Congrats to Tzer Han Cornell University Class of 2014 Early Decision

Congratulations to Tzer Han for getting admitted to Cornell University Class of 2014 under Early Decision.

Although he is studying at Raffles Junior College, Singapore and technically he is counted as applicant from Singapore, he is a Malaysian and a Penangite. 

So, with this, there are 3 Malaysians who got into Cornell for Class of 2014 under Early Decision.

Syabas!

Iswari's Sharing on US Applications

Iswari, who has just gotten into Cornell University for Early Decision Class of 2014, has written 2 blog posts to share about her experience and her take on application essays.

Do read it here and here .

If any of you who didn't do too well for your SAT and felt like giving up, please don't . Iswari got 1950 for SAT Reasoning Test and 2020 for SAT Subject Tests and she did get admitted. Read her sharings at the link above.

Early Admission Analysis (Data from The Choice, New York Times)

Thanks to Wen Xian for sharing with me these information on Early Decision/Early Action for Class of 2014. This data is taken from The Choice (New York Times).

I am dividing the admission percentage with non-binding and binding in different category.

For the non-binding one, we see that MIT and University of Chicago seems to be slightly tougher to get in this year (i.e. acceptance rate drops), whereas for Stanford and Yale, it went up a little. For Stanford, it is due to most students being offered admission, whereas for Yale, it is due to fewer applicants. University of Chicago sees a 50% increase in applicants and acceptance. 

For the binding ones, we see Brown, Duke, Cornell, Northwestern, Middlebury, Johns Hopkins showing quite a good percentage of lower acceptance rates (i.e. harder to get in). 

Brown dropped from 24.15% to 19.92%, mainly due to more applicants. For Duke, the same thing happens. Total applicants jump from 1,535 to 2,012, while accepted students only went up by 19. For Cornell, total applicants increased by 136, but total accepted students are reduced by 97. For Northwesterns, total applicants increase by 181 too. For Johns Hopkins, total applicants increase by 106, but total accepted students are reduced by 11.

On the other hand, Dartmouth accepted 60 more students, with total applicants gone up by 51 only. 

Non-Binding Early Admission

MIT - 590/5,684 (10.38%) vs Last Year 540/5018 (10.76%)

Stanford - 753/5,556 (13.55%) vs Last Year 689/5,363 (12.85%)

Yale - 730/5,262 (13.87%) vs Last Year 742/5,556 (13.35%)

University of Chicago - 1,676/5,883 (28.49%) vs Last Year 1,128/3,774 (29.89%)

Binding Early Admission

Brown - 567/2,847 (19.92%) vs Last Year 570/2,360 (24.15%)

Columbia - 631/2,995 (21.07%) vs Last Year 639/2,942 (21.72%)

Dartmouth - 461/1,600 (28.81%) vs Last Year 401/1,549 (25.89%)

Duke - 602/2,012 (29.92%) vs Last Year 583/1,535 (37.98%)

Cornell - 1,167/3,579 (32.61%) vs Last Year 1,264/3,443 (36.71%)

NorthWestern - 618/1,776 (34.80%) vs Last Year 590/1,595 (36.99%)

Williams - 212/541 (39.19%) vs Last Year 232/614 (37.79%)

Middlebury - 262/653 (40.12%) vs Last Year 274/648 (42.28%)

Johns Hopkins - 493/1,155 (42.68%) vs Last Year 504/1,049 (48.05%)

Swarthmore - 129/292 (44.18%) vs Last Year 126/302 (41.72%)

Wesleyan - 237/~500 (47.4%) vs Last Year 239/~500 (47.8%)

ISKL 2010/2012 International Baccalaureate Diploma Scholarships

Thanks to Adelene Lai for sharing on this full scholarships for ISKL 2010/2012 International Baccalaureate Diploma Scholarships.

For more info, go to here

If you have any question, Adelene is more than happy to respond to you too. Do post it here!

Congrats to Ee Xin University of Chicago Class of 2014

Congratulations to Ee Xin for getting into University of Chicago Early Action for Class of 2014!

