Hi
I am interested in knowing how a bachelor's degree from a foreign country may affect a CSS application? Does it give a bad impression? Or a better one, perhaps?
Any experiences are welcomed.

sis

no impression

all right!

I don't know what impression foreign degrees give but I can tell you by personal experience that foreign degrees make the application process a lot harder, especially if the people at HEC are not in a cooperative mood.
So I suggest that if you intend to apply for CSS on a foreign degree get your recognition letter from HEC as soon as you possibly can.

I don't get the whole HEC recognition issues. Why don't you try to explain it, using your personal experience, of course?

well aysha nothing wrong in getting the foreign degree or doin CSS after that. See this need an objective approach

- You have to get a bachelors degree, so if you can afford and are in a position why not get it from abroad. That really has nothing to do with CSS at all.
-Then comes CSS matter. Now foreign degree or local degree, you will have to clear the written by your hardwork, and performance on exams. The examiner doesnt even know your name what to talk of the origin of your degree. So, impression issue still not in picture.
-In interview it maybe taken as a positive perception, but by no mean will it do any "out of the way" help. If you perform well you get rewarded, thats how it is in CSS.
- The HEC recognition thing, yes thats a matter to look at. But not something that is of a big big issue. See if you get a foreign degree, you need to have an equivalence certificate from HEC. Thats not a big issue, they have set procedure for that. You just need to fill form attach some documents and they issue it. Just that your foreign uni is not fake. So when u get enrolled at ur foreign uni, you can ask the HEC office if that uni is recognized or not.So, no issue here even, its all doable and has been done.

So, dear if you wanna go abroad fro education, you should! but thats for educational benefits and exposure and not that just a foreign degree will help you in any special way. In private sector it does, but in CSS its all your performance
Hope it helps. Just pray for my allocation

__________________
*Whirling Dervaish*

As much as I would like to believe that a foreign degree or a degree from a good local university helps in the interview, my experience and empirical evidence suggests otherwise. HOWEVER a foreign degree helps you in a lot of other aspects e.g.

1)You confidence improves which def. helps in the interview
2)Your written and spoken english improves which again helps in both written and interview
3)Generally in life you get better exposure and opportunities (relatively speaking)

Other than that, dont think of foreign degree as a means of doing better in CSS. Nothing is certain in this examination and the wait period is too long. 1 year to wait for written result and if you pass 6 months more wait till final result and then if you get allocated, 6 more months till CTP starts. CTP itself is of 11 months and afterwards there is another STP of upto 1 year. THEN you get a posting in the field. Therefore think of a foreign degree as something which will enhance your exposure, get you better career opportunities and polish your personality and not something which will help you in CSS. If you are serious about CSS, devote no more than 2-3 months for prep and in the meanwhile do not burn your ships like dont quit from your job etc.

I didn't think that it would get you extra marks or something but that it will help with interview, language skills etc.
2-3 months for prep. Really?

@ Hassan
I would like to politely disagree with your opinion on getting the HEC recognition for foreign degrees, they have a set procedure and it is fairly easy to follow but the problem is not the procedure...... it is the people (like with most government institutions in Pakistan)

I applied for the 2012 attempt on a foreign degree and had to get a letter of recognition for that purpose (not the equivalence certificate,the letter of recognition is all one needs... it says so on the FPSC application form) but the point is, the person in charge at HEC Islamabad equivalence department had some personal issues and the guy covering up for him was extremely stubborn and rude, I wasted 3 valuable weeks trying to get just one letter.

So this brings me back to the point I was trying to make in the first place, if anyone wants to apply on the basis of foreign degrees get the relevant documents from the HEC as soon as possible........ don't wait till the last month, it may not be enough time!

@ Mani
I agree with you, if one has good grip on English and has reasonable analytical abilities 3 to 4 months is enough time to prepare for an honest attempt but you need to be smart and a little selective too.