myUface Blog

Dear Blog Readers,

Given that I am, in fact, a father, I decided to give myself a day off of blog writing yesterday.  I apologize for any inconvenience and we’re back at it today.

Thanks.

A potential option for many students is scholarship support from international organizations.  The Open Society Institute, for example, offers scholarship and fellowship support for students from many countries.  Other international organizations may offer some forms of scholarship support in your country, depending on their priorities.

It’s relatively easy to find out about potential scholarships from international organizations:  a good place to start is at an Educational Advising Center, which should have a current and updated list of opportunities in your country.  If you aren’t near an Advising Center, you can always do research the old-fashioned way.  Simply compile a list of the international organizations and/or Non-Governmental Organizations that are active in your country, and then call them, one by one, and ask if they offer any scholarship support to students looking to study abroad.  Many organizations won’t offer scholarship support.  When you call them, try asking if they know of any organizations that do offer scholarships.

In fact, it’s quite possible that by calling those organizations yourself, you may get access to information that even the Advising Center doesn’t possess!

You’ll also come across quite a lot of information about scholarships offered by international organizations in the course of researching financial aid opportunities in general (something we’ll cover in a later post).

A few things to keep in mind about scholarship opportunities of this sort:

1. Usually, the organization offering a scholarship will have very specific goals for the students on its program.  Make sure you read all descriptions of the program carefully so that you understand the purpose of the program and any obligations it places on you.
2. As you research scholarship opportunities, make sure you keep track of the most important information – the deadlines.  Each scholarship opportunity will have a different deadline and procedure for applying.  Make sure you understand and safeguard this vital information.
3. When applying to these opportunities, try to understand as much as you can about the organization and its mission.  Doing so will help you when it comes time to write your essays for applying to the program.

One note – we here at myUface are always interested in learning about the opportunities available to students in their countries.  Feel free to send us information about scholarship opportunities you’ve found, an we’ll share that information with the rest of the myUface community!

Posts in this Series

1. Your Education is an Investment - 08 Jul
2. Researching Scholarship Opportunities - 07 Jul
3. How to Ask Questions About Financial Aid - 28 Jun
4. Ninth Option for Financial Aid: Loans - 27 Jun
5. The Difference Between Scholarships and Fellowships - 26 Jun
6. Eigth Option for Financial Aid: U.S. Universities - 25 Jun
7. Seventh Option for Financial Aid: Ethnic Communities in the United States - 24 Jun
8. Sixth Option for Financial Aid: Private Organizations in the U.S. - 23 Jun
9. Fifth Option for Financial Aid: U.S. Government Programs - 22 Jun
10. Fourth Option for Financial Aid: Scholarships from International Organizations (This post)
11. How to Ask for Support - 18 Jun
12. Looking for Support in Your Country: Why it Makes Sense - 17 Jun
13. Third Option for Financial Aid: Individuals in Your Country - 16 Jun
14. Second Option for Financial Aid: Private Businesses or Foundations in Your Country - 15 Jun
15. First Option for Financial Aid: Government Programs in Your Country - 14 Jun
16. The Third Step in Financial Aid: Find What's Available - 11 Jun
17. The Second Step In Financial Aid: Identify Your Assets - 10 Jun
18. The First Step In Financial Aid: Identify Your Needs - 09 Jun
19. Finding Financial Aid for your U.S. Education - 08 Jun

This week I received a very important question and I wanted to  answer it immediately.  Here it is (edited somewhat for grammar and spelling):

I am new to blogs and I am not sure how I am supposed to comment on what you write or ask questions.  Can you help me?

This is a great question, and I apologize for not writing about this sooner.  It’s good to remember that not everyone is familiar with all of the new internet technologies that have proliferated in the last years – and that’s OK! I actually completely understand where you’re coming from – I have no idea, for example, what “Twitter” is or how in the world I should “Tweet.”

