Friday 25 March 2016

“Dos and Don’ts for Indians to Pursue Overseas Education” ―Professor M.S.Rao










“It’s your place in the world; it’s your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live.” — Mae Jemison


Overseas education is very expensive for Indians. Many Indians dream of acquiring it but find several financial constraints to accomplish their dreams. The cost of overseas education includes university fees and living expenses. If they understand the right method of choosing their universities and bankers half of the battle is won.

Indian students are very keen to go to America to pursue higher education such as MS or MBA. The craze is high because America is a land of opportunities and especially for Indians. Indians are highly respected in America and other advanced countries like UK, Canada, Australia and Germany for their hard work and adaptability. Indian CEOs such as Sathya Nadella of Microsoft, Sundar Pichai of Google and Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo have become inspiration for many Indians in India. The quality of education in America is good and is creative, fun and employment-oriented.  However, there are many students who don’t have financial capacity to pursue higher education in America. This article addresses how to get loans for your overseas education and the dos and don’ts involved in it.  


A Blueprint to Your Overseas Education

There are several consultants that arrange loans for your overseas education. Do research to find out genuine overseas consultants. If you don’t have any idea, network with your friends from your educational institution and get inputs from your seniors who have already gone abroad for education. Find out the genuine universities and apply. Assess your financial capacity. Check the income tax returns of your parents. Get the banking transaction statement from your banker. Apply for loan based the on fees the college is asking. Find out the mode of payment and the installments to pay your fees.

Approach both private and public sector banks for loan. They will guide you how much they can fund and the margin money you must have. While going to private bankers, find out the rate of interest and hidden costs involved in it. Usually the marketing people from private bankers don’t reveal everything to you. Hence, you must clarify your requirements to avoid hassles later. Here are some dos and don’ts.  
  • Assume that you don’t get any part-time job during your study.  
  • Read the brochure carefully before applying for educational loan to avoid springing last-minute surprises by your banker.  
  • Compare the rate of interest from different banks. Find out the hidden costs involved. Some bankers present rosy picture by promising moon and finally you end up finally paying more interest. Hence, be careful with bankers. Have your queries clarified by the bank representative. If required, talk to his/her immediate manager to find out the facts. It helps you avoid burning fingers.
  • Ensure that you hit on the right bank with the right educational loan scheme to suit your needs.
  • Be careful with fluctuations in currency.
  • During the visa interview, express your sincere intentions to pursue quality education rather than to settle down there. You must convince them that you have the financial capacity to pay the fees and meet the living expenses during your stay for the course.


Conclusion

Govt of India encourages loans for education and housing provided you meet the requirements. Hence, do research; find out the details; shortlist the university as per your financial capacity; and ensure the funding from your banker at reasonable rate of interest to acquire overseas education.

Don’t assume that you get part-time job immediately. The rules in USA are changing and you must find out how many hours you can work part-time. The students who illegally work are sent back to the home country.  Hence, don’t involve in illegal activities that ruin your prospects to complete your course. Therefore, keep all risks in view and make your decisions wisely. If your parents cannot afford, don’t pressurize them. Empathize with them. Look for alternative means to accomplish your dreams to acquire overseas education.


"Dreams are extremely important. You can't do it unless you imagine it." — George Lucas



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Life is great!

Professor M.S.Rao, India
Founder of MSR Leadership Consultants India
Recipient of 10th International Prestigious Sardar Patel Award―2015
21 Success Sutras for Leaders: Top 10 Leadership Books of the Year (San Diego University) Amazon URL: http://www.amazon.com/21-Success-Sutras-Leaders-ebook/dp/B00AK98ELI




Thanks for reading!

Kindly share your thoughts and comments below, I’m sure someone out there will find your story useful.



Copyright©2016 MSR Leadership Consultants India. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

This is a nonprofit blog to share Professor M.S.Rao’s passion and vision to build one million students as global leaders by 2030. Please don't cut articles from my blog and redistribute by email or post to the web. The use of this material is free provided copyright is acknowledged and reference or link is made to the Blog http://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.in.  This material may not be sold, or published in any form, or used in the provision of business services to a third party without permission.

