Hello ccm123,

I have been following your post with great interest and came to realize that most replies offered were given by people of older ages (one even from an spm-freshie!). For a change, I am here as a person who is in the same situation as yourself.

Similarly, I have been offered a conditional place by UCL for it's Engineering course along by a university in the United States with a ranking of Top 5 for that particular Engineering course. Our similarities do not end there, for I have fared slightly above average in my academic results (10A1 in SPM) and was denied of every scholarship application, although I have nothing positive or negative to comment about that. We live in a country where academic excellence accompanied with satisfying co-curricular records are blurred by the colour of our skins. I do not have to mention that an overseas education experience has been stuck in my mind for as long as I could remember.

Finance is and will always be my greatest worry. I am more than inclined for a United States education which would require a little more than RM450,000. My parents are able to cover approximately half of that amount, and I have thought about covering the other half with the JPA loan of a maximum RM200,000. I would then apply for a job in the US to repay back my parents and the loan. As easy as it sounds, these are all based on assumptions. IF JPA would be able to offer me the loan, IF I would be able to get a job there upon graduation, IF..

I have had people telling me that I only live once, so take the chance for a good quality education and who knows what I might find on my way there. I have had people telling me that it is a ridiculous amount for an undergraduate degree, and that I should just study in Monash Malaysia (KL) and consider migration after that.

Believe me when I say I understand how you feel, our decisions are swaying every time we consider different advice given by different people, especially those that make perfect sense. I cannot tell you what to do, but I can tell you to consider the bank loan you are planning to apply for. 7.5% is a hefty amount of interest to repay, along with the JPA loan although I do realize that for the first 40 months (3 years 4 months) you need only to repay Rm400 per month. I believe also that you are awaiting the results of Shell Scholarship 2010. Who knows, it might just work out for you.

Just remember that your decision should be what you consider best for yourself, and I wish you all the best. Please do keep us updated on your next course of actions