INFORMATION IS POWER: SCHOLARSHIP AWARD PROGRAM

Do you know that some institutions offer scholarships to help fund tuition fees and living costs and enable you to accomplish your career goals? YES….. Many scholarship providers award funding opportunities at various degree levels of undergraduate, postgraduate, Ph.D. and also for other training programs.

It is now a popular knowing that education does not come cheap these days that is why people look for affordable ways and funding opportunities to get educated. Getting a scholarship is one of the highly sought for funding opportunities this has made it very competitive and difficult to get, even though scholarships are being offered by different countries to attract the most intelligent international students around the world. It is very important to take scholarship application seriously and to know what to do when applying for a scholarship.

The first step to take is to gather as much information on prospective school scholarship. It is very vital that you make enquiry from the prospective school to know the various processes and procedure to take when applying for their scholarship. You can do this by visiting their website or school portal. You should also gather information on the type of scholarship you are applying for. For example, there are Governmental scholarships and Non-Governmental scholarships also for an international student. Also, some scholarship process might require you send an application for the scholarship and so on.

Take deadlines seriously.The Scholarship is usually given on a first-come-first-served basis because of the competition involved.  An application completed on or before the deadline for registration usually receives first consideration. Do not miss the deadline.

It is also important to know that you will be sending an official transcript and grade scores of the school you are transferring from or you finished from. This will be an assessment process for the prospective school to determine if you meet the criteria that have been laid down. Some scholarship requires tests and interview conducted for their applicants.

On a final note, you might search for so much scholarship program before you find one that either suit you or apply to you. My advice to you is to be very patient; patience is the key to securing the right scholarship program for you.

Contact: studyabroadnetworknigeria@gmail.com for more information.

DO YOU WANT TO STUDY ABROAD? THEN YOU NEED TO KNOW THESE

the first thing you need to know is the document required to study abroad. I get lots of complaint from prospective students who want to study abroad, that their application for admission was rejected by the schools they applied to. The major reason for this rejection is usually because these students do not send or include the required documents the school has laid down. The first advisable thing to do is to go to your desired school porter or website and check for the required documents and procedures that are required of international students.

Documents usually required are:

CERTIFICATES OF PREVIOUS DIPLOMAS OR DEGREES

It is very vital to send all necessary certificates of your previous study together with the transcripts. These documents usually show your grades, CGPA and your area of specialization. This will help the admission board to determine how qualified you are for such admission. If this document is not included, your admission application will be rejected.

INTERNATIONAL PASSPORT

An international passport permits the holder to travel to any other countries in the world, provided he obtains a proper visa or entry permit to the country he proposes to visit. In some countries, the international passport for travel abroad is the second passport. An international passport is a document that carries information like  owner’s name, date of birth, passport number, passport issue/expiry date etc.

LETTER OF INVITATION

One of the ways to know that your application for admission has been granted is that the school will prepare an invitation letter stating that you have been accepted to study in their school. This invitation letter plays a very important role in the process of acquiring or obtaining a visa from the country the school is located.

PROOF OF PROPER FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Almost all countries require that students coming into their country to study should have sufficient funds that will take care of the student’s tuition fee, the cost of feeding,  accommodation, and so on. Though, most schools give out scholarship/grant that usually covers tuition fees. However, such student has to present an official document issued by the scholarship organization stating the terms and conditions of the scholarship. But still, it is usually required that student should have financial support for their application for admission to be granted.

It should be noted that document required to study abroad are not limited to the ones listed above. We also assist students who want to study abroad secure  their admission, get their international passport, visa, and invitation letter.

 Do you want to study abroad, then Contact: studyabroadnetworknigeria@gmail.com for more information.

STUDY IN CHINA AND ENJOY GREAT BENEFITS

China is enriched with great cultural history, martial arts, technology, herbs, diet recipes, great structural buildings and with world Class Universities and lot more.

