Hi everyone.

Well, there are like 3.9k Uni in the US. And how you guys select ?

Im looking for a transfer. Currently studying Diploma in APIIT. Estimate graduate next year Jan.
Actually, Im searching for well known computer sciences university which I can do artificial intelligence and computer security together. In the US they never do any specific computer majors. Just general Major in Computer Science. But what they have is elective subjects like... AI and Security. I like both.

My point is... do you guys have any idea what Uni is good for computer science?
(Pls take out MIT, UCLA, Georgia Tech, CalTech, and other competitive ones. As I'm not a 4.0 student. )

TQTQTQ

- A levels is the same as Advance Placement tests as far as US universities are concerned. You get some credits from the subjects but that's about it. Some credits often do not transfer very well. Eg. You get 10 credits for Math but 2 of them cannot be used to your major for some reason.

- You generally do not need X years of schooling to get into university. The SAT 1 & SAT 2 tests will test you on that.
- I don't really know how hard the SAT is to others because I only know how hard it is to me.

Looking back now, the most efficient and cheapest route would be to start taking SAT tests and some AP tests right after Form 5 SPM. Then, start applying for unis in November-December.
Then, continue to take AP tests which can be credit transferred until you enrol to uni. Of course this strategy will cause you to be cram studying continuously and bad results mean that you cannot get credits.

The easy way will be to just take SAT 1 & 2. Apply then enrol. You will be studying pre-requisite classes which are the same as A-levels/AP but much more expensive since you are studying overseas.


A levels might be a good idea if you are still 50-50 on where you want to go. ,
Anyway, the understanding of the US schooling system in Malaysia is generally lacking. One of the main hurdles you will face is getting human references and co-curriculum activities.

These 2 will usually be the big weakness for Malaysian students on their application because:
1.  People in malaysia don't know shit about writing a good recommendation letter. Sounds harsh but it's true.
2. Extracurricular activities : If you are not active in secondary school, A-levels might be a second chance to fix that.

Hi. A bit of backstory, I'm currently 17 doing SPM. I've taken the SAT once and got 2100. I plan on retaking it next year.

I have a few questions about education in the US.
1. Colleges require students to have 12 years of formal education. Seeing as I only have 11 years, how do I go about obtaining my 12th year?

2. Is there a difference in the quality of education between public (UCs, for example) and private colleges?

3. Benefits of US over UK/Australia?

Thanks!

If you know where you want to go then you should read the admission requirements yourself to see if it really does say that. But that 1 extra year of schooling requirement is quite ambiguous and might not be true for all schools.

My SATs were average - 2000 to 2100. Subject tests were easy if you already studied some A-levels.
I studied seriously for 1 month and another month familiarizing with the test by doing questions without any time pressure. That may have been a bad idea because the really exam was very time intensive.

One nice thing about the SAT is that you can resit as many times as you want and send the best scores.

AP tests and SAT are administered by the same people. I would imagine there are testing centers in Malaysia just like the SAT test sites.
https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/home?navid=gh-aps
AP tests are easier in the sense that once you get a high enough score, you can just forget about it and focus on the next subject - but you study for it yourself. A-levels is more of a continuous learning process but at least you have a lecturer to guide you.

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A good letter is one that shows you have a relationship with the person writing about you. And that relationship is close enough such that he/she can express your personal character and intellect through very precise examples that highlight the things you want the admission people to know about you.

A terrible letter is : Good student. Cares about his work and produces good results. <-- Seriously, I got shit like this when I asked for a letter.

Your ideas for EC activities sounds good.
I've already finished studying from one of the upper tier schools in California. I still visit once in a while and my work now deals with people on the West coast all the time anyway. I don't know much about the East coast since I never had much interest in travelling there.

Yes I know they accept A-levels because I used it to get credits too. But the process to get those credits is annoying and about 20% of the credits I got were undefined. It's annoying because there is more paperwork and running around because it's not a US accreditation. And once you do get the credits, some of the credits may be undefined. Meaning, the stuff you learned did not translate to any applicable course but you got awarded (useless) credits anyway. This is why if I had a second chance I would have just taken AP tests assuming I was 100% set on US universities.

Serious studying meant going through all the prep books in a month and studying word lists daily. I remember using the Princeton Review series or something but I probably got rid of those books by now.

Collegeboard should have stats for NYU. Average SAT scores etc. If you get slightly above the average score for applicants by April you should be good to go. Then you can focus on other things. If you still don't like your score you can try again later.

Your case is sort of different from mine in the sense that I had applied to a number of places but had no particular preference. I just had a rough idea where I wanted to go but I didn't put all my hopes in 1 place. I adjusted my activities and studies as I went along. I put more emphasis on studies because I was aiming for tech based majors where people are expected to have good grades.

I studied electrical engineering so being close to silicon valley was the only place to be if you want to learn from the best. I'm still working in my field in a US based multinational.

Guys.. any idea what would be a good school for a Geoscience program in the USA? Is Texas A & M University transfer friendly? I've applied to this school but have yet to hear from them.

