~Another usual week.. and some more~

"....Next post will most probably not have this much of a gap.."

(quoted from my previous post)

Heh.. Just how wrong can I be? @_@'' Sorry about that though.. as can be expected I was very busy. A lot of stuff happened that I want to talk/write about but.. banyak sangat dah, sampai tak tau dapat tulis ikut kronologi ke tak.

Anyways, a few weeks ago my classmate during my MEng times in UNiM safely arrived in the UK to do her PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Nottingham. Setelah bersusah payah ek? ;) I'm glad you reached here safely at last. Seems like work has already been piled on you, good luck with that ^^.

I cam malas nak tulis much about what had been going on around here. Basically my work here had been progressing fine, I've done pretty much 80% of the C++ codings (well, 90% of Stage 1, which pretty much is most of the whole project anyways). Debugging took a lot of time, energy and brain power. Had been going back from the lab at 8 pm and even stayed up till almost 4 am several times. Showed some of the results which I obtained from it to my supervisor and he seemed happy about it, although I'm stuck with a problem with the program essential to be solved (after solving another one the entire day). But I'm enjoying it. I like programming stuff (which most of my friends know it). C++ is quite different from Flash Actionscript 2.0 and Matlab: harder to write, more complex and much more powerful. It's challenging, and it's one skill that is valuable, although I haven't been doing even more complex stuff like some of my colleagues here do.

Anyways, hati tergerak nak tulis blog post ini adalah kerana baru terbaca post terbaru seorang kawan rapat. Tetiba dapat inspirasi nak tulis sesuatu seperti itu. Kepada yang malas: she wrote a guide for future (IIUM) students. Lots of good advice I should say =] While reading it, I remembered some people who asked me on how to get into Cambridge, what should be done, any advice, requested to see my personal statement during my application and such. So I decided to write a bit on the procedures and some of the pros and cons just to give an overview of my journey experience from Malaysia to Cambridge, and hope that more people will get here. It's quite lonely for us Malay bachelors here if you ask me, tak byk muka Melayu sgt. Be reminded though that I applied for Postgraduate studies, and it might be significantly different from Undergraduate level applications. For example, I need not attend an interview, but some people I know of (undergrads) had to.

Introduction

(Taken from worldguides.com)

Recently JPA had announced they will stop sending in students for undergraduate studies abroad (especially to the UK), except for top-notch universities (Cambridge and Oxford) or for post graduate studies.
It can be easily observed that Malay students here are scarce, which raises a question: Why? Paraphrasing a friend of mine: "Student kita pandai-pandai je sebenarnya, tapi berapa sangat yang masuk Cambridge, Oxford? Suma macam takut2 nak masuk, padahal kalo tgk ramai je Malaysian Chinese dapat je masuk". The point here is: don't feel inferior, you ARE capable.

I'm not a very excellent student myself. People I met before are all more hardworking than I am. I didn't get a First Class for my MEng undergrad, I only got a 2:1. But still I tried to get in, and Alhamdulillah Allah gave me the rezeki to. It's not easy, but it's not impossible.

Some advantages and disadvantages:
Pros:

1. Getting an offer from Cambridge will give you an almost 100% chance of getting sponsorship. Most even pay a lot more than usual.
2. Being one of the top universities in the world, it is where a lot of the top minds around the world gathers at. It will be a very good experience, and more knowledge to be gained and brought home.
3. High quality education. It's not like other universities don't offer this but Cambridge didn't just become one of the top universities for nothing.
4. The Cambridge name is a valuable asset. InshaAllah obtaining it can secure a good future careerwise.
5. Cambridge is a beautiful place. =) [to me. though some people don't like it]
   

Cons:

1. The process is VERY long and tedious. One main point to note is that Cambridge is 800 years old and is very SLOW. A friend of mine paid DHL to go and get a document from Cambridge to her because they were taking forever.
2. The Board of Graduate Studies (BoGS) is very hard to be contacted. Expect one-way communication.
   
3. Entry requirements are quite high, but still it is not impossible to break through.
4. People will have high expectations of you. Be it in or when you leave the university.

Some info about Cambridge:

1. They celebrated their 800th anniversary last year.
2. There are no campus like most other universities. It is a university town, so the whole town is the university itself. It has 31 colleges (basically where students eat, live and socialise. Each student must be a member of a college). Each college is independent of the university and has their own budget and funding. The richest and most prestigious college is Trinity College.
3. Cambridge is not that big of a city/town. The city centre is quite cramped and cars can have trouble going around the city and find parking. I don't know about the bus facility here (since I never used them), since bus stops are quite far anyways. Yet Cambridge is big enough to make walking very tiresome and long.
   
4. Bicycles are the main mode of transport in Cambridge. The city has the highest percentage of cyclists in the UK and has the highest cycle theft rate as well.
   

Applying to Cambridge

These apply to most Universities, and Cambridge is just one of them.

