Dear myUface readers,
I am off to New York on business tomorrow and Thursday. Michael Curtis, co-founder of myUface, will be taking over for me, and sharing some great information about the TOEFL. Don’t miss it! And see you on Friday!
Here are three more questions to consider as you prepare to apply to universities. Like all questions in our “Three Questions” series, they are designed to make you think about your life and goals in a way that will help you write your essays.
In order to find financial aid for your studies in the U.S., you’re going to need to ask a lot of different people a lot of questions. You’ll need to talk to people at U.S. universities, at U.S. organizations, at the U.S. Embassy, at Educational Advising Centers, at domestic and international companies, and in your community. In fact, although we said at the very beginning of this series that there was no secret formula to getting financial aid, there is a winning strategy:
Ask a lot of people about financial aid. Ask everyone you can think of about financial aid. The more you ask, the better your chances.
So, asking questions is important. However, equally important is knowing how to ask those questions. Remember, ultimately you’re asking other people to invest in your education, so you need to be polite and professional. Let’s talk a little bit about how to do that.
First, do not – DO NOT – think that you are entitled in any way to financial aid. You aren’t. Period. There is no “human right” to financial aid. Financial aid is a privilege that you must earn. So when asking about financial aid, try not to give the impression that you expect someone to help you.
Second, remember, you are asking someone else to spend their money on your education. You need to show that you think your education is a good investment – and the number one way of doing that is to demonstrate that you are investing as well. Otherwise, potential supporters will ask, “Why should I help this student, if the student isn’t willing to make any contribution?”
Good example: “I’ve identified all of my own resources, and those of my family, that can help me study in the U.S. But I still can’t cover the total cost. Is there any chance you have a scholarship that can help me bridge the gap?”
Bad example: I really want to get 100% funding, because my family doesn’t have a lot of money and I’d rather not touch my small amount of savings. Can you help?”
Third, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, BE POLITE. Use the magic words, “Please,” and “Thank you,” very, very often. Thank people even if they can’t help you or if they turn you down. You’re asking people to help you with either their money (financial aid) or time (explaining to you where to get financial aid). They’re going to be much more willing to do both if they feel appreciated.
Good example: “Would you please send me a list of the scholarships offered by your university, if any? I would really appreciate it. Thank you so much for all the time you spend helping me! I can’t tell you how grateful I am!”
Bad example: “I didn’t receive the list of scholarships I asked you to send. Can you send it again? I really need it.”
The bottom line is, in order to get financial aid, you’re going to need to ask a lot of people for help, and you’re going to need to ask them nicely. Try to put yourself in their shoes and imagine what you’d like to hear if you were them. Asking good questions is the shortest path to getting good results.
Once you’ve exhausted all other options, if you still need more funds in order to study in the U.S. you might consider taking out a student loan. But before we talk about the process of getting a student loan, let’s be clear about one thing up front:
Right now – the summer of 2009 – is probably not the best time to be looking for loans from banks. As InternationalStudentLoan.com notes on its website:
We are also experiencing processing and funding delays due to the turmoil in the student loan marketplace. Borrow as little as you can — make sure you exhaust all other avenues for funding first.
The same site has a great description of the impacts of the “credit crisis” on student loans, so I won’t go into details here. The money quotation:
Student loans will be harder to get, and for those that get them, they will be more expensive. The harsh reality is that there will be less students who can afford to go to school this coming year. Of course the majority of those impacted will be US students, but international students will face the same hurdles.
The problem stems from the fact that student lenders typically sell their student loans, to raise more capital to make more loans as well as for overhead and profit. Right now, no one wants to buy those loans.
Having said all of that, it is still technically possible to get a student loan, and if you need extra funds, it’s an option you should look into.
Three websites that will serve as good starting points for your search for a student loan:
InternationalStudentLoan.com – although the loan process is currently closed due to the credit crisis, this site is still a good resource for understanding the way international student loans work.
Global Student Loan Corporation – a company with a broad reach, the Global Student Loan Corporation claims to be the only company that will give you a loan without a co-signer in the U.S. This is due to their partnerships with financial institutions and universities in a variety of countries.
SalliMae – the student loan giant that is familiar to every U.S. graduate, Salli Mae also offers loan programs for international students.
There are undoubtedly many options besides these particular companies, and if you are going to take a loan it’s worth your time to search for the best deal.
A few points that are worth bringing up in regards to student loans:
The bottom line is that loans are a good way to bridge the final gap between what you have and what you need for study at a U.S. university. Just make sure the gap isn’t too big to begin with, or you’ll begin you life after graduation with a large pile of debt!