Tuesday 15 March 2016

“Don’t be a Prisoner of the Past; Be an Architect of Your Future!” ―Professor M.S.Rao



“Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask yourself if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future.” ― Deepak Chopra


There are some people who brood over their unpleasant past. They get into negative zone and get depressed finally. Instead, they must look at the future with optimism. Research shows that people waste 30 percent of their precious time by thinking about their unpleasant past that cannot be changed. Hence, people must explore solutions for their problems. Their future solely depends on their mindset and the way they look at the world. They must start a new course on a clean slate. They must always think of ‘what next’ rather than ‘what went wrong’. They must find out why and where things went wrong to learn lessons to become smarter and wiser. They must pioneer their future instead of becoming prisoners of their past.

When you observe all successful leaders including Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela, they underwent lots of trials and tribulations. They did not look where they fell but they looked where they slipped and bounced back from their failures. 


Tools to Avoid Becoming a Prisoner of the Past

Steve Jobs once remarked, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma-which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” Here are some tools and techniques to avoid becoming a prisoner of the past:
  • Let go off your unpleasant past. Focus on what you can do, not what you cannot do.
  • Embrace uncertainty. Don’t react, but act to the circumstances.
  • Learn when to hold and when to fold. There is a thin line separating the both. It requires immense judgment and intuition to decide when to hold and when to fold.
  • When things go wrong repeatedly, lie low for a while and wait an appropriate opportunity to make things fall into place.
  • Ensure that you reorganize your body and brain constantly with your new experiences.  
  • Try meditation or yoga or go for regular physical exercises to energize your mind and body.
  • Network with the right people.
  • Have an attitude of gratitude.
  • Look at the door that is opened.
  • Fight for pretty things, not petty things.
  • Look for possibilities, not impossibilities.
  • Learn to make choices and commitments. Take action keeping tomorrow in mind.

Remember, every dog its own day. God throws challenges and offers opportunities to everybody. In fact, challenges test your abilities and enlarge your capabilities. Challenges unlock the leader in you. Hence, be bold to face the challenges. At the same time, be prepared all the time to explore opportunities. 


Be an Architect of Your Future!

"The empires of the future are empires of the mind." — Winston Churchill

Life is a circus with ups and downs. Nobody can predict the future. However, you can pioneer your future with proper planning, preparation and execution. Be mentally prepared for distractions and surprises. Align yourself whenever you are thrown out of gear with patience and perseverance to accomplish your goals and ambitions.

Fate is something happens automatically whereas destiny is something you create. Precisely, destiny is in your hands.

To summarize, let bygones be bygones. Don’t think about the unpleasant past that cannot be changed, don’t worry too much about the future that cannot be predicted. Instead, think about today which is in your hands. To conclude, don’t be a prisoner of the past but be a pioneer of your future to make your life exciting. Life is great!


"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new." — Socrates




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Life is great!

Professor M.S.Rao, India
Founder of MSR Leadership Consultants India
Recipient of 10th International Prestigious Sardar Patel Award―2015
21 Success Sutras for Leaders: Top 10 Leadership Books of the Year (San Diego University) Amazon URL: http://www.amazon.com/21-Success-Sutras-Leaders-ebook/dp/B00AK98ELI




Thanks for reading!

Kindly share your thoughts and comments below, I’m sure someone out there will find your story useful.



Copyright©2016 MSR Leadership Consultants India. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

This is a nonprofit blog to share Professor M.S.Rao’s passion and vision to build one million students as global leaders by 2030. Please don't cut articles from my blog and redistribute by email or post to the web. The use of this material is free provided copyright is acknowledged and reference or link is made to the Blog http://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.in.  This material may not be sold, or published in any form, or used in the provision of business services to a third party without permission.

Sunday 13 March 2016

“Why Do Some People Exploit the Weaknesses of Others?” ―Professor M.S.Rao



“I call for a march from exploitation to education, from poverty to shared prosperity, a march from slavery to liberty, and a march from violence to peace.” ― Kailash Satyarthi


Several conflicts arise in the society due to various reasons. One of the causes of conflict is when people exploit others’ weaknesses instead of helping them. Some people take undue advantage out of others’ adversities thus causing further hardships and agony. Although everyone knows that it is wrong to take advantage when others are in problems, people still resort to such activities. This article addresses the individuals who exploit others’ weaknesses and offers cautious message to the exploiters and manipulators.


