Thread by @nazu2308

PSA thread: Studying Overseas.

If you're thinking about applying for any universities abroad for your studies (undergraduate, Master's, PhD), please ensure that you have at least three or four possible plans on how to finance your studies BEFORE applying to the universities.

These plans might include things like:

1) Having a list of scholarships from Malaysian companies / organizations that you can apply to, such as Bank Negara, Khazanah, Petronas, MARA/JPA, etc.

You can easily just Google these up.

2) A list of international scholarships available to Malaysians, such as Chevening, Commonwealth Scholarships, MEXT Scholarship, Fulbright Program, ASEAN Scholarships, etc.

Again, these are easily found on Google searches.

3) The university / program comes fully-funded for accepted applicants.

4) You have enough savings in your bank account(s) (or other financial instruments) to self-finance your way through your studies.

5) You have the FaMa bank (read: parent(s) paying for your studies).

6) The university offers graduate assistantship that you can utilize (typically in US graduate schools), where they pay your tuition fees + provide stipend, etc in exchange for you working with an office / department / lab, etc.

(I personally would prefer this option)

If you do NOT have at least a couple of these plans, please don't start applying for universities just yet. Take some time to ACTUALLY figure out how you're going to PAY for your studies.

When you're searching for possible scholarships to apply to, take into consideration:

1) the program(s) that they typically sponsor for. For instance, you wouldn't want to go to Petronas to get a scholarship for Medicine, would you?

2) the universities / countries they will sponsor for. Some, if not most, scholarships will have a list of approved countries / universities.

For instance, Khazanah will only sponsor a select few top universities worldwide.

3) their typical requirements, deadlines and application process.

You can find this out by Google-ing up their past scholarship announcements. Their requirements usually do not differ much from year-to-year, but the deadlines may change.

When you've actually researched and figured out HOW you might finance your studies, only then start applying to universities WHILE also working on the finances part of it.

Sure, sometimes you need an offer letter to secure a scholarship. But if you don't research properly, how would you ensure that the university that you're applying to is actually on the list of approved universities for that organization?

This will reduce the risk of you posting on social media after receiving an offer and going all

"Guys, I got an offer to study XYZ at University ABC, but I have to pay my deposit by so-and-so date before they revoke my offer. Help me secure my place!"

... or something similar.

And yes, you can work on your university applications while you work on your scholarship applications. That is fine - as long as you are aware of the different options that you can take.

But that's also the thing - a university offer is not your own-way ticket to a scholarship.

Don't think that if you get an offer from a university abroad means that you're super special and therefore deserves a scholarship.

Some, if not most, universities love international students because they can charge you a higher tuition fee.

(I'm talking about typical universities, okay, not top ones like Oxbridge or Ivy Leagues, which is hard to just be offered a place, so hats off to whoever gets an offer to go and study there, you rock)

But for most universities, getting an offer is somewhat still easy-ish. If you have relatively good grades, can either write/bullshit your way through your statements, good recommendation letters and some skills to show, you can at least get a couple of offers.

I'm [not] trying to pull people down - I'm sure you've done amazing things in your life and you deserve the best and all, but I'm just saying that life's not always that easy.

Universities are, in some instances, businesses. And you, the student, are their source of revenue.

It's like what I said here -

https://twitter.com/nazu2308/status/1106173906057129986

Which is why it's always, ALWAYS a good idea to start thinking about the funding part of it BEFORE you plan out the rest of it.

This is especially true for postgraduate studies (Master's, PhD).

Really take your time to do your research and plan things through.

Some people take a year or two to look into different opportunities, research potential funding sources, find out more, etc before they start on their applications.

It's okay to take your time, it'd help you to be more prepared.

And it would also give you a sense of "Yes, I've done all that I could, maybe it's just not my time yet" when things don't work out for you in the end.

Unless you rather feel all "Shit, why didn't I think this through? Why didn't I look into that scholarship and try that out?"

So plan out, research and figure things through. You're an adult now - take responsibilities for your actions.

Google is there, utilize it. People have shared and wrote about countless opportunities, make full use of it.

That is all for my PSA for tonight.

Apologies if I offended anyone, really didn't mean to. 🌺🌸

Shameless plug: Please read some of these posts on syazanazura.com/study-101 for any academic / study-related posts, such as studying abroad, pursuing your Master's and such.

A possible scholarship opportunity shared by someone else:

https://twitter.com/grimmeandrew/status/1108020961545089024?s=21

Since some people are DM-ing me asking how much does it usually cost to study abroad.

I can't say exactly how much it'd cost, since it depends on your program, its duration, the location that you go to, and how much you'd spend on a monthly basis for rent, food, etc

Case study:

I did my 4-year undergraduate degree in the US under a MARA convertible loan. Cost MARA ~RM670,000 for the whole 4 years, inclusive of tuition fees, monthly allowances of $835, annual book allowances, flight tickets and health insurance.

https://twitter.com/nazu2308/status/928554323985833984

(cont case study 1)

If you want a breakdown of how much I spent during my undergraduate years in the US, you can read this blog post. I went into more detail there with how much I spent/earned while studying.

syazanazura.com/2017/12/life-a…

Case study 2:

Currently pursuing my 1-year master's degree in the UK, self-funded (by parents). My tuition fee is £14,000 originally, but I got a partial scholarship that reduced it down to £10,000.

Am also working part-time (pay is £10.5/hour which is way above the min wage)

(cont case study 2)

My current rent is about £9,000 for a year, but this is on the expensive side of rent considering I am living in a studio with my husband, which costs a lot more. Typical student accommodation cost about £70-100/week, especially if you share a room/house.

When you're calculating how much it would cost you to pursue your studies abroad, don't just think about the tuition fees. Also consider other expenses like rent (including utilities, internet, etc), groceries/food, transportation expenses (i.e. public transportation), etc.

It'd be useful to do a spreadsheet (see the link attached) to compare different programs / universities to help you make the decision. At least your decision will be based on some data, and it helps you to figure out which is more cost-effective for you.

syazanazura.com/wp-content/upl…

Another shameless plug: Please do subscribe to my newsletter if you're interested to learn more about my current journey as a Master's student in a UK university, as well as stuff on personal growth and self development :)

newsletter.syazanazura.com

Late note: This is applicable to anyone who is not following the typical pathway (i.e. after SPM - get scholarship - fully funded pre-uni & university).

So, if you already secured a scholarship post-SPM, you only have to worry about your grades and meeting the requirements.

But if you’re doing your pre-university self-funded (either local asasi/matriks/STPM or A-Levels/IB/ADP) and hoping to pursue your degree overseas, this thread can be applicable in your cases.

The question on whether or not to apply for (1) University or (2) Scholarship FIRST is up to you - the deadlines for university applications and scholarships differ with programs / companies / organizations.

This thread is purely to make you start THINKING before you start applying, to make sure that you are taking into consideration the financial situation that you are in and the options available to you should you want to pursue your studies abroad.

(Just thought I should add those notes 👆🏻 because some people seemed to be confused when they DM-ed me). 😅