be consider
Courses & Majors: Which University/College/School offer the
course or program that you are looking at? Accreditation: Which
of these University/College/School are accredited?Terms: Which
term are you applying for?
Academic Grades: Carefully evaluate your academic
grades of the past four years. Do your grades reflect a consistent
performance or an inconsistent performance over the past four
years? Are your grades above average, average or below average?
Do you stand among the top 5%, top 10% or top 25% of your class?
Test Scores: Do your test scores on the standardized
tests reflect a high score, average score or below average score.
If you have not yet taken the test, estimate the possible range
of your test results.
Ranking : What is the ranking or reputation of
the University/College/School
Financial Aid: What are the possibilities of
financial aid / assistance?
Location: Do you have any preferences in terms
of location?
Other factors: What is the international student
acceptance rate? Are there any schools that you are particularly
keen on and would like to apply to? If you have a disability are
there any special facilities provided for students with your disability?
Budget: What is the financial capability of your
family? Arrive at the maximum figure that your family can afford
to spend for your education per annum for the entire period of
your education
Easy
Writing
An essay is a composition or a mission statement that speaks of
your goals and how the education you are about to pursue will
assist you and lead you towards that goal.
It is time to have a war with words. By now you must have gathered
that universities believe that you, the student, must have something
more than your academic grades to present to the admissions committee.
Essays are one of the important tools of impressing upon the admissions
committee the reason to select you over the thousands of other
applicants. This step requires careful thought, as this is your
only chance to express yourself, whereas your teachers had their
say in the recommendation letters, your transcripts conveyed how
much effort you put in your academics, the standardized tests
reflected your aptitude and so on. Use this opportunity to illustrate
your real self wisely. The admission committee weighs essays very
carefully. They look for content, flow and your wherewithal. They
want to know how you think and feel.
Essays are one of the only avenues for the students to say something
for themselves. These essays can pivot the admission’s committee
in your favor or disfavor. The students who take the worst mental
beating are those applying for some of the top 50 MBA programs
and those applying for the top competitive undergraduate programs.
The basic assumption being that most students who apply to the
top schools are of a certain academic standing, hence the Essays
stand as the only factor distinguishing one student from another.
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Resume
A Resume enables the admissions committee to gain an overall view
of your previous Educational qualifications, Work experience, Extra-curricular
activities and Interests This is not required for undergraduate
students. It is a requirement for the students applying graduate
programs.Here are some important components that should form a part
of the resume.
Objective: What is the purpose of this resume that
you have created? Work Experience: Here you will need to list all
work experience that you have gained till date. Always remember
to list details chronologically with your most recent experience,
mentioned first Educational Qualifications: Again, starting with
the most recent first, mention all academic qualifications gained
till now. Mention degrees, institution name, percentages or grades
and the year in which you obtained these. Extra-curricular/Community
activities: This category will consist of all the extracurricular
activities, such as Sports, Debates, Dramatics, social service etc…
Professional Memberships: Here you need to mention the professional
clubs that you have been a member of. These normally include clubs
such as Literary Societies or the Rotaract Patents and Publications:
If you have done work that has been published in manuals, newspapers
or any other kind of media publications, you can mention that under
this head. Languages: All languages known to you should form a part
of the category here, foreign or even the native languages that
you have learnt. References: Here mention all those names that would
give your reference if needed, these should be people who have gained
something in life. Honors/ Awards received: Mention all awards or
honors that you have received for academics,
Recommendation letter :It is not uncommon for the
person writing the letter to turn around and say
"Why don't you write the recommendation letter and I'll sign
it?"
Don’t panic. We'll tell
you how recommendations letters should be structured so you can
help the person drafting the letter for you.The recommendation
letters must be Confidential. You must ensure that The recommendation
letter is typed on the institution/ teacher’s letterhead
Each copy of the letter has the recommender’s signature
in ORIGINAL The letter is enclosed in an envelope that is sealed
(i.e. glued shut) The recommender has signed across the flap of
the sealed envelope
As part of the application procedure every University will require
you to send 2 or 3 recommendation letters. These letters are recommendations
from teacher’s/ professor’s who have taught you at
school/ college. This letter reflects the student’s academic
potential and ability to successfully complete the degree at the
respective school/ college. If you are an MBA student with work
experience an employer’s recommendation will be required.
It is one of the several facets to your application process, for
gaining admission and financial aid. All these factors will add
up while the admissions committee is reviewing your papers.
Transcript
Before we tell you what preparation is all about, please remember
that the transcript must be prepared by the school/college/institution
that you have attended. You need attested copies of all your original
mark-sheets, which will also be sent along with the transcripts.
