Hi peeps, I got an offer from an oversea university and a local university (UM) at the same time. Both offered me my preferred course, Pharmacy.

However my concern arises when I got the offer from UM yesterday. I come from an average family, when I first got an offer from the oversea uni, my uncle offered me saying that he would sponsor my tuition fees partially on going abroad, to UK particularly. At the same time, my dad got a personal loan as well to cover the rest of the fee + living expenses. The hope of both my uncle and my dad is that I could explore more and gain more valuable experiences, and they felt that the money is worth it.

and Yesterday, I was very lucky and grateful for I get an offer from UM as well, for the same course. My mum persuaded me to opt for the local Uni instead of the oversea uni. Her reason behind was I need not to pay back the debt once I graduated, and that my parents do not have to pay the interest/debt monthly.

I am really in a deep dilemma.
Deep inside I really hope I could study abroad as I know there will be lots of challenges await me.
Im here basically to know your opinions if you were in my shoes.
I sincerely hope you would understand how I feel and please, no demotivating comments here.

well its goods if u can study overseas..however, by putting the burden of debt on ur family when u have another option to save them all the trouble is not right in my opinion.... hence i would opt for the local u... can always travel overseas on ur own account later to do ur master if u are keen... at end of the day ur degree just helps u land ur first job... after that its all on u to drive ur career

well debt IS a serious issue amongst graduates, be it local or overseas. i think the rest are non-issue to u. so my advice is to look into the whole graduate debts issue and ask around.

my wife took a loan to study overseas. she managed a credit transfer so she only had to study 2 years in the UK. but that sets her back over RM120k, in which she has to pay JPA back every month for over 30 years. and this is pretty burdensome particularly in her early years after graduating that i had to help chip in (and we're not even married yet!). but she managed to get by without putting any financial load on her parents.

in ur situation, do think hard about that first 5 years after u graduate. financial problem can force u into unwanted situations, and these are very real problem amongst graduates nowadays. if u can get scholarships, go for overseas. if not, do local. for courses like pharmacy, i'm sure u can opt a year of masters overseas later in life. that's what i did (with architecture).

go UM la. free u dont want...damn... cuz after u completed the degree, u still can get chance to go study overseas for masters programme. unless the foreign uni is fully sponsored or you rich, then no problem just go ahead.

especially if u wanna come back work in malaysia after graduated and earn 4k per month in government hospital as pharmacist during first few years after graduated, that feeling just sucks when u still have huge amount of unsettled loan.

getting local uni for your desired course almost means u are fully sponsored already, just need living expenses and a very small amount of study fees (UM pharmacy maybe 2-3k per year). and u still can apply for many local scholarships which are not hard to get if u really go dig around and apply for all of them that offers scholarship for local pharmacy degree.

Thank you very much for your kind opinion

Yup I understood that. I'll ask my dad and uncle clearly regarding this debt issue. However, thanks for the advices

This post has been edited by bellobanana95: Aug 13 2014, 11:32 PM

Depend your total situation.
In term of education, both should same.

But going oversea will expose you cultural that will open up ur thinking and this experience can only gain via long term staying in oversea (>1 year). Short visit or holiday will never have same experience as stay there. To me, this is priceless as it will effect you rest of your life.

But again, only urself know should u go or not go as there is also money factor.

Cheers

Yeap, that was also one of the reasons for wwhy I'd like to study abroad as I believe that this opportunity allows me to widen my view and to allow me to be more independent.

Thank you Chamelion for your view. I'll take them into account

Your first option is to study oversea which you anticipated a lot. However, putting your family in a financially strained situation for your tertiary education is never a good idea. Plus, University Malaya is a good university in Malaysia! I am sure you will be exploring a lot of challenges there as well.

To me, the second option (study locally) is more attractive unless you are able to secure a scholarship to study abroad. Good luck.

Which overseas university?

short answer: go um....

the only reason to choose uk in this case, is if one intends to stay on and work....and even then, it is difficult to get jobs, and eu rules makes getting a tier 2 visa very difficult....

don't use up your parent's retirement fund....

i study in local uni and then joined work and travel usa programme, went to usa mix with the locals there (mostly uni students too) during the summer for around 3 months. not that bad too.

I would say go for UM since studying in the UK is really expensive and it will take many years for you to earn back that amount of money. But if you value once in a lifetime experiences more than money, then go for uk.

On a side note, you must have had great results since you managed to get pharmacy course from UM. What pre-u path did you take and what were your results?

This post has been edited by sagethesausage: Aug 14 2014, 12:16 AM

Go UM.

People have already explained why.

Want foreign experience? Ask your uncle to give you RM20k. That is NZD 7k. Apply for the working holiday visa. You get to live and work in NZ for 6 months. You could decide later if you want to move to NZ permanently......Pharmacy in many countries, faces skill shortages.

If you go to UK....you'll spend like at least RM500k. Then you come back......to earn like what? RM3k gross? With that sort of money, your family could buy a new property, or use it to fund your permanent settled abroad later on if need be.

Really bad ROI.....extremely bad ROI to go to the UK.

thanks for the advice
erm, im a non-bumi who is lucky enough to get matriculation, i got 4 flat.

Do well in your local pharm programme, get good results and apply for masters overseas (Mpharm). You need to complete 4 years of studying if you were to opt for an overseas programme (3yrs degree +Mpharm) because for some reason that's the only way you are allowed to practice here in Malaysia. 4 years of overseas fee is really exorbitant and there are more scholarships available for postgrad study.

