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What's New?
Traditional and Non-Traditional Locations
Many Commonwealth countries have been developing their education programs during the last 30 years. Countries like US, UK and Australia have set up branch university campuses in these countries to take advantage of the lower cost and English usage in these countries.
Other then setting up branch campuses in commonwealth countries, many good universities also collaborate with private universities in these commonwealth countries. These universities accept good students who study in Malaysia and Singapore for the first 2 or 3 years. Thus, they only study for 1-2 years in the main campus.
Each year many professors from good universities in US, UK and Australia visit their collaborated universities in Malaysia and Singapore to confirm their accredition of the standards of these universities.
It is really easy for students of these universities to go to the main campuses from US, UK and Australia and continue their studies there. Today, many universities from US also give scholarships to students who are willing to study in non-traditional locations.
I have a student who studied in a college in Penang, Malaysia for 2 years and another 3 years in US. Today, he holds a good degree from a US university and was able to cut his education cost by half. He is also in great demand from financial institutions all over the world because of his degree and experiences.
During the last 20 years, many good education institutions have sprung up in these non-traditional locations due to the globalization of industries.
You need to help your students take advantage of this opportunity and use their resources wisely.
Communicating With Teenagers
I am sure that you want the best for your child.
After thinking and planning for him/ her, you need to communicate your plan with your child. In fact, a better approach is to communicate your plan with the whole family.
What is a good way to communicate your plan?
Remember that teenagers have a mind of their own. If you don't want to have your plan rejected outright, you need to think a little about how best to communicate it.
Firstly, any communication requires a relationship of good will and trust. You need to demonstrate your love and care for your child. Then you need to demonstrate that you have done some research and observation. Telling your child that you are thinking about him and his future is the best way to demonstrate your love and care for him.
Secondly, you will need to communicate 3 important aspects gently and lovingly:
- His/ her gifts and talents as well as the field that you think is suitable for him/ her in the job market;
- The money that you will be preparing for him/ her;
- The college/ university that will be suitable for him/ her.
Thirdly, please remember that communication is a 2 way process. While you want to tell your child your plans for him/ her, you also need to listen to his/ her opinions. Teenagers are children growing up, with their own ideas. They also have their own likes and dislikes.
I know a mother who insisted that her son study engineering when he liked the arts. In the end, her son gave in to her request, but failed the course. It has caused the family a lot of unnecessary sadness and hardship.
I hope that you will be transparent and flexible as well as negotiable as you discuss with your child. When we share with our children our hopes, our dreams and our sacrifices for them, they will know that we love them. These moments will bind our family together like nothing else will. Children who know that they are loved by their parents will grow up to be loving and secure people.
Know Your Options
Planning to send your child to college can be exciting and fun. Let me help you go through the process.
Firstly, you need to find out about your child's gifts and talents.
Next, you need to find out what are the jobs that are open to him/ her in the market based on his set of giftings.
Thirdly, you will need to plan how to give your child a good college education to prepare him/ her for the job market.
The last part is what I wish to help you understand in this section. Planning is interesting but you need to understand 3 important points.
- When you went to college say 20 years ago, employers are mainly looking at cognitive and practical skills that you learn in college. But today, with the globalization of many industries, employers are also looking for many soft skills like study skills, communication skills and interpersonal skills.
- I believe that a good learning environment is to send your child to study abroad. Studying abroad is good training for your child. It will train your child to be independent and able to work and communicate with people of diverse culture and backgrounds. Many Commonwealth countries today offer good and inexpensive education in the English medium. Some prestigious universities from US, UK, and Australia have set up branch campuses in Commonwealth countries. You can also study 1-2 years in the branch campus and then continue in the main campus overseas.
- I am here to help you plan your child's future with whatever budget that you have. I can also help you understand all your options in order that your child will fulfil his/ her full potential.
I hope you will plan early for your child. Talk to your family about your plan and enjoy the precious moments of family time as you talk together.
Planning early will also give you time to achieve your budget goal and motivate your child to work at qualifying for the course he/ she is hoping to enter.