The university will require a minimum of 4 years' mark-sheets
including the most recent This document gives detailed information
about the subjects studied, the corresponding marks obtained and
the hours/weeks of instructions entailed, including the total
grade/percentage obtained for a particular year. This document
is extremely important to the board of selectors at the school/college
you are applying for, in determining your academic performance.
Weightage is given to very good grades/percentages obtained.
Financial Counseling Money is perhaps the most
worrying thing to any student desiring to study abroad. Both education
and living costs are expenses that the family must budget ahead
of time . To minimize the financial burden on parents and students.
Financial Aid is a term used to describe a number of sources and
programs that assist students fund their education. The Cost of
Education varies from college to college. To get a clear picture
of the total cost involved, it is necessary to do a detailed and
careful analysis of the selected school by going through its website
or brochures. It is not only important to know the total cost
of education (including tuition and living) but it is also important
to explore various avenues of funding available The total Cost
of Education for studying abroad can be broadly classified into
two heads: Costs before admission and Costs after admission.
To enter a
country that you are not a citizen of, you require a VISA. For
example, if you are Indian citizen who wants to study in the United
States of America, you need to obtain a visa from a US Consulate
in India. The respective Consulate office of a country, in your
home country issues the visa. You will find that all the major
countries of the world have their Consulates in India. Some have
Consulates in each of the large metro cities in India (e.g. USA,
UK etc…), while others have Consulates only in New Delhi
(e.g. New Zealand etc…).
The visa is a document that grants you permission to enter a country
for a specified time frame for a specific reason. The nature of
your visit and its length is specified on the visa document. You
may have different reasons for visiting a country – for
example, a business trip, as a tourist or to study, are some of
the reasons that you may visit another country. Most countries
issue different and specific visas for each purpose.
The following are a few things that you should carefully
watch.
Always use Parents as sponsors if you are using other rather than
parents as sponsors give good reasons why they are sponsoring
you. Avoid bringing your relatives abroad into the picture either
as sponsor or the people who have motivated you to go to abroad
for education. Please do not talk about job and job opportunities
around the City that you have chosen for your studies.Your reasons
for coming beck to your home country after completing you studies
as far as possible should not be sentimental or emotional reasons.
They should be related to good career opportunities substantial
financial gains and better business opportunities after obtaining
a foreign degree.
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Most
common asked Questions:
1. Why did you choose this University?
Do not get when you are asked this question. The question does not
mean that the University that you have chosen is wrong. The Consular
Officer wishes to know the reason for choosing that University and
also wants to know whether you are fully informed about this University.
Please know as much as possible about the University through brochures
and also explain that you met the Officers of the University who
have explained about the University the Programme that you have
chosen and the local conditions. You can also say that you have
friends who have enlightened you on this University. If you give
a convincing answer you have very good chances of getting your visa.
2. Why do you want to study in the U.S.A./U.K.?
This is again the most frequently asked question. Your reasons should
be that the exposure that you get personal and academic in the U.S./U.K.
are considered the best and that your chances for better job and
remuneration and starting your own business are greatly improved.
3.
Gap between completion of your examination and application for
visa.
If there is a gap between the completion of last degree and application
for visa you must be prepared to explain what you were doing during
this period. You can always explain away the gap saying that you
were preparing for qualifying examinations like TOFEL, GRE, GMAT.
You can also give the factual position of what you were doing
and in case you were in a job you can justify saying that you
are going abroad for education to better your career opportunities
in your home country on the strength of a foreign qualification.
4. What are your future plans? The Consular Officer
wants to know what exactly you would like to do after your education
to indirectly find cut whether you have enough motivation to come
back to India. At this point tell why you are coming back to India
i.e. good job your own business or other opportunities. If your
reasons for coming back are not that strong the presumption could
be that you may not come back. So try to give strong reasons.
5. Questions on Financial Background. If you
have funds in the Bank be prepared to explain where from those
funds came. Any Income Tax returns or particulars of agricultural
income which is not taxable should be useful in this area. A clear
explanation about how you got these funds would help you to improve
your chances of getting a visa.
Special Note:
Whether questions are asked about your family background, martial
status, parents, brothers and sisters. Please tell the facts it
is always to be truthful.
When you attend the interview be well dressed and stay calm during
the interview. Do not sound or arrogant. Listen carefully when
questions are asked. If you do not understand feel free to ask
them again but do not give answer in haste. Please also be careful
not to give unnecessary information ways good to answer to the
point and feel confident.
Preparation on the above lines would give you the necessary confidence
and most of the Consular Officers are impressed by your pleasant
behavior prompt and truthful answers calm composure.
