STUDY PLAN GUIDELINES (WITH SAMPLE)

1st Paragraph
Provide the following details in this paragraph:
 a background about yourself (professional background)
 a brief discussion of your reason for pursuing international education - concentrate more on
economic and practical impact rather than dreams and goals

Business people work in fields such as marketing, finance, accounting, advertising and
management. Some run their own companies, creating products and services that meet the
needs of consumers. They all work on various projects and must be punctilious in meeting
deadlines. An individual's skills, motivation and aspirations are important, and there are
several key traits and accomplishments that are necessary for success as a business owner.
One of these is to be knowledgeable in marketing. As an aspiring businesswoman myself, I
want to start in the basic and most fundamental aspect of business - promoting and selling
products and services. With this specific goal in mind, the apprehension and proficiency I
want to seize in order to reify success is through germane training and formal education.
Marketing knowledge enhances entrepreneurial prowess and gives confidence in
salesmanship, thus, ensuring that a successful outcome is accessible.

I am , years old, and a resident of

. With the adage “Don’t be afraid to take a big
step. You can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps,” I am encouraged to take a big leap toward
this profession. I am beyond indebted to the opportunity of being accepted at Centennial
College under the program Business-Marketing in the most vibrant city of Toronto, Ontario
in Canada.

2nd Paragraph
Provide the following details in this paragraph:
 educational background
 work experiences - must state history of employment from the time you graduated until
the present
 if education and profession is different, make sure to focus on the part that is related to the
chosen program and explain the reason for changing career
 you may include duties and responsibilities if necessary

I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from Silliman University, Dumaguete City, in

March 2010 and passed the Nursing Licensure Exam (NLE) in February 2011. After passing
the NLE, I immediately applied for a customer service representative position at Qualfon
Dumaguete, where I got hired as a trainee. At that time, job opportunities for nursing
graduates in the clinical setting were less compensated, which forced me to shift in a more
practical option. However, graveyard shifts triggered my stress urticaria (skin itching) and
sinusitis due to the cold temperature of
the air conditioning system and lack of sleep, and thus, I decided to resign from that position
in favor of my health and well-being. I took a break for one year and stayed at home while
selling imported perfumes and spray mists. As a matter of fact, nursing was not really my
first option in college, nonetheless I took the challenging course to appease my family,
especially my mother. In spite of this, I do not regret taking the course since having
knowledge in medical sciences is very advantageous and beneficial.

In February 2012, I became part of SPi Technologies, Inc., and in 6 months’ time, I became a
quality assurance specialist. After almost two years of tenure, I was promoted as a Team
Leader (Supervisor I). I really enjoyed working on administrative tasks while gaining
knowledge on the business side of things under the tutelage of our operations manager, and I
was quite determined to climb up the corporate ladder, being inspired by our then President
and CEO, Mr. Maulik Parekh, who successfully transformed corporations all over the world.
Aside from my administrative responsibilities as a Team Leader, I was involved in various
company activities including fundraising for our annual corporate social responsibility (CSR)
project. I spearheaded the fundraising campaign for our respective team, and we came up
with different products to sell around the office (such as fruit mix, peanuts, candies, coffee,
home-made cookies, etc.) and strategies for increasing our sales and profit (displaying our
products at the activity center, assigning team members to man the display during their break
time, personally roaming around the office looking for colleagues who might want to buy
food, having some sanitary products and coffee under my drawer in case someone might
need it). It was very challenging on my part since I mostly had to do the selling personally
because my team members have their respective daily quotas (number of article pages
edited). Through our collective efforts, each team acquired sufficient funds that exceeded our
target to finance the CSR project, and we were able to donate 300 school bags with school
supplies, slippers, and hygiene kits to the pupils of Kaladias Elementary School, a remote
school in the mountainous area of Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental. It was indeed a very
arduous but fulfilling sustainable project, which we continued for two years.

