Overseas Uni funds preparation

[bbbay]

@doodbug

Thank you for your view.

Agree that everyone’s circumstances are different. Each will have their own sequence of boxes to check that reflect their own considerations: availability of study funds, whether suited to study overseas, recognition of the university in Singapore, likely will be at the forefront of the considerations sequence. Taking medicine course will have their own set of check boxes. When one has checked through the boxes and reached the stage of deciding which overseas university, maybe we shouldn’t be solely depended on ranking or how well known the uni is. Actually to Singapore employers, I think there are only a handful of well-known overseas universities to them(Oxbridge, Harvard etc) and they are not easy to get in. Or Unis with well known states/cities names in their names: California Uni, University of Paris.

I think if the student has seriously thought through it and strongly believe that the university they chose can benefit their growth, and indeed that Uni is niche in those areas, I think the student will be in a good position to convince prospective employers through their resume/interviews performance, even when that Uni is not well known in Singapore. Just need more efforts than those from well known unis. I personally think is worth the trouble if my child become a more able person because of that Uni. Benefits from personal growth will last a lifetime, whereas reputation of Uni affect only first job search?

The reason why I share that website of Uni experiences bcos since some of our academic able students have chosen those lesser known Uni, it may not be that bad. I may be wrong. Unless all those students will not be depending on the qualifications to earn a living.

Other parents, pls share your thinking whether a degrees from lesser known Uni will affect the child’s job search in Singapore?

[sharonkhoo]

@bbbay said in Overseas Uni funds preparation:

Other parents, pls share your thinking whether a degrees from lesser known Uni will affect the child’s job search in Singapore?

Factors to consider:

• how well can the student “sell” himself and his experience? If he has the personality and presence to explain the choice and the benefits derived convincingly, it can make him stand out from the crowd. Some employers will appreciate this (maybe not the most conservative ones).
• what niche is the student intending to work in? Some are less conservative (see above) and potential employers may possibly be more willing to consider less usual backgrounds. And they are also more likely to appreciate the skills needed in that specific niche.
• how important is it for the student to get a job quickly and earn decent money asap? Students who have younger siblings, parents who need financial support etc may prefer the tried and true routes as they can’t afford to take risks and need to start earning money quickly. Those who don’t have these constraints can afford to try the road less-travelled and take a bit more time to find an employer that appreciates what they offer.

[doodbug]

certainly, we should not be obsessed with university (or school) rankings. neither should rankings be discarded in the considerations.

For niche interests or value propositions, the considerations are different. This applies even at decisions at the schooling stage (e.g. certain special programmes, SOTA for Arts & Music etc). If a child is going to read say Dentistry in a not so well ranked university overseas, but earns a degree recognized by the singapore accreditation board, and wishes to practise in Singapore, i think most parents will support (if they are financially able to). so it there is a clear niche such as studying in Germany with plans to work for German firms in Singapore, or working in Austria/Germany in future, I think that’s fine.

However, if the child has no clear plans and wishes to keep job options in Singapore as wide as possible (not unusual among university-going students), then I guess my general take is that going to local universities or more widely known universities may open the most options. As slmkhoo explained, it’s also down to how the candidate is able to position the experience and his/her choice, and to contextualise it to the employer’s hiring needs.

[Imp75]

@doodbug
As parents we always make rational and logical decisions about our kids education because we want to path the way for them to avoid making mistakes along the way. Do any parents then actually think since we only live once, why don’t we just let them go whichever Sch/uni they want even if there’s no good reason to do so as long as they are responsible for their actions (at 18, they should be able to think for themselves or be accountable for their actions).

[bbbay]

This post is deleted!

[bbbay]

@doodbug said in Overseas Uni funds preparation:

For niche interests or value propositions, the considerations are different.

For me, if everything else being equal and absence of any obligations, if niche interests give the child happiness plus 3 job offers after graduation , and value propositions give the child half the happiness plus 6 job offers after graduation, I will support the former.

[sharonkhoo]

@bbbay said in Overseas Uni funds preparation:

@doodbug said in Overseas Uni funds preparation:

For niche interests or value propositions, the considerations are different.

For me, if everything else being equal and absence of any obligations, if niche interests give the child happiness plus 3 job offers after graduation , and value propositions give the child half the happiness plus 6 job offers after graduation, I will support the former.

How will know how many job offers a graduate will get? If it’s a niche area, I really wouldn’t be able to assess the chances! And it depends on the student too - my daughter only applied to 3 places, received 1 offer, and accepted it. I suppose she would have received more if she had applied to more places since she studied a generic and widely applicable subject, but I wouldn’t have the same confidence for a niche area.

A real example: I have friends whose daughter is very keen to continue training in ballet (in the UK, which leads to a BA of some kind) instead of going to “normal” university, and they have supported her choice (although with some misgivings). They decided that since she can always go to “normal” university later in life if the ballet doesn’t work out, but it’s not possible the other way round, they should let her follow her dream while she’s young. By the “3 job offers” criterion, they would have said “no”.

[bbbay]

Allow me to clarify what I have in mind when i use the term niche interests. Say a child likes fjords and northern lights and choose to study engineering in a relatively unknown Uni (but recognise in Spore) in a Scandinavia country instead of traditional destinations like US/UK. Another child likes Korean culture and chose to study business in Korean (and the Uni is recognised in spore) instead of UCLA.

The 3/6 job offers is my analogy, not an actual statistics. This is to show likely lesser choices for first job for lesser names Uni graduates.

[doodbug]

Kids who are in the fortunate position to have options and choices for university education, they can make only one choice so I guess what is important is that regardless which path they choose, they are prepared to live with the consequence of their decision and at the same time, whatever opportunities they are forgoing. Our role is probably to let them know the possible opportunities and consequences of each path.

I can honestly share that I don’t think the path my child took is the right path that would maximise success in the traditional sense, or earning power. We laid it bare for the kid to consider, but he still chose what he chose. Ultimately, once the decision has been made, we support fully and make the best of it. But prior to that, we were frank with pointing out what we thought the kid would be forgoing from our vantage point (we may not always be correct) for their consideration.

I understand the examples you had cited. For Business, if the child has ambitions to work in Wall Street or go into management consultancy firms, then I think UCLA may open more opportunities to intern at leading global companies (even tech companies). But not all kids have that sort of plans/ambitions - some plan to return to Singapore and are content with job opportunities in SG. In which case, the range of opportunities whether its a degree from Korea or UCLA may not be too different. The important thing is the child is making the decision, roughly aware of what he or she is ‘forgoing’ as well.

Every family will have different considerations and perspectives. Am just rambling thoughts aloud

[vincyprinc3]

@slmkhoo I help both domestic and international students gain admission into competitive ivy league schools and OxBridge. So I know first hand the admissions landscape is increasingly complex and it is becoming more difficult for students to gain admission with declining admit rates every year. Is the education worth the labor, stress, and money? likely not. However, are the credentials and network worth it? Absolutely! The pedigree still allows people access into rooms they would not know about otherwise.