AMCHAM-MACEE Scholarships 2008If you have recently been accepted into a four-year American university for Fall 2008, apply for the AMCHAM-MACEE Scholarship Program today! The scholarship offers an annual award of USD20,000 for four years of study. Deadline is May 30, 2008, so step on it.
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Tinkosong Series on US Universities and ApplicationsSince the deadline for US universities are fast approaching, we have compiled articles that people have written for us in the past for your reference. All the best!
Here are a series of articles that were published in the recent Discover U.S. Education - KL ´07 event newsletter.
Discover ´07 Newsletter
Demystifying the US college system
The application
Malaysian students´experiences in the US
Other Tinkosong Articles
Disclaimer: Although every effort has been made to provide accurate and up-to-date information about the US application process, the articles are meant for general informational purposes only. The admissions process in the US is highly subjective and thus, we will not guarantee accuracy of information because we do not claim to be professionals nor should we be taken as such. We disclaim all liability for any errors or inaccuracies in content, and for any actions taken in reliance on content and opinions within the articles.
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Need-blind? Need-based? Huh?: A word on Financial AidNeed-blind? Need-based? Huh?
by David Ong, Dartmouth College ‘09
Financial aid is a set of scholarships, loans and employment opportunities provided by colleges to help a student pay for their education. There are many different types of financial aid. Need-based financial aid is financial aid given to students who do not have enough money to pay for their education. Special financial aid is sometimes set aside for students with outstanding academic achievement (merit scholarships), athletes and other students with special skills (such as musicians), but this is less common among the top universities, and non-existent in the Ivy League. Athletic scholarships are generally only provided to students who are good enough and willing to compete on behalf of the university. All of this non-need-based financial aid is much more competitive and much less common than need-based financial aid.
The relative abundance of financial aid for international students is one characteristic of tertiary education in the United States. Most top U.S. universities, and many lesser U.S. universities, have well-funded financial aid programs which help international students pay for their education. Liberal arts colleges are particularly committed to much financial aid, which fits in with their mission of improving diversity on campus. However, getting the financial aid you need is still no easy task. And some colleges may evaluate how much financial aid you need differently than others when considering you for admission. At some U.S. universities, there is even enough financial aid for the admissions department to ignore the financial circumstances of applicant students and promise to grant all financial aid needed. This policy of disregarding applicants’ financial means is known as need-blind admissions. There are only six colleges in the U.S. with need-blind admissions policies for international students: Harvard, Middlebury, M.I.T., Princeton, Williams and Yale. These are also among the most competitive of American colleges. It is important to note that there are also colleges, like Cornell, that do not consider how wealthy you are in evaluating your application, but also do not always give you all the financial aid you need after they admit you. These colleges are generally not considered need-blind.
But you still stand a chance of being accepted to a college without need-blind admissions and getting enough financial aid - just ask the thousands of Malaysians studying at less generous colleges across the U.S. (Editors’ tip: Make sure you talk to our facilitators for the Liberal Arts Colleges* during the event. Most, if not all of them are on some form of financial aid!) Many of these colleges do not have enough money to go need-blind for international students, as this would cost a significant sum of money. However, some have enough money to admit most international students on financial aid, and are thus almost need-blind, in a sense. Sometimes a college posts this sort of information on their website: two years ago Stanford’s Admissions Department openly admitted that only 35 international students are accepted with financial aid each year, out of all international applicants. Usually, however, this sort of information is difficult to access. Most colleges publish the amount of financial aid available to international students on their websites in a very obscure place, known as the “Common Data Set” (CDS). Because different colleges hide their CDSs on different parts of their websites, the best way to find a CDS is to google “common data set” and the name of your college in question. Not every college completes the CDS, but enough do for the CDS to be your first tool in finding colleges which will give you financial aid. Details on how to find this information are at the end of this article.
Going through CDSs can take a long time, and for that reason it may make more sense to use a rough guide to start off with. College Confidential is a website which discusses admissions and financial aid issues, where you can find discussion threads about which colleges are most generous to international students. After a long search on Google and College Confidential, we were unable to find an accurate, comprehensive table detailing the amount of financial aid available to international students, though we did find several inaccurate tables. For instance, we found several flaws in the data in the Council of International Schools’ information on Financial Aid (highered.cois.org/Resources/FinancialAid.htm), such as a claim that Yale only has students from four countries (Yale has students from 110 countries). Therefore, you should ALWAYS question the reliability of whatever information you find online and make sure that it corresponds to what is said on the college’s admissions department website and the Common Data Set.
