Jpa 2008 US

[onejun]

I have a question pertaining to the Mid Year Report.

I was just wondering if I could ask one of my lecturers to act as the Counselor so that he/she could fill up the Mid Year Report (plus the recommendation letter of course) since I think that he/she would have a better idea of how I am as a person/student than the student counselor.

What do you think?

I knew that it is possible to ask the class teacher to fill up the SSR (Secondary School Report) instead of the principal / penolong kanan...but I'm not sure whether it applies to the Mid Year Report as well.

Thanks in advance!

the counselor in inti INSISTS on writing our MYR. she said our lecturers will not suffice.

check whether your college's counselor knows how to fill in the MYR or not. chances are they do as they must have written countless ones before.

[Beatles]

Hey everyone..
I have questions here regarding the common application..

On the Cornell 'freshmen application instruction', it didn't say that we need to submit the international supplement to the secondary school report.

However, on the common application 'teacher form' section, there is this 'international supplement to secondary school report' thing..

So do I need to submit it or not?
I'm afraid that I'm going to miss out something on my application..

[insertusername]

then submit it

[Beatles]

I forget to mention something..
Yet when I check my application status (I'm applying ED), it only say that my TE and SSR are incomplete, which is of no surprise as I send through mail these two documents.
It didn't mention anything about International Supplement to Secondary School Report..

[clep]

I didn't apply to Cornell for ED, but my guess is they probably assumed that as an international student, your counselor would have attached the ISR to the SSR and it's counted as one item. Of course, I could be wrong.

A question: If I need to correct anything on my application that I sent in for ED, I can just send the admissions office a letter through mail, right?

[skyblues]

hello...
i have a question here.

Is it conflicting if my secondary transcripts in Malay are certified by my secondary principal, but the one who writes my recommendation and fills in the ssr form is another person, and the translated transcripts are certified by my college counselor; yet, the one who writes my recommendation letter for myr is another person?

I have a big question mark here. And do you understand what am I asking ??

Thanks for any responses !!

[andrewlza]

hello...
i have a question here.

Is it conflicting if my secondary transcripts in Malay are certified by my secondary principal, but the one who writes my recommendation and fills in the ssr form is another person, and the translated transcripts are certified by my college counselor; yet, the one who writes my recommendation letter for myr is another person?

No.

The message you have entered is too short. Please lengthen your message to at least 10 characters. <-- this 10 character thing is ridiculous.

[skyblues]

What i mean is that

1. I had my transcripts ( Malay version ) certified by my secondary principal.
2. The one who filled in SSR form is my secondary counselor, and the
recommendation letter is from her.
3. I had my college counselor certified my secondary transcripts (translated version).
4. And on the "certified translated copy" is the name of A counselor, but I ask B
counselor to fill in the MYR Form and to write me the recommendation letter.

In all, all the people who certify my transcripts and write the recommendation letter and fill in the forms are different.

Is this conflicting ? Should I do like this ?

( Did I make my question clearer? )

[Jeryliza]

Skyblues, I'm in the same situation as you. Hope some of the seniors can reply soon..
Hope it's ok, because I already sealed my envelope already..

[gnaw]

Should we inform the adcom that we are under jpa's scholarship (in an explanatory letter)?

Thanks in advance...

[skyblues]

Should we inform the adcom that we are under jpa's scholarship (in an explanatory letter)?

Thanks in advance...

Yes. I think we should mention that we are JPA scholars to gain a higher chance, as the word "scholar" sometimes ensures the academic quality in us.

Besides, I think we should also state that the current preparatory courses that we are taking (eg: in INTEC, Inti, and Taylor's ) are to make up 12 grade.

Skyblues, I'm in the same situation as you. Hope some of the seniors can reply soon..
Hope it's ok, because I already sealed my envelope already..


Luckily you understnad what I am talking about.
I think seniors will be able to understand also, right?

[Jim]

Skyblues, I'm in the same situation as you. Hope some of the seniors can reply soon..
Hope it's ok, because I already sealed my envelope already..

