TO TAKE OR NOT TO TAKE

[Appolo]

As all of us are well aware that students who received JPA sponsorship this year to pursue their education in USA are required to undergo a twinning program which is ACT(America Credit Transfer Program).Twinning programs have their benifits but I was not entirely happy about it. Securing a place in for ivy league institutes will definately be the chance of a life time for top scorer and yet ivy league schools will never accept transfer student unless you take ACT(America College Test) or SAT.Torn apart between taking SAT or just go on accepting the offers given by the Public Service Department, I would like to hear some constructive opinions from students alike before making my final decision . Hopefully, your assistance will help to shed some light for me. :D :D :D :D :D

[karenqly]

As all of us are well aware that students who received JPA sponsorship this year to pursue their education in USA are required to undergo a twinning program which is ACT(America Credit Transfer Program).Twinning programs have their benifits but I was not entirely happy about it. Securing a place in for ivy league institutes will definately be the chance of a life time for top scorer and yet ivy league schools will never accept transfer student unless you take ACT(America College Test) or SAT.Torn apart between taking SAT or just go on accepting the offers given by the Public Service Department, I would like to hear some constructive opinions from students alike before making my final decision . Hopefully, your assistance will help to shed some light for me. :D :D :D :D :D

first of all, if you decided to drop this scholarship, r u able to go overseas for studies on your own?(you can apply for financial aid or something)if the answer is yes, i would say drop it. if no, Then take it. i truly understand your feelings. of coz you wanna enjoy in the US rather than INTEC!anyway, since this JPA offered you this scholarship, my advice is to take it. ACTP is not exactly what it is. don forget that if you r admitted to any of the 7 ivy league uni then u have the chance to go into uni such as harvard, princeton, cornell n so on. i'm not sure how high the chances are but just try it. don't be afraid of studying SAT on your own. set your goal n most importantly score well in both SAT1 n 2. besides that, great essays and good recommendation letters help you too. btw, i have a few SAT 1 n 2 books available for sale. if you need it, just contact me latest by next fri.

[bush]

Be realistic.

Yes, there is a possibility of entering top schools. There is also a possibility of striking a lottery or winning big in a game of roulette. Don't apply just because there is a chance of gaining admission ie trying your luck, because it doesn't work like that.

[mic88]

Just follow wat your heart tells you......
Both are good, just depend on how u see it....
by the way, what course do you get for JPA??

[Seiryu]

As long as michigan AA OR wisconsin accepts transfer students. I'm fine. (fine as in smile and say hi to you if i see you around)

But if both these unis don't accept transfer students. . .

i'm not going to be so fine. . . . . . :?

[strikingstar]

I think I'll be betting on France.

Transferring is a really terrible option with lower admission rates than even freshman admissions. In addition, to be eligible for transfer admission, one usually has to have fulfilled the following criteria:


By the anticipated date of matriculation, applicants must have satisfactorily completed a minimum of one continuous academic year in a degree program at one university, and not more than two academic years of full-time study.

A minimum of two years' full-time enrollment at ___ as a degree candidate is required for ___'s degree.

Students who have completed more than two years of university study with transferable credit, and those who have earned a bachelor's degree, are not eligible to transfer to ___. Students may not choose to relinquish academic credits, or a degree, in order to apply for transfer admission.

Students who will have completed less than one full-time continuous year of study at one university by the anticipated date of matriculation at ___ should apply as freshman candidates. (All such applicants, if admitted, will matriculate as regular freshmen without any transfer credit.)

A student who has completed one full-time year of university in a regular degree program, in lieu of the senior year of high school (under an early admission plan), should apply to ___ as a freshman.

Students are eligible to transfer only from a liberal arts curriculum that is similar to ___'s. Candidates whose education have been in vocational, professional, technical or performance programs will not ordinarily qualify.

Well, judging by that, transferring is not really an option is it? Clue me in if I'm wrong but this JPA thingie definitely isn't a regular degree program i.e. program which will earn you a Bachelor's in a few yrs time is it? It's not even a university is it? Furthermore, it's as liberal-artsy as chalk is cheese isn't it?