Talk on Gifted Children

Got this info from Minni Ang in Malaysian Mensa mailing list.

---

 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR GIFTED CHILDREN, MALAYSIA PRESENTS….

An exciting, not-to-be-missed talk !!!

Speaker:
Mr. Simeon Brodsky, Director for International Division,  Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth, USA. Mr. Brodsky has over 20 years of experience in gifted education. He is currently overseeing the PERMATApintar Holiday Camp for the Gifted at UKM.


Topic: When Gifted Children Grow Up: Preparing Them for the Challenges of  Adulthood
There will be a panel discussion after the talk . Panelists will also include a parent and an NAGCM representative.

Date: 18 December 2009 (Friday, public holiday)

Time: 2.30pm-5pm

Venue: Shah's Village Hotel, Petaling Jaya ( next to Taman Jaya LRT)

Fee:  Non-members RM20
        Members RM10
        Children 12 years and below: non-members     RM10
                                                          members            foc   

Membership forms available at talk.  Alternatively, log on to www.nagcm.org

Brief Programme
2.30pm-3pm  Registration
3pm- 4pm      Talk
4pm-5pm       Panel Discussion & Refreshments

To register, kindly remit payment to the following account:
Bank Muamalat,  account no. 1205-000-2206716  payable to  NAGCM

For registration details contact     William h/p: 0162866617
                                                    email: treasurer@nagcm.org
                                                    fax: 03 9236 7333

PLEASE INFORM YOUR FRIENDS. HURRY! PLACES ARE LIMITED!

Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholarships 2010

Thanks to Barbara for sharing on this "Application Guidelines for Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholarships 2010"

Do check it out here .
-----
Chen Chow's Other Posts
Subscribe to Chen Chow's blog

Encourage any of my blog readers to share with me any event that you come across. As long as the event/activity/initiative is education/charity/youth oriented and is not-for-profit, I will be more than happy to post it to share

Feel free to quote any post within my blog, as long as you link it back here. Sharing is always a good virtue. :)

Attending World Economic Forum 2010

Thanks a lot to my loyal blog contributor for sharing on this.

For those of you who aspire to attend World Economic Forum 2010 at Davos, Switzerland from 27th to 31st January 2010, you now have a great chance to get a fully sponsored trip there!

Read on at http://www.youtube.com/davos . Deadline for submitting a Youtube video is on 4th January 2010.

US Applications workshop by MACEE

Thanks to my loyal blog contributor for sharing this link on a talk by MACEE on US Applications on 21st December 2009 10:30am - 1pm.

For full info, read it at here

Maxis Scholarship for Excellence Award -- Undergraduate Program

Thanks a lot to my loyal blog contributor for this link on Maxis Scholarship for Excellence Award.

Check it out here!

Closing date is 4th January 2010

Feedback for Government Transformation Program

Thanks to Vidhya for the info below.

---

Dear friends,

If there is one day you can voice out your opinions & suggestions to the Government and be part of the Government Transformation Program (GTP) then this will be it.

The Government invites you to the GTP Open Day at Sunway Convention Centre on the 18th December 2009, from 9am - 5pm.This event is for the rakyat. We will showcase the work of the 8 labs (Crime, Corruption, Rural Basic Infrastructure, Urban Public Transport, Low Income Household, Education, Unity and Data Integrity.

We encourage you and your friends to attend this event. Please confirm your attendance at register@transformation.gov.my

Thank you

---

Congrats to Ken-Ji Cornell Class of 2014

Congratulations to Ken-Ji for getting admitted to Cornell University Class of 2014 through Early Decision!

Great to see both Ken-Ji and Iswari made it to my alma mater!

Good Luck to all who would be applying for Regular Decision! Go for it!

Congrats to Iswari Cornell Class of 2014

Congratulations to Iswari for getting into Cornell University Early Decision Class of 2014!

HPAIR 2010 Harvard Conference

Thanks to Jing Pei for sharing this.

