navin_c
MP Guru
You will want to begin by identifying those programs that fit your basic requirements. There are two aspects to this;
Your Needs - i.e., what you want to learn and gain from the program, the type of experience you want to have, etc.
Your Circumstances - i.e., the practical considerations.
As regards your needs, you will want to ask questions like -
* Is it the right program structure for me?
* Is the content what I want?
* Is the focus what I want ?
* Are there electives that I will be interested in?
As regards you circumstances you will want to think about questions such as -
* Does the program run where I am or want to be?
* Is the duration right for me?
* Can I give it the time it will require?
* Is the start date right for me?
* Can I afford the fee, plus the other costs, e.g., living expenses, materials etc?
Then there are some other - more subtle - questions-
Will the program have people like you on it?
Particularly on 'taught' programs - full time, part time and modular - a lot of what you will gain will be from interaction with and learning from other participants so you need to ensure that, in some respects, they are not very different from you, in particular that they have a similar amount of experience to draw upon, have held jobs at similar levels to you, etc. You might not want to be on a program where most others were very much older or younger than you. In other repects you will want to ensure that there is some differences - e.g. that there will be people from a range of backgrounds, cultures etc. The twin issues therefore are - the level of the people and the diversity of the group
Your Needs - i.e., what you want to learn and gain from the program, the type of experience you want to have, etc.
Your Circumstances - i.e., the practical considerations.
As regards your needs, you will want to ask questions like -
* Is it the right program structure for me?
* Is the content what I want?
* Is the focus what I want ?
* Are there electives that I will be interested in?
As regards you circumstances you will want to think about questions such as -
* Does the program run where I am or want to be?
* Is the duration right for me?
* Can I give it the time it will require?
* Is the start date right for me?
* Can I afford the fee, plus the other costs, e.g., living expenses, materials etc?
Then there are some other - more subtle - questions-
Will the program have people like you on it?
Particularly on 'taught' programs - full time, part time and modular - a lot of what you will gain will be from interaction with and learning from other participants so you need to ensure that, in some respects, they are not very different from you, in particular that they have a similar amount of experience to draw upon, have held jobs at similar levels to you, etc. You might not want to be on a program where most others were very much older or younger than you. In other repects you will want to ensure that there is some differences - e.g. that there will be people from a range of backgrounds, cultures etc. The twin issues therefore are - the level of the people and the diversity of the group