If you have any questions please check the forum. If you do not find your answer, feel free to post your question on the forum and we shall be happy to answer it. Please be aware that you have to register in order to be able to take part in the forum discussions.
Please find bellow some general FAQ. For specific questions on different programs, application process, funding, visa application or setting up in the UK, please register with our website or contact us.
Q: How can you help me during the application process?
We can offer you information about different universities we represent and guide you in choosing the right program. In case you choose a program of any university we represent, we can help you with the preparation of your application, including, but not limited to, resume and essays; we can assist you with funding options, and with your visa application. We can, if you choose to, become the link between you and the university you selected, and we can follow up your application, and resolve various problems for you. Please be aware that we represent only some universities, and we can only offer you our support if you apply to any of the universities we work with.
Q: What is the difference if I apply directly to a university versus applying via Bridge Study in terms of costs?
Your costs are exactly the same. You do not pay us any commission of fees. The universities recognise that students from Romania and Bulgaria are not used to the education system abroad, and they may pay us to educate you in selecting the right university and program and to assist you with your application process, to increase your chances of being accepted. In addition, we may be able to persuade the universities to accept your application for partial scholarships, which you may not be able to get otherwise. Please do not read this paragraph such that we can obtain full scholarships for you - this is NOT the case. Please refer to the Funding chapter for more information on the subject.
Q: Why would I apply via Bridge Study?
Why not? We offer free assistance and counselling for your future studies and we are happy to provide you with information, to help you select the right program, to assist you during your application process. Once you have chosen a college or university that we work with, we will represent YOUR interests, and we would do our best to get you into your chosen program.
Q: Do I have to pay any fee for my application to be submitted?
NO, you do not have to pay Bridge Study any fee. We offer free assistance. However, some colleges / universities charge an application fee, which you will need to pay regardless how you submit your application.
Q: What is the most secure way for me to send my application?
Via Bridge Study. Our representatives travel frequently between Bucharest and London, and we can take your application file from Romania, and post it in London, with registered post that guarantees next day delivery.
Q: Can I obtain more information regarding the universities and colleges represented by Bridge Study?
YES, of course. You can check the websites of all the colleges and universities we represent, and if you require a personalised response you can contact us.
Q: Can you help me with finding a summer course?
The only college that we represent and offers summer school is Concord College. Go to www.concordsummerschool.com for more information, or get in touch with our representatives.
Q: How can I find a program if it is not listed on your site?
You can use the British Council Educational site (www.educationuk.org), which provides you with a database of all courses in the UK, www.prospects.ac.uk, www.postgraduate.hobsons.com, www.mbaworld.com (list of the accredited programs), and other similar sites.
Q: What does A-level mean?
A-Levels represent a two-year course taken just before the university, after completion of two or three years of high school, or after completion of General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in the UK. In Romania and Bulgaria, A-Levels are the equivalent of the 11th and 12th forms or the 12th form and one more year.
Q: When can I start an A-level program?
Usually, students that attend A-Levels are 15 years old or above.
Q: What if I want to study in the UK and I am in the 7th form?
You can start with GCSE, which is the program prior to A-levels. All the colleges we represent offer such programs.
Q: Why would I want to enrol in an A-level program?
There are some universities and programs whose admission criteria are very high, and the Romanian and Bulgarian qualification (Baccalaureate) are not recognised. Medicine and Dentistry are examples of such programs, where the majority of universities require International Baccalaureate, which is difficult to be obtained in Romania and Bulgaria. Thus, you may increase your chances of being accepted into the chosen program by graduating A-levels. Doing GCSE and A-levels is the typical path for any British person wishing to attend a university program. However, should you decide to undertake A-levels in the UK to increase your chances for being accepted to top British universities, you need to be very careful in selecting the right college. You should consult our team for more information.
Q: What is a boarding school?
A boarding school is a college which provides accommodation to their students, and basically students live on the site. They usually provide extra curriculum activities, and have a variety of facilities, such as gym, swimming pool, laundry, disco, library, computer room, etc.