I'm no senior but i think it's perfectly fine as long as the same person fills the form and writes the recommendation letter. It doesn't matter if the transcripts are certified by someone else. :amuse

[gnaw]

Just to confirm: when sending the MYR, we only have to include the transcripts right? are any other documents required?

Thanks...

[qwerkie]

<digression>
<because i can and because i haven't been here for a very long time>

god bless online applications for they save you postage money and papercuts. yes i am kiamsiap.
god bless web-literate teachers.
and curses be on counselors that prefer poking their nose into torrid love affairs to an application as interesting as mine.

<digression end>

[skyblues]

Just to confirm: when sending the MYR, we only have to include the transcripts right? are any other documents required?

Thanks...

If the school stated in MYR is different with the one in SSR, you need another recommendation letter from the counselor who fills in the MYR for you. And I think that's all.

[Jim]

Hey, if a person gets into the university to which he has applied Early Decision, he has to redraw all the applications to other universities, right?

What happens if he doesn't redraw?

And if he redraws, will the application fees be refunded? :oh

[passOUT]

^

You mean withdraw is it?
If you are admitted under ED, you MUST withdraw all pending applications to other universities. The American universities are very particular about this issue. Besides, when you signed your ED agreement, you have (somehow) agreed to do so (the withdrawals).
The worst thing, IMO, that can happen if you do not withdraw, your ED school will just rid you off their admitted list...er, I think the other school will also reject you...
Refunds? Hah! I doubt that...

[Jim]

^

You mean withdraw is it?
If you are admitted under ED, you MUST withdraw all pending applications to other universities. The American universities are very particular about this issue. Besides, when you signed your ED agreement, you have (somehow) agreed to do so (the withdrawals).
The worst thing, IMO, that can happen if you do not withdraw, your ED school will just rid you off their admitted list...er, I think the other school will also reject you...
Refunds? Hah! I doubt that...

LOL!!! Yea, I meant withdraw, not redraw :headsmack :oops: :oops: :oops: :wall


You mean the other schools will know who have applied ED? And if the ED application fails, then will the other schools know that the person has applied ED and failed to get a place?

[d3stinydanc3withm3]

yeah they will...bottom line is...you can't cheat them

[passOUT]

^

Well said...

[chenchow]

Please definitely go to the university that you get into for ED, as failure to get in, would have serious repercussion not just for you, but also for all of your batchmates and even your junior batches from the same preparatory program and also the country.

[Arun08]

Hye Seniors..


I kinda Neeeeddd Help From u all...

i Juz FINISHED my SPM...
SO i juz entered this world of Pre-U stuffs...
i've been doing sm research myself n i found out these 2 Programmes Interest me alot..

1)SAM
2)American Degree Transfer Programme (ADP)

i got alot of Info on SAM(still not enought though) But i Literally Don't Know anything About ADP... All i know is that if i wana go for a American U course then i should go for this Test SAT (or TOEFEL , i dont know..)

N i really Need Scholarship...Possibly fULLY aided
N i hv been Receiving Scholarship from Gov since my Form 2
(Biasiswa Kecil Persekutuan)

By the way , im positive i can get atleast 5A1 in my SPM
and im a Science Stream student(pure Science) but im not interested in Medic or related field Except Biotech...

So help me out Seniors..

[renZ]

I would like to ask if JPA is sending scholars for accountancy/banking and financial/economics to US?
and if yes, the competition is the as hard as those hot courses like medic?
and is there any info abt the quota of each courses that JPA will award, coz i thought i read the quota before but i forgot alrdy! ==

[abyssesour]

I would like to ask if JPA is sending scholars for accountancy/banking and financial/economics to US?
and if yes, the competition is the as hard as those hot courses like medic?
and is there any info abt the quota of each courses that JPA will award, coz i thought i read the quota before but i forgot alrdy! ==

yes they do send scholars doing Economics to the States. i'm not quite sure about the other two fields though. basically it's easy to get Economics. lots of my friends who applied got it even with less than stellar results. accountancy is harder to get IMO.