HI bro Mister Lee, thanks you so much for such good recommendations, to be honest, im not very young anymore, am 22 yrs old this year, I finished my A Levels and did some credits here before applying.  Deferred my studies before this due to personal reasons, my dad passed away during my A Levels. That affected me emotionally.

HI bro Mister Lee, thanks you so much for such good recommendations, to be honest, im not very young anymore, am 22 yrs old this year, I finished my A Levels and did some credits here before applying.  Deferred my studies before this due to personal reasons, my dad passed away during my A Levels. That affected me emotionally.

Yup, i had emailed them already. Insofar as it's concerned, they mentioned that results will be out beginning end of September ie anytime form now onwards. Nevertheless, the results are on a rolling basis, which means the earlier i hand in my admission/stuff, the better my chances of knowing whether im out of the race or will be an Aggie soon... ahhhh...so stressful man applying to USA.

If you dont mind me asking, may i know which part of US of A you studied previously? and what major?

OK my CGPA with ADP is 3.54 excluding A Levels, A Levels results was not THAT satisfying though, considering the predicament i was in during that tumultuous period of time. I got ABBC... Average grade at best...defo not ivy league or Top 10 school material...not like im aiming for one anyway lol

banking and finance is good... the schools you've mentioned to me have strong finance programs as well, esp UW madison and the UCs, particularly UC Berkeley. Of course, the best has gotta be Wharton, Harvard . But those are out of my reach, at least at this moment.

Absolutely, the exact reason why i love them . Look, the real world is not very rigid ie. You get an A* means you gonna b some kickass CEO. American education teaches us soft skills a lot. I took public speaking class in ADP in inti. Altohugh it wasnt a pleasant experience and defo cant compare to what it will be if taken in USA, nontheless, it was such a surreal experience, a lot of people froze when they were summoned to speak in public, which is a pretty important skill, and i dont think our malaysian education imparts that. STEM education in USA is also superb as they emphasis alot on hands on rather than memorising E=MC^2 and dont know what it was all about.Mind PM me ur target schools as well,i will PM you mine.  we shall take things off privately then 

Hi, would like to know what are my options if I take A Levels vs SAM vs ADP if I want to venture into the US to study,
A levels costs 1 and half years while SAM is 1 year.
Assuming costs of Pre U is negligible, if I get a score in A levels of 4A or 3A1B or something like that, won't I still need to pay for 4 years of US Uni afterwards, or if I get a ATAR in SAM of 85 for instance, I would also need to pay for my own education in the US, if there are no scholarships available for such "Mediocre" results (sorry these are just examples, maybe they are great results but this is just quoting a scenario)

Wouldn't it be cheaper and easier if I enroll in the ADP program, give in my all, and transfer to a good school in the US, while also having a shot of entering the Ivies (however slim)
Doesn't ADP sound great in this sense?
It saves time.

I believe that we can excel in any course we go in, but I just dont get whats the point of going for A Levels or SAM, if we are NOT the 1%. You are just going to start 4 years of Uni edu when u r done with A Levels, not to mention that your peers in ADP are already starting their 3rd year.

Any comments on this please?

Do you mean A Levels do not count as a Grade 12 equivalent but merely a subsidiary course which may or may not have credits transferable to the university of your choice?

Then, do you recommend I take the SATs, then apply for the Us Unis (Ivies or any other tier 1), meanwhile focusing on my A-Levels and hope for the best? Is this what you mean? Are you saying that A Levels are not considered as a fundamental course to enter an American Uni?
I knew this, but they all say that A Levels have a higher chance to get into the more prestige uni, I think it is owing to the fact that we all start a new leaf in A Levels and most ppl keep a clean record during their college life, thus their "new" and "clean" record enables them the admission, and not the A Levels itself. Am I correct?

1.
There is no difference between taking A-levels or AP tests. Just the amount of work you have to do to get the credits will be different. If you already plan to go with A-levels then just do it.
Some of my classmates got their admission results a few months before A-level finals and just totally stopped studying because they "lost their mood" now that they are sure to get in because there is no conditions imposed on the A-level results in order to get admitted.

2.
When I said Princeton review, I meant the book series - not the prep course. I think I also used the Kaplan book series. I don't really know which books are the best at spotting questions nowadays since it's been years since I sat for the test.

For Math 1. I remember it's really just Form 5 math with some very simple Add Maths. The test is about speed and accuracy. If I remember correctly I had 1 or 2 mistakes because I could not finish on time and it took maybe 20 points off for each question.

Math 2 is similar to Add Maths if I remember correctly but the grading is much more gentle - you can make a few mistakes and still get a perfect score. Its much easier than Math 1 because you have so much margin.

3.Regarding the admission decisions:

The admission process is usually a "holistic review" so even though it is advantageous to get a good SAT score it's not going to be the most major factor if you are applying for a fairly top tier school.

Eg. If I have a candidate with 2100 and another with 2200, but most people average 2100 anyway -- Does the 2200 candidate automatically get a place? No. It depends on his activities, recommendation letters and personal statement.

If you are applying to a low tier school with a 1600 average and you get 2100. You are obviously way ahead in terms of getting admitted.

The importance of SAT scores diminishes if everybody is doing very well because you are expected to do well if you have the balls to apply.

