Time really flies. Last year, I remember when I heard of the results, mum was ecstatic to the extend of telling my maid about it because she was the only one at home. Whereas, I had some sorta mixed emotions, because that means bye bye Taylor's and here comes boring Shah Alam. And it's been a year since then.
JPA scholarship results were released on the 11th of May, and it's really great to hear that they've increased the number of grants by 200, making it a total of 2,000 this year. Kudos to those who've made it through - you're the creme de la creme. It's like winning a jackpot, some might say. But to those who didn't make it, do not fret. According to Tan Sri Ismail from the Public Service Department, from this year, anyone who gets in to an Ivy League (America), Oxford/Cambridge (UK), and the Group of Eight in Australia, will be granted PSD scholarship (in specified fields such as Medicine, Pharmacy, Engineering, Biotech, etc...). Can't believe it? Read again. I was pretty shocked too when I first read it. Full article here.
I can't help but feel a little skeptical about it. I mean, of course it is good that the government is offering more opportunities to students who otherwise cannot afford an oversea education. If you're not offered PSD at Spm level, the option before you now is work your ass off in ALevels and secure yourself a place in those Unis. Meaning, you actually get to chose! You have a chance of choosing which country you're aiming for. Ok, maybe not the Ivies or Oxford or Cambridge, but the Group of 8? We all know that it's fairly easy to get admitted. And there's always IDP, who does practically everything for you to make sure you get admitted, as long as you pay them the cash.
The Group of 8 in Australia consists of
JPA scholarship results were released on the 11th of May, and it's really great to hear that they've increased the number of grants by 200, making it a total of 2,000 this year. Kudos to those who've made it through - you're the creme de la creme. It's like winning a jackpot, some might say. But to those who didn't make it, do not fret. According to Tan Sri Ismail from the Public Service Department, from this year, anyone who gets in to an Ivy League (America), Oxford/Cambridge (UK), and the Group of Eight in Australia, will be granted PSD scholarship (in specified fields such as Medicine, Pharmacy, Engineering, Biotech, etc...). Can't believe it? Read again. I was pretty shocked too when I first read it. Full article here.
I can't help but feel a little skeptical about it. I mean, of course it is good that the government is offering more opportunities to students who otherwise cannot afford an oversea education. If you're not offered PSD at Spm level, the option before you now is work your ass off in ALevels and secure yourself a place in those Unis. Meaning, you actually get to chose! You have a chance of choosing which country you're aiming for. Ok, maybe not the Ivies or Oxford or Cambridge, but the Group of 8? We all know that it's fairly easy to get admitted. And there's always IDP, who does practically everything for you to make sure you get admitted, as long as you pay them the cash.
The Group of 8 in Australia consists of
- University of Adelaide
- Australian National University (ANU)
- University of Melbourne
- Monash University
- University of New South Wales (UNSW)
- University of Queensland
- University of Sydney
- University of Western Australia
As long as you're admitted to one of those, the scholarship is yours. Isn't it a lil unfair to previous scholars like us? I'm fortunate enough to be sent to the States, but how about the others who were sent to Indonesia or some less desired destinations? They don't even have the opportunity to chose. There's no either or.
I find this rather ironical. People who can get into Ivies/Oxbridge most probably don't even need PSD scholarship. Most of the Ivies are need blind, meaning even if the applicant applies for financial aid, his chance of getting admitted will not be affected. And of course, private Universities like those listed also offer merit-based scholarships. On the other hand, students who are less sound financially, who really need PSD, might be too poor to even attend ALevels.
There's another option. According to the article,
Ivies + Oxbridge + GO8 + Nottingham + Curtin + Swinburne. How difficult can that be? Anyway, it's a good sign. So, if you don't get offered by the PSD overseas program, it's not end of the world. There are still alot of open avenues.
I find this rather ironical. People who can get into Ivies/Oxbridge most probably don't even need PSD scholarship. Most of the Ivies are need blind, meaning even if the applicant applies for financial aid, his chance of getting admitted will not be affected. And of course, private Universities like those listed also offer merit-based scholarships. On the other hand, students who are less sound financially, who really need PSD, might be too poor to even attend ALevels.
There's another option. According to the article,
Ok, meaning,
"if you get into a local foreign university (a foreign university that has a Malaysian campus) - Nottingham, Monash, Curtin, and Swinburne - you are also eligible for a PSD scholarship."
Ivies + Oxbridge + GO8 + Nottingham + Curtin + Swinburne. How difficult can that be? Anyway, it's a good sign. So, if you don't get offered by the PSD overseas program, it's not end of the world. There are still alot of open avenues.
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