[chen622]

I would like to ask if JPA is sending scholars for accountancy/banking and financial/economics to US?
and if yes, the competition is the as hard as those hot courses like medic?
and is there any info abt the quota of each courses that JPA will award, coz i thought i read the quota before but i forgot alrdy! ==

source = Sin Chew (http://www.sinchew.com.my/node/67820?tid=1)

http://www.sinchew.com.my/files/preview/292x300.2008.05.29.33.jpg

Words in red = No. | Courses | Number of applicants | Interviewees | Scholarships available | Ratio

(sorry for mistranslation, if any)

1. Medicine
2. Pharmacy
3. Dentistry
4. Engineering
5. Accountancy
6. Law
7. Biotechnology
8. Actuarial Science
9. Humanity
10. Science
11. Architecture
12. Business Admin
13. Economics
14. Information Technology
15. Veterinary Science
16. Agriculture
17. Quantity Survey (not sure)
18. Town Planning (Perancangan Bandar)

[renZ]

ya, this the one i read from sin chew before. thx a lot....
IMO? what does this means?
so, from the list, it seems that JPA is not offering financial and banking courses huh?

[chen622]

ya, this the one i read from sin chew before. thx a lot....
IMO? what does this means?
so, from the list, it seems that JPA is not offering financial and banking courses huh?

IMO = in my opinion

From that list alone, apparently JPA isn't offering courses you intended. Bank Negara Scholarship does offer those courses, though I think it's better for you to wait till the coming March, after SPM results are out, when these scholarships are open for application again.

Also, you should check out this website.

http://www.malaysia-scholarship.net/

Try looking for past scholarships that offer your preferred field of studies, i.e. scholarships offered by banks, insurance companies, financial corporation etc.

[renZ]

alright no problem at all, but i thought BNM scholarship is the toughest scholarships to get isn't it?
For insurance company, i had roughly do some research but found that they mostly sponsoring students for Local U and postgrad.
So anyone knows about the scholarships offered by SC? i think it supposedly to be also one of the hardest to get? correct me if i m wrong. ^^
anyway, thanks a lot chen622.

[chen622]

alright no problem at all, but i thought BNM scholarship is the toughest scholarships to get isn't it?
For insurance company, i had roughly do some research but found that they mostly sponsoring students for Local U and postgrad.
So anyone knows about the scholarships offered by SC? i think it supposedly to be also one of the hardest to get? correct me if i m wrong. ^^
anyway, thanks a lot chen622.

Hmm.. Actually, for local students, the "easiest" full scholarships for overseas studies is JPA. Others are not easy to get because the scholarships are limited and they really look at your interview performance, critical thinking skills, leadership qualities, co-curricular activities involvement, etc. While JPA offers 2,000 scholarships, BNM only gives out 50 or so (not sure). See? :roll:

[renZ]

ya, but for JPA i had heard quite a lot of those who got the scholarships from "back door".
and it is not something new to heard those who got straight A1 didn't granted the scholarships.
so maybe i should not lie so much hope on it. =.=" (since both of my brother and sister didn't get the sch9olarships with straight A results.)

[gman]

hey renz, if you would like to find out more about other scholarships that offer the courses that you want, i guess you will have to do some research as chen622 has mentioned. and yes, most insurance companies give out scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate studies. by the way, if you would like to find out about other scholarships such as bank negara, khazanah, sime darby, uem and so on, you can look through the other threads in recom that may have more of what you are looking for. i doubt that this thread may offer you that much information on banking and financial related courses. good luck!

[chenchow]

Congrats to 2 ReComers who get into Cornell and Brown respectively!

I'll let them share it here!