Q: Why would I want to do A-levels if I want to study an ordinary degree, where acceptance is not very difficult?
Besides increasing your chances of being accepted to a top university in the UK, you would attend a program that develops you as an individual, you would have the chance to discover your talents, your abilities; you would be able to access specialised assistance in choosing the right career for you, based on your skills and preference. Not last, you will make friends for life, that will most likely develop successful careers, and that would be the basis for your future network.
Q: What is guardianship?
Guardianship is the person to be called upon in case of emergency. If a college does not offer guardianship, this means that you need to provide a contact person in the UK in case of emergency situations. All the colleges have specialised personnel that take care of their students. However, each student must indicate a person that the college can call in case of emergency. If you choose a college that does not offer guardianship, you can provide the contact details of our program Director who lives in the UK and can be contacted for emergency situations. Our Director will immediately contact your family or the person you want us to contact, be it in Romania or elsewhere.
Q: I am currently in the second year of university. May I transfer to a British university?
YES, but the credits you will receive will depend on the relevance of the subjects taken to date, and your grades to the relevant ones. You will only be able to learn exactly what you can and what you cannot transfer once you have been accepted by the university. Neither we nor the university are able to tell you in advance what credits you may receive unless you formally apply.
Q: What is UCAS?
In the UK, the application for undergraduate degrees is normally done via UCAS, an organisation that centralises all the applications, and submits them on your behalf to all the universities you select (a maximum of six). Selected universities accept direct applications. The universities we work with accept direct applications via Bridge-Study only if you choose ONE university only.
Q: How can I use your services if I want to apply to more than one university?
If you choose more than one university, you have to submit your application via UCAS. However, we can still assist you with information to enable you to select the right programs, with support in writing your essays and compiling your application file. We encourage you to contact us regardless of the number of universities you want to apply to. We may be able to provide some information that you would have not even thought of!
Q: How do I choose the right postgraduate program?
There is a wide range of courses and you have to think which one meets your needs best. You may want to consider:
- What courses can you do based on your existing qualifications?
- What is your career goal?
- Is a postgraduate study (master, MBA, PhD) necessary for your field of work or for achieving your career goal?
- Which qualification should you aim for in order to progress fast with your career?
- Would a postgraduate qualification enhance your job prospects in your chosen field or might employers be more interested in the skills that you have obtained during your work experience?
- Do you need to do an initial postgraduate course (such as a Master) as preparation for an MBA later, or for doctoral studies?
- Do you aim for a strategic management position, for which an MBA is very prestigious and necessary, or would you prefer a career in functional management, for which you might consider another postgraduate Master�s programme (MA, MSc)?
Q: I am interested in a Master program. How should I choose my university?
There are several factors to be considered:
- academic quality: you can obtain good information by checking the standards of the program ('Institutional Audits' made by Quality Assurance Agency www.qaa.ac.uk/reviews), students' feedback on Teaching Quality Information website www.tqi.ac.uk, ranking of the university and program (such as Financial Times' ranking www.ft.com)
- university's connections with companies and assistance in finding a job
- university's facilities (library, internet, etc)
- location (inside / outside of a large town, surroundings and closeness to various objectives of interest), availability of campus accommodation
- class size and variety of students� backgrounds
- costs and funding availability
- entry requirements and whether or not your qualifications are accepted
Q: What are the eligibility criteria for an MBA program?
Generally, the main requirement for an MBA is minimum 2 years of post graduation work experience. If you want to pursue an MBA program without at least 2 years of experience you should consider a university with flexible admission criteria, but you need good undergraduate marks and a relevant CV. Among the universities that we represent, you should only apply to Regent�s College or Greenwich College.
Q: When applying to an MBA, does a particular academic or professional background give me any advantage during the admission process?