Also clue me in if I'm wrong, but twinning will only work at schools that have agreed to participate in the twinning program with JPA rite? If that's the case, I highly doubt any of the top schs have such an agreement with JPA.

Btw, there are 8 ivies.

[Seiryu]

Well, judging by that, transferring is not really an option is it? Clue me in if I'm wrong but this JPA thingie definitely isn't a regular degree program i.e. program which will earn you a Bachelor's in a few yrs time is it? It's not even a university is it? Furthermore, it's as liberal-artsy as chalk is cheese isn't it?

Also clue me in if I'm wrong, but twinning will only work at schools that have agreed to participate in the twinning program with JPA rite? If that's the case, I highly doubt any of the top schs have such an agreement with JPA.

Come to think about it, why is our program named ACTP (american credit transfer program) instead of ADP (american degree program)? ? ?

Bah... i believe they'll call us ADP students beginning next year.

[strikingstar]

Come to think about it, why is our program named ACTP (american credit transfer program)

So that means transferring is out of the question? So doesn't that mean everyone still has to apply as a freshman?

[Seiryu]

No. . definitely not freshmen.
I don't know and i don't understand this whole mess :(

But I have a feeling we will be starting ADP beginning next year. This year is just foundation year. . .

[Thirdshifter]

not going to an ivy is not the end of it.. there are many great schools in America. Unless you didn;t get the JPA offer, then it wouldve had been different.

[Seiryu]

not going to an ivy is not the end of it.. there are many great schools in America. Unless you didn;t get the JPA offer, then it wouldve had been different.

:!:

:idea:

:roll:

[bush]

ADCP, ADTP, ADP, AD whatever P are the same.

You do two years or so here and transfer to the US. The destinations would be schools like........Bemidji, Iowa State, Arizona State, WM, AA, Pepperdine, Drexel, DePaul, Webster blah blah blah.........

ADP at HELP is transferable to IIT.......................damn...........

[Seiryu]

You do two years or so here and transfer to the US. The destinations would be schools like........Bemidji, Iowa State, Arizona State, WM, AA, Pepperdine, Drexel, DePaul, Webster blah blah blah.........

Ala. . .put lar AA and WM in front. . .at least make the list look better :roll:

Wait. . . . what about Duke? I heard Duke is famous for actuarial science as well. . . info from the actuarial science thread. .

[strikingstar]

Duke doesn't exactly offer an acturial science major.

If you enroll at Duke with intention to become an actuary, you just take math, stats, finance and econs classes. Comp science and accounting may be useful too.

[deming]

if you consider getting a master degree or PhD in the USA, attending a reputable university such as UMIch, UWisc, Iowa, Ohio, UC-Irvine, Illinois etc etc is another option. Do well in your undergrad, get good grads and what not, then you will have higher chance of getting a graduate degree from ivys or stanford.

[DecentMerson]

You do two years or so here and transfer to the US. The destinations would be schools like........Bemidji, Iowa State, Arizona State, WM, AA, Pepperdine, Drexel, DePaul, Webster blah blah blah.........

Ala. . .put lar AA and WM in front. . .at least make the list look better :roll:

Wait. . . . what about Duke? I heard Duke is famous for actuarial science as well. . . info from the actuarial science thread. .

i think u wanted to say Drake...

[Appolo]

Thanks you guys for answering to my question.By the way, the course I'm currently taking is biotechnology.According to one of my seniors , ivy league unis never offer biotech but there are courses such as biology or bioengineering.Can someone fill me in regarding the courses provided by ivy league and ivy standard institutues? Thank you.
:) :) :) :) :)

[strikingstar]

You do two years or so here and transfer to the US. The destinations would be schools like........Bemidji, Iowa State, Arizona State, WM, AA, Pepperdine, Drexel, DePaul, Webster blah blah blah.........

Ala. . .put lar AA and WM in front. . .at least make the list look better :roll:

Wait. . . . what about Duke? I heard Duke is famous for actuarial science as well. . . info from the actuarial science thread. .

i think u wanted to say Drake...

I think so too. More so ibanking/consulting haven. Less so actuary. Top 5 recruiters at Duke include Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, Accenture, Citigroup and I can't remember the last one.