Usually, you must apply for financial aid at the same time you apply for admission. This is most often in December. Almost every college will not agree to give you financial aid after you have been accepted if you do not apply for financial aid by the deadline, which is almost always before admissions decisions. Some Malaysians apply to a college without asking for financial aid. If you do this, make sure you and your parents have the means to pay for ALL costs, often up to more than $45,000 per year. It’s no good going to a college for a year or two without getting a degree, even if that’s what’s Bill Gates did.
One last thing to consider is that when you do receive your financial aid packages, they are not set in stone. Financial aid offices often increase the amount of a scholarship, loan or employment when students demonstrate that they do not have enough. Bargaining also occurs, as colleges do not want to lose students they accepted. Thus, if you have a better financial aid package from Brown than from Dartmouth, you can sometimes tell the Dartmouth financial aid office of how Brown offered you much more financial aid, and the financial aid office at Dartmouth may increase your financial aid to match Brown’s. Not all colleges do this, but it is worth a try wherever you are.
The little-known financial aid opportunities in the US are definitely something you should look into! Do not be pessimistic about the perceived “high costs” of an overseas education. American colleges and universities are much more generous than universities in other countries in terms of financial aid, but one must be proactive in finding this information for themselves. Be sure to ask representatives at the fairs for the financial aid opportunities offered by their university.
Tips for finding International Student Financial Aid figures on the CDS:
Choose the most recent year of the CDS available.
Go to section H: Financial Aid.
Under section H, go to H6, which is under Aid to Undergraduate Degree-seeking Nonresident Aliens (nonresident alien is the term used to describe those who are non U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
There you can see the average financial aid provided to international students, how many international students received financial aid, and the total amount of financial aid available to all international students.
If you compare these figures with the number of “nonresident alien” degree-seeking undergraduates in section B2, you can figure out what percentage of international students are on financial aid, and thus you will get a better perspective of the competitiveness for financial aid at that college.
* Look out for the Liberal Arts Colleges, Swarthmore, Wellesley, Wesleyan, Mt. Holyoke, Wabash, Smith, Oberlin, Bates, Bowdoin and Kenyon on the 22nd of July!
David Ong, Dartmouth ‘09, is an alumnus of the International School of Penang (Uplands). A rising junior, he is directing a campaign for need-blind admissions at Dartmouth College.
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Crossroads: The Routes to US Undergraduate Education for MalaysiansCrossroads: The Routes to US Undergraduate Education
By Ng Eng Han, Dartmouth College ‘10 and Joyce Tagal, Yale University ‘09
It’s November, right after your SPM exams. The last thing you want to be thinking about is school and more school. Yet, your friends are constantly talking about which college to attend, what program to enroll in, while your parents, uncles and aunties suddenly become ‘experts’ on higher education and try to sway you in one direction or the other. You have heard vaguely about US education and the generous scholarships being offered by universities there, but this is all shrouded in a cloud of confusing terms like ADP, SAT, Ivy League, liberal arts colleges. You find no one who can advise you on these matters. Who do you turn to?
This is where we come in. Here, we will attempt to explain the various possible routes of entering the US for undergraduate education and tell you what you should look out for, based on the kind of student you are and the level of financial aid that you need.
In Malaysia, the traditional routes are
i) applying on your own
ii) JPA/MARA/Bank Negara preparatory programs
iii) transfer programs like ADP
Applying on your own
Firstly, applying on your own is usually daunting and confusing. You might be a Form 5 student who is looking to enter the US without going through Pre-U, or you might be a student currently enrolled in a rigorous Pre-U program in a public secondary school or private college. Without the help of experienced counselors to advise you on the complicated US admissions process like the counselors in JPA/BN prep programs or in ADP, the burden falls to you to seek out information and tactics on how to navigate the application process, which is much harder than applying to the UK, Australia or Canada.
