General Stuff
Where should I apply, How to Choose your course, Scholarships, Factors To Consider
General Information
General Advice
You must be wondering. Where should I apply? My advice is this. Everywhere that is a possibility. Simply as it is better to have more options and stream them down, rather than to have very limited choices, or worse, be FORCED to take up a course you don't want. So apply, apply, apply! (which is why I applied to four continents.) One consideration to think about is whether you can adjust to the system there. Being a commonwealth country, I can more easily adjust to the UK education system than to that of the US. Also, the culture difference. I know of an overseas scholar from the People Republic of China in my class, who used Singapore as a platform, stepping stone, before embarking on an education in the US. The basis of his decision, is that Singapore speaks mostly English, but we definitely understand Chinese (it is for most, our compulsory mother tongue, second language we have to learn, after all). So he, (I applaud him), from speaking and writing little or no English, so he conversed with us in broken English and really fluent mandarin, worked hard and learnt more about the language, more of the different life styles and such, so he won't get that much of a culture shock or that much of a language difficulty in the US. Of course, he studied in Singapore as pre-university student, so he is now happily ensconced in a US university with a much more better grasp of the English language than he would have if he went straight from China to the US.
There are A LOT of universities out there, from big to small, city to country, etc, etc. Truly a lot of variety. As any official will tell you, I'm sure, they will tell you there is no such thing as an official ranking list. Yup, that's true, but magazines and different publications have come up with their own rankings. Which can be useful, but you must take it with a pinch of salt. As you don't really know what are THEIR priorities, for example, funding, how well they co-operate with authorities, etc.
First, I think it is important to think of your objective for applying for a university. WHY ARE YOU GOING TO UNIVERSITY FOR? Is it to take a practical course to let you earn your bread and butter? Is it because you want to have a more open outlook on life? Is it that you want to pursue a subject you like to a higher level? Keep whatever objective you have in mind. It will be useful in helping you make decisions.
Looking at the large array of universities, I was so muddled and confused. Where to start? How to start? I find that things are not as complicated as it seems sometimes, if you just sit down and spend sometime crunching through the information. First of all, start narrowing down the search. It maybe easier to first decide WHAT COURSE you want to do. For example, if you want to do Economics, go and look at the rankings or list and pick the universities which are good in that area, yes? You would go to Imperial University in UK to do science, NOT humanities, yes? (Imperial is very good in the sciences) Just like you go to London School of Economics to do humanities. (Besides, they don't offer science courses there, you know)
WHAT COURSE
You may think, like me, there are SO MANY courses out there!! What to choose? Well, grab a prospectus of a well-known and large university, take a pencil and paper, go through all the courses they have. Have two columns. "Interested" and "Don't Mind". As you go through the list of courses, those courses that you have interest in and is a possibility, write it under "Interested". Those courses you find a possibility, that you don't dislike it nor do you like it, or you don't know anything about, write it under "Don't Mind". Now, with this list, don't you find things easier? After you have this list, RESEARCH about the courses, please don't jump into anything without knowing what you are getting into. How to find out about the courses?
Look up on the internet, anyone who knows good links, do tell me.
Read books. (Go to the Library)
Ask the people who are IN the course.
Ask the people who have done the course and are working.
*** WARNING!! ***
As all economists know, perfect information is hardly a common phenomenon in this world. So do take everything you read or what people say with a pinch of salt! Especially those who are working. ^_^ Some people hate their course, some love it. So it is quite subjective.
Okay, so now you know more about the courses, I hope now the list of courses are more manageable. Now here are some questions to ponder...
What is my interest?
What is my amplitude towards? (Are you inclined towards the sciences, arts?)
Is my course practical? (It would be realistic to think whether your course can let you have your bread and butter)
Alright. So now you have the list of courses you have, by now I hope the number of courses is a single digit. Look at the list of universities in whichever countries you are thinking of applying to. Choose those that are good in the courses you want. Write down the universities and courses on a piece of paper.