After four and a half years of working at SPi Technologies, Inc., I decided to go back to
school. This decision has been the fruition of my desire to improve my communication skills
through pursuing a career in speech language therapy. I believe that this area is not only
intended for specially gifted children and adults but to people who stutter and have problems
with producing speech sounds accurately as well. Being in the line of frequently
communicating, enticing, and convincing people, I gathered up the audacity to make
headway for myself. With this, I earned a Diploma in Professional Education from the
University of the Visayas, Cebu City, in March 2017, and I started working as a freelance
copy editor for Cactus Communications Services Pvt. Ltd. in September 2017. Fortunately, I
passed the Licensure Exam for Teachers in November 2017. It took another year for the
university to offer the Master’s in Communication Disorder course, and so, I withdrew my
enrolment from that course since several enrollees were also uncertain whether a master’s
degree from the said university would still be internationally recognized or
accredited at the present time, given the lack of in-house university professors qualified to
teach the subjects.

I continued working as a freelance copy editor, and it was very rewarding since I was earning
well and I was able to work at my own pace and schedule. The flexible work hours gave me
extra time to do some online selling. I sold imported perfumes, spray mists, body lotion,
cosmetics, bags, wallets, etc., under the name “Fragrant Indulgence” on Facebook and rented
shelf spaces under the same name “Fragrant Indulgence” at Rack and Shelves Brach 2 and
Brand Racks, two of the trendiest concept stores in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. The
extra income that this micro-scale business provided was indeed beneficial not only for me
but for my family as well. As I came up with the plan to study in Canada, I decided to
temporarily let go of my physical store and stick to online selling last February, while still
accepting tasks as copy editor. This way, I can focus on planning my school and visa
application.

3rd Paragraph
In this paragraph, kindly:
 provide the reason why there is a need to undergo further studies
 elaborate your reason for choosing your program in Canada
 mention the significance of your program to your goals and future plans Question
to ponder: What is your motivation for seeking to undertake your course?

Although being an entrepreneur was just a sideline career of mine, I found consolation and
fulfillment in being able to identify and find data to recognize human interests and what these
mean to them. Seeking ways to reach out and communicate with different audiences with
contrasting needs and preference and how to deal with each of them in a unique way is the
most arduous thing to effectuate, yet I am passionate about.

Microentrepreneurship is fast becoming a trend not only in the Philippines but also
worldwide, especially among women. Not all successful businesses started as big enterprises,
and in reality, many started small and faced countless challenges before they reached
stability. Thus, it is a risky continuous process of learning towards success.

My maternal grandfather was a Chinese immigrant who had a bakery business (Rich Bakery)
in Dumaguete City in the 1960s together with his father and uncles. When they decided to
retire and go back to China, my mother and her siblings were too young to take over and had
no experience and educational background in running a business, and so the bakery was sold.
The chief baker had no choice but to seek employment from another small bakery, bringing
with him all the recipes, knowledge, and skills that my great grandfather, who was an
excellent pastry baker, taught him. That small bakery expanded and up to the present time,
their business is still running and they now have a grocery store. That wasted opportunity
got imprinted on my
mind since I was young. Rich Bakery could have expanded further into a chain of bakeries
over the years had my mother and her siblings known how to run it.

4th Paragraph
In this paragraph, kindly:
 state reasons for choosing Canada as a host country to pursue education
 you may research on the city where your school is located, what it is known for, the people,
the culture, and the advantages that you can get towards getting an international perspective
Questions to ponder: Why did you select Canada for higher studies? Isn't this course offered in your
home country? Why not continue your education in your home country or in any other country?

As an aspiring microentrepreneur who does not possess an educational background

in business but dreams of making it big in the near future, I decided to pursue post-secondary
education in Canada since Canada is recognized worldwide for its outstanding quality of
education. It is also widely known as a welcoming country with a unique culture that
embraces cultural diversity. Moreover, most international students in Canada enjoy a high
standard of living, being given the opportunity to experience a climate, culture, and way of
life that is beyond comparison. The Canadian educational system encourages cross-
disciplinary studies and the development of transferable skills (e.g., critical thinking,
teamwork, and communications) and uses cutting-edge technology and digital media, which
is very relevant in the digital era. Hence, I strongly believe that acquiring a
certificate/diploma from a reputed Canadian college will provide a greater advantage than
earning it here in my home country since Canadian courses/degrees are globally recognized.