[Jim]

My Cornell Application Checklist

1) Resume
2) Commonapp form + Essay
3) Supplement form + Supplementary Essay
4) 2 Teacher?s Evaluation Forms
5) 1 Secondary School Report
6) 1 Mid Year Report
7) Other recommendation letters
8) SAT 1 & SAT 2 scores (sent by Collegeboard)
9) TOEFL score (sent by ETS)

Resume:



I listed my achievements and activities with one or two sentences to explain every achievement and activity. You can also include your work experience if you have any. You don?t have to attach certificates, but it shouldn?t be a problem if you do.




I wrote about my skills e.g. computer skills, languages that I?m proficient in, musical instrument that I can play.




Do include anything about yourself that you think will interest the admission people.



Commonapp form + Essay:

The form is just plain and simple, like any ordinary forms that ask for a bunch of your personal details (name, date of birth, family details, bla bla bla).

For the essay, I chose a title which was mainly about ethical dilemma. My essay was about why I did not stand up to my belief and how I felt after that. Everyone?s essay should be unique, so I won?t disclose too much about mine.

You can choose the essay titles provided or you can write about any topic you want. The topics never change, so you can start working on your essay NOW! There?s no time sooner than now.

Give yourself plenty of time to think about your essays and do get comments from other people. To be unique, you must write about things that you think people will not usually write but don?t go off topic!

Although there?s no word limit, always try to be as concise and straightforward as possible. Do the admission officers a favor by not beating around the bush too much. Also, try to avoid using passive voice, use it only when it is necessary. Passive voice doesn?t sound good, but when the subject is unknown, it can?t be help.

Supplement Form + Essay:

There?s nothing out of the ordinary about the supplementary form, it?s easy to fill.

For the College of Arts and Sciences, the essay topic is Describe your intellectual interests, their evolution, and what makes them exciting to you. Tell us how you will utilize the academic programs in the College of Arts and Sciences to further explore your interests, intended major, or field of study. The word limit is 500 words.

I wrote about my participation in the Young Enterprise Program and how the program made me interested in Economics. In addition, I wrote about other programs in Cornell which caught my interest such as the Language House Program.

You should write about the activities that you have done which develop your interest in a particular field. Alternatively, you can write about something that happened to you and made you interested in the field you choose to pursue.

You should also browse through Cornell?s website and discover other programs in Cornell that you find interesting. In your essay, tell them about the programs that interest you. Remember to explain how those programs can be useful to you.

Teacher?s Evaluation

I approached my EST and Add Math teachers to fill in the Teacher?s Evaluation forms.

You?ll need at least 2 Teacher?s Evaluation Forms and recommendation letters from your school teachers and 1 Secondary School Report and recommendation letter from your school counselor.

When requesting recommendation letters from your teachers, you should:

1)Choose 1 teacher who teaches arts stream subject (e.g. English, Economics, etc) and 1 teacher who teaches science stream subject (e.g. Add Math, Physics, etc). It would be even better if one of them is from your secondary school, and the other is from your preparatory college.

2)Choose teachers who know you well, preferably those who are close to you.

3)Approach your teachers early, give them enough time (at least 1 month).

4)Remind your teachers not to list down your achievements in the recommendation letters because the list should be included in your resume. Your teachers should write about your character and substantiate it with examples. Statements like ?John is eager to learn.? must be supported by examples.

5)Discuss what they should write. Some teachers may not have written any recommendation letters before, so don?t be shy to tell your teachers what you want them to write about you, but never make them write things that they do not want to.

Secondary School Report

My Secondary School Report was filled by my secondary school counselor.

If your counselor doesn?t know you well, he can write about you based on your school records (academic performance and extracurricular achievements) from Form 1 to Form 5. If your school doesn?t have a counselor, then the principal can fill in the Secondary School Report and write the letter. Again, do give your counselor plenty of time and guide them through the Secondary School Report if they have doubts.

If your results have been consistently good, you can also get your school results from Form 1 to Form 5 and ask your counselor to attach it with the Secondary School Report.

Mid Year Report

My mid year report was filled by some admin lady in my preparatory college.

