myUface Blog

Congrats to Umarbek for getting into university! He applied directly to a great university but myUface got him in touch with a safety school just in case.

Did you know that there are numerous scholarship opportunities for international athletes? That’s right…but you need to be pretty good. If you are, and you play a sport that is popular in the US, you might be eligible for scholarships. Do you think you fit the bill? If so, here are a couple things you should know:

1. Go to the website www.berecruited.com . It will give you a good idea of what US universities are looking for (myUface doesn’t have any relationships with this site…enter at your own risk!)
2. It’s a bit easier to get scholarships for individual sports (tennis, wrestling, etc) than team sports because it’s easier for universities to assess your play. However, basketball, soccer and other team sports are definitely open to international students.
3. Some universities don’t allow scholarships in the first year. Make sure you do your homework.
4. You need to be honest about your ability. Universities will want to know how you rank in your country? How you rank on your team?
5. Last, you’ll need a good video of yourself in action. It should be about 4-5 minutes long and begin with a closeup of you introducing yourself. Just highlights on the video and make sure you are easily identified.

There are lots of rules around scholarships for athletes but there are opportunities. If you are an athlete and think you might have a good chance at a scholarship, let us know and we’ll help you find the right organization to guide you through the maze.

We’re proud to hear from many myUface users that they’ve been accepted to universities in the U.S.  Many of them, though, have a big problem:  they don’t have the resources to pay for tuition and living expenses, and the school isn’t offering a full scholarship.

We can’t offer a solution to this problem.  However, we have done a lot of work on this blog explaining some of the different options for finding financial aid.  You can find that here.

The bottom line is that finding financial aid can be very difficult.  You need to work hard and be disciplined.  You also need to look to all available options.

Good luck to anyone in this situation!  Use the myUface blog resources and let us know if you have questions!

So this year’s rankings of America’s best graduate schools has recently been released by U.S. News and World Report.  It’s interesting reading, but keep in mind our previous warnings about taking rankings too seriously.

One thing that’s useful to notice is the number of top programs that aren’t at “famous” schools.  Just look at any of the rankings lists, and while you will certainly see some well-known schools (like Harvard), you will also see a number of lesser-known, but equally quality, institutions.

Talented international students (like those that read this blog) are a wonderful resource, not only for their own communities, or the universities they attend, but for the entire globe.  And, like any resource, there is likely to be a fight over it:

Last year, the number of international students attending American institutions hit an all-time high. International students contribute $18 billion to the U.S. economy; their full-fee tuition subsidizes many American students’ educations. Culturally, they internationalize campuses and increase diversity–laudable goals for colleges and universities aiming to prepare students for a globalized world. But as American institutions face an increasingly competitive global education market and an aging domestic population, discussion regarding international student recruitment is rarely . . .  civilized.

The article linked above is a very interesting look at the disagreements going on inside the U.S. higher educational system over how to ethically recruit international students.

And to clarify, once again, myUface’s stance:  we will never charge students a penny to use myUface – end of story.

Readers of this blog know that we love nothing more than 100% fully funded scholarships.  Many of you have indicated that you cannot afford to finance a graduate education.  Well, apply to sponsored programs like Muskie!In Akmal’s case, we had been working to find a good university placement when we heard that Akmal had applied for, and received, a Muskie.  Now, it looks like Akmal will have all his costs (including travel, visa, tuition, living expenses, etc) paid for to do his graduate degree!  For those of you not familiar with the Muskie Graduate Fellowship check it out.

myUface will send out information on this scholarship once recruitment begins the Fall of 2010.  Also, check our our blog for information on other sponsored programs.

Hat tip, again, to Kevin Reiling, Belarus ECA:

Up to a $6,000 scholarship for “[a]pplicants must be citizens and residents of any country except the United States. Awarded, based on academic achievement, for a four-year period (8 semesters) to students in their first year of study working on a bachelor’s degree, or to students with transfer credit for a variable period of time depending on Michigan Tech requirements.”

Full details are available here.  The site is a little confusing, but it looks like by applying to the university you are automatically considered for the scholarship.

Hat tip to Kevin Reiling, EAC Belarus for this, and for scholarship information yesterday and tomorrow as well:

Grand Valley State University is proud to offer academic-based competitive scholarships to qualified international applicants. Available to both undergraduate and graduate applicants, these scholarships were established to recognize the high level of academic achievement of students coming to our campus from around the world.

Get the full details of this scholarship opportunity here.

The Open Society Foundation is offering a scholarship in European Studies at the University of Aarhus to citizens of Belarus.

The application deadline is April 15th, so if you’re interested, get moving!

At myUface, we’re always looking to identify way for our students to get into the best programs at the lowest cost.  Well, that’s the definition of the community colleges these days.  Here are some programs that we like (but, as usual, there are hundreds of other programs that you should research):

1. Diablo Valley College – www.dvc.edu – Pleasant Hill, California with a great record of students transferring to the UC system;
2. Northwest College – www.northwestcollege.edu – outside beautiful Yellowstone National Park in a safe, small town, small class sizes and great record for transfering to 4-year schools; and
3. Deanza College – www.deanza.edu – a great feeder school to both the University of California system and California State colleges….and it’s in the Bay Area!

More tomorrow about community colleges and the benefits to international students.