Let your child study overseas if you can afford it?
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d1s2:
Sama sama here. Preferably with a scholarship that can foot the annual fee and expenses. If based on parent's $$, I can foresee I have to slog for many, many more years, and retirement is not within the horizon at all. So decided, my kids have to \"earn\" the overseas study with their own effort and hard work!
Same for me. If only my kids get into well established reputable universities overseas, otherwise, I think that our local universities with the addition of taking a semester or year abroad is just as good.verykiasu2010:
whether is education or work, an overseas experience open the mind, build experience, expand network, build fortitude and resilience .... and go to those pioneers in education, especially those unis that have longer history than Raffles finding Singapore in 1819
if just for ordinary run-of-the-mill degree, forget it
Both my husband and I studied and worked overseas quite a number of years. While it had been fun, exciting and interesting with doses of accelerated growing-up and independence, I also felt that I missed many good years with my parents and siblings. -
Based on recent ranking, top 10 US / UK universities:
1. Cambridge University
2. Harvard University
3. Yale University
4. University College London
5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
6. Oxford University
7. Imperial College London
8. University of Chicago
9. California Institute of Technology
10. Princeton University
Check this out: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11227693 -
Yes, only if the overseas Unis are the prestigious ones, and better than local Unis.
Actually nowadays NUS is getting quite good and the international recognition of NUS has gone up a lot in the past 10 years. -
noobparent:
That's the most ideal situation to be in - child can get into any course at any of the local uni or some of the most prestigious foreign uni.Yes, only if the overseas Unis are the prestigious ones, and better than local Unis.
Actually nowadays NUS is getting quite good and the international recognition of NUS has gone up a lot in the past 10 years.
But many may not find themselves in such an ideal situation.
For example, the child may not get into the course he wants in a local uni. And many very good students, including some with straight As, have found themselves in such a situation in recent years.
The other issue is prestigious unis. It's a little shallow to just look at the general ranking. You have to look at how the uni is ranked for the specific subjects and areas your child is seeking admission for. For example, none of the top US universities in the list by Pen88n has an undergraduate business school. And amongst business schools, some are renown for certain areas.
A third issue is time taken to obtain the first degree. If you send your child to US or Canada immediately after her O levels, she can get her first degree before 20. Things can be a little more complicated for boys due to NS, but he'll still be years ahead of his peers. For Australia (and I believe NZ as well), the child can start his / her foundation programme at the uni immediately after O levvels and start their undergrad studies within a year after that. Most would end up being a year or 2 ahead of their peers.
At the end of the day, I think it's really about providing the most suitable education for your child within your means. If it's within your means to help your child fulfil his / her ambition, and the child is responsible and passionate in his chosen area, I think it's good to do so. I've friends / relatives who're happy doctors / lawyers because their parents chose to support them through a foreign education when they couldn't get into the local medical / law school. -
Most kids do not really know what they want out of an under graduate education. Nowadays most respectable universities (including our local universities) provide similar academic and intellectually challenging education for most disciplines. Going overseas does not necessarily guarantee a good honoiurs degree and not all students can adapt well to life on his/her own physically, emotionally and spritually.
Here are some simple facts:
1. Having good A level results does not imply ability to obtain a good honours degree, that is, Second class upper division and above.
2. Prestigious universiies also have their share of mediocre students just like any other universities. Able to get in a prestigious university does not mean able to cope with the studies. With better universities comes the stress associated with competing with more or equally capable students.
3. Living in a different culture and environment without the comfort of home and having to deal with unfamiliar faces, unfamiliar places, unfamiliar customs and practices can be quite devastaing for some.
4. For some students, the stress of not being able to do well/ or maintain impressive performance can be overwhlemingly stressful and affect their mental health.
5. You can get an excellent undergrdauate education at the local universities, that is, if you know how to excel beyond the usual norm. After obtaining a good hons degree locally, it would be easy to go overseas for a post graduate degree on ones own with teaching assistantship, etc.
6. A first degree is considered a basic qualification. What you are capable of much depends on how you go about getting and studying for the degree.
For every success story, there are unsuccesful ones and sometimes very tragic and sad ones. There are suicide related stories.
Sending your son/daughter overseas for studies, is not just a simple case of affordability. He or she should do some homework as to why an overseas degree at a particular uni in a particular discipline is so desirable as oppose to a degree at a local university. An important consideration is if your child/daughter do know what his/her interest lies in pursuing the studies. At least you will know to some extent where their intellectual development is heading. If you are rich, of course, it does not matter, much of the problem with living abroad can be alleviated with a generous living allowance and if they survive the rigour of the courses they will bring home a degree. Even then, some will blame you why send them overseas to suffer when they could have gotten similar degree at home. Some may even tell you they are doing the degree for the parents and that they are not actually interested in the discipline they have studied in.
Taking a scholarship in Singaore, normally involves the whole family. with the sureties, bond and a hugh liability. In addition to the 6 points above for consideration, there is the bond and the sureties for liquidated damages in case of unsuccessful completion or non compliance with certain rules. The scholarship holder is normally bonded for five to six years after he or she has completed the degree course. Your son/daughter must take this into consideration, a period of eight or nine years commited to serving the organization that gave the scholarship. The decision should not be taken lightly. The consequences of failure to complete and compliance is grave and devastating.