Now to narrow down the list of universities. You may want to have a list of factors to consider. Let me just name a few...
1. COST
Sit down and discuss with your parents how much they are willing to pay for your education. If your parents cannot afford it, are there financial aid available? Scholarships? Does the university allow you to work part-time?
**SCHOLARSHIPS**
If you hope to go to the university by scholarship, please take note.
Some practical advice :
Check up with the scholarship board to see if they recognise the university you are applying to. I DO KNOW of scholarship boards which only send their students to particular schools or countries, for that matter.
Should you apply for overseas universities before the scholarship board takes you on? Yes. You should. It gives you an advantage. In the sense, that when you apply for scholarships (for Singaporeans at least), it is already TOO LATE to apply overseas. The scholarship boards do ask you which university you want them to send you to. They will, in the interview, ask you what universities you have applied to as well as which ones have accepted you. Be smart. Mention those that accepted you. Don't tell them which rejected you unless they ask you specifically about it. ^_^ There is speculation about scholarship boards being able to pull their scholars into top universities. I guess that maybe true, so you have to think about the matter. But generally, do apply for the universities.
Look, if your only hope of going overseas is through scholarship, please apply for the better universities. I do not mean you must apply for oxford only, but apply for the better universities, like University College of London, University of Warwick, etc. Simply is this, do you think the scholarship board would send its scholar to study at some sub-standard, unknown university? No, they won't, so be practical.
2. TYPE OF UNIVERSITY
LOCATION
What type of university do you want to go to? City campus or country campus? Ignorant me thought there was no difference except the obvious that city uni is in the city and country uni is the country. WRONG. When I went to London, I was surprised at the lay out of the university. I used to think, schools are like this. This is a piece of land, everything in it is the university. DANG! WRONG! In the city campus, it maybe more confusing. Your school buildings are placed in the middle of the city, sometimes, they are not next to each other, so it takes a bit of navigation. And watch out for those cars as public roads run in between and such. You must think of recreation, scenery, as well as, attachment/job opportunities. In the city, it maybe more convenient to apply for attachments. Definitely easier to travel. Sometimes, in city campus, the nearest town maybe miles away, and it may not be that big. For international students, you may want to think of the distance of the airport. Yes? ^_^
STUDENT POPULATION
More important to international students, I guess. What is the population of international students? Having a nice number of international students allow you to have someone of your own to talk to if you miss someone who can laugh at jokes that only people of your country would know. (like jokes about the esplanade in Singapore) And you have people who are going through the same thing as you. Another thing is that the teachers there maybe less racist. It is sad, but true, there are racist people out there and it does not help if you have a crappy racist teacher who is prejudiced against your race. =P If it matters to you, the racial mix? If you come from a place where your race is a majority, you may feel a *tad* uncomfortable if you are suddenly in the minority race position. But if you are the type who loves challenges and go "BRING IT OWN!" I applaud you, maybe you can be the pioneer student from your country, state, town there and leave a good impression for the school there. ^_^
PRIVATE OR PUBLIC
Hmm.. More of an issue in the US than any where else. If it's private, it is more expensive. If it's public, you may have a more difficult time getting in as they have to consider their locals first. I'm sure there are other differences, but right now, I'm not too sure. ~_~""
TRANSPORTATION
Can you get around? Esp in finding a way to get to the airport and such. Do you have to get a bicycle? (Like the student from Stanford University that came to my school told me that the campus was so big that there are actually more bicycles than people there. ~_~) Or if you live off campus, do you have difficulty traveling to school?
3. RELATIVES, PEOPLE YOU KNOW
Do you have relatives in that area? Or people you know? I know this may be a bit trivial for some, but when, especially if you are going overseas, it is helpful to know that should you truly encounter great trouble, at least you have someone to turn to. Don't underestimate this. yes?