I’m going to give you a short answer today.  I’m also going to make this question the subject of an upcoming podcast, and I’ll also put together an instructional video about this subject.  Thanks again for the question.

How to Ask Questions

I can tell by the fact that the reader did succesfully ask a question that he knows how to do this, but it’s worth repeating.  To ask a question of this blog, all you need to do is send an e-mail to:  blog@myuface.com.  That’s it.  If you want to ask a question for the podcast, send an e-mail to:  podcast@myuface.com.  We answer EVERY question we receive.

How to Make a Comment

When you click on the title of any blog post, that post will open in a separate window.  Down at the bottom of a post there’s an empty box beneath the words, “Leave a Reply.” Type your comment in this box and click on the button that says, “Submit Comment.”  Follow the instructions, and that’s it!

Generally speaking, I’ve found that international students are much more likely to submit questions than leave a comment, and that’s fine.  However, I urge you to make comments so that other readers of this blog can share their own opinions and experiences.  Our goal here is to build  an online community of international students, so please, comment!

Why Ask A Question

Let’s say that you’re trying to find the answer to a questions about studying in the U.S.  Sure, you can research that question yourself.  But you could also submit it to us, and we’ll research it for you. We’ll post the answer in the blog or speak about it on the podcast.  Seriously, it’s our job.

So please, ask questions, make comments.  We’ll be happy to do your research for you!

Finding Financial Aid at Home

Over the past few days, we’ve been talking about looking for financial support for your education from inside you country – from the government, from businesses or foundations, and even from individuals.  Yesterday I wrote about why that makes sense.  But I imagine that many of you are still hesitant.  It’s one thing to apply for a scholarship from the United States.  The application process in that case is fairly impersonal.  The answer (yes or no) is sent to you in an envelope.

Asking someone in your community for support, however, is much more personal.  For one thing, you might know the person you’re asking.  For another, the chances that you’ll have to actually ask for support in a face-to-face setting are significantly higher.  I suspect this is part of the reason why international students are reluctant to look for support in their own countries.

But don’t fear!  Asking for support, even in a personal setting, is not as hard as it first seems.  Today I’m going to share three tips on how to ask for support.  Hopefully, these pieces of advice will make the experience less daunting.

How to Ask for Support:

1. Remember, you’re asking them to help you . . .but you’re also helping them. The institution or individual you’re asking for support gives scholarships for a reason.  If you’re going to be a good student who makes excellent use of their funds, you’re going to help them fulfill their own goals in offering scholarships.  So when you ask for support, you’re not a beggar asking for a handout.  You’re n equal a partner in a potential project.  Thinking of your request in this way may make you feel less awkward asking for support.
2. As I mentioned above, institutions or individuals who fund scholarships do so for a reason.  Take some time to consider what that might be. If they’re a business, they may want to train potential employees.  If they’re a government, they may want to train future civil servants.  If they’re an individual, they may want to give back to their communities.  If you can understand the motives behind their support, you can make sure you emphasize how you will do a good job in realizing their own goals.   For example, if you determine that an individual gives scholarships to individuals who he or she considers to be potential leaders, when asking for assistance you want to emphasize your leadership potential.
3. Be honest and straightforward. As difficult as it might be, you want to present your request as directly and honestly as possible.  Don’t spend an entire meeting talking about the weather, your friends, European football, and you favorite television shows, without asking for assistance.  The individuals who determine whether or not to give this kind of aid are, generally speaking, busy people, and you don’t want to waste their time.  So sometime soon after meeting them, let them know – in a polite way – that you’re interested in any support they may offer for scholarships.  Once you’ve done that, let them direct the conversation.

Let me know if these suggestions make sense to you, or if you have any questions.  If this subject interests students, we can do a more extensive series of posts.

