<p>x.wondergirl: The same thing happened with me when I sent the stuff to HKSUT, so don;t worry… just try tracking your courier online or something, if you still can’t find it then mail it again and inform them about the same so that even if you cross the deadline they know its not your fault and they will have all the stuff soon…</p>
<p>phoenix_ice: I study in an international school in here, and international schools are as expensive as Undergrad schools in US for International students… about 30,000 US $… But they are good too, we have adequate resources, opportunities, and good staff… plus the exposure and diversity this environment offers is unmatched for!! Its like living in a mini UN …
Its annoying how UCB is taking sooo long, cause I desperately want to find out what they think… If everything goes well then I shall do my postgrad from there, maybe even an exchange while in HKUST !!</p>
<p>Anand: My father has some special account in HSBC so he just wrote a letter to the bank and they transfered the money to HKUST account and did the receipt and tracking bit for us… Universities are Extremely helpful and eifficint when it comes to paying fee advice, so just ask the Uni, i’m sure they’ll tell you the easiest and fastest way to transfer the money :)</p>
<p>@phoenix-yh ,the scholarships are department specific so i would assume that a small CBME dept would have minimum aid to give out to internationals…
UST is now hugely popular ,so scholarships are immensely competitive…(other than IB)
My concerns mainly range from diversity in the student body to the style of education…
but since my deadline is fast approaching i need to decide soon.(really soon).
good to hear that you are from sunny California…My brother goes to USC…:)</p>
<p>@sarthak-thanks for the info,i ll get cracking right away!!!</p>
<p>i think there are some indians here,so I really need your help:)…interested in HKUST</p>
<p>im in standard 12 in a CBSE school…if i apply now,do i get my app outcome after my Board exam results are out in May??Are the Board exams the single criterion?</p>
<p>Plus,on the site,its says the requirement for an Indian is 75% in each subject…isnt that pretty easily achievable for a decent Indian student…so,how competetive is it?</p>
<p>smartchap: So as you probably already know admissions in India are different from anywhere else in the world, in that we apply after we finish school…
Not explaining to you the system anywhere else in the world, lets get on HKUST directly… So basically you fill in an online application before the deadline (application and deadline available online under the International Students page on HKUST website). After you fill in the application you will be asked for an optional (optional for them not for you) telephone interview…
If you qualify all of that, then you will be offered a place in the University, this place will be a conditional offer just like the Universities in UK give out, where you’ll be asked to get a certain percentage or more in your CBSE examinations… If you do get those marks in the final exam then you can send them that score to confirm you have met the requirements they had stipulated for you and so you can join HKUST …</p>
<p>Now moving on to the 75% grade boundary… That is set so low that more and more students apply, unlike the Indian Universities’ system who want only best students to apply to their Uni… They do so to be able to state the large figures in reports and ranking data which helps them earn both popularity amongst the applicants and the ranking companies… And obviously all applicants pay an application fee too, so they get money! And who doesnt want money !!
Although the cut off is very low, the admissions are highly competitive, in that a lot of IB board applicants apply, and IB is favored a lot because of the course type and huge success of IB students in the past, and those IB applicants get around 38 or higher on a 45 points scale, which is like 93% or higher if compared to the CBSE board for class 12th… So you can apply if you have more than 75%, but rest assure you will only get in if you have a good percentage and ex-curricular to back it up…</p>
<p>Gist of the story: Quickly go and check the application deadline, and apply asap…
AS you are applying send your additional supporting documents to them so that they reach them not a long while after you finish your application! For the additional documents required again the website has it all, but generally they want you to send them a high-school transcript (grades from all the terms) and your certificates’ copies… Really apply within two days I guess cause the deadline might be the 15th or something…</p>
<p>Lemme know if you have any further questions… Good Luck!</p>
<p>smartchap: I just checked on the Hong Kong website and it says the deadline for International students is 31st of March 2010, so you have sometime on your hands mate!</p>
<p>Oh and I forgot to mention one thing, you might have to take TOEFL or IELTS as an Indian student to prove your Proficiency in English… I dont think you require SATs for HKUST but theres no harm in checking…</p>
<p>All: My parents got back from Hong Kong yesterday, and they had visited HKUST while in Hk. They said its more like a Hotel Resort cause the campus is amazingly beautiful
There were some University president elections campaigning going on, on the day they went to HKUST so it was very lively and vibrant!
The library, they said, was around seven floors big and very well equipped ! So was the campus, and there were places like Mc D on campus…
Housing is really cool, the rooms face the sea, so you wake up to the vast blue sea every morning!! Plus theres a beach on campus too
HKUST is connected to the main part of Hk, basically you take a bus that starts from campus and leaves every few minutes, and then go to the subway station and then to the the central part, all this in under 35 minutes!!
Hong Kong of course was amazing, and my parents stayed in Shang rila, which is very well located so they could catch all the happening and “must-experience” activities of Hk !!