Financial Aid in the US
For students choosing to apply on their own, costs are often the main consideration. There is, however, a little known SECRET about US undergraduate education among Malaysians: US higher education can be extremely affordable, and in some cases, FREE! Yes, you heard it right. Even if you fail to get that coveted JPA, Petronas or Bank Negara scholarship, you can still pursue your dream education in universities and liberal arts colleges like Harvard, Yale, Williams, Amherst, MIT etc. because of the wonder that is need-based financial aid offered by many private institutions in the US. Simple scenario: if you are accepted by, let’s say, Princeton and you tell them you don’t have enough money to pay that 50,000 USD per year cost, they will tell you, “oh don’t worry about the cost, just pay what you are able to and we’ll take care of the rest.”
The catch though is that one usually needs to be well-rounded and show extensive involvement in extracurricular activities in addition to having done extremely well academically to compete with other international students for these limited funds. Unlike Cambridge, Oxford or LSE which provide extremely limited grants, the top schools in the US are extremely generous when it comes to financial aid. These top schools include the very renowned liberal arts colleges like Williams, Swarthmore, Wellesley and Mt. Holyoke - all of which offer excellent education on par with Ivy League institutions. So make sure you look out for these liberal arts colleges at our event and ask them about financial aid!
In addition, if you are extremely good in sports, many US schools offer athletic scholarships that extend to international students as well. However, you need to be very proactive about contacting coaches and promoting yourself to them.
There are also a few other options if you cannot afford the high cost of private universities in the US. There are also 2-year community colleges, colleges which offer an Associate in Arts degree. Community colleges do not cost as much and might offer you some merit scholarships as in Yee Hu’s case if you do well in academics or athletics there. They can also be an extremely good option for students as the teachers there are extremely caring and helpful and do not grade as strictly as in 4-year colleges. Classes are small (about 30 or less) and teachers care a lot about your progress; they are usually willing to spend time advising you even after class time to make sure you understand the material. Entry requirements are also more relaxed and students generally do not have to take the SAT tests to study in a community college. English as a Second Language courses are also offered, so you need not worry if you are not that fluent in English. For fees, out-of-state tuition costs for community colleges can range from 5,000-10,000 USD per year, a fraction of the tuition fees in state universities or private universities. If you are worried about your prospects after completing community college, fret not. In most cases, if you earn your Associate in Arts degree, you are usually guaranteed entry to a reputable 4-year college to continue your education; in some states this is law. The only drawback here is you start paying more expensive tuition rates for state universities when you transfer. One of the cons of community colleges, however, is that you might need to decide on your major early on to ensure that all your credits transfer to the 4-year college after. Delaying the selection of your major could mean that not all credits might be transferable.
There are also a few outside merit scholarships available, like the Wesleyan Freeman scholarship, Carleton international student scholarships and the MACEE scholarship, but these are generally few and far between. If you have been an excellent student, you should definitely aim for need-based financial aid in US colleges.
On the other hand, for those who are not strapped for cash, you have a much wider array of institutions, public and private, to choose from. Your choices are expanded to include public universities like University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Ohio State University and Purdue University, costs of which range from 30,000 USD to more than 45,000 USD, while you also have the option of applying to private universities which are not as generous to international students like Stanford University, the University of Southern California and Johns Hopkins University.
Pre-U Programs and SATs
Now which Pre-U programs should you pursue if you apply on your own? Regardless of your financial standing, if you are looking to enter the most selective schools in the US, you should do a rigorous program like the STPM, A-Levels or the IB (International Baccalaureate) and not one-year matriculation programs because most top schools like to see that you have challenged yourself academically. It is very rare for people to get into the most selective schools with just SPM/O-Levels or matriculation programs as a background.
No matter what local or pre-U qualifications you decide on, the SAT Reasoning Test, is a must-take exam because it is the standardized test that all American colleges accept for the admissions process. The SAT Subject Tests are the next “level” of standardized test. However, only the most selective colleges require one to complete the SAT Subject Tests, soread each college’s application very carefully. They will list the tests they expect you to take upon applying. You can find out more and register for the SAT Reasoning Test and SAT Subjects Tests at www.collegeboard.com. Another standardized test you might have to take is the Test Of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). More information about the TOEFL is available at www.macee.org.my, and we will be elaborating more on these standardized tests in our next Discover ‘07 issue. Look out for more!