Posts in this Series

1. Your Education is an Investment - 08 Jul
2. Researching Scholarship Opportunities - 07 Jul
3. How to Ask Questions About Financial Aid - 28 Jun
4. Ninth Option for Financial Aid: Loans - 27 Jun
5. The Difference Between Scholarships and Fellowships - 26 Jun
6. Eigth Option for Financial Aid: U.S. Universities - 25 Jun
7. Seventh Option for Financial Aid: Ethnic Communities in the United States - 24 Jun
8. Sixth Option for Financial Aid: Private Organizations in the U.S. - 23 Jun
9. Fifth Option for Financial Aid: U.S. Government Programs - 22 Jun
10. Fourth Option for Financial Aid: Scholarships from International Organizations - 20 Jun
11. How to Ask for Support (This post)
12. Looking for Support in Your Country: Why it Makes Sense - 17 Jun
13. Third Option for Financial Aid: Individuals in Your Country - 16 Jun
14. Second Option for Financial Aid: Private Businesses or Foundations in Your Country - 15 Jun
15. First Option for Financial Aid: Government Programs in Your Country - 14 Jun
16. The Third Step in Financial Aid: Find What's Available - 11 Jun
17. The Second Step In Financial Aid: Identify Your Assets - 10 Jun
18. The First Step In Financial Aid: Identify Your Needs - 09 Jun
19. Finding Financial Aid for your U.S. Education - 08 Jun

In the past three days we’ve gone over three different ways for you to look for financial aid in your own country.  I’m sure many of you are thinking, Sure, that sounds good, but when are we going to get to the REAL information about scholarships from the U.S.?

Many international students seem to think that getting financial aid from the United States should be easy.  After all, U.S. universities are some of the wealthiest in the world, as are U.S. foundations.  Surely there’s a better chance of getting funding from the U.S. than from your own country.  Right?

Wrong.  Remember – between 66% and 80% of all funding for international students comes from outside of the U.S.   Much of that is from the students themselves, or from their family; but a growing percentage is from “local” sources of giving, such as governments, businesses, foundations and individuals.

In other words, if you don’t consider these sources of aid, you’re going to be missing out on a huge pool of potential resources.

There’s another reason to consider aid from local sources:  generally speaking, the competition for such resources is not as intense as the competition for the relatively small amount of U.S. support that exists.  Think about it:  students from all over the world will compete for scholarships or fellowships for international students, whereas students only from a particular country (and maybe only from a particular region or even city) may compete for more “local” scholarships.

The hard part about getting “local” support is finding it.  Such opportunities aren’t always well publicized.  But if you are able to locate opportunities in your home country, you’ll have a much better chance of securing that aid than you will of securing aid from hyper-competitive scholarship programs in the U.S. (although you can, and should, try to secure assistance from both).

The Wikipedia entry on “scholarships” sums it up nicely:

It is typical for persons to find scholarships in their home region. Information on these can be found by asking local persons and organizations. Typically, these are less competitive as the eligible population is smaller.

So, by all means, look for scholarships in the U.S.  But don’t neglect potential aid from your own country!

Posts in this Series

1. Your Education is an Investment - 08 Jul
2. Researching Scholarship Opportunities - 07 Jul
3. How to Ask Questions About Financial Aid - 28 Jun
4. Ninth Option for Financial Aid: Loans - 27 Jun
5. The Difference Between Scholarships and Fellowships - 26 Jun
6. Eigth Option for Financial Aid: U.S. Universities - 25 Jun
7. Seventh Option for Financial Aid: Ethnic Communities in the United States - 24 Jun
8. Sixth Option for Financial Aid: Private Organizations in the U.S. - 23 Jun
9. Fifth Option for Financial Aid: U.S. Government Programs - 22 Jun
10. Fourth Option for Financial Aid: Scholarships from International Organizations - 20 Jun
11. How to Ask for Support - 18 Jun
12. Looking for Support in Your Country: Why it Makes Sense (This post)
13. Third Option for Financial Aid: Individuals in Your Country - 16 Jun
14. Second Option for Financial Aid: Private Businesses or Foundations in Your Country - 15 Jun
15. First Option for Financial Aid: Government Programs in Your Country - 14 Jun
16. The Third Step in Financial Aid: Find What's Available - 11 Jun
17. The Second Step In Financial Aid: Identify Your Assets - 10 Jun
18. The First Step In Financial Aid: Identify Your Needs - 09 Jun
19. Finding Financial Aid for your U.S. Education - 08 Jun