5th Paragraph
In this paragraph, kindly:
 state the reason/s for choosing your school in Canada
 defend the difference between pursuing the same program in any universities here in the
Philippines
 identify student services which you can avail of state the reason why you have chosen
the program
 discuss what the program is about and its overview
 what is the relevance of the program to your education and professional
background
 if the program is directly related to the completed degree in the Philippines, you can identify
the course which you have undertaken and provide a course comparison
 identify and discuss at least three courses under your chosen program that you have not
undertaken and there value to your career and in relation to your goals
Questions to ponder: Why did you choose this institute and how did you find it? What city your
school is located? What is the location of your university/college? What is the relevance of your
chosen course in Canada with your previous career and your future plans?
 Note: you may discuss the reason why you have chosen the program in a separate paragraph.

In all the schools in Canada, I decided to have my further studies in Centennial College
as it is best known for its record of exemplary teaching, innovative programming and
extensive partnership building. As I have also researched, it is one of the global institutions in
the community that focus on preparing students to enter the workforce. They are established
to be the leader in international studies, removing borders and building bridges among every
study around the globe. The school provides facilities that enable students to be interactive
with the real world even before they graduate from Centennial so that the students are job-
ready. They make sure that whatever students are learning in classes can also be learned
practically. With this, I am confident in the path that I am taking as I am convinced that the
school will help me become more competent and be one of the respected professionals here
in the Philippines in the near future. On top of that, I chose to enrol at Centennial College
not only because it is close to my first cousin’s residence, where I will be staying, but most
importantly the 2-year business program that the college is offering will help prepare me to
take on the role of a marketing executive who maximizes profits through developing sales
strategies that match customer requirements by promoting products, services, or ideas. This
certificate program will guide me in learning business basics such as Digital Marketing which
is the online or digital means of selling your products, Organizational Behavior which will
teach me how I can keep employees long-term, and Business Strategy which will help me
to establish a system of action plans that are specifically designed to achieve organizational
goals for a long-term sustainability.

Notwithstanding the fact that business programs are available in my home country which is
the Philippines, I am persuaded that I will be acquiring premiere education and will be more
exposed to innovative and abundant research opportunities in Canada. Furthermore, with the
country’s multicultural society, I can gain access to exciting cross-cultural experiences which
will help me understand how different people think and weigh their needs. Interesting
courses under this program in Centennial are as follows: Financial Accounting Concepts,
Global Citizenship: From Social Analysis to Social Action, and Professional Selling.

Under Financial Accounting Concepts, one primordial key factor of establishing business
is taking account of finances and how to promote cost-effective transactions with consumers
through the products I am selling. For me, failure to constructively abide with a systematized
recording, summarizing, reporting, and interpreting of financial transactions will undoubtedly
lead to shortfall in any business. In addition, Global Citizenship: From Social Analysis to
Social Action will allow me to develop a sound understanding of being a global citizen, both
personally and professionally, which will bring me to impose a plan of social action
promoting equality and equity using different perspectives. Lastly, the course Professional
Selling will be handy in the line of business that I will be pursuing after I graduate. I believe
that selling is not just about persuading customers to buy my product, but by proving that my
offer will benefit the buyer as well. There are rumors spreading for
the said dishonesty of a salesperson. Many people have implanted that kind of stereotype
which have earned poor reputation tarnishing the entire profession. Given this, I am
determined to break that unnoticeable hackneyed idea and prove that selling is not just about
making promises of promoting a SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT and then breaking it.