It is advisable to include your college result in your Mid Year Report if you enter college right after SPM / Form 5 because you want to show them that you have 12 years of formal education. However, remember to write a separate letter to explain that your college education is equivalent to 12th grade in US school system. Cornell mentioned here http://admissions.cornell.edu/resources/faq_answer.cfm?num=15 that if you?ve done college level work, you shouldn?t be applying as freshman. So the explanation letter is very IMPORTANT!

Other Recommendation Letters

I was a St John?s Ambulance Malaysia (SJAM) member. So, I asked an officer from SJAM to write a recommendation letter for me. My piano teacher had also written a letter for me.

You should try to get additional recommendation letters unless you know nothing good will be written. These letters not only further explain your personality; they also describe the activities that you participated. You can get additional recommendation from:

1)Sports coaches
2)Part time job employers
3)Charity organizations that you?ve joined
4)Music teachers

SAT 1 & SAT 2

I scored 2090 for SAT 1, breakdown: CR 600 (I know, it?s horrible!), Writing 690, Math 800 and 2400 for SAT 2 (no typo, that?s the full score alright!) For SAT 2, I took Math 2, Physics, and Chemistry.

To prepare for SAT 1, all you need to do is a whole lot of practice! I don?t know of any other ways to prepare for SAT 1.

The 3 SAT 2 subjects which I took was easy because the syllabus was rather similar to SPM syllabus. Just try a few practice tests and you?ll understand how simple the questions are (if you can fully master SPM syllabus).

TOEFL

My TOEFL score was 113.

TOEFL is easy as long as you have a decent command of English. Many people can easily get above 110 without doing any preparation. Yup, that?s how easy it is!

However, do familiarize yourself with the format of the test before taking the test. There?re 4 sections all together (reading, listening, speaking and writing), each account for 30 marks.

Last Words

It was actually Chen Chow?s suggestion that I write this post. Hopefully, you will find it useful. Do feel free to publish it wherever you like, if you want to. =)

[chenchow]

Thanks Jim for sharing!

Charis (clep)'s sharing is at here (http://www.recom.org/forum/showthread.php?p=209615#post209615)

[Jieweitan]

Wow, congratulations to Clep and Jim in their Early Admission. All of us are envious of you guys. :P

Well, its time for us regular admission to work doubly hard.

I'm planning to get a peer review as my extra recommendation letter. It works too right, as long as it sheds new light on me?

[chenchow]

Wow, congratulations to Clep and Jim in their Early Admission. All of us are envious of you guys. :P

Well, its time for us regular admission to work doubly hard.

I'm planning to get a peer review as my extra recommendation letter. It works too right, as long as it sheds new light on me?

Yes. Peer Review does work, but at most 1. It shouldn't be the main part of your recommendation.

Good Luck!

[nerissa]

Jim, did you get an extra counselor recommendation from your college, since you attached your pre-u results with your Mid Year Report?

[Xon]

Omedetou Jim!

XDXD

[wyarn]

I was wondering how should we write the explanation letter in order to put us in the best light and avoid any confusions about the credit hours earned. Is it advisable to state that the course is required by the sponsor and we do not wish to earn the credit hours?

[Jim]

Jim, did you get an extra counselor recommendation from your college, since you attached your pre-u results with your Mid Year Report?

Yea, i did. :)

Omedetou Jim!

XDXD


Doumo! :amuse

[chenchow]

I was wondering how should we write the explanation letter in order to put us in the best light and avoid any confusions about the credit hours earned. Is it advisable to state that the course is required by the sponsor and we do not wish to earn the credit hours?

Essentially, you would just write that it is equivalent to Year 12th US Education.

No point saying that it is required by the sponsor. It would just affect everyone else too.

And you would be collecting the credit hours from courses taken here. Year 12th US Education does allow advanced placement credits in the university.

[onejun]

And you would be collecting the credit hours from courses taken here. Year 12th US Education does allow advanced placement credits in the university.

wait a minute.

what do you mean by the bold statement above? Are you saying that the credit hours that Im currently earning in INTI is equivalent to d AP classes?

if thats d case, should i put down in my commonapp form that i have AP classes?

im seriously confused bout this. cz i never heard bout doing this sort of translation before.

plz enlighten n thanks chenchow!