In almost every country in the world, you will find wealthy individuals who provide scholarship support to students.  Helping students attend universities is one of the oldest forms of philanthropy, dating back to the very dawn of higher education.  Finding such a “sponsor” for at least a portion of your education may be something you should look into.

The motives behind scholarship support are various.  Some individuals give support to individuals connected to them in some way (for example, their family members, or people from the same region).  Some individuals give support to students based on their financial need.   Some give to the best students.  Some give to a particular class of students (for example, to orphans, or to a particular ethnic group).

Similarly, the way in which individuals decide to offer support is different from case to case.  In some cases an individual will hold a competition open to anyone.  At the other extreme, a sponsor might offer support only to students he or she personally knows and likes.

You should ask students, teachers, school directors and others whether they know of any individuals in the community who offer support to students for their studies abroad.  You should also ask you parents if they know of anyone who might be willing to help.

Try talking to a student he or she has helped in the past.  How did that student approach the sponsor?  What kind of support did they offer?  Were there any conditions (i.e., the student has to work for a company the sponsor owns for 2 years)?

Once you have a good idea of who the sponsor is, what his or her interests are, and what kind of support he or she might offer, start thinking of how you might approach the sponsor.  Do you know anyone who knows him or her?  Could they set up a meeting for you to introduce yourself?  Or does the sponsor have a particular procedure for determining who he or she helps?

It’s a lot of work to research, identify, and approach an individual who might offer you scholarship support.  However, keep in mind that, compared to the chances you have of winning a scholarship through a formal competition (where you’ll be competing with hundreds, if not thousands, of others), your chances of obtaining support from an individual may be quite high . . . if you put in the effort to find a potential sponsor.

What do you think?  Are there individuals in your community who assist international students?  Would it be possible for you to approach them?  Why or why not?

Posts in this Series

1. Your Education is an Investment - 08 Jul
2. Researching Scholarship Opportunities - 07 Jul
3. How to Ask Questions About Financial Aid - 28 Jun
4. Ninth Option for Financial Aid: Loans - 27 Jun
5. The Difference Between Scholarships and Fellowships - 26 Jun
6. Eigth Option for Financial Aid: U.S. Universities - 25 Jun
7. Seventh Option for Financial Aid: Ethnic Communities in the United States - 24 Jun
8. Sixth Option for Financial Aid: Private Organizations in the U.S. - 23 Jun
9. Fifth Option for Financial Aid: U.S. Government Programs - 22 Jun
10. Fourth Option for Financial Aid: Scholarships from International Organizations - 20 Jun
11. How to Ask for Support - 18 Jun
12. Looking for Support in Your Country: Why it Makes Sense - 17 Jun
13. Third Option for Financial Aid: Individuals in Your Country (This post)
14. Second Option for Financial Aid: Private Businesses or Foundations in Your Country - 15 Jun
15. First Option for Financial Aid: Government Programs in Your Country - 14 Jun
16. The Third Step in Financial Aid: Find What's Available - 11 Jun
17. The Second Step In Financial Aid: Identify Your Assets - 10 Jun
18. The First Step In Financial Aid: Identify Your Needs - 09 Jun
19. Finding Financial Aid for your U.S. Education - 08 Jun

The second option for financial aid is businesses or private foundations in your country.  Sometimes such organizations will fund students to study at foreign universities (including those in the United States) in order to achieve their own goals.