----

PARTICIPATE in Harvard's largest annual student events,
ENGAGE in discussions regarding critical trends that Asia and the global community face today,
INTERACT with students, professors, and professionals from around the world,

at Harvard?

Then apply to be a student delegate of HPAIR 2010 Harvard Conference!

Starting in 1991, Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR) has organized the largest annual student conferences in the Asia Pacific Region. In 2008, HPAIR Harvard Conference became a new exciting addition to the already existing academic conference and business conference. The HPAIR Harvard Conference, to be held on Harvard's Campus in February 2010, brings together students, professors, and professionals to the Harvard campus for dialogue and exchange on the most important economic, political, and social issues relevant to the Asia-Pacific region. 

Continuing its tradition of academic excellence, the HPAIR Harvard Conference seeks to create a rigorous forum for dialogue and exchange. With the theme of "Asia Ascendant - Reaching New Heights" and covering topics on foreign policy, public health, environmental issues, gender equality, and cultural transformations, the 2010 HPAIR Harvard Conference will invite both foreign delegates and Harvard students to engage in thoughtful conversations regarding critical issues affecting Asia and the world today. Through specific case-studies, delegates will learn to investigate and tackle real-life issues from diverse perspectives that are defined by their interest group affiliation, to evaluate different opinions, to reason on their own, and to work together to make suggestions incorporating inputs from different interest groups.

Visit www.hpair.org to find out and apply to the HPAIR 2010 Harvard Conference today.

Deadline: December 15, 2009

Click for HPAIR's general brochure, 2010 Harvard Conference fact sheet, list of confirmed speakers, schedule, panel descriptions, plenary descriptions, and past conferences 

For questions e-mail: hconf-help@hpair.org 

ASES Stanford Summit

Thanks to Jin Tik for sharing with me this large-scale student entrepreneurship conference, the ASES Stanford Summit. This would be an awesome one for those entrepreneurs aspirant, and after all Stanford is the homeground where tons of top notch entrepreneurs have their roots... Jin Tik is involved with ASES ! So, undergraduates out there, do check it out!!! You get to visit Google too! :)

My dream school too! Too bad, I got no chance to step foot and study there, but at least, I visited the campus back in August 2003 (Wow! That's 76 months ago). 

----
The next Stanford Summit will be held from 4-10 April 2010 on the Stanford USA Campus. Applications are now available on Summit website, asessummit.stanford.edu. Applications are open until the midnight of Dec 31, 2009.

Summit delegates are chosen from our 15 international chapters in the Asia-Pacific and non-ASES members from elite universities all over the world. Our delegates participate in lectures and workshops led by successful entrepreneurs, veteran venture capitalists, and Stanford academics. They also get the chance to get to know these people though scheduled networking and social events. Summit delegates also visit some of the Silicon Valley's top companies and start-ups like Google, Tesla and Genentech.

Last year, we heard keynote speeches from Guy Kawasaki of Garage Technology Ventures and Jen-Hsun Huang, the founder of NVIDIA Corporation, and we went on company tours to Facebook and Google. This year, we're building up an awesome lineup of great events with Silicon Valley leaders for you. Look forward to it!

We strongly encourage all interested students to apply to this rewarding conference. Please also forward this email to all other relevant students and groups.

 For more information, please see our website asessummit.stanford.edu.

Check out our youtube video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN1Tguij7rs

 If you have any questions regarding Summit 2010 or about ASES in general, contact the Summit directors at thestanfordsummit@gmail.com.

Public Lecture by Dr Jomo KS on 9 December

Do sign up if you are interested. It would be an interesting one!

This was Dr. KS Jomo's sharing last year around this time. Read it here .

----
The Chevening Alumni of Malaysia is delighted to inform you that economics supremo, Dr Jomo KS, will deliver the Third Chevening 25th Anniversary Public Lecture.

 

Details of the lecture are as follows:

Title:        The Triple Global Crises - Finance, Development and Climate: Can we kill three birds with one stone?