Not really. Universities seek students from a wide variety of backgrounds. Diversity in all forms (academic, professional, cultural, ethnic, gender, geographic, socioeconomic, etc.) is an important component of all MBA programs. However, if your background is in any business related area, you will find it easier during the program, whist if you have studied subjects like art or music you may find it a little more difficult.
Q: What kind of work experience does the MBA Admissions Committee consider?
When evaluating the applications, universities consider any type of 'graduate' work experience: full-time work, military experience, part-time work, internships, co-op assignments, summer jobs, and volunteer work. However, only the post-graduation work experience is considered.
Q: Will my application be considered if I have fewer than required full-time work experience?
Usually the universities review every application received, regardless of the experience of the candidate, and admit candidates with little or no experience as long as other areas of their application are exceptionally strong. However, applicants with more experience are generally more competitive. Candidates with little work experience are advised to apply to universities that have more flexible admission criteria, such as Regent's College or Greenwich College. You will clearly need to show your career achievements to the date of application, to counterbalance for lack of minimum experience required.
Q: What kind of MBA can I attend with only three years of work experience?
The only MBA programs you may be able to attend with less than three years of work experience (within our portfolio of universities) are those offered by Regent's College or Greenwich College.
Q: I have been accepted by three universities for MBA programs. How should I choose my university?
Choosing the MBA is not an easy task, since most of the universities do not accept a second MBA. There are several criteria that you have to consider:
- what does the university and the program offer in terms of resources, environment, mix of theoretical and practical learning, the size of the classes, international mix of students on the program, university�s links with the business community, assistance in finding internship during the program and jobs upon completion, career advise and assistance
- program accreditation
- university ranking
- employment achievements of past graduates
- international recognition of the program
- location and premises (you will spend at least one year there)
- total cost (tuition and living expenses) of the program and your possibilities to cover the costs
Q: I have completed a degree similar to an MBA program. Am I still eligible for admission to another MBA program, at a different school?
Usually, MBA programs do not admit applicants seeking a second MBA degree or a similar graduate management degree, regardless of where the first one had been obtained. Exempls are master's degrees that focus on a specific functional area of business (such as accounting, finance, or management information systems) and do not offer a broad general management curriculum typical to an MBA degree. However, if you have already got an MBA degree, why would you want another one? It makes more sense for you to do a Master program, should you decide to continue with your education, to specialize yourself in a particular area.
Q: What are the types of jobs I could apply during an MBA?
If you study in the UK, you area allowed to work 20 hours per week and you can apply to any type of job. You may have high chances to work within the university library, at the campus restaurant, and other such jobs, but do not expect a high payment (salary range is between GBP 4 and 6 per hour).
However, please bear in mind that as the MBA programs are very intense, you may not have much spare time to be able to take a part-time job!
Application Process
Q: What are the steps for applying to an undergraduate or postgraduate program?
The application process usually consists of the following steps:
- Complete the application on-line or send it to BRIDGE-STUDY or to the university directly / UCAS for undergrads (if more than one application)
- BRIDGE-STUDY may review / assist in filling in the application form. Please feel free to ask us for any help you may require. We can help you improve your application.
- Application reviewed by University's Admission Committee
- An interview may be requested (usually a telephone interview is enough)
- The University sends the response via letter to applicant or to BRIDGE-STUDY
- Offers made to successful applicants, may be conditioned
- The student must confirm his/her acceptance of the offer, in order to reserve the place. This acceptance may sometimes require payment of a small deposit.
- The university send the formal letter to the student
- Visa application
Q: Can I apply in advance and submit my documents (baccalaureate diploma, English certificate and others) afterwards?
YES, you can. You may even be offered a place, but conditional upon provision of the missing documents. If you had not finished your studies by the time you submit your application, the condition to you may be to graduate with similar results as in your previous years, or to get a general grade of no lower than X.
Q: Shall I include diplomas in my application file? I have got several diplomas from National Olympics.
Any document that gives additional information on your academic and non academic achievements should be included in the application file. You want your application to be different from the others! You have to sell yourself to the university and you do this by providing as much relevant information as you can.