6th Paragraph
In this paragraph, kindly:
 state your source of finances and funds
 state your relationship with the sponsor
 provide a brief background of your sponsor and the source of income
 if the sponsor is employed: specify job position, monthly income, and duration of
employed
 if sponsor is owning a business: specify the nature of the business and the duration of the
business
 provide the reason why the sponsor is funding the studies and what can he get out of it
Questions to ponder: How much money can you earn after your completion of studies? What will be
the total cost per year? What is the cost of living required in Canada? Who is your sponsor? Source of
income? Why is he/she sponsoring you? How much money is available for your stay in Canada?

In order to realize this, I am applying for a study permit. I have fully paid the 1-year tuition
fee of CAD $16,087.84 for my studies in Canada. In addition, I have already deposited CAD
$10,000.00 to my student bank account in the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC)
for the guaranteed investment certificate (GIC), which will cover my living expenses. I
have secured those funds from my employment, also with the help of my very supportive
siblings, , working in the USA as a
Medical Technologist for almost 5 years and , who is working as a
Primary Teacher. I am truly blessed to have them as a supporting system who always
motivates and strengthens me especially with this new journey that I am taking.

7th Paragraph
In this paragraph, kindly:
 state your future plans and career (you must state that you are returning to the
Philippines after your studies)
 how do these compensate for the money you spend studying in Canada
 talk about Return of Investment (ROI)
 include if possible any advantages or benefits on the part of your sponsor (if not
mentioned in the previous paragraph)
 mention a specific job position in your home country or other countries that you are aiming
for and identify specific establishment in the Philippines where you can apply
 make sure to read the career outcomes of the chosen program
 if you want to pursue your own business, elaborate your plans
 if you are married: please discuss who will take care of your dependents while you are
away
 Questions to ponder: Do you intend to return to your home country upon completion of your course?
What are your plans after studying in Canada?Have you researched your career prospects? What are
the specific incentive and advantages of returning to the Philippines with your proposed
qualifications? How will your course in Canada improve your future employment and remuneration
circumstances in any specific and detailed manner?

I believe that graduating from this course would provide a great opportunity for me to
achieve my ultimate goal of venturing into business with my sister who works in the USA.
Upon my return to the Philippines, we will lay opportune foundations in establishing our own
women’s clothing and accessories brand with its soon proprietary name as CALM, which
comes from the initials of my siblings. Our business will feature trendy Korean clothing and
other imported goods, including designer bags, wallets, jewelries, perfumes, and cosmetics.
This will be situated in our hometown in Dumaguete City. The overall vision of this
company is to serve as manufacturers which will attract wholesalers to sell our products to
consumers. On a side note, wholesalers can even open up our merchandise to retailers, and in
return they can sell it to the public. With the knowledge that I will be soon gaining in my
chosen program, this plan will be feasible. My international education in business marketing
will pave the way to concoct concrete plans in gathering raw materials from future suppliers,
canvassing machines and tools, as well as the potential facilities, advertising our new-
established brand, and enthralling prospective wholesalers and customers.

Next to that, since I have established my profession in copy editing, I am also planning to
commence a freelance editing business. Since most types of writing today only need a
computer, internet connection, and word processing software, it is accessible for anyone
wishing for any sideline careers that can fit in their schedule. Being in this field for a span of
time makes me an eligible person to run this kind of business. With the program that I will be
taking, I will be given the opportunity to figure out the competition I will be part of which is
important in determining what I can offer that is valuable and unique. The whole educational
experience will surely equip me with the appropriate knowledge and skills that are essential
in putting up and running a successful business. I never want to go through the whole
experience of regretting my decisions in life again. This time, I have put on my bravest face
to do what I truly intend to do and not what others tell me. I will be ready to face the world of
business head-on, and promised myself that nothing can come in the way of my goal. In my
return to the business industry, I will have a clear vision of the path that I want my business
to take, and that is the path towards successful establishment and permanent stability. Not
only will it help me grow professionally but also it will enable me to develop personally as I
get to experience the culture and life in Canada. Granting me a student permit will ensure that
this vision will come to realization.