Graduate School Abroad?

Soap11
Sat, 14 Jan 2012 10:55:03 +0000

As of right now I’m a junior at the University of North Texas majoring in International Development with a minor in Business and another minor in Mandarin Chinese. I have a pretty low GPA, a 3.2 (Insert stereotypical freshman year goofing off reason here), but I plan for at least a 3.4 by the time I graduate.

So onto the gist of it. Monash University (In Australia- ranked 4th in Australian Universities) and the University of Nottingham (In UK- ranked 19th in UK universities) both have branch campuses in Malaysia. Upon graduation you receive the same degree as you would from graduating at either universities’ main campuses in their mother country- Not some crappy fake Malaysian degree. But I would like to study in Malaysia for the diversity, cultural experience and because Malaysia is in a prime location to travel to other Asian countries. (Namely Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia) And also because I am an interested in setting up an international business and this helps me get a first hand view at markets and culture that I am potentially going to deal with. … SO:


I think I would get accepted into these universities, however, if anyone knows how competative these two universities are I would really love your input to evaluate my chances.
How are UK and Australian degrees looked upon in the USA? Times Higher Education rates both universities in the top 75 in the world. Would my chances to get into Ph.D programs in the USA be affected by having either an Australian or UK degree if I decided to apply to one eventually and does it affect potential employment at all?
The cost of living in Malaysia is cheaper compared to US. (I went to school for a semester in Beijing and I LOVED how cheap everything was comparatively. $600 a month for every expense including night life. However, I don’t believe Malaysia is THAT cheap. esp. outside of Kuala Lumpur)
For the degree that I am interested in, International Business, both universities offer practically the same courses, structure and require a dissertation as a relatively good chunk of the degree. Both degrees cost around 15,000-18,000 USD for the total program costs. But then add in the $3,000 cost total for the plane ticket there and back again, yet subtract the cost of living…


-Would this still be a decent “deal” with an Australian or UK degree? Or should I just stay within the USA because the price isn’t too far off? And when it comes to a business these matters will be explored regardless… However, I do believe networking at these two “Malaysian” universities for the purposes of my business will benefit me better compared to an attending an American university since there will be a much very higher level of diversity in Malaysia.

(Sorry if there’s any weird typos or incoherent ramble that I didn’t catch, I haven’t slept in over 24 hours LOL)