[capablanca]

AP is different from the credits you are having now. Basically, you need to understand the education background of the place you are going to study. American schools are liberal, the students can choose which type of courses they want to take. Thus, Americans take AP exams during their junior and senior year of high school. Colleges accepts AP results with high scores as equivalent with maybe Cal 1 or so. Hence, they could shave up to 20 credit hours through AP. In Malaysia, you can take AP exam too if you got into Ivy League or other schools which does not accept credit transfers since they will be more willing to accept AP results.

AP is standardized for everyone but your credits in INTI is subjective to the college itself. You should not put that you have AP classes unless you did take the exam in Malaysia.

[passOUT]

No point saying that it is required by the sponsor. It would just affect everyone else too.



Erm, how would that affect everyone? Just curious...thanks!

[nerissa]

has anybody here been interviewed by Dr Ewe Hong Tat before? i would like to know more about my interviewer.... :)

[capablanca]

Dr. Ewe Hong Tat? MIT interviewer? I never went for MIT interview before but I did meet him once. He's fun and jolly, I guess. So, don't worry about it. You can google to get a background check.

[chenchow]

wait a minute.

what do you mean by the bold statement above? Are you saying that the credit hours that Im currently earning in INTI is equivalent to d AP classes?

if thats d case, should i put down in my commonapp form that i have AP classes?

im seriously confused bout this. cz i never heard bout doing this sort of translation before.

plz enlighten n thanks chenchow!

Nope. Unless you are taking AP exams, you are not allowed to state that you are taking AP classes.

You would get some credits for the courses that you are doing now at Inti. It depends on how good you are at putting the case to the universities. It is case by case basis. So, essentially, bring your transcript, syllabus, and also major assignments and go and convince the university for the credits after you have gotten in.

Erm, how would that affect everyone? Just curious...thanks!

With you saying that the sponsor forced you all to take a certain course, it would put all the rest of the scholars in bad light, and it would affect everyone.

[Jieweitan]

To Penn Applicants, how do you guys plan fill in the "Academic Information" your Penn supplement form?

My understanding is to list "Current Year courses" as INTEC's course. Although we have too many English courses that we can only fill in 1 or 2 in the so limited "English" box. Problematic, huh? How do you guys plan to fill this up?

And for the "Additional Information for Students", do we fill in like this:-

International Exam #1:
Name of Exam - SPM Subject - BM
Date Taken/To Be Taken (and result if applicable) - XX/XX/XX
Date Exam Results Will be Made Available to Penn - XX/XX/XX

...and fill in all the other subjects until no 8. Or do we fill in the number of subjects we take for the "Subject" box instead?

[passOUT]

^

I thought we only need to forward the result slip to them with the IS and SSR?

[Jieweitan]

Yeah, but Penn's supplement for asks to fill those in as well, in a rather inconvenient box.

[snoopy]

Hey guys, when is biro tatanegara?
i heard that is April 20 - 24, is it true?

[eugenetoh91]

Last year, the US education fair -USA For Students was held on the 14th of June 08. May I know approximately when it is for this year?
Thankx
Regards

[castle]

Hey guys, when is biro tatanegara?
i heard that is April 20 - 24, is it true?

yeah,its confirmed for those from inti.

[kaera]

yeah,its confirmed for those from inti.

only for INTI scholars. INTEC i think somewhere in late march, taylors early may.

[chenchow]

Last year, the US education fair -USA For Students was held on the 14th of June 08. May I know approximately when it is for this year?
Thankx
Regards


As of now, there is no concrete answer on this, but the education fair may not happen this year.

In the mean time, do go to http://www.usaforstudents.org ,and then click on "publications", and there is a FAQ there.

Good Luck!

Do post your questions here.