So do well and apply for a scholarship to do your postgrad abroad. That's what I did.

Heyy, you're taking MPharm as well?

Nope! But I did my degree at a foreign IPTS though. Many of my friends take the BPharm and Mpharm programme.

You can choose to study at institutions like Notts and Monash. They will allow you to go for an exchange for one year and still be charged local tuition fees only.

This post has been edited by Cottoncandyclouds: Aug 17 2014, 12:55 AM

there is no 'local' mpharm programme in notts msia....everybody transfers to notts uk for the last 2 years.....and you will need to pay full international students fees for the 2 years in uk....

is it possible for me to take 4 years of BPharm locally and then get into the 4th year of the MPharm programme oversea?
Just an idea..

Msc and MRes would be better. These are more specialized. And if you manage to get into a very good university, the government will most likely sponsor you (they're increasingly pumping in funding to send out posytgrad students in the sciences while reducing undergrad scholarships)

This post has been edited by Cottoncandyclouds: Aug 17 2014, 01:44 PM

Thank you so much for this info! Im seriously considering this option now

I would suggest you to go for UM. Because my uncle daughter graduated pharmacy from USM and working in Australia now.

Actually I think only pharmacy from USM is recognized globally.
Can anyone clarify on this? Cause last time i heard that USM Pharmacy Graduate are accepted in Singapore, and its the only local U in Msia which offer Pharmacy programme that is accepted by Sg.

the second is right....the usm pharmacy degree is recognised in singapore, and the ONLY msian/branch campus in msia qualification to be recognised....

the first is wrong....the usm pharmacy degree is not recognised anywhere else in the world other than msia and spore...

Ainafoon, then how would your cousin be working in Aus right now? Is she working in pharmacy sector there?



limeuu, then is UM's BPharm recognized globally?

no professional qualification is 'recognised globally'.....because every country has their own system of registration of the professions.....therefore, the ability to register, and hence to work in any country depends on the policy of the registering authority...and hence, every country will be different....eg, non of uk's medical degrees are recognised in the usa....

the um degree is only recognised in msia, and no other country....

however, there will usually be possibility for someone with an unrecognised qualification to sit for a qualifying exam and if successful, to gain registration....

get that idea that you can get a qualification and walk into any country and work, off your head.....

Does that apply to postgraduate study as well?

if you are referring to further studies, that is a completely different thing from registration to carry out a professional practice...you can enrol into a uni anywhere for studies, as long as they will accept and you can pay the fees....AND it is a NON-PRACTISING course.....ie, you are NOT functioning as a pharmacist during the course....(which means it excludes clinical pharmacy courses, google what that means)

do note that completing a postgraduate study say in uk, does NOT allow you to then work in uk, as the registration is based on the BASIC primary qualification, NOT the postgraduate.....

which is why i caution the advice given by cotton is premature, and potentially bad.....

cotton is taking up non-practising course i supposed.

so conclusion is that if i pick up BPharm from UM, there is no chance for me to further up my postgrad in the UK?
And today I just discussed with my family, my dad is okay with the fund stuff. The decision is now in my hands to choose which path. My plan was to study locally and then further up the postgrad in UK. But I do not wish to work in UK tho.

that is not what i said....go read it again.....

erm from what I understood is that I am able to further up my studies in the UK, with condition that Im not practising as a Pharmacist and that I cannot further in Clincial Pharmacy.

correct?

yes.....but why?....

do you really want to study 'overseas' that much?.....

academic post graduate studies will not matter much in your subsequent work as a pharmacist...

This post has been edited by limeuu: Aug 17 2014, 11:00 PM

I want to expose myself to the other side of the world and I would like to accept all the challenges.
I knew all these challenges would put me in alot of worries but I believe that all these would give me a fruitful outcome in which I'll treasure throughout my whole life.

anyway, thanks alot! realllllyyy alot limeuu!

I heard from my uncle the Australia government offered her the job. And she graduated with first class honours

the usm pharmacy is NOT recognised, irrespective of the class of honour...the australian gov does NOT offer non-residents jobs....

unless you know the precise situation, it is best not to give comments like that, as it gives a wrong impression to students in the forum.....

you have a very kind uncle. If im you and I go, i'll feel paiseh. So I think UM is the choice brah.

What overseas university is that ? If it's just a tier 2 or 3 university with very low ranking, just go with UM.

I highly doubt the govt will sponsor one year MPharm or MEng. So far I know noone who has been successfully sponsored going down this route. This is because the government and certain other universities consider the 4th year of a technical degree (whether it be MEng or MPharm) as a part of an undergrad degree. Depending on requirements of certain unis, you might have to do and Msc/Mres if you want to proceed to PhD whther you obtained a first class in MPharm or not.

But I know alot who finished their 4 year BPharm and 4 year BEng/Private MEng locally, and proceeded to do an MSc or MRes to specialize. Some go on to do Msc Immunology, etc.

My relative is a Pharm doctoral student at NUS. She did her 4 years here at UM and went off to do her pstgrad at SG, fully sponsored by SG.

This post has been edited by Cottoncandyclouds: Aug 18 2014, 03:25 PM

Don't waste money on a basic degree, do your Master's overseas.

This post has been edited by Pacmangoku: Aug 18 2014, 03:27 PM

that is generally true, unless you intend to work professionally overseas.....then the right basic degree is crucial.....

Thank you everyone and limeuu!! Am grateful for all your advices!
I decided to stay back for UM ady
Cheers!!