Date:        Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Time:        7.45pm - 10.00pm

Venue:      Auditorium, Securities Commission, 3, Persiaran Bukit Kiara, Bukit Kiara, 50490 Kuala Lumpur

Admission: Free

 

Additonal details are provided in the attached flyer.

 

Dr Jomo, who is Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development of the United Nations, is a brilliant speaker with a huge following in Malaysia.

 

The Chevening Alumni cordially invites you to attend the lecture.

 

Due to the expected huge response, we urge you to register early at info@cheveningalumni.org.my to reserve your place.

Feel free to circulate this invitation and notice to your colleagues and friends. 

 

 

Best regards.

Nithi

 

Nithi Nesadurai
President

Chevening Alumni of Malaysia

Tips on US Applications

Thanks to my loyal blog contributor for sharing this.

http://nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/articles/coll29/Article/index_html

Some of the do's and don'ts shared in the article.

---

Dos and Don'ts

Do be clear, concrete and concise.
Do try to keep your essay positive.
Do use your best writing skills and edit your essays.
Do let other good English speakers check your work.
Do write about something you 're passionate about and that shows your best side.
Don't use your personal essay to show how modest you are.
Don't share a struggle you had unless you've overcome it.
Don't try humour in writing because it rarely translates well across cultures and on paper.
Don't be negative about other races or religions.

----

I agree with most of the tips. However while respecting the author's opinion, I personally feel that the struggle shared doesn't necessary need to be one that you have overcome. You could still come up with pretty good essays, depicting your struggle that is still in the battle. 

On not being too modest in essay, on the other hand, don't be too arrogant too. 

Good Luck!

Graduate scholarships @ Thunderbird

Thanks to my loyal blog contributor for sharing this.

----

For those who might be interested ... However, the scholarships are for tuition fees, and do not cover living expenses, etc. 

Business Week MBA Programs ranking 

http://bwnt.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/mba_domestic_2008/index.asp?chan=magazine+channel_in+depth , 

Thunderbird is mainly known for its international/global emphasis.

http://www.thunderbird.edu/graduate_degrees/full_time_mba/financial_aid/scholarships.htm

Scholarships

Entering Student Merit Scholarships

Applicants interested in being considered for a scholarship need to submit a one page (maximum) statement explaining why you believe you would be a strong candidate for a Thunderbird scholarship. Selection is based on the essay as well as documentation submitted with your application.

Qualifications
The scholarship competitive applicant will present the following credentials:

1. A GMAT of no lower than 630
2. A university record of no lower than a 3.0 or the equivalent
3. A minimum of 2 years of work experience in a professional capacity after completion of the undergraduate or qualifying degree
4. International exposure or residence

Listed below are the levels of scholarships for which entering students are eligible:

• Thunderbird Tower Scholarship: 50% of one trimester's tuition
• Provost Scholarship: 25% tuition of the program of study
• Founder's Scholarship: 50% tuition of the program of study
• Trustee's Scholarship: 75% tuition of the program of study
• Presidential Scholarship: 100% tuition of the program of study

SG startup/entrepreneurship event

Thanks to my loyal contributor for this.

---

Might interest those who are interested in startups, entrepreneurship :

http://neotenylabs.com/nsc1/neoteny-singapore-camp/

Neoteny Labs Singapore is about to launch and what better way to celebrate than an event with all our friends?

For two days in December we'll be gathering in Singapore and discussing a whole collection of topics from investing and incubating, to building start ups and hackerspaces. Hosted and organized by Joi Ito, Sean Bonner, James Chan and Tara Brown we'll talk about why these things are interesting and important to us, and why we're looking towards Singapore to do them.

The first part of each day will include panels and presentations from people who we think know what they are talking about. This will be followed in the afternoon by ad-hoc , barcamp style sessions created on the fly by presenters and people in attendance alike. We're assuming these will develop into evening workshops as well. Saturday night will include an Open Web Presentation Challenge hosted by Mozilla that you can sign up to present at!