Tips to Aspiring International Students Over 30 yrs old
It may not be uncommon for you to hear that the older your age is , the bigger the responsibility to prove your motivation to be an international student in Canada. While this can be true, there is no reason for any of mature students to give up on their goal of coming to Canada just because of their age. Just as long as you are able to prepare the right documents, you are able to choose the right program and you are able to prove your financial capability, you can be an international student in Canada. And therefore here are the top tips I wanna share with you if you are a mature student.
1.Program program program
You have to choose the right program. Normally, if you are a mature student it means that you do have a lengthy professional experience. If you do have a lengthy professional experience you have to be cautious on the program you will take.
There are various situations we can consider
- You are a mature student and did not finish any degree but with lengthy professional experience
- You are a mature student and finished a degree with lengthy professional experience
If you belong in the first category wherein you did not finish any degree but you have worked for so many years then this gives you extensive motivation to study. Having no degree somehow can allow you to choose a certificate program or even a diploma and it is easy to corroborate in your study plan.
If you belong in the second category wherein you are a degree holder, and have a lengthy professional background then certificate will be risky. A diploma will make sense but you have to have a focus or concentration thereby giving you specialisation in a certain field. Post graduate or even a masters degree are your safest bet.
2. Money money money
Many will say the more money you are able to show in your application the better. You have to be careful with this approach. This can be a double edge sword. YOu have to remember that the amount of money you will show in your application is aligned with your income resources. The amount of money you will show as Proof of Funds should be aligned with the amount of money you earn. You can not show that you have 300KCAD in your account if you only earn 20KCAD a year without proper explanation on how you were able to have so much funds.
The safest amount of money you should show is that you are able to cover 1 year of tuition plus 1 year of cost of living for you and your family.
3.Sponsorship
The more mature you are , the more you should be cautious with using a sponsor
Having a sponsor is not necessarily bad, but they should be used as a back up. They should not be your main source of funds. You must have your own liquid cash and your own source of stable income. And sponsors are only “add ons” just to have a back up.
4. Professional growth
For families, especially those coming from the middle east - it is not uncommon where the husband works and the wife is a stay home mom caring for the children.
Many will think it is sensible that the husband should study and the wife would be OWP. I do not necessarily agree with this approach. Because if the wife becomes the OWP then it will be extremely hard for the wife to land a job especially if she's been a stay home mom for years. I actually recommend the reverse. That the husband is the OWP and the wife is the student. The key here is that you should be able to corroborate the need of the student for professional and personal growth which can be achieved via a good education.