In place of our usual mailbag on Friday, I am going to continue to write about financial aid for international students by answering a wonderful question I received:
What is the difference between a “scholarship” and a “fellowship?”
This is really a great question, as the two terms are often used as if they are interchangeable (I have myself been guilty of that particular offense).
The short answer is that there is not necessarily a difference between the two, as both involve providing a student with financial support for his or her education. The Worchester Polytechnic Institute’s website concludes:
There is very little difference in practice, and the terms are sometimes used interchangeably.
The differences between a scholarship and a fellowship mainly have to do with:
Generally speaking, scholarships are for undergraduate study, are intended to help students with a demonstrated financial need, and are disbursed in large sums, usually once per semester.
Fellowships, on the other hand, are generally offered to graduate students, are awarded on the basis of merit alone, and are disbursed in increments, often as a bi-weekly or monthly stipend.
For those interested in more details, this site has a good summary.
Bottom line: don’t worry about the terms “scholarship” and “fellowship.” Focus on the details of individual scholarships and fellowships – that’s where you’ll find the most interesting and useful information.
We’ve arrived now at the one place from which most international students expect to receive financial aid: U.S. universities. And while it is true that many U.S. universities do provide some kind of financial aid to international students, I want to quickly point out two things:
THEREFORE, DO NOT SIMPLY EXPECT A U.S. UNIVERSITY TO PROVIDE YOU WITH FINANCIAL AID. Explore other options as well.
Having said that as a warning – Yes, U.S. universities may be a source of financial aid. They will tend to provide that aid in the following forms:
Ideally, you can cobble together a fair amount of assistance from a few of these types of aid. It is very rare for a university to pay for the entirety of an international student’s education.
How do you find out about financial aid opportunities at a university? Very, very easily:
Later in this series, we’ll have a post about how to ask questions like these in an appropriate and respectful manner. For now, all you need to know is that each university is going to be the best source of information by far about its financial aid, so make sure to ask!
An often-overlooked source of financial aid is ethnic communities in the United States. Quite often, immigrants to the U.S. from particular countries create scholarships for students from their native countries. Sometimes these scholarships are created by an entire community, and are awarded through open competitions; and sometimes they are created by individuals, to benefit specific groups in their home country. Here’s two quick examples:
There is an interesting list of so-called “ethnic” scholarships here. Keep in mind, however, that it is almost certainly an incomplete list, and it also includes information about scholarships for study outside the U.S.
It can be difficult to find information about these kind of scholarships, as many of the organizations that offer them do not have a large presence on the web. One strategy is to search for online versions of newspapers published by / for immigrant communities in the U.S., or for national organizations representing those communities. You may also try asking around in your own community for people who know of links to immigrant communities in the U.S. Remember, a lot of these kinds of opportunities are not well-publicized, and you may need to do a lot of research in order to find what’s out there.
Not every country will have a link to an immigrant community in the U.S., and not every immigrant community will offer support to international students. But it’s certainly worth your time to find out!
A variety of private organizations in the United States offer a limited amount of support to international students for study at U.S. universities. Generally speaking, there are two kinds of organizations that you might want to look for:
We’ll cover how to research these (and other) opportunities in a later post. For now, I want to mention a few quick points:
In today’s post I mentioned that each country would have a different array of U.S.-sponsored scholarships available. As just one small example, here’s information on the U.S-Timor-Leste Scholarship program, exclusively for undergraduate students from Timor-Leste. I include this brief update for two reasons:
Be sure to check your U.S. Embassy website for information on the opportunities available in your country.
The U.S. government sponsors a number of scholarship opportunities for individuals to study at U.S. universities. Below are some the the most well-known examples:
Not all of these programs exist in every country. On the flip side, the U.S. Embassy in your country may administer other scholarship or fellowship programs.
How do you find out about programs sponsored by the U.S.? Simple. Go to the homepage of the U.S. Embassy in your country. There should be a tab entitled, “Education & Culture” (or something like that – perhaps “Culture/Education,” etc.). Under this tab, look for a link that says “Exchange Programs.” The resulting page should contain information about the opportunities available in your country.
Here’s an example from the U.S. Embassy in Damascus, Syria.
A few things to know about educational opportunities sponsored by the U.S.:
What do you think? Is a U.S.-sponsored program right for you?
Welcome to the myUface blog!
Our goal is to provide you with all the information you need to pursue your education in the United States.