4. RECOGNITION
Is the university recognised in your country? What do I mean, for example, if you want to do Law, your country may have a list of universities they recognise. Any other and your efforts are for waste and you can't practice in your country.
5. LANGUAGE AND EDUCATION SYSTEM
It would be good if you could easily communicate with the people there. It is indeed daunting to have to learn in a language that you do not use the most. Like my friend who is going to France to study Engineering. Whoo hoo... French is his third language... Also, you must consider whether you can adjust to the teaching styles and methods. Which type suits your needs? If you are a vocal individual who likes to express his opinion, US would be good, compared to Singapore where the students are not as vocal. ^_^ Class sizes.. How they grade you...
6. TIME TAKEN!!
How long is your course compared to the other country? I know that Medicine is a post-graduate degree in the US. So if you want to save time, you may want to consider doing it as an undergraduate course and go to, for example, the UK. Even if you can do undergraduate courses and such, different countries have different time frames. In France, engineering takes 6 years, if I'm not wrong. Whereas in the UK, it takes 3 years?
As I had said earlier, apply to all possibilities. Do your preparation work early. Do not rush. Even if you are a last minute person, like me. ^_^ Your teachers are NOT. Be warned, some universities require teacher's recommendations, so you must factor in time for them to write their reports. Wouldn't be too good if you go running to them for help when the deadline is the next day. If they love you, they will do it, but they won't really have a good impression. If they don't, they will throw it in your face and say "huo gai"! (You deserve it.) <--- amazing how succinct mandarin is sometimes, isn't it?
Remember that when you are applying for a university, you are not only going to study there, you are going to LIVE THERE. Especially if it is overseas. So make sure you apply for accommodation, CHECK OUT THE DEADLINES!! They can be VERY picky about deadlines. Also, any orientation camps, or activities. If your parent is going with you, check out if you can get accommodation for them at the university, etc, etc. Also, keep an eye out for any scholarships or grants they have. No harm applying.
If you are not sure on how to apply to some universities, check out the internet, the university's website. Ah, the power of the net! Also, you can ask your teachers, they may know. If there's a big enough group of you pple interested, they may arrange for someone to come over to talk to you and stuff. Make sure you try to research on how to apply to the university FIRST, before approaching your teachers. Of course, depends how much your teachers love you. Some may not be bothered at all, or will just go, "Did you check the university website?". If you say no, they will scold you for being spoon-fed too much.
Remember this important words of advice.
1. PRINT AND PHOTOSTAT EVERYTHING YOU SUBMIT OR THEY SEND TO YOU! HAVE AT LEAST ONE COPY OF ALL CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN YOU AND THE UNIVERSITY! This is VERY IMPORTANT, in case they lose parts of your application (Esp US universities) or if they go, but we didn't receive your reply, you can show them the receipt of acknowledgement and go there! See!! Also, if you get called up for interviews, it is important to know what you wrote.
2. DO NOT ASSUME. Very important. Do not assume that everything will be smooth sailing. Be kiasu ( overly cautious), check up with your teachers to see if they have submitted your application or not. After all, it's your life that's at stake, NOT theirs! If you don't receive a reply from the university beyond a reasonable amount of time, check with the university whether they have received your application.
You have to prepare yourself both emotionally and physically. Buying the airplane tickets. VERY IMPORTANT. As the good dates are often sold out quickly. Make your goodbyes and farewell outing to your friends. You are not the only one affected by your departure. So let your family and friends know early, yup, yup. Learn how to COOK, CLEAN and manage the nitty gritty like paying bills, how to call home, etc.
Go for every single orientation and pre-departure activity there is! I know you may find it scary or you may not be bothered, but it is an excellent opportunity to know some people before you go! Come on, you have to do a heck lot more socialising when you reach there, you know... unless you want to be a hermit and camp in your room... ~_~"
I would appreciate any feedback or suggestions you have, contact me at sg_sparrow_nest@yahoo.com!