Note: This generalization does not include Ivy leagues. their admission policies are more complex because they have many more aspects that they judge you on.

4. Yup it's always smart to have a backup plan. I think one of my friends failed in all his applications except his backup school which was the first to accept him but they had a 50% admission rate anyway...

5. All I can say is that I went to one of the flagship public unis in the state and graduated with honors. In terms of how the experience is going to be like, I can't offer any other perspective other than an engineer's perspective so I don't think mine is very useful to you.

But I would say that the non-engineers seem to enjoy life a lot more.

What previous poster posted is true. If you're aiming for the Ivy Leagues, do not bother going through ADP. Actually, if you take the SATs straight after SPM you can apply immediately for the USA. You have to have an SAT score of at least 2100+/2400 as well really impressive curriculums to get accepted into the Ivies. I'm talking national-level competitions (preferably sports) or something equally impressive. Even if you take A levels, you will still have to take the SATs. The marginal benefit of taking A-levels is that you'll get to transfer some of it as extra credits to whichever institution you apply to.

Also, I have to disagree with MisterLee. The American education system gives you a whole lot of freedom in choosing your courses. You get the option of minoring in a field that is completely unrelated to your degree. There aren't a lot of 'American pre-u' programs because you don't need a foundation program to apply for an American university. You honestly just need the SATs and proof that you've graduated highschool. They take our Form 5 as a Grade 12 equivalent. Another option is to enroll into Taylor's 1+5 program, which acts as a sort of Grade 12 equivalent and allows you to apply for the Ivies.

Yes, ADP saves you a LOT of time and money, but it comes at the expense of missing out on the more elite American universities. You can still apply to good universities through ADP, just not the Ivies or the 'public' Ivies like UC Berkeley (or any of the UC schools for that matter).

Regardless, if you get into an Ivy, finance should not be a problem. Astro and Bank Negara both offer scholarships for students accepted at an Ivy school, although there are probably several other requirements.

*PS, I have to mention this. American universities take an extremely holistic approach in selecting their students. They don't just take into your grades, they truly look at you as a person. They want very well-rounded individuals who excel both in and out of the classroom. You can have extremely solid grades and still you might not make the cut if you don't have equally impressive curriculums, and this is especially true for the Ivies.

Yeah this is where it gets confusing, LesAffreux said that SPM IS considered as Grade 12, so which one is correct?

Which category does ADP fall under, when we enroll in ADP, we are technically US-system Students, studying a degree program and thus already graduated high school right?

What are the good unis that would accept SPM Grads, MisterLee?
I'm looking for engineering/computer science, preferably West Coast, preferably near the valley, looking for jobs in the tech line
I have taken the SATs, but its not a particular good score, I plan to retake it so SATs are no problem for me. But I have a hard time finding a good uni to apply to as many of them are either low tier or too high up. Any good recommendations?

Oh wow, that's a bit shocking . Wisconsin-Madison and Penn State University Park both recognize SPM too. Upon inquiry, I was told by the admissions department that SPM and the SATs would be sufficient for Michigan Ann Arbor as well. SPM is even listed on their website. Ah, I have a friend aplpying to MIT next fall. If I'm not mistaken, MIT does require you to take SAT Subject Tests though, which I've heard are quite difficult.

However, generally all universities I've made inquiries to have told me that SPM would be considered as our final highschool transcript, and thus be equivalent to Grade 12.

I'm honestly not very sure about the UEC, I haven't seen it listed on any American universities.

Hi MisterLee, want to share my two cents about applying to US unis, hope you don't mind.

Background: Just finished my A-Levels this year, means I did my SATS and US applications last year.

1. Be close to your lecturers.
Assuming you will be applying through Common App, you will need 2 references. If you intend to enroll in Taylors for your A-Levels, they will have one already prepared for you by your class teacher. The other one can be outsourced via a high school teacher, tuition teacher or simply a lecturer for another sub.

First impressions are extremely important, hence make yourself as likeable as possible towards your lecturers, have casual talks with them, let them understand you more, it really helps them put more context into your reference.

2. Studies
If you intend to apply to some good unis, results are extremely important, and by results I mean your A-Levels AND SPM. You will have to submit high school transcripts, and if I am not mistaken its means your Form 4 year end results, SPM and A-Levels (for form 4, if your year end result slip includes results from your mid years, you have to submit the entire thing, not just just the year end results).

3. Co-co
As someone mentioned earlier, US unis take an extremely holistic approach when it comes to selecting their students, and college/pre-u is a good time to bolster your CV. Join clubs and societies that interests you, join activities and take up leadership roles, and if you garner enough support, you might be able to start your own society!

4. Unis
Be realistic with your choices. Don't have the perception of "oh since I am spending so much money to go there I must aim Ivys and tier ones or not apply at all." Don't. Be honest with yourself, it is fine to aim high, but have some "backup schools" as well.

5. Essays
You need to start writing them early,which means you need to decide on what unis you want, check the dates and prepare accordingly, whether you want to go for ED or RD etc. It is always nice to have a 3rd person perspective of your essay, so don't worry on showing it to your family and friends!

I wish you all the best in your applications, and may you gain entrance to the school you desire