Q: I applied to an undergraduate program at Queen Mary University via UCAS. Could you please tell me what is the deadline for sending additional documents?
Since you have applied via UCAS, we are unable to follow up with your application. Generally, the universities do not get involved until they have had a UCAS application and the student's transcripts, plus results at the English test sent to them. Since you have applied via UCAS, nobody can interfere with your application until UCAS makes a decision. UCAS' deadline is 30 June. We suggest you give them all the additional information required, and if you have problems closer to the date, you contact us again. Please bear in mind that the admissions office in QM takes 4-6 weeks to make a decision (from the time they get the correspondence from UCAS).
Q: If I want you to follow up my application with the university, what can I do?
You need to apply via BRIDGE STUDY. However, if you apply for an undergraduate program, you can only apply via us if you submit only one application. You cannot apply to more universities if you apply via us. However, you can decide to apply via us to any of the universities we represent, and should your application be unsuccessful, you can then apply via UCAS.
Q: How is ASE viewed by the UK universities? All the universities require 'a good upper honours bachelor degree'. Does ASE Bachelor's Degree qualify?
YES. All the British universities have access to a system which translates most of the degrees from Romanian and Bulgarian high schools and universities, based on the grades achieved, into British equivalents. If your university is not included in this system (which may well be the case), we can help with the application process, by providing the university you apply to information on the Romanian or Bulgarian high school or university you come from.
Q: If I have graduated a Master program at ASE, am I eligible for an MBA?
If you have a Master degree, this should not make you less likely to be accepted for an MBA program. There are students that do a Master first, and then an MBA. ASE is a good university, and a degree obtained from ASE is well regarded. However, you may wish to consider accumulating at least two years of work experience, in order to be able to attend a better MBA program.
Q: If I am admitted this year, may I defer my enrolment until next year?
It depends on the universities' admission policy and the reasons for deferring. Typically, you should be able to.
Q: I have already been accepted by a British university. What happens if I do not get my visa on time? Will the university keep my place for a year?
Usually YES. However, if you want to drop the application, most of the universities will refund your deposit or registration fee.
Q: How do I choose the referees (people that I should ask for references) for an MBA application?
The Admissions Committee is interested in recommendations from people who can assess your ability to succeed, not only in an academic environment but also in your career and in positions of leadership or management. The Admissions Committee wants to know about your communication and analytical skills and how you work with others. People who often serve as strong references include your current supervisor, a former supervisor, or those with whom you have worked for a reasonable period of time. Academic recommendations provide the Admissions Committee with information on your ability to succeed in an academic environment, but professional recommendations tell them more about your ability to contribute in a business context. Recommendations from friends, work peers or subordinates, family members, or family friends are not appropriate and may detract from the overall strength of your application.
Q: Can FCE be used as a valid English Certificate?
NO.
Q: Do UK universities have the SAT exam as an application requirement?
NO, but if you have such an exam with a good result, it could represent a plus if it is added to your resume.
Q: What is the application procedure for the Medical School or Dentistry?
The Medical School and Dentistry are the most competitive universities, with a limited number of places, set by the government. Queen Marry only has 20 places per year. If you want to apply to any of those, you have to apply only via UCAS, and you have to have a very strong application. Sometimes, you may want to consider undertaking A-levels at a top British college, and then to apply to any of these extremely competitive programs or universities.
Applications need to be sent between 1st September and 15th October for start the following year. You can only apply to 4 schools for these subjects. In order to be accepted, you need an International Baccalaureate or A-levels with Chemistry and Biology and IELTS of 7.5.
Q: How can I get in touch with other students studying and living in the UK?
Generally the first step would be to contact other Romanian students studying at the same university as you are. For the universities we represent, we can provide contacts of students we have been advising in their application process. Another manner for you to interact with Romanians would be to access http://www.romani.co.uk/ an online project supporting the new comers in the UK.