Life is a Circus

Life is a circus with ups and downs. We have friends and relatives to share our sorrows and happiness. What happens when one of your friends and relatives exploit your weaknesses when you are in deep distress. What happens when the person who you trust lets you down? It is difficult to digest and cope up with the situation indeed! It causes further stress and lands people in depression leading to suicides. Additionally, problems come in battalions. When your time is bad all problems come at a time. When you intend to handle one problem, other problems crop up simultaneously. In this scenario, instead of surrendering you must learn to fight against the odds. Remember the slogan ‘when the going gets tough, tough gets going’. Therefore, the best within you will come up when you are forced to the corner. You tend to think from multiple perspectives to overcome the challenges.  You unlock your potential. Finally, the real leader within you comes to the surface. Here are some tools to avoid being exploited by others:

Tools to Avoid being Exploited by Others
  • Don’t trust others blindly.
  • Don’t reveal all your weaknesses to others.
  • Don’t get dejected.
  • Be confident.
  • Be mentally prepared to encounter unforeseen challenges.
  • Be assertive. Raise your voice against irregularities.
  • Don’t indulge in self-blame and self-pity.  
  • Don’t brood over the problems. Explore solutions to resolve them.

Remember, luck comes with interest while bad luck comes with bonus. But don’t lose your heart. Be brave to face the challenges squarely.


Caution to Exploiters and Manipulators

“There is always temptation to cheat in all of us. But it is up to your willpower.” ― Boris Becker

Don’t be overambitious. Don’t be egotist. Don’t be narcissistic. Don’t be selfish. On the other hand, be compassionate. Don’t be a "jerk" but be an "altruist."  Be others-centered, not self-centered. Remember, neither success nor failure is permanent. You may be in a very strong position today but tomorrow you may be in a weak position. Remember, every dog has its own day. Hence, think of pros and cons before exploiting others. Don’t let the negative thoughts enter into your mind. Fill your mind with positive thoughts to get energized.

At times the exploiters and manipulators think that they are smart enough to cheat and exploit others. They must know the slogan, ‘although the righteous man falls ten times, he rises, but the wicked man never falls twice’. If they still resort to exploitation and manipulation, it means their days are numbered.


Exploitation is Unavoidable

“Almost all of our relationships begin and most of them continue as forms of mutual exploitation, a mental or physical barter, to be terminated when one or both parties run out of goods.” ― W. H. Auden

Exploitation is everywhere in the world. As long as individuals with negative attitude live, the exploitation exists. Remember, exploitation is unavoidable. You must take your own precautions from exploiters and manipulators to lead a happy and exciting life.

Don’t suffer silently with exploitation. Face with confidence. Fight for your rights. It is your life and you must make your call based on your convictions.  Remember, there are no permanent friends and enemies in life. Life is all about rapid changing equations. Learn to face the challenges squarely. Fight to the finish. Take your battle to its logical end.


Conclusion

“Avoid those who seek friends in order to maintain a certain social status or to open doors they would not otherwise be able to approach.” ― Paulo Coelho, Manuscript Found in Accra

Empathy is key to resolving several conflicts globally.  Being ambitious and confident are signs of good health but being overambitious and overconfident are signs of ill health. In fact, overambition and overconfidence are the worst enemies to individuals. Hence, people must understand the difference and adopt the right means and methods to gain acceptance in the society to grow as healthy leaders.  To conclude, it is not ‘might is right’ but ‘right is right’ is right. Satyamev Jayate!


“We live in a world where unfortunately the distinction between true and false appears to become increasingly blurred by manipulation of facts, by exploitation of uncritical minds, and by the pollution of the language.” ― Arne Tiselius
“In war, the strong make slaves of the weak, and in peace the rich makes slaves of the poor.” ― Oscar Wilde




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Life is great!

Professor M.S.Rao, India
Founder of MSR Leadership Consultants India
Recipient of 10th International Prestigious Sardar Patel Award―2015
21 Success Sutras for Leaders: Top 10 Leadership Books of the Year (San Diego University) Amazon URL: http://www.amazon.com/21-Success-Sutras-Leaders-ebook/dp/B00AK98ELI




Thanks for reading!

Kindly share your thoughts and comments below, I’m sure someone out there will find your story useful.



Copyright©2016 MSR Leadership Consultants India. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

This is a nonprofit blog to share Professor M.S.Rao’s passion and vision to build one million students as global leaders by 2030. Please don't cut articles from my blog and redistribute by email or post to the web. The use of this material is free provided copyright is acknowledged and reference or link is made to the Blog http://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.in.  This material may not be sold, or published in any form, or used in the provision of business services to a third party without permission.