When greatly appreciate if you can get to us after the visa interview.
Wish you all the Best.
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The
Scholastic Aptitude Test or SAT consists of two tests - SAT I and
SAT II.
SAT I is a three-hour test, primarily multiple choice,
that tests your verbal and mathematical reasoning abilities.
SAT II is a one-hour, multiple
choice tests in specific subjects.
Many colleges require or recommend one or more subject tests for
admission.
While most colleges expect applicants to take the SAT, there are
a few colleges where a SAT score is not mandatory.
The
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) measures
the ability of nonnative speakers of English to use and understand
North American English as it is used in college and university settings.
Scores on the test are required by more than 4,300 two- and four-year
colleges and universities, professional schools, and sponsoring
institutions.
The test is offered on computer throughout most regions of the world.
In areas where access to computer-based testing is limited, a supplemental
paper-and-pencil version of the test is administered.
TOEFL on Computer
The TOEFL test was introduced as a computer-based test in July 1998
in many parts of the world. It combines many of
the same question types as the traditional paper-based test with
new question types that can be offered only on the
computer.
The Four Sections of the Test
The computer-based TOEFL test has four sections. The first two sections
of the test -- Listening and Structure -- are computer-adaptive,
meaning that you will receive test questions targeted to your performance
level. In these two sections, your first question
will be of average difficulty. The question you receive next will
be one that best fits your performance and the design of the test.
In
the Listening and Structure sections, you will be able to change
your answer as often as you like until you have made your final
choice, confirmed your answer, and moved on to the next one. Once
you move on to the next question, you will NOT be allowed to
go back to a previous question. Your answer to each question presented
on the screen helps determine the difficulty level of the next question
you will be given. You must answer at least one question in each
section and compose an essay to receive an official score report.
Listening
Measures ability to understand English as it is spoken in North
America.
You will use headphones to listen to the conversations and talks.
While you are listening, pictures of the speakers or other information
will be presented on your computer screen. There are two parts to
the Listening section, with special directions for each part. On
the day of the test, the amount of time you will have to answer
all the questions will appear on the computer screen. The time you
spend listening to the test material will not be counted. The listening
material and questions about it will be presented only one time.
You will not be allowed to take notes or have any paper at your
computer. You will both see and hear the questions before the answer
choices appear. You can take as much time as you need to select
an answer; however, it will be to your advantage to answer the questions
as quickly as possible. You may change your answer as many times
as you want before you confirm it. After you have confirmed an answer,
you will not be able to return to the questions. Before you begin
working on the Listening section, you will have an opportunity to
adjust the sound. You will be able to change the volume on your
headset.
Structure
Measures ability to recognize language that is appropriate for standard
written English.
There are two types of questions in this section. The first type
consists of incomplete sentences. Beneath each sentence are four
words or phrases. You will choose the one word or phrase that best
completes the sentence.
The second type of question has four underlined words or phrases.
You will choose the one underlined word or phrase that must
be changed for the sentence to be correct.
Reading
Measures ability to read and understand short passages similar in
topic and style to those that students are likely to encounter in
North American universities and colleges. This section contains
reading passages and questions about the passages.
Because the selection of these passages and questions will not be
based on your performance, you will be allowed to go back to
previous questions within this section.
Writing
Measures ability to write in English on an assigned topic. In this
section, you will have an opportunity to demonstrate your ability
to write in English. This includes the ability to generate and organize
ideas, to support those ideas with examples or evidence, and
to compose in standard written English in response to an assigned
topic.
On the day of the test, you will be given a topic and will have
30 minutes to write an essay on that topic. Before the topic is
presented, you must choose whether to type your essay on the computer
or to handwrite your essay on the answer sheet provided. Scratch
paper will be given to you for making notes. However, only your
response -- whether handwritten or typed -- will be scored.
The essay topic will be presented to you on the computer screen.
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The GRE test consists of 3 parts
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General Test,
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Subjective Test, and
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Writing Assessment.
General
Test
The General
Test measures verbal, quantitative, and analytical skills that have
been acquired over a long period of time and that are not related
to any specific field of study. The test consists of three scored
sections.
Verbal: 30-minute section (30 questions) —
The verbal measure tests your ability to analyze and evaluate written
material and synthesize information obtained from it, analyze relationships
among component parts of sentences, and recognize relationships
between words and concepts.
Quantitative: 45-minute section (28 questions)
— The quantitative measure tests your basic mathematical skills
and your understanding of elementary mathematical concepts, as well
as your ability to reason quantitatively and solve problems in a
quantitative setting. The content areas included in the quantitative
sections of the test are arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data
analysis. These are content areas usually studied in high school.