They asked regarding the following topics:
Housing: Which they were informed happens later on in May or June… some student housing halls will interview you and/or ask you to write essays for them, and only people with the most rounded-personality will get preference … Its something you dont need to think about as yet,and the uni will mail us the forms and requirements for housing later on…
Exchange programs: Happens in 2nd or 3rd year so we dont need to worry about that as yet
How to say hello in cantonese: Ley Ho!</p>
<p>I’ll be going to Hk sometime next week or next to next week maybe…</p>
<p>@smartchap: Haha. Well, NUS and NTU websites say “a good pass in five subjects including English is required to make a competitive application”. Do people get into those unis easily? No. Atleast, HKUST gives you a straight hint that you shouldn’t bother applying if you have below 75% This is probably the reason why Singapore receives more applications from India. Furthermore, I agree with you that a decent kid can easily get 75% but don’t forget it is CBSE. I’m sure you’ve heard of people scoring lower than they usually do in school. One of my good friends; extremely smart, he got a 74% in CBSE. Whatever the circumstances were, but yes, under “normal” circumstances a 75% is very much achievable in Science and 85% in Commerce.
One thing I really liked about HK unis as compared to SG unis is that they do give “some” weightage to your personal statement/extra-cirrcular/work experience unlike NUS and NTU where the decision is entirely based on your 12th boards.
And I’m pretty sure you’ll be applying to NUS and NTU, so you might as well give HK a shot because even in terms of world rankings, which you may consider to a certain extent, HKU is ranked 27, NUS 30, HKUST 35 and NTU 73.[Something like that]</p>
<p>@Sarthak: Wow. Sounds awesome. It’s great when your parents love the university you’re going to. LoL. And duh, it looks like a seven star beach resort from the pictures on their website. It could only be more beautiful when seen in person.</p>
<p>System Failure: I’m sure they spoke in understatements and not exaggerations in that case…!
Just one thing the World Rankings make sense when looked at in accordance with an individual course like Mech Eng or Hotel managament etc, the overall rankings are very misleading and therefore confusing…</p>
<p>wow,thanks for your amazing replies,guys!:D</p>
<p>So,as far as i can understand…</p>
<p>I apply right now using my school marks from all terms.Which classes?All transcripts from 9th to 12th?(11th and 12th have been terrible…lol)…but,I feel confident about the Boards:)
So,I can also use my SAT score(2000+) and SAT Subject Test scores when I apply?Dont know how much they will help…</p>
<p>Then,I finish all my online work and send my couriers and stuff…and then,so,I wait for them to contact me anytime after I submit my app?</p>
<p>And my final query is about the scholarships…how easily are they attained?..lol…is there something called the Swire scholarship?</p>
<p>@smartchap: Yep you apply right now. From the time you create an account, make sure you pay the application fee within 15 days. Say you create an account today. Complete the application parts like personal statement/work exp/extra-cirrcular/test results/etc within two days. Then pay the application fee online. Only when you have paid your application fee, your application is submitted. After that quickly send in your supporting docs [9th,10th,11th,12th half yearly marks], other results, an academic report from your school, the format of which appears once you pay the application fee.</p>
<p>Don’t worry, 11th is meant to suckk. =P
My 11th was still better than my peers.</p>
<p>I haven’t sent my SATs because they are not a requirement for Indian students. Even though they are decent, I’m only sending 'em to unis which have a compulsary requirement. [Saving money. Hehe]
And I’m not sure if they’ll help. Like I know someone. That guy got 86% in his boards and got rejected by NUS. So he sent his SAT II scores which were like 750+ in all the three subjects and NUS didn’t give a fuc* about 'em.
But HKUST is not NUS. So you might as well send 'em.</p>
<p>After your docs have reached 'em, you may or may not get an interview call from 'em. You’ll ultimately get a conditional offer from 'em.</p>
<p>Swire will be definitely tough. If you think you’re good enough, go for it. Only 6 people are chosen for this scholarship though and as far as I know 4 out of 6 go to Chinese mainlanders because they are also considered internationals. =D</p>
<p>@Anand: Not all rankings are biased but all seem weird in one way or the other. Some people argue that rankings give really high preference to US unis. Others say British schools are ranked high for no darn reason. Others complain why Asian schools are not even included in rankings. Every ranking uses a different methodology which is difficult to assess. And that’s why, only very few rankings become prestigious because they seem more believable. US News rankings are the most reliable out of all. And trust me, US News is not at all biased. It has schools from US, UK, Australia, HK, Singapore, Japan ranked in the top 50. Yes, India aint anywhere. But anybody will agree Indian unis are not ‘world class’. Though I’d say IITs’ rankings should improve a bit.
Obviously, USN rankings also seem absurd in a few ways like LSE is not even in the top 50 in their rankings which is definitely debatable. </p>
<p>Don’t trust the rankings blindly but you must use them for the purpose of reference.</p>
<p>On a sidenote, I think I’ll join the debating club at my future uni. LOL</p>
<p>@system Failure: yh agreed…US news is probably the best available…
I dont pay much heed to rankings either…
But they do give decent information on facilities and research output!!!</p>
…</p>
This is probably the reason why Singapore receives more applications from India. Furthermore, I agree with you that a decent kid can easily get 75% but don’t forget it is CBSE. I’m sure you’ve heard of people scoring lower than they usually do in school. One of my good friends; extremely smart, he got a 74% in CBSE. Whatever the circumstances were, but yes, under “normal” circumstances a 75% is very much achievable in Science and 85% in Commerce.