JPA/MARA/Bank Negara preparatory programs
Secondly, there is the route of the coveted JPA, MARA and Bank Negara scholarships for the US. These scholarships are great because you can apply to schools which do usually do not offer financial aid to international students like Northwestern University and Purdue University, but one often has to pay a heavy price for these scholarships.
Here are a few of the cons:
i) If you are lucky enough to be awarded one of these local scholarships, your major is usually set in concrete from the moment you apply for the scholarship. And if you think that you’re pretty sure about what you want to major in, think again. (Editors’ note: Seriously! Think again!) In the US system, you will be exposed to a wide variety of courses unlike the British and Australian systems so it is no surprise that some studies indicate that up to half or more of US college students change their major at least once within their 4 years of college. Changing your major is almost impossible with JPA/MARA or Bank Negara even if you suddenly find yourself really unhappy with your major in the the middle of your first year.
ii) Your choices of universities get limited to a small list determined by your scholarship body. This list is usually based on the US News rankings by major. For example, JPA arbitrarily decided not to allow several students to attend University of California-Davis in 2005 although they had already been accepted into the university and UC Davis was ranked pretty high for their intended major. This rigidity can also work against you if you intend to go to a school with a ‘better fit’ which is placed lower on the rankings by major than the other universities you were admitted to. For instance, say you are an engineering major and you are admitted into both Tufts University and University of Michigan for engineering. You would like to attend Tufts because of the location and their outstanding International Relations program, but JPA will insist on your going to UMichigan because it is ranked higher for your major. Going to a school that fits you best allows you to thrive and grow your potential; and so binding yourself to a scholarship body that will choose your school for you based on objective rankings might not allow you to experience overseas education to your best advantage.
iii) A warning to prospective JPA scholars: the American University program has been changed so that it is more like the American Degree Transfer program, elaborated on below. Instead of a one-year preparatory program and then a 4 year college degree course, JPA scholars will now do the preparatory program and then a two year course in Shah Alam, with a transfer to an American college for the last 2 years. There will be exceptions for those who get into top universities, but the bulk of JPA scholars will be on the 2-years at INTEC, 3-years in the US program.
iv) The lengthy bond. Financial aid from US colleges do not have bonds, so you would be much better off with the flexibility to choose your career path after graduation.
All that being said, JPA/MARA/BNM are still great scholarships despite all the cons, especially for those who won’t be able to study in the United States without some sort of financial help. One should definitely apply for the scholarships notwithstanding, especially if you have excellent SPM results. The editors strongly advise you, however, to consider all options, especially the two others we have listed here. Do not think of government scholarships as your only way to a US education!
American Degree Transfer Programs
Thirdly, You also have the option of doing a transfer program via ADP in local private colleges. Shu Guan, Wichita ‘07, has presented his experience in ADP for us in another page. Also known as ADTP, ACTP, and various other confusing acronyms, the ADP program makes US education much more of an affordable and accessible option. You can also transfer to many reputable universities like Georgia Tech and Purdue University at a much lower cost than if you were to complete the whole 4 years in the States.
However, as Shu Guan points out, there is not much variety in course selection. Also, courses at ADP can be less rigorous than those at highly selective institutions and one might have difficulty adapting to the higher rigor when transferring. If your dream is to go to top universities and liberal arts colleges like Princeton or Williams, do not take ADP as you will not be able to transfer to these institutions through ADP. Also, although somewhat more affordable, ADP is still pretty pricey for the average Malaysian family and there are rarely any full scholarships around to cover the US portion of the program. Most scholarships offered are only partial, and there are still significant costs involved when transferring to the US.
Whichever route you choose to take, whether it be applying on your own, trying for a local scholarship, contacting athletic coaches or an American credit transfer program, you should always take your academic prowess, extracurricular performances and financial situation into consideration. That being said, there is no one right way to approach a US education - all routes have their own benefits and drawbacks, and we encourage you to explore each route thoroughly before making your decision. The best way to do that would be, of course, to simply ask any of us at the Discover ‘07 fair!
The next best (or, Joyce would argue, the best) way to obtain further information on the US undergraduate system and admissions process, would be to pull up your internet browser. College websites and advising websites are frequently updated, and looking up the Malaysian Students Association at the college or contacting an admissions officer via email will offer you one-on-one communication with people who understand the process thoroughly.