• Chinese universities are universally recognized and acknowledged by most developed countries. The Chinese government has consented to an arrangement on shared acknowledgment of scholarly capabilities with various nations including the United States, Britain, France, Japan and 65 other countries and regions. Chinese degree programs in Engineering, Science, Medicine, Economics and Trade, Finance and so on are exceptionally loved and highly revered.

The cost of studying and living in China is very affordable unlike other countries; the 

cost of feeding, housing, clothing, transportation is very cheap and can be afforded by an average individual.

• Do you know that most of the world’s biggest companies and organizations have their companies located in China? Most of these companies have their headquarters located in almost all part of China. Aside this, China is known to have the world fastest economy growth for the past 30 years and has managed to maintain a stable economy. All these features are criteria for great employment opportunities. This means that when you study in China, there is an advantage of great job opportunities. 

• Studying in China is also a great opportunity to experience it’s enriched cultural history and art, first-hand experience/information. It is also an opportunity to explore the most populous country in the world enriched in infrastructures and wonder structural site.

• There are also scholarship provisions made for a student willing to study abroad. This scholarship may cover or supplement your tuition fee so that the actual amount will be equal to the tuition fee.

China has become one of the most popular abroad study centers “sought for” in the world for international students.

For more information/enquiries on studying abroad in China, contact studyabroadnetworknigeria@gmail.com   

ADVANTAGES OF STUDYING ABROAD

It will change your life. You'll come back a new person." For years, the benefits of study abroad have been described in these words. Everyone in the study abroad field believed it could greatly impact a student's life, but the exact long-term benefits were unknown - until now.

The first large-scale survey to explore the long-term impact of study abroad on a student's personal, professional, and academic life shows that study abroad positively and unequivocally influences the career path, world-view, and self-confidence of students.

The Institute for the International Education of Students (IES) surveyed alumni from all IES study abroad programs from 1950 to 1999. Regardless of where students studied and for how long, the data from the more than 3,400 respondents (a 23 percent response rate) shows that studying abroad is usually a defining moment in a young person's life and continues to impact the participant's life for years after the experience.

Personal Growth 
"Overall, I learned a lot more about myself in that one semester than I did in the three and a half years in my home school because of the unique space in which I learned, experienced, and spent exploring another culture," says Carolyn Valtos (IES Adelaide, 1992).

An overwhelming majority of respondents echoed Valtos' feeling. When asked about personal growth, 97 percent said studying abroad served as a catalyst for increased maturity, 96 percent reported increased self-confidence, 89 percent said that it enabled them to tolerate ambiguity, and 95 percent stated that it has had a lasting impact on their world view.

Findings also show that study abroad leads to long-lasting friendships with other U.S. students and still impacts current relationships. More than half the respondents are still in contact with U.S. friends met while studying abroad, and 73 percent said the experience continues to influence the decisions they make in their family life.

Alexa Sand (IES Milan, 1989), who is still very close to U.S. friends she met abroad ten years ago, explains, "I think the shared experience of living fully immersed in another culture made these friendships particularly poignant and enduring."

Intercultural Development 
Study abroad educators often assert that one of the goals of study abroad is to train future global leaders to be more effective, respectful of other cultures and political and economic systems, and willing to take a stand for the world's welfare, not just what benefits a specific country. The survey findings indicate that study abroad is succeeding in its mission.

When questioned about intercultural development, 98 percent of respondents said that study abroad helped them to better understand their own cultural values and biases, and 82 percent replied that study abroad contributed to their developing a more sophisticated way of looking at the world.

"The experience of living and studying in another country was so eye-opening ... [it] tested preconceptions and habits I wasn't even aware were so ingrained in me," says Cynthia Perras (IES Paris, 1981).

It is significant to note that these intercultural benefits are not fleeting but continue to impact participants' lives long after their time abroad. Almost all of the respondents (94 percent) reported that the experience continues to influence interactions with people from different cultures, and 23 percent still maintain contact with host-country friends. Ninety percent said that the experience influenced them to seek out a greater diversity of friends, and 64 percent said that it also influenced them to explore other cultures.

