In my opinion, being able to study oversea is the greatest experience in my life so far. There are just a lot of opportunities and resources which are not available in Malaysia. For instance, most of the lecturers I had are experts in their respective fields. They had their own researches and wrote their own textbooks. Having them to teach you what they know is incredible, but of course, just like any other places, there will be some profs who are not good at teaching.

Americans are really into what they are interested in learning. I have been exposed to so many different classes which have no direct connection to my major. This is actually part of the requirements to graduate. Unlike in Malaysia, we have tried so hard to predict and pave our paths since high school. We are usually more afraid of exploring other opportunities and interests.

Working in teams is another awesome experience. You get to work with so many different people from different background (majors, countries, races, religions etc.)

In term of academy, in my opinion, classes are much tougher here but of course, this varies according to the schools you go to. Personally, I definitely feel that I have been challenged much more than I would have been if I were in a local university back in Malaysia.

Overall, it is definitely an experience which makes you grow as a person and re-think your way of life. We have been spoon fed by our education system for way too long (yes I know, cliche), so studying oversea can really open your eyes to how you should approach your future.

Of course, all of the above will only happen if you are willing to open yourself to possibilities. If you choose to cling to your old self and only mingle with other Malaysians in your school, it will just be the same as studying in Malaysia, just at a different location.

This post has been edited by HanYH: Nov 16 2008, 09:24 AM

Definitely

But sometimes I don't really understand why are the ivies such a big deal Besides the "Ivy" name (which some Malaysians have not even heard about), the classes are almost equally as challenging as other top-tier schools' (think MIT, Stanford, Northwestern, U of Chicago which are not Ivies)

LOL see! Personally, I think that Ive League is just an American thing

US Law Degree requires that one has already graduated with a Bachelor's Degree (that's another 4 years), that may be one of the reasons.

Then yes, of course you can TRY to do that (but remember, getting H1B working visa will be a gamble)

Also, you gotta need a Bachelor's Degree, LSAT, Law school interviews etc.

Apply like how you would for other schools, it's just that they may be more selective (note: MIT and Stanford are not in the list but as we know, their acceptance rate is even lower compared to some of the ivies). I assume you know that you will have to take the SAT, SAT II and TOEFL before applying.

As for what these ivies are looking for in applicants, it is very subjective.

Is it because Blair's dream school is Yale (referring to your avatar, lol)?

SAT score is not the only criterion for selection. I know of someone who only got 1200 (older format, out of 1600) who got into Cornell too. I don't think he scored high in TOEFL as well because he was required to take special writing classes when he first arrived.

But you are absolutely right that Ivy League schools' tuition fee are much higher.

For Class of 2012, Cornell's acceptance rate was actually 20.4% (good for those who are applying, bad for those who are already in it, lol)

Sidetrack

Did you know that the scenes of Yales in Gossip Girl was actually filmed in Columbia (another Ivy)? I was literally inches away from the cast members! Blair and Serena are cuter than they are on the screen, lol

Unfortunately, I think I'm headed back I will encounter such severe reverse culture shock compared to what I actually faced when I first came to the States

Yeah I'm in U.S now. Culture shock in terms of well, I have always been bothered by the special rights. And the ways people mingle with each other and the activities they do during free time, it's going to be very different, at least I think so, lol. I look at my bro who's still in KL and I can't even agree with him in almost everything he does

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Added on November 21, 2008, 11:50 amThis totally depends on the people you hang out with. If you are friends with the party animals, then expect to get drunk every weekend (if that's your ideal college lifestyle, so be it )

But of course, there are friends who know how to party yet study hard too, so yeah, it totally depends on who you are and who you want to be friends with.

This post has been edited by HanYH: Nov 21 2008, 11:50 AM

Haha good for you P.I.M.P! I definitely didn't get to be as wild as you did hahahaha...

My school is technically like a jail but of course, there are parties still but I guess I'm not the part-every-night type

And do we really want to know about the "girls" part?

Haha you coming to New York? Cool! How long are you staying in the city? Not that I'm still here by the time you visit, lol

Just curious, why would you want to eat in a M'sia restaurant when you are already going back to M'sia soon? Hehehe...
I actually haven't been to any Msia restaurant in NYC, but try out XO in Chinatown. Their HK/Taiwan cuisines are great, and cheap too.

As for Boston, definitely go to Quincy and try the clam chowder.

(The only Msia restaurant I know of is at Jersey City, named Satay, but I doubt you would want to cross the river to the Jersey side though)

Ah Chicago? I bet you know about the Penang restaurant, right?! I thought that was decent.

But when I went to Chicago for the 2nd time, it was temporarily shut down due to "hygienic" issues

I'm currently at Ithaca, New York (upstate New York), which is about 5-6 hours away from Manhattan. I interned in Manhattan last summer though. The city is definitely a very happening place to live in

Wow Christmas time in NYC, it's going to be awesome (and crowded)

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Added on November 23, 2008, 1:25 amMy advice is to NOT bring a lot of things you think you may need because well, for most of the people I know of including myself, we end up buying a lot of things here.

Laptop - Yes (but you will need a converter for the power outlet)
Cellphone - No (check out the different carriers at your school, some have better reception than others, besides, you may get free phones for signing a contract with them)

Skateboard - If that's your leisure activity, sure, why not
Football - same as above
mp3 - Definitely yes

This post has been edited by HanYH: Nov 23 2008, 01:25 AM

My school's meal plan was incredibly good though. We had Japanese, Korean, Indian, Mexican etc rotating everyday Of course, American food like burgers, pasta and bread were always available too!