You can also contact both of us at http://www.tinkosong.com or monitor forums like RECOM, The Worldwide Malaysian Students Network, at http://www.recom.org and College Confidential at http://talk.collegeconfidential.com. We encourage you to be highly proactive in your application process as you are the only one who can determine your success - or failure.
You should now be able to walk into the Discover event on the 22nd of July full of insightful questions to ask the facilitators while others are still struggling to understand the concepts of need-based financial aid and transfer programs to the US. If you have more concerns you would like us to address, you can reach us at enghan at tinkosong dot com or joyce at tinkosong dot com.
Ng Eng Han, an alumnus of SMK Damansara Jaya, and Joyce Tagal, who graduated from SM St. Teresa, Kuching, are co-founders of the tinkosong.com team (www.tinkosong.com). They met during their first semester at the American Degree Program (ADP) at Taylor’s College, Subang Jaya. Unfortunately, they soon separated when Joyce left to attend the JPA American preparatory program in INTEC, Shah Alam and Eng Han left to take the International Baccalaureate (IB)s at United World College-USA in New Mexico, USA. At the moment, switching programs and environments seemed stressful but in hindsight, they both know that they would do the same thing again - in a heartbeat.
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Why Study in America?“I never let my schooling interfere with my education.” - Mark Twain.
Why Study in America?
By Andrew Loh
“So why did you go to America for university, ah?”
That is often the first and most staggering question US-based Malaysian students face back home. So why would anyone in their right minds not study in Malaysia or Singapore (a bargain!), or go to, God forbid, an unknown liberal arts college in the middle of America when they could just as easily get into Oxbridge or other famous Australian universities?
The most important reason, I strongly believe, is because American education fits us (Malaysian students in America), like a key to its lock (or as we learn in Biology, like an enzyme to its polypeptide). Because American tertiary education offers us students something other countries do not. It is flexible, allowing indecisive students the chance to change their majors. It is tolerant of divergent, anomalous, and even ambiguous schools of thought, which maintains a scholarly atmosphere of debate and discussion. It places less weight on academics, compared to other systems, placing instead relatively greater importance on extracurricular activities and personal qualities like leadership, community service, and passion.
Conversely, and an even simpler reason, is that students choose America because other forms of education don’t fit us. Many of us could not flourish intellectually had we chosen to study in Malaysia given a combination of factors, some of which include our mentally-stifling academic milieu, the Universities and Universities Colleges Act (which forbids student participation in BN-sanctioned politics,) and the comparatively lower standard of education in our universities.
While the universities in the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia do present an attractive destination for many Malaysians, these systems force students to choose their majors prior to enrollment in their applications. In this case, the incentive for many a student choosing to study in the United States is to avoid prematurely choosing one major, spending three or four years of time, effort and money, and then regretting the choice in the end. The United States suddenly becomes the only alternative: where students don’t have to choose a major to apply, and where students can switch their majors if they happen to change their mind.
There are many different reasons for choosing an American education, but this belies the fact that many students go there not only because American education fits them best, but also because it misfits them least.
N.B.
Fit #1: Intellectual experience
What has come to define an American education is the liberal arts philosophy. Liberal arts is a short form of “liberal arts and sciences” and is a philosophy of education which believes in developing students who are well-rounded in all aspects of human knowledge: the natural sciences (e.g. Astronomy, Chemistry;) the social sciences (e.g. Economics, Political Science;) the humanities (e.g. Religion, Languages;) and the arts (e.g. Drama, Literature.)
This ideal is practiced in American colleges that mandate distribution requirements for their students. For example, a Physics major might be forced to take some courses in History or in a foreign language. A Music major might be forced to take Mathematics classes. Specific requirements differ from college to college, but the general liberal arts philosophy is the same. Students generally begin their studies with a broad syllabus, with classes in most academic sectors, and then ultimately specialize in a major (or two.) Even in major intensive courses like Engineering, students typically take anywhere from 30-75 percent of their classes within their major, and the rest in other fields.