Analytical:
60-minute section (35 questions) — The analytical measure
tests your ability to understand structured sets of relationships,
deduce new information from sets of relationships, analyze and evaluate
arguments, identify central issues and hypotheses, draw sound inferences,
and identify plausible causal explanations. Questions in the analytical
section measure reasoning skills developed in virtually all fields
of study. No formal training in logic or methods of analysis is
needed to do well in these sections.
Subject Tests
The GRE Subject Tests are designed to help graduate school admission
committees and fellowship sponsors assess the qualifications of
applicants in specific fields of study. The tests also provide students
with an assessment of their own qualifications. Scores on the tests
are intended to indicate students' knowledge of the subject matter
emphasized in many undergraduate programs as preparation for graduate
study. Since past achievement is usually a good indicator of future
performance, the scores are helpful in predicting students' success
in graduate study. Because the tests are standardized, the test
scores permit comparison of students from different institutions
with different undergraduate programs. For some Subject Tests, subscores
are provided in addition to the total score; these subscores indicate
the strengths and weaknesses of individual student's preparation,
and they may help students plan their future studies.
Writing
Assessment
The GRE Writing
Assessment is offered separately from the GRE General Test and GRE
Subject Tests. It is available year round at all ETS-authorized
computer-based testing centers.
The Writing Assessment substantially expands the range of skills
assessed by the GRE General Test and the GRE Subject Tests, including
your ability to
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articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively
- examine
claims and accompanying evidence
- support
ideas with relevant reasons and examples
- sustain
a well-focused, coherent discussion
- control
the elements of standard written English
The assessment
consists of two analytical writing tasks: a 45-minute "Present
Your Perspective on an Issue" task and a 30-minute "Analyze
an Argument" task. The "Issue" task states an opinion
on an issue of general interest and asks test takers to address
the issue from any perspective(s) they wish, aslong as they provide
relevant reasons and examples to explain and support their views.
The "Argument"
task presents a different challenge: it requires test takers to
critique an argument by discussing how well reasoned they find it.
Test takers are asked to consider the logical soundness of the argument
rather than to agree or disagree with the position it presents.
The two tasks are complementary in that one requires test takers
to construct their own arguments by making claims and providing
evidence supporting their positions on the issue, whereas the other
requires them to critique someone else's argument by assessing its
claims and evaluating the evidence it provides. Actual test questions
are selected from the published pool of Issue and Argument
You
can improve your GMAT score dramatically by following a few simple
steps. As a test taker, you should know:
The computer-adaptive structure of the GMAT
The computer-adaptive test (CAT) version of the GMAT is designed
to get a more accurate assessment of your skills while asking fewer
questions than its paper-based counterpart. Here is how the test
works:
The first question
you will see in a given section will be of average difficulty. If
you get the answer right, your next question will be slightly difficult.
Conversely, if you get the question wrong, your next question will
be slightly easy. This also means that the software will ask you
different types of questions in a rather unpredictable order as
determined by its algorithm.
You cannot skip a question or go back to an earlier question. Unlike
the paper version, once you click the answer confirm box, your answer
cannot be changed.
Managing your time wisely
Spend adequate time on the first 5 questions.
The more difficult questions are weighted more heavily than the
easier ones. After first 5 questions, the testing software will
give you questions to fine tune your score within a narrow predetermined
range. Thus, your answers to the first 5 questions will make a huge
difference in your final section score.
For this reason it is imperative that you answer these pivotal questions
with extra care. Always double check your answers and verify
that the incorrect choices are indeed incorrect. If you are unsure
of one of these first questions, at the very least, take a very
good
educated guess using process of elimination.
Read
the Questions Carefully
The undisciplined test taker feels the stress of the clock during
timed sections and will try to cut corners to save time however
,whenever possible. As a result, questions are often misinterpreted.
You will encounter questions when you sit for the GMAT with
incorrect choices that were deliberately designed to exploit a misinterpretation
of what the question is really asking.
Avoid Random Guessing
You must select an answer before the computer will allow you to
move on to the next question. Even if you don't know the answer,
it is advisable to take an educated guess than random guessing.
One way to do is identify at least one choice that is clearly wrong.
Eliminating even one incorrect choice will improve your odds.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Practice using the actual questions from previous exams. Spend time
studying and practicing questions in your weakest subject
areas, as this will provide an efficient use of your test-prep time.
Should you need to retake the exam, you will need time to register
again and have the new score submitted to the school in time. Waiting
a long time into the admissions season to take the exam is also
bound to cause undue stress. Plan properly and with insight and
focus on maximizing your GMAT score.
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