For example, the Kokallis Foundation is a charitable foundation active throughout Southeastern Europe.  The mission of the Kokallis Foundation is “the promotion of a peaceful, democratic and prosperous Southeastern Europe through the development of public, cultural and scientific life in the region.”  One program they administer in order to achieve that goal is the Kokallis Program at Harvard, which sponsors students for Master’s Degrees in Public Administration or Public Policy  at the John F. Kennedy School of Government.  It’s important to note that the Kokallis Foundation doesn’t give scholarships to students because the students really really want them; rather, it gives very specific support to particular students in order to achieve its own mission.

When looking for support from private businesses or foundations, you need to keep the missions of those organizations in mind.  A foundation might offer you a scholarship if and only if you can show that your university program in the U.S. will somehow help achieve the foundation’s own goals.

Private businesses are generally even more driven by their own goals, which tend to be the maximization of their profit.  Many businesses do indeed sponsor employees to study at foreign universities, but generally they require that the employee sign some kind of contract promising to work with the employer after the completion of his or her studies.  If you are currently working for a business, you may want to ask if they offer support to their employees for study at foreign universities.  If you’re not working for a business, you might want to ask around and see if any businesses offer students scholarship support in exchange for a promise to work for the business upon graduation.

When looking for support from both businesses and domestic foundations, you’ll need to conquer any shyness you may have about asking for help.  Businesses and foundations that offer support don’t always publicize it, and so you may have to do talk to a lot of different people.  No one will know that you’re looking for help unless you tell them, so don’t be shy.  Also, network with other students who are trying to study abroad.  What are their experiences?  Have they heard of any scholarships offered by private businesses or foundations?

Chances are, there is some private organization in your country that offers students financial assistance.  If you are serious enough and dedicated enough, you’ll find it.

Posts in this Series

1. Your Education is an Investment - 08 Jul
2. Researching Scholarship Opportunities - 07 Jul
3. How to Ask Questions About Financial Aid - 28 Jun
4. Ninth Option for Financial Aid: Loans - 27 Jun
5. The Difference Between Scholarships and Fellowships - 26 Jun
6. Eigth Option for Financial Aid: U.S. Universities - 25 Jun
7. Seventh Option for Financial Aid: Ethnic Communities in the United States - 24 Jun
8. Sixth Option for Financial Aid: Private Organizations in the U.S. - 23 Jun
9. Fifth Option for Financial Aid: U.S. Government Programs - 22 Jun
10. Fourth Option for Financial Aid: Scholarships from International Organizations - 20 Jun
11. How to Ask for Support - 18 Jun
12. Looking for Support in Your Country: Why it Makes Sense - 17 Jun
13. Third Option for Financial Aid: Individuals in Your Country - 16 Jun
14. Second Option for Financial Aid: Private Businesses or Foundations in Your Country (This post)
15. First Option for Financial Aid: Government Programs in Your Country - 14 Jun
16. The Third Step in Financial Aid: Find What's Available - 11 Jun
17. The Second Step In Financial Aid: Identify Your Assets - 10 Jun
18. The First Step In Financial Aid: Identify Your Needs - 09 Jun
19. Finding Financial Aid for your U.S. Education - 08 Jun

The first option in finding financial aid is to look for programs sponsored by your national , regional or municipal government.  Many governments will sponsor students to study abroad (including at U.S. universities).  Here are three brief examples:

• Students from Kazakhstan can apply for the Bolashak International Presidential Scholarship.
• In Albania, students can apply to the government’s “Excellence Fund” via the Ministry of Education.
• Saudi Arabia sponsors a huge amount of students to study at U.S. universities.

Regional and local governments may also offer support to outstanding students in order to help them finance their education abroad.

How do I find out if I am eligible for support from my own government?

One problem with programs sponsored by national, regional and municipal governments is that, generally speaking, they don’t tend to be very well publicized.  You’ll have to do some research to see if your government offers something for students.  The most logical place to start is at the Ministry of Education in your country, although the nearest Educational Advising Center will most likely have the most up-to-date information as well.

