Overseas Uni funds preparation

[SG_KP1]

@Imp75
Hello and congrats.

Just curious, is Year 1 only language instruction and then four years of course work? If so and if the child can return without any financial penalties, there is one year to go try and see how she feels away from home. Worst case, you live abroad for a year and then enroll in the local university without having to worry about coursework transferring etc. Not much different from kids that take a gap year.

In contrast, if she’s fine away from home and likes the environment, I’m sure she’ll find a way to finish the next four years.

We’ll never know for sure but just wondering if there is some risk mitigation built in here? I’d roll the dice but that’s just me…

[Imp75]

@SG_KP1
Thx. Bingo that’s what we told her. If things don’t work out then just treat it like a gap year and come back local Uni. But this mommy here is v ambitious and asking her to skip the language foundation programme haha so straight away go to the uni taking degree in the local language (she’s N1 level so what’s the problem haha . This mommy simplified a lot of things.)

[sharonkhoo]

@Imp75 said in Overseas Uni funds preparation:

@SG_KP1
Thx. Bingo that’s what we told her. If things don’t work out then just treat it like a gap year and come back local Uni. But this mommy here is v ambitious and asking her to skip the language foundation programme haha so straight away go to the uni taking degree in the local language (she’s N1 level so what’s the problem haha . This mommy simplified a lot of things.)

If she’s going to give it a good shot, she probably shouldn’t skimp on that first year. It will help with the cultural adjustment and make subsequent years easier.

[Coolkidsrock2]

@Imp75

DD was indeed homesick during her Canada stay,
(i) alone;
(ii) too small Asian community;
(iii) not staying in hostel which made it harder to make friends;
(iv) winter; and
(v) uni was in a town about 1 hour by train away from the city.

Believed she was lonely and homesick lthough she did not said it and worry us. She made frequent day trips to the city on weekends to explore as well as to eat at Chinatown.

The train fares for the day trips were not exactly cheap but I did not stop her nor reference money/costs except to remind not to return too late. Short days in winter and not many people outdoors.

Am happy she was able to find it within herself to self-soothe.

The uni for her undergrad studies was about 3 hours by train from London. She was studying at home for around 2 years or so due to lockdowns during the pandemic, hence slightly older when she left.

Also did summer school in France “virtually” due to lockdowns.

Same, travelled frequently to London. Did not travel as much as would like as friends required visa so unable to travel as freely as they like.

She was happiest in London, hard-core city person. Lots to see and do. As the employment markets are deeper and more innovative, there more opportunities to try different things. Applicants from other countries do fly in for emplyment selection process so the competition was an eye-opener - 山外有山

There are other offers from equally reputable uni, but they are in uni towns which she will not enjoy as much and we would be less inclined to accept.

My lessons learnt and takeaway is personality of child and fit is important for an enjoyable experience and happy outcome.

[SG_KP1]

@Imp75
Understand, I guess like you say one year is only one year (even if it involved coursework that is lost).

I don’t know the language proficiency tests for Japan (or more importantly, your kid’s ability). My general impression is that for many kids, even those with strong enough language abilities to go to college in a foreign language country, there is still usually some gap. I.e. kids can understand and survive, but writing at a university level isn’t easy.

On the other hand, there are plenty of foreign kids that go to the US or UK (or maybe even Singapore) with less than native level English skills, and they survive.

Sometimes the best time to learn how to swim is when your boat is sinking (so to speak). Hence, there are certainly merits to taking an approach where you just go straight into the coursework and figure out how to make it.

Anyways, congrats again. It’s good to have options and I’m sure whatever the child picks will work out.

[bbbay]

@Imp75 said in Overseas Uni funds preparation:

@bbbay
Yes gotten but now not sure if going away is the right decision for her.

Mind if I enquire more on how your child feel about the prospect of studying in Japan? Since she is mulling, she is the one thinking will it be the right decision for her?

[Imp75]

@bbbay
Yes initially excited during the application phase despite my displeasures (Japan Uni is nowhere compared to even our local Uni). Now I have accepted the fact to let her dictate her own direction, she’s having second thoughts.

[bbbay]

@Imp75 said in Overseas Uni funds preparation:

@bbbay
Yes initially excited during the application phase despite my displeasures (Japan Uni is nowhere compared to even our local Uni). Now I have accepted the fact to let her dictate her own direction, she’s having second thoughts.

May I ask what are her concerns now? Am sure many others would have gone thru such phase too. I am keen to learn more.

[sharonkhoo]

@Coolkidsrock2 said in Overseas Uni funds preparation:

My lessons learnt and takeaway is personality of child and fit is important for an enjoyable experience and happy outcome.

Personality makes a huge difference, and expectations too. My daughter is quite out-going, and is happy to make friends cross-culturally. Although she mixed with the Singaporean/Asian groups, she also intentionally joined other groups and with many others. She was fortunate that her first year was pre-Covid, and so some friendships and groupings were established before the lockdowns. So when she had to be locked down in the next 2 years, she was able to continue uni activities online, and sometimes in small groups, depending on the restrictions at the time. She spent 1 term in Singapore in her 2nd year, and decided to go back overseas for her 3rd year despite the prospect of more lockdowns (which happened on and off). She roomed with a non-Asian girl for all 3 years (different ones), but effectively was alone for her 3rd year as her room-mate wasn’t able to return till just before the end of the year.

My daughter doesn’t like big cities, and chose not to apply to universities in big cities (except 1 in London just because we advised her to keep that option open). So she was fine not going to London - if she could get outside her university town, she and friends would walk or cycle into the more rural parts. She was able to cook for herself when the college food was not to her liking, and was able to make do with the Asian offerings in the supermarket and town (much better than in my days!). She was quite active in a local church so knew people in the town even when most students, even the local ones, continued to study from home. So although her university experience wasn’t what we had envisaged, she still enjoyed it a lot. It helps when the child has a more “do the best with whatever happens” attitude, and finds ways to cope - whether it’s frequent trips to the big city, or walks in the country, or participating in local or student groups.

We wouldn’t have encouraged her to go overseas if we thought she didn’t have the resilience, or wouldn’t be able to develop the resilience. Have an objective look at the child and how they have adapted and survived in the past for clues.

[doodbug]

@slmkhoo

Similarly, for my kids, I won’t say that we as parents were given a fait accompli situation. It’s probably a bit more dynamic and evolved naturally - kids expressing some interest in going overseas, then conferring with us on our views on what and where, the possible difficulties, hurdles and discomforts vs local universities, finances etc. The open conversations helped. So they kind of know what we generally favour/support, though they may not exactly agree with us. And as you say, the individual child and his or her maturity, character and mindset matter - we have assessed that our kids will be able to benefit from an overseas education should they choose to pursue one, and we too are willing to trust them and support them if they choose to go.

Eventually, the decision would come down to far more pragmatic matters, i.e. the universities they get a place in (applications are not always successful), scholarship options, local university offers etc.