"It has been nearly ten years since I was a student in Vienna, but not a single day goes by where its impact is not felt in my life," says Jason Thornberg (IES Vienna, 1994). "My time there fundamentally changed how I view the world and has given me the ability to view the world, and its issues, from several perspectives."

Education and Career Attainment 
"My semester [abroad] launched me into a personal and professional involvement with Spain that has already lasted 25 years. A political science lecture in Madrid about U.S. and Spanish involvement in an obscure war in Sahara ... led to a graduate fellowship to Spain and North Africa, which led to work as a foreign correspondent based in Spain," says Gary Abramson (IES Madrid, 1978).

It is noteworthy that the majority of respondents gave academic and professional accounts similar to Abramson's. When questioned about academic pursuits, 87 percent of respondents said that study abroad influenced subsequent educational experiences, 63 percent said that it influenced their decision to expand or change academic majors, and 64 percent reported that it influenced their decision to attend graduate school. Nearly half of all respondents have engaged in international work or volunteerism since studying abroad.

"An entire range of professional opportunities have opened up to me in recent years, partly due to the skills and internship experiences I gained," adds Joydeep Sengupta (IES Madrid, 1998).

Similar to Sengupta's experience, three-quarters of respondents asserted that they acquired skill sets abroad that influenced their career path, and 62 percent said that studying abroad ignited an interest in a career direction pursued after the experience.

Longer Stays Mean Greater Benefits 
Consistent with national study abroad statistics, the survey found that students are generally studying abroad for a shorter duration, with the number of full-year students declining dramatically. In the 1950s and 1960s, 72 percent of respondents studied for a full year, but only 20 percent of respondents did so in the 1990s. The number of students studying for less than 10 weeks tripled from the 1950s and 1960s to the 1990s.

For many years, conventional wisdom in the study abroad field has been that "more is better" -- the longer students study abroad, the more significant the academic and cultural development and personal growth benefits. According to survey results, the "more is better" idea holds true. However, results of the study also suggest that programs of at least six weeks in duration can also be enormously successful in producing important academic, inter- and intra-personal, career, and intercultural development outcomes. These findings are significant considering the current national increase in students attending shorter programs. Students attending full-year, semester, and summer programs all report the following benefits:

Although all students benefit from the study abroad experience, there are a few choices that students can make that have the potential to increase their long-term language and career benefits.

Continued language usage was greatest among respondents who lived in a homestay, with 42 percent saying they now use a language other than English on a regular basis. Students who lived in an apartment or a residence hall with local students reported results slightly lower than homestay participants (38 and 32 percent respectively). However, the results of those who lived in an apartment with other U.S. students lagged far behind the rest, with only 18 percent reporting that they use a foreign language on a regular basis.

Importance of Internships 
For students who hope to gain the most career impact from study abroad, results indicate that they should choose an internship as part of their curriculum. Remarkably, 70 percent of intern respondents reported that study abroad ignited interest in a career direction pursued after the experience, compared to 60 percent of non-intern respondents. In addition, 83 percent said that it allowed them to acquire skill sets that influenced their career path, compared to 75 percent who did not intern.

Although there is not always a significant statistical difference between students who attended local university classes and those who did not, it is important to mention that students who attended courses at the local university did experience greater long-term language benefits and were more likely to work or volunteer abroad than their counterparts. The biggest difference between the two groups is in the area of relationships. Of those who attended local university classes, 31 percent still maintain contact with host-country friends, compared to 16 percent of respondents who did not study at the local university.

A Lifetime of Benefits 
Few other experiences in life have proven to net such a positive and sustainable impact. With study abroad offering so many life-changing and enduring academic, career, intercultural, personal, and social benefits, students should carefully consider studying abroad when searching for a college and during their collegiate career. Students should question potential colleges about the study abroad programs they offer and find out how competitive the application process is and if grades and financial aid transfer. In addition, colleges, parents, and employers should encourage and enable students to study abroad.