[jeffnumber1]

HI all,i have 1 question about JPA,if i get 13 straight A
(10 1A and 3 2A).
How high is my chance if i apply engineering?

[chenchow]

It really depends on what subject you get A2s. If it is science-subjects, then it would have effects.

Do post this in the JPA 2009 thread. Thanks.

[capablanca]

It depends actually. For instance, all your core subjects must be A1, such as Pendidikan Moral, Malay, English, Math etc. And do post further question in the JPA 2009 thread. This is for the US section.

[milkshake]

I am still very foreign to the whole US application. The application sounded really tedious and I just don't know where to begin. I am planning to apply as a transfer student but what are the chances of acceptance to universities such as Northwestern, Purdue, NYU and Cornell? Does the SAT scores affect admissions for transfers? Because from my understanding, to get into those universities as freshman, SAT 1 score would at least have to be around 2100 right? What about transfers?

I plan to major in biochemistry and do I need Calculus 2 to apply as transfer student? There's a lot so misunderstandings and hearsay regarding the necessity of Calculus 2 for applied science students. Some say it's really important and many universities require calculus 2 during application but I spoke to the lady at the AUP office and she said that cal 2 is not necessary for applied science students. Please enlighten me on this matter.

Thank you.

[chenjun1128]

You don't need 2100 SAT score to be admitted as a freshmen:)

[Boyz_Zoo]

You can also take ATC, an easier alternative test for SAT.

[passOUT]

^

Do you mean ACT?

[Boyz_Zoo]

^

Do you mean ACT?
The ACT is a standardized achievement examination for college admissions in the United States produced by ACT, Inc. It was first administered in fall 1959 by Everett Franklin Lindquist as a competitor to the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test, now the SAT Reasoning Test. Some students who perform poorly on the SAT find that they perform better on the ACT and vice versa. The ACT test has historically consisted of 4 tests: English, Math, Reading, and Science reasoning. In February 2005, an optional writing test was added to the ACT, mirroring changes to the SAT that took place later in March of the same year. All four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. accept the ACT, but different institutions place different emphases on standardized tests such as the ACT, compared to other factors of evaluation such as class rank, G.P.A., and extracurricular activities.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACT_(examination (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACT_%28examination))

[chenchow]

I am still very foreign to the whole US application. The application sounded really tedious and I just don't know where to begin. I am planning to apply as a transfer student but what are the chances of acceptance to universities such as Northwestern, Purdue, NYU and Cornell? Does the SAT scores affect admissions for transfers? Because from my understanding, to get into those universities as freshman, SAT 1 score would at least have to be around 2100 right? What about transfers?

I plan to major in biochemistry and do I need Calculus 2 to apply as transfer student? There's a lot so misunderstandings and hearsay regarding the necessity of Calculus 2 for applied science students. Some say it's really important and many universities require calculus 2 during application but I spoke to the lady at the AUP office and she said that cal 2 is not necessary for applied science students. Please enlighten me on this matter.

Thank you.

milkshake, do read through the resources available at here (http://usapps2009.blogspot.com).

In terms of gotten in as transfer student to universities like you stated above, would say that the chance is there, but very few got in. Maybe only 1-2 Malaysians got in through transfer to universities like Cornell per year. So, very limited, but to say that it is not possible, it is not true. At least, have seen students who did ADP from Taylor's, Inti, Sunway gotten in before.

SAT score does affect, although it is just one of the many components. They look into your application essays, recommendation letters, resume, activities, academic, standardized exams etc. For transfer students, no interview though.

No minimum score for SAT. The higher SAT score the better it is, but again SAT is just one of the many aspects looked into. So, there is no formula that said that one who gets certain score of SAT would get in.

On whether Calculus 2 is needed, it depends on universities, but for most universities, I don't think so. You can always go there and take the course.

Good Luck!

You can also take ATC, an easier alternative test for SAT.

Won't actually recommend ACT, unless you are able to work hard on your own. Very few students from Malaysia takes ACT, so you might not be able to get as much advice.