Note well that the liberal arts philosophy is a system of holistic and comprehensive education in the natural sciences, the social sciences, the humanities, and the arts. It is not a liberal arts degree (like in some Australian universities,) and it is not only for artsy-fartsy people who draw, sculpt and paint. It is aimed at developing resourceful, exposed and dynamic students who have the skills and knowledge to cope with the rapid change in different fields today.
This system has come to differentiate American education from the rest of the world: students in other universities in Malaysia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand only take classes in their major. The American perspective on that is that these students might be missing out on education outside their specialization; that they are being confined intellectually.
Of utmost importance is that this philosophy is practiced in virtually all American universities: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, the rest of the Ivy League, Stanford, Duke, and MIT all provide a liberal arts education. If you find this hard to believe, you can go to their websites and find out.
Another unique aspect of American education is its liberal arts colleges. While a liberal arts education is the philosophy itself, a liberal arts college is generally a small, private college that uses a liberal arts curriculum. What contrasts them from larger universities like Harvard is that most of these liberal arts colleges have none or very few graduate programs.
While professors in larger universities such as Harvard might choose to teach only higher-level and graduate courses and might assign their introductory and lower-level classes to Teaching Assistants (who are usually graduate school students,) professors in liberal arts colleges generally pay more time and attention to undergraduate students. So for many students, the quality of education in liberal arts colleges (being able to ask questions and getting individual attention in class, having a small discussion course as opposed to a huge lecture, chatting with professors after class and visiting their houses) is much higher than in large research universities.
Students in the top liberal arts colleges receive an education similar in breadth and depth to the Ivy Leagues. In fact, a higher percentage of students who graduated from liberal arts colleges attend PhD programs than students from large research universities. Notable liberal arts colleges include, but are not limited to: Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Wellesley and Middlebury. Google to find more. While liberal arts colleges aren’t all that popular in Malaysia, they are very famous for both the quality of their education and the competitiveness of their graduates in the United States. Some students have turned down Harvard for liberal arts colleges, further reinforcing the fact that name recognition is not the only ingredient in a successful college experience.
The most important fit for an American education is the intellectual experience. If you aren’t sure what you want to major in, or think that you might change your mind half way, then America might be for you. Even if you know what you want to graduate in but want to take other courses as well, a liberal arts education caters for that need, while other systems do not. Perhaps the only students who should not consider an American education are those who absolutely know in what major they want to graduate, and who do not want to dabble with any courses outside their majors.
Fit #2: Student Preferences
America’s college system is as diverse as its people. There are many different types of universities, and here is a quick summary of their differences.
While a liberal arts education is distinctive of American higher education, there are also American trade track schools whose students only take courses in their major.
Size can be a concern. If you like small, personalised, discussion based classes, small liberal arts colleges like Macalester and Wesleyan might be your best bet. If you like universities with huge student bodies and lots of people to meet (and date), you might want to consider large universities like the University of Pennsylvania or the University of California, Berkeley.
Another factor to think about is the setting and the region of the university. Would you prefer a rural college far in the woods with spectacular scenery, like Cornell and Dartmouth; or a suburban setting, like Brown; or a university smack right in the city, like New York’s Columbia University, or the University of Chicago? Do you want to go to school in the Northeast, where most prestigious universities are, or enjoy the lower cost of living in the Midwest, or live up the surf in California and the West Coast?
Most colleges offer great social scenes, with lots of dynamic and interesting students to talk to and live with. This is true, especially of the international population, who bring with them norm-challenging perspectives and diverse experiences. Most colleges also have a plethora of extracurricular activities to choose from, from sports to debate and music to art.
With plenty of options and variables with which to play around and hundreds of colleges to choose from, it would be hard to not find a university that suits your tastes. There is not much difference in this section between American colleges and other Anglophone countries, save for its liberal arts philosophy and the fact that small undergraduate colleges are very rare outside America.
Fit #3: Finances
Education in America is very, very expensive. Tuition and costs of living combined can reach a sum of USD 45,000 per year in many universities. If your parents can afford that, then good for you. If not, there is still a way to overcome this.
The first and most important requirement: You have to be very, very good. Colleges want students who shine in academics, extracurriculars, and personal qualities.