[strikingstar]

Thanks you guys for answering to my question.By the way, the course I'm currently taking is biotechnology.According to one of my seniors , ivy league unis never offer biotech but there are courses such as biology or bioengineering.Can someone fill me in regarding the courses provided by ivy league and ivy standard institutues? Thank you.
:) :) :) :) :)

If you want to do biotech then do biotech. If you want to do bio or biomed (engineering), do bio or biomed. Don't go to an ivy that doesn't offer your intended major just for the sake of entering an ivy. That's ridiculous.

Biotech will have more to do with bacteria and viruses I guess. Harvesting bacteria for food, using them in industries etc.

Biomed has more to do with designing equipment for medical purposes etc. Vast difference there.

I do know the top two schs for BME and they happen to be:
1. Johns Hopkins
2. Duke

[eagleis]

Talk to d ADFP/ATU Head of Department to c if INTEC had any arrangements with d top U's. I'm of d opinion that they have made certain arrangements considering the facts that d JPA scholarship recepients r top students & that what is the point of spending so much money to send these students to tier 2 or tier 3 U's.

[bush]

Talk to d ADFP/ATU Head of Department to c if INTEC had any arrangements with d top U's. I'm of d opinion that they have made certain arrangements considering the facts that d JPA scholarship recepients r top students & that what is the point of spending so much money to send these students to tier 2 or tier 3 U's.

You're sure about scholarship recipients being top students? You'll be surprised by the number of 'scholars' going to 2nd/3rd tier schools in the US when they should be going to Harvard and all.

I'm not saying that IUPUI or UIUC is a lousy school but I believe scholars shouldn't be going to schools in which the admission rates are higher ie easier to gain admission. It's just not worth the money. JPA scholars should only be allowed to apply to ultra-competitive schools in the US and UK eg Cambridge, Oxford, The elite 8 in the States, hidden Ivies and some New English LACs. For medicine, any decent university should be fine.

[Wei_Ming]

For medicine, any decent university should be fine.

They send medical students to Indonesia... what do you expect.

[strikingstar]

if you consider getting a master degree or PhD in the USA, attending a reputable university such as UMIch, UWisc, Iowa, Ohio, UC-Irvine, Illinois etc etc is another option. Do well in your undergrad, get good grads and what not, then you will have higher chance of getting a graduate degree from ivys or stanford.

That's not exactly true. Just take a look at Harvard Law Sch's admission stats: http://www.law.harvard.edu/admissions/jd/colleges.php

Top 5 schs in terms of placement are surprise surprise:
1. Harvard itself (232 ppl) USNWR 1
2. Yale (126 ppl) USNWR 3
3. Stanford (91 ppl) USNWR 5
4. Princeton (65) USNWR 1
5. Duke (55) USNWR 5

Compare that to:
Iowa - 1
UC Irvine - 2
Ohio - 1
Illinois - 1

The general trend is that
1. top graduate schs tend to favour their own undergrads.
2. top graduate schs also admit heavily only from other elite institutions.
3. trying to enter top graduate schs from erhm less famous schs is like trying to win lottery.

[Hoong]

While the ivy schools might prefer accepting their own students in their graduate programs, there's also a possibility that in general the students from Ivy schools are better as they have been selected during their undergrad admission.

This girl I know is one of the 11 students from my school who are currently studying in Harvard Law school. When she was applying to college, she was accepted to Cornell and Columbia but chose to come to my school because she were offered a full scholarship. Both her friends who also attended my school and got accepted to Harvard Law were accepted to undergrad programs in other Ivy schools too. This suggests that they are accepted to Havard Law School because they are good and they have been working hard during their undergrad careers (they have good cGPAs and good LSAT scores).

Many of my international friends who aren't studying in Ivy's are getting good internships and jobs and some are enrolled in top notch grad schools. Most of them have forgone the opportunities to go to Ivy's to attend schools that give them the most money.

My friend was telling me the other day about how his smart friend who goes to a good school end up being an average joe among the geniuses. He/she ends up getting relatively average grades and average opportunities. The other person who might be a little less smart but goes to a reputable but not top notch schools ends up being a top student and was getting alot of attention from the professors and leadership opportunities.