Having said that, you are allowed to take ACT, and if you can do well, why not?

My advice - Take both SAT and ACT! :)

[blessed07]

Im offered ADTP under jpa ( 2+3).
May I knoww how to change it to (1+4) and how i can qualified myself into Ivy League or Ivy League Standard?

[Boyz_Zoo]

Im offered ADTP under jpa ( 2+3).
May I knoww how to change it to (1+4) and how i can qualified myself into Ivy League or Ivy League Standard?
Well, it is highly unlikely JPA will change it as it will cost JPA more money. In order to qualify, You need to well in your ADTP and more importantly SAT.

[chenchow]

Im offered ADTP under jpa ( 2+3).
May I knoww how to change it to (1+4) and how i can qualified myself into Ivy League or Ivy League Standard?

Essentially, what you need to do, is to do well, and get admitted to Ivy League or Ivy League standard universities, and you will do 1+4. So, the question is on you.

On what to do to get admitted, would encourage you to browse the 30+ resources that we have put up at here (http://usapps2009.blogspot.com). Do start preparing now!

[Xenocide]

I am currently taking AUP in INTI. The question is, can I apply for JPA scholarships if I gain admission into ivy league or ivy league standards university as transfer student? Did anyone try this before?

[gman]

I am currently taking AUP in INTI. The question is, can I apply for JPA scholarships if I gain admission into ivy league or ivy league standards university as transfer student? Did anyone try this before?

i am pretty sure that the jpa scholarship program meant for those who have just completed spm is out of the question. however, there is another program in which you may get a scholarship if you are accepted to certain universities in the US such as those that are in the ivy league. i don't know if that includes students who are transferring because the people that i know under this programme have gone as first year students. you may try searching the thread on tajaan tambahan jpa for info. even so, i would say that asking the officers in charge of this program is the best course of action.

[Xenocide]

As I noticed many US University offer financial aid. So what is those financial aids? Does it cover our tuition fees or living expenses? Is the financial aid mean merit scholarship or loan?

[njkian]

I'm currently applying as a freshman to ivy league and ivy league standard universities...
I visited CMU website and the deadline for international applicant is Nov 30
However the deadline on commonapp is 1st of Jan regardless international applicant or US student.
I sent an email to CMU to ask, but they replied me something irrelevant...so i'm wondering whether i should apply on commonapp or CMU website?...stick to commonapp deadline or CMU international applicant deadline?

There is another question ? How do i waive the application fees?
As i know Berkeley only offers fee waiver to US citizen n permanent resident.
Is that true? and it does not require high school transcript...i m a little bit unsure..as the website states send only after u get admitted. so wat abt during application?

How do i waive app fees for other schools? juz send in an official letter from counselor or use the NACAC form or use form of collegeboard?
I search collegeboard for the form, there is no specific form for fee waiver.
However, I've got NACAC form.
So which one should i use ?

[Gabrielle90]

No, the deadline is not 30th of November.

The deadline for preliminary application is 1st of November (Freshman).
https://acis.as.cmu.edu/international/

While the deadline for regular decision is 1st of January.
http://my.cmu.edu/portal/site/admission/dates

As for the high school transcript, it's better for you to send an email to ask them about it.

I am not sure about the NACAC form but it seems usable. However, i think it's better to write them a letter to explain about the currency thingy as well.
http://andrewlza.blogdrive.com/archive/325.html

[Shaheera]

Hey guys. I've been offered ACTP at Taylor's under sastera ikhtisas. One thing I'm eager to know, would JPA choose the subjects for me or do I have to choose them myself? If so, then what are the subjects relevant for my course? Thanks so much in advance.

[technicolor]

Isn't this for the 2008 JPA batch i.e. my batch?

By the way, since both Taylors and INTI have similar American Education Department, I'm pretty sure that JPA won't choose the subjects for you. You have the absolute control over your choice of subjects for 2 years of ACTP. But I believe they already have a list of courses that you need to take for the first semester. You will only start enrolling by yourself by 2nd semester.