Not every government is going to offer scholarships for study abroad.  Even if your government does have such a program, there’s a few things to be aware of:

1. Many such program come with strings attached.  For example, you may be required to work for the government for a certain number of years, or to return to the country for a certain number of years.
2. The program may not support scholarships in every field.
3. The program may have restrictions on the kind of university you can apply to.  Some programs may even place you at universities, bypassing your preferences entirely.

When researching whether these kinds of programs exist in your country, be sure to find out what demands the program places on students.

Posts in this Series

1. Your Education is an Investment - 08 Jul
2. Researching Scholarship Opportunities - 07 Jul
3. How to Ask Questions About Financial Aid - 28 Jun
4. Ninth Option for Financial Aid: Loans - 27 Jun
5. The Difference Between Scholarships and Fellowships - 26 Jun
6. Eigth Option for Financial Aid: U.S. Universities - 25 Jun
7. Seventh Option for Financial Aid: Ethnic Communities in the United States - 24 Jun
8. Sixth Option for Financial Aid: Private Organizations in the U.S. - 23 Jun
9. Fifth Option for Financial Aid: U.S. Government Programs - 22 Jun
10. Fourth Option for Financial Aid: Scholarships from International Organizations - 20 Jun
11. How to Ask for Support - 18 Jun
12. Looking for Support in Your Country: Why it Makes Sense - 17 Jun
13. Third Option for Financial Aid: Individuals in Your Country - 16 Jun
14. Second Option for Financial Aid: Private Businesses or Foundations in Your Country - 15 Jun
15. First Option for Financial Aid: Government Programs in Your Country (This post)
16. The Third Step in Financial Aid: Find What's Available - 11 Jun
17. The Second Step In Financial Aid: Identify Your Assets - 10 Jun
18. The First Step In Financial Aid: Identify Your Needs - 09 Jun
19. Finding Financial Aid for your U.S. Education - 08 Jun

The podcast for today is about giving yourself enough time to complete you application.

As always, if you would like us to answer your questions in the podcast, send us your questions at podcast@myuface.com.

Other Podcasts

1. Podcast: Asking Questions - 18 Jul
2. Podcast: Give Yourself Time To Complete Your Application (This post)
3. Podcast: What to Do if your Application is not Accepted - 06 Jun
4. Podcast - The View from Albania - 23 May
5. Podcast: University Rankings - 16 May
6. Podcast: Timeline for Applying to a U.S. University - 09 May
7. The Inaugural myUface Podcast - 02 May

I received this question earler this week:  If I already know what university I want to go to, do I need to apply to more than that university?

Let me give you two answers, the long answer and the slightly-less-long answer:

The Slightly-Less-Long Answer is Yes, you should still apply to other universities, for a very simple reason:  you might not get into the university you want to go to.  It’s an unpleasant but important truth.  Even if you meet all of the requirements in terms of test scores, GPA, etc., sometimes, for whatever reason, a selection committee will reject your application.  And if that happens, you want to have a backup plan.

The Long Answer is that Yes, you do want to apply to other universities, and not only because you want to have a backup plan, but also, and more importantly, because you want to keep an open mind about U.S. universities.  You may have one university that you really like, but remember, there are over 4,000 U.S. institutions granting degrees of some kind, and chances are many of them would be a very good fit for you.  You don’t want to limit yourself to just one or two institutions!  You want to explore many different universities, with slightly different programs, perhaps in different parts of the country.  Those universities may offer different financial aid packages, different housing options, different services for international students, and all of this should obviously factor into your decision.  When you focus on only one university you lose the ability to weigh all these different factors.

Now, some good news: by filling out a profile here on myUface you’re in effect applying to a number of different universities at the same time, since our university partners will have access to your information and will be able to invite you to apply if they think you’d be a good candidate.  This does NOT mean you should not apply to other universities independently, but it will help you in the application process.