Study Gap

[iadicool]

Hello people
I graduated in June 2017 in India in Computer Science. For 2 years i prepared for government exams like Civil Services. But could not get selected. In 2019 i decided to apply for universities of Canada and USA for 2020 session and started preparing for GRE and IELTS and did a couple of Computer Science MOOCS and projects to give a boost to my resume. But due to the covid pandemic and the resultant uncertainty I did not get a chance to apply in 2020. Now in 2021 I want to apply. Could this study gap affect my chances of Visa?

 

[Alpha_Wolf]

Hello people
I graduated in June 2017 in India in Computer Science. For 2 years i prepared for government exams like Civil Services. But could not get selected. In 2019 i decided to apply for universities of Canada and USA for 2020 session and started preparing for GRE and IELTS and did a couple of Computer Science MOOCS and projects to give a boost to my resume. But due to the covid pandemic and the resultant uncertainty I did not get a chance to apply in 2020. Now in 2021 I want to apply. Could this study gap affect my chances of Visa?

Will they affect your chances? Nobody knows.
Has it created a requirement for deeper explanation in your SOP? Definitely.

Just explain your situation. Covid was unprecedented. Embassies are still saying covid-covid for everything that is delayed lol so they should understand.

My advice is- Getting the visa is the second step. Get into a good university first. If they can see past your gap, you can make a strong case in your visa application too.

Hope my 2 cents help.

 

[iadicool]

Should I first do some online 6 month certification course in Computer Science from Coursera to improve my chances? Or should I simply proceed. Anyone please help

 

[ailyas2]

Should I first do some online 6 month certification course in Computer Science to improve my chances from Coursers? Or should I simply proceed. Anyone please help

If you are selected by a good university, you have less chances to get rejected. But of course you have to show other things like finances, background and funds.

If you do 6 months course starting today. You still have 2 years for which you dont have record.

I am not aware what MOOCS is. But if you have any proof to fill 2 years of gap. That will be great. And indeed, covid can be mentioned as a reason for not getting admission previous year. But do not take a risk. It is always better to prove something over giving excuse.

I am not sure from which country you are. But in India we have thousands of govt registered course providers. They give away any course you want. That is the reason why many student applicant who is showing such courses have high chance of rejection.

I would suggest you to show genuine proof of what ever you can to avoid rejections.

But 2 years is not a big gap for Canada. Many went as a student having 4-5 years of gap. But there will be lots of explanation to do.

 

[iadicool]

If you are selected by a good university, you have less chances to get rejected. But of course you have to show other things like finances, background and funds.

If you do 6 months course starting today. You still have 2 years for which you dont have record.

I am not aware what MOOCS is. But if you have any proof to fill 2 years of gap. That will be great. And indeed, covid can be mentioned as a reason for not getting admission previous year. But do not take a risk. It is always better to prove something over giving excuse.

I am not sure from which country you are. But in India we have thousands of govt registered course providers. They give away any course you want. That is the reason why many student applicant who is showing such courses have high chance of rejection.

I would suggest you to show genuine proof of what ever you can to avoid rejections.

But 2 years is not a big gap for Canada. Many went as a student having 4-5 years of gap. But there will be lots of explanation to do.

Yes I am from India. got admission in IIT Madras through GATE-2017. My all India rank was in 130s. But I decided to prepare for civil services exam. But it did not pan out to be a good decision in retrospect since I could not make it to the final list. I have no job experience. Can I be honest in my application and SOP that I prepared for an exam? I have my admit card and score card as records

 

[Alpha_Wolf]

Yes I am from India. got admission in IIT Madras through GATE-2017. My all India rank was in 130s. But I decided to prepare for civil services exam. But it did not pan out to be a good decision in retrospect since I could not make it to the final list. I have no job experience. Can I be honest in my application and SOP that I prepared for an exam? I have my admit card and score card as records

You can DEFINITELY use the admit cards and HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY.

I don’t propagate hearsay. I either speak factually or at least share anecdotal evidence.
You can search this forum. There was a guy who was stuck with UPSC for like 2-3 years and explained that and still got accepted.

I wish you all the luck, man!

 

[ailyas2]

If you can get back to IIT. It will be better for you rather than travelling to canada if your purpose is PR. (Just a suggestion though)

If that is the case, I would have shown admission and exam result date to fill my gap. But how much does it fill is the question? (And also I am not an expert. Suggesting what I would have done).

Having work experience is always a better option

 

[iadicool]

You can DEFINITELY use the admit cards and HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY.

I don’t propagate hearsay. I either speak factually or at least share anecdotal evidence.
You can search this forum. There was a guy who was stuck with UPSC for like 2-3 years and explained that and still got accepted.

I wish you all the luck, man!

Thank you so much. I will go on with that then

 

[ailyas2]

You can DEFINITELY use the admit cards and HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY.

I don’t propagate hearsay. I either speak factually or at least share anecdotal evidence.
You can search this forum. There was a guy who was stuck with UPSC for like 2-3 years and explained that and still got accepted.

I wish you all the luck, man!

Yes, I would do the same. I will work to get acceptance or rejection based on my profile.
Be truthful and avoid creating something that's fake.

 

[Sblue]

Agreeing with sound advises above! No two applicants are the same and each is viewed as an individual. Yes, use keywords that tick SP boxes like Academic background, Home ties, Family ties, Future Prospect etc. Making fabricated stories wont help you.

 

[Alpha_Wolf]

See man, there is nothing you can do to change the past. You can either hide and pray no one gets to know (hide small weaknesses in profile that generally do not need to be confessed without any strong reason)...or you can do better.

If you got into IIT, show that. Tell them what your passions were and why you pursued these exams for two years. Tell them it didn’t work. Tell them you also utilized your useful time and got certificates (certificates are a dime a dozen but they show your character in your case so maybe will support the case).

Dude, you’re a CS grad. Not asking you to startup a unicorn before visa apps but check if you can get some part-time remote work etc. it will also add.

You just need to show a snobbish visa officer that you are deserving! If he had afulfilling breakfast that morning and his cuppa joe, you will definitely break the barrier.

All the best!

 

[iadicool]

Yes I applied for some remote jobs yesterday.
Thanks for the help
Last para was lit