Of course, I am not saying that M'sians do not do well in good schools. In fact, all Malaysian friendss in Ivy's are doing very well. But again, they have been selected based on their qualifications and qualities.

So, I think as long as you are good and as long as you make an effort to make good use of the opportunities available, no matter where you go, you will still have a chance of getting into a better school in the future.

Of course, if you manage to get a place in an Ivy school and have the money to go there, you should definitely go there. I am sure that will be a wonderful learning experience. However, it's also not a bad idea to attend other good schools that are not of Ivy standards. These schools would offer you a different flavor of experiences that are equally eye-opening and fulfilling.

[Seiryu]

You do two years or so here and transfer to the US. The destinations would be schools like........Bemidji, Iowa State, Arizona State, WM, AA, Pepperdine, Drexel, DePaul, Webster blah blah blah.........

Ala. . .put lar AA and WM in front. . .at least make the list look better :roll:

Wait. . . . what about Duke? I heard Duke is famous for actuarial science as well. . . info from the actuarial science thread. .

i think u wanted to say Drake...

Er. . yea. My mistake, it was Drake.

Why is Ivy league Brown ranked as low as 50+ in the THES university ranking?????

[bush]

Er. . yea. My mistake, it was Drake.

Why is Ivy league Brown ranked as low as 50+ in the THES university ranking?????

That simply reaffirms that rankings are relative. Dartmouth and Brown are schools(Dartmouth especially) unofficially dedicated to undergrad education. The focal point of these schools is not cutting edge research but a wholesome undergrad education.

You don't see schools like Williams, Oberlin, Colgate and all in the list, do you?

[Seiryu]

That simply reaffirms that rankings are relative. Dartmouth and Brown are schools(Dartmouth especially) unofficially dedicated to undergrad education. The focal point of these schools is not cutting edge research but a wholesome undergrad education.

You don't see schools like Williams, Oberlin, Colgate and all in the list, do you?

:?
I don't get it. . .

Err. . .do u mean Dartmouth and Brown are schools (schools? universities? colleges?) unofficially dedicated to undergrad education, they have no cutting edge researches but they focus on producing a wholesome undergrad education that's why their rankings are low... and universities like harvard have cutting edge researches as well as produce wholesome undergrad that's why it is ranked first?

[bush]

That simply reaffirms that rankings are relative. Dartmouth and Brown are schools(Dartmouth especially) unofficially dedicated to undergrad education. The focal point of these schools is not cutting edge research but a wholesome undergrad education.

You don't see schools like Williams, Oberlin, Colgate and all in the list, do you?

:?
I don't get it. . .

Err. . .do u mean Dartmouth and Brown are schools (schools? universities? colleges?) unofficially dedicated to undergrad education, they have no cutting edge researches but they focus on producing a wholesome undergrad education that's why their ranking is low... and universities like harvard has cutting edge researches as well as produce wholesome undergrad that's why they are ranked first?

Doh..............

Dartmouth and Brown are prime examples of an LAC. They do conduct research but they don't live for the sake of conducting them. Other institutions like Caltech, Princeton, Cornell, Johns Hopkins and all are totally on the opposite side. They focus on research besides aiming to accept the best available candidates into their fold.

You hardly see people going to LACs for a postgrad research degrees because LACs are mainly for undergraduate education. Imagine, going to Middlebury or Carleton to do a Phd on String Theory(do they award PhDs to start with?)....................................No, that don't sound right....people will go to big research universities eg Stanford, Cambridge etc.

[Seiryu]

Doh..............

Dartmouth and Brown are prime examples of an LAC. They do conduct research but they don't live for the sake of conducting them. Other institutions like Caltech, Princeton, Cornell, Johns Hopkins and all are totally on the opposite side. They focus on research besides aiming to accept the best available candidates into their fold.

You hardly see people going to LACs for a postgrad research degrees because LACs are mainly for undergraduate education. Imagine, going to Middlebury or Carleton to do a Phd on String Theory(do they award PhDs to start with?)....................................No, that don't sound right....people will go to big research universities eg Stanford, Cambridge etc.

-.^

Oh Ai Sea~~

[strikingstar]

Dartmouth and Brown are like LACs but they are not LACs.