If you are very, very good, universities might pay for you to come in the form of scholarships, financial aid, grants, and/or loans. This is where the difference between public universities and private colleges come in. Public universities often offer education at a subsidized rate for local (American) students, so the University of Iowa or Kentucky State University may not be able to offer you a substantial scholarship, let alone any financial help at any rate. The American government does not fund tertiary education for international students. Private colleges, on the other hand, have their own endowments to draw from and so may offer more generous financial aid to international students, some of which might even cover annual board and lodging.
The down side is, even if you are very, very good, applying for financial aid might count against you in your college application – sometimes there just isn’t enough money to go around. It is harder for a college to accept you if you need aid. The “need-blind” Super Six who do not count your financial need against you when you apply are Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Williams and Middlebury; however, the competition for admissions to these universities is extremely intense. You will be competing against the global crème de la crème, a process which is as subjective and uncertain as it is cutthroat.
Another good strategy is to check out the lesser known, but still relatively rich liberal arts universities like Carleton, Pomona, and Bates, who might have less competition for international places.
If you are very, very good, you will, somehow, someway, find a college that will pay for your education.
Conclusion
Going to college in America is a personal choice with personal incentives. Some of the most compelling reasons are because American education is comparatively more flexible and more personal than other countries. Some students like the weather, some like the parties, some like the wonderful spread of extracurricular activities. Others go because they loved the intellectual fit, and fell in love with the liberal arts philosophy. And of course, some come for the scholarships. Ultimately, it is a combination of factors and personal decisions, none of which will be exactly the same for each individual.
So why did I go to university in America? Because my major is Undecided (yes, that’s acceptable in applications.) Because I didn’t want to be confined to any particular field of study. Because Swarthmore paid for me to come. Because Swarthmore has the prettiest and greenest grass amongst all American colleges. (Seriously, we’re a national arboretum.) Because I’m taking courses in Arabic, Economics, Political Science, and History. Because I’m in the Chorus, a Jewish a cappella group, and the Badminton team. Because Swarthmore is small enough (1400 students!), and its debating club rich enough, to send me, as a freshman, to the World Universities Debating Championships 2007 in Vancouver, Canada.
That’s why I chose America. What will your reason be?
Andrew Loh, a former DJian, is a freshman in Swarthmore College. He is nocturnal and writes at http://andrewlza.blogdrive.com/
Posted in United States, Tinkosong Series, Scholarship | No Comments »
POSTGRADUATE STUDY AWARDS 2007 by KUOK Foundation BerhadIn order to help ease the critical shortage of scientists and researchers in Malaysia, Kuok Foundation Berhad is offering the above study award to academically outstanding young Malaysians intending to pursue M.Sc. or Ph.D by full-time research in Engineering, Science and Technology at approved Malaysian Public Universities and Multimedia University. Upon completion of studies, the scholars must remain in Malaysia to work for the public or private sector for a minimum period of 5 years.
Posted in Scholarship, Post Grad, Local, Updates | No Comments »
Master/PhD/Post-doctoral Opportunity (With Scholarship) In South KoreaMany thanks to Wong Zi Jing, a Malaysian student currently doing his Masters in KAIST, South Korea for the heads-up.
A professor from Chonbuk National University, Korea (Prof. Lee Jung-Ryul) is interested to recruit prospective Master, PhD or Post-doctoral students from Malaysia.
Posted in Japan, Scholarship, Updates | 7 Comments »
YSD Undergraduate & Postgraduate ScholarshipThanks to Justin for the head-up. Sorry for the delay in posting this notice though. You can read Justin’s article on YSD scholarship application here.
Posted in Scholarship, Local, Australia, Updates | 6 Comments »
Apply for Scholarships to study in Japan!The deadline for applying to the Monbukagakusho Scholarship to study in Japan is 30th March, 2007 - 5 days from today. More information and the application forms can be found here. Scholarships are offered to both undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Hurry and apply!
Articles by a current Monbukagakusho Scholar, Khaw Kim Siang, can be found here and here.
Posted in Japan, Scholarship, Updates | 2 Comments »
Bank Negara Malaysia ScholarshipIn this article, Gun Shih Ying shares her experience of applying for the BNM Scholarship. She was offered both the JPA Scholarship and BNM Scholarship but opts for the JPA Scholarship to read Medicine in Australia.
Posted in Scholarship, Updates | 14 Comments »
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