Lastly, our local universities do have excellent and better than excellent passionate academic staff and do provide excellent, challenging and well balanced education. Root your son/daughter in Singapore before sending them overseas. -
I hv friend/neighcour who will b sending their 3 kids to australia next year. Youngest is p4 n can skip to p6 next year. They are planning for the kids to enter the uni there already.
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Insider,
What field does your daughter intend to pursue? And who does she hope the get the scholarship from?
In the same thread, you talked about Masters and PhD scholarships. That gives me the impression that your daughter is going into the hard sciences.
Is she set on getting a PhD? Which field? What does she see herself doing after her PhD?
All these are important questions or else it is hard to assess your situation.
My wifey and I are both Government scholars but we did the social sciences. Our career paths have been different. Things have gone well for me. But it became dreadful for wifey. We broke her bond after her Masters scholarship. -
Insider,
Ok, your daughter is going for biomedical sciences.
Bond-free overseas scholarships for undergrad in hard sciences are not easy to come by at all. I'm not sure what scholarship portal she is referring to. Perhaps she is talking about the Brightsparks portal, see:
http://www.brightsparks.com.sg/
If you are talking about bonded scholarships, and given your daughter's aspiration to be a scientist doing research, then the most appropriate Government agency would be A*Star.
You really need a PhD to even have a chance of being a scientist. Philip Yeo said that Bachelors degree holders can only wash test-tubes. Nowadays, even PhDs have to wash test-tubes. (My dear sister has PhD from NUS, not that she is washing test tubes but the life of a researcher isn't exactly very glam and easy, contrary to what some young people may perceive).
You can check out more details on the A*Star scholarship from their websites. http://www.a-star.edu.sg/ They have many different scholarships and schemes, and I don't profess to be an expert. All I know is that if you are an A*Star scholar, the pressure is quite high. You need to maintain a first-class honours equivalent GPA or else there will be significant consequences, including the possible downgrade of your scholarship. Thereafter, because you are bonded to A*Star, I'm not sure how much control you have over where you will be posted to and what research you will do. In gist, once you sign the dotted line, your fate is no longer in your own hands.
As for PhD scholarships, what your daughter is referring is not scholarship per se, but the fact that most PhD programs are fully funded. What typically happens in a good American Uni is that they have comprehensive PhD programs for outstanding graduates with first degrees. Assuming you are good enough, you will be doing your research while at the same time you'll be a teaching assistant and/or research assistant. Your fees will typically be covered and you will get a monthly stipend, which is enough for your subsistence.
The above fact is one major sore point for many A*Star scholars whom were unaware of this practice. So, after the A*Star scholars complete the undergrad and go on to PhD, they feel 'cheated' that they have to continue with A*Star when they could have, based on their undergrad achievements, possibly secured some of these prestigious places in the PhD programs.
To be continued..... -
The answers that your daughter gave you are very very vague.
From what your daughter told you, I don’t think she is aware that most Government scholarship providers are NOT looking to sponsor PhD students or students with PhD aspirations, other than A*Star.
Obviously institutions like PSC and virtually all Govt. Ministries and Stat Boards DO NOT want their scholars to do a PhD. They want the scholars to work in the respective organization, in a corporate role.
Maybe you want to dig a bit more from your daughter on exactly what scholarships she aspires to get. Ask her to identify the specific institution or agency that may offer a ‘bond-free’ scholarship in bio-medical sciences. This will force her to think through more deeply what the funding options are. Hopefully, she can find more institutions that I am not aware of.
And I come to a slightly more sensitive point but I think we are matured enough here to discuss.
Does your daughter even know what she wants to do? Why does she want to be a researcher in bio-medical sciences? Is it a fad or something? Is she trying to chase some dream, unrealistic or otherwise? Does she know what she is in for?
I ask all these questions because I sense that the answers that she has given you, based on your post, are terribly vague and naive. It appears, just from this one post, that she hasn’t done her homework and her research. Rather, she seems to be just ‘going with the flow’ and making huge and lofty assumptions of what scholarships are available.
At undergrad level, it is awfully hard (though not impossible) to find bond-free funding.
At PhD level, the game is completely different. If you have a solid set of results from undergrad, you may even be able to get into fully funded PhD programs. Just to share, many NUS/NTU students have managed to get into such PhD programs in prestigious US universities. At the very least, these students have First Class Honours.
Also, quiz your daughter on her backup plans if she can’t make it. Given that she is going for some attachment, it would be a good time for her to explore.
Coming back to the financial bond issue, my personal take is this. Go for whatever bond-free or financial help/assistance that your daughter can find, but don’t take up bonded scholarship in your daughter’s case. Reason is simple. She wants to be a researcher. Next time, if she really makes it BIG, she will want to go to the best Universities in the world and not be confined to Singapore.
If you have the finances, I would suggest you support her through her undergrad.
With very strong undergrad credentials, then she can fund her own way through PhD.
If she can’t get into a fully funded PhD program after her undergrad, it just means one thing. She isn’t good enough. So, activate Plan B, whatever that may be.
Hope this helps. -
Dear insider,
Just to be absolutely clear, your daughter is currently how old and pursuing what qualifications?
My impression was that she hasn’t started Uni but you mentioned GPA, so that got me a bit confused.
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