1. There are two methods of applying, online and by mail/hand. I chose the latter when I applied because you have to pay £25 for the processing fees for online application and none by mail (although I think now they require a fee for mail applications as well).
2. Ideally for postgraduates, you should have already contacted your supervisor and discuss a research proposal, which is required in the application. However this is optional, you can leave it entirely up to the department to decide, having defined clearly your area of research interest in the application. But in doing this you will not have any choices and will have to accept whatever they might give, and this might also slow down the process.
3. Write up a good personal statement. This is very important, because it helps them in their decision in admitting you or not. Many guidelines can be obtained from the net, e.g. here, and even good accepted samples. The statement does not need to be an autobiography, make it simple and compact. State out your achievements and why you should be chosen. Treat it as if you're applying for a job.
4. They will ask if you have any financial sponsor or you will be funding by yourself. Just put that you're sponsored (which is highly likely anyways if you can get an offer). Sponsored students are more likely to be accepted. Unless you've already secured studentship from the university (which is very hard to get).
5. A CV might or might not be required according to different departments. Make sure of this, but it is best if you have already prepared one. You're applying for a job, remember?
6. One thing about Cambridge is they want hard copies. They want original proofs so there will be a lot of postage and couriers you should expect. Faximile is a good option as well, send letters using it.
   

Some documents and other stuff are required for the application. Some can be sent after you get a conditional offer although it is recommended to send earlier. They are already stated on the application requirement though:

1. Original result transcripts. You need to ask your previous institution for reprints, which will take time and a bit of money. Keep this in mind since it can mess up your timeplan.
2. References from at least two academic referees who have known you for... three years kot, and in sealed envelopes, so you must meet up with the referees and ask them to send to you.
3. IELTS. You MUST do IELTS. If you have done it in the past, it has already expired after 2 years. It's expensive and consumes a LOT of time, so be sure to do it early. Unless you were from an English speaking university, it is a requirement. They required me to do IELTS before, but since I graduated from UNiM (which is obviously an English-speaking university) I sent an appeal to them (since I was running out of time) and they asked me to do an English assessment online and I got exempted.

Another part of the application lets you choose your top two college choices that you intend to join. If both rejects you, they'll apply you for another random college. There are several criteria that you need to consider in choosing a college:

1. Location. You are most probably going to live in the college accommodation, the best is if it's situated near the place you need to go everyday (department, restaurants, etc.).
2. % of accommodation acceptance. Not all college members get accommodation. Check at the college's website for this information, you don't want to have all the requirements fulfilled but no place to stay.
3. Maximum length of accommodation term. As far as I know, Trinity (or was it Kings) College only offers up to a year of accommodation, by then you have to evacuate. Wolfson provides up to four years.
4. Value. If you worry you might have financial problems, some colleges have fundings to accommodate for student emergencies or even studentships. You can choose wealthy colleges for that, and these colleges usually have more stuff going on (activities and the likes).
5. Fame. Isaac Newton was from Trinity, Stephen Hawking is a fellow of Gonville & Caius, Charles Darwin was from Christ's, Tunku Abdul Rahman was from St Catharine's. This might not even be slightly relevant, but it might be worth considering.
   
6. Scenery and overall beauty. Hey, this IS important. Most colleges are beautiful already, but some have historic values for those who likes history and magnificent architecture.

After you get your conditional offer, just do your best in fulfilling the conditions stipulated. It should be straightforward.

1. Oh yeah, by this time apply for a sponsorship IMMEDIATELY. This will definitely be one of the requirements and they will want proof of financial capabilities. Get a financial affidavit and COURIER to them. Snail mail is just not reliable enough. Yeah they don't want any scans of it through email or what, they want originals.
2. And now for the most irritating nuisance of all: the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS). If you're going for postgraduate in most Sciences or Engineering courses in the UK, ATAS clearance is a must. Check the FCO website for details. You need an ATAS letter from the university and using it you have to apply for ATAS clearance (note the difference) online . This will take up to 20 working days. You need both to get your visa, any one missing and it will be an automatic rejection. You can already apply for the clearance once you have the research statement from your supervisor. ASK HIM/HER DIRECTLY for it. Don't just wait. Well, your supervisor or the research secretary. This is VERY important because the BoGS will only send it to you (online) AFTER you fulfill all conditions, which means even more time consumed. This was a nightmare for me before and almost made me unable to catch the 2nd February registration deadline. Other universities I applied gave a research statement as soon as they offered me a conditional offer, but as I mentioned, Cambridge is terribly SLOW.
3. You might need to do an interview, but since I didn't I can't help in this aspect.
   

Yeah that should be most of what is required. I hope it will help a lot of hopefuls, or push others to consider coming here. It is just like any other university, you just have to work harder to get in. If you really want it, it wouldn't be a problem inshaAllah.

Another thing not to forget, SOLAT HAJAT, every single day if possible. Pray to get in sincerely. Do not apply and just leave it like that. No matter what you do, if He does not permit you to, you will not get it. Period.
And if you don't get it after all the work, then inshaAllah that is for your own best. Allah is the All-Knowing, what we want might not be the best for us no matter how we think. Have faith and never give up. Redha dengan apa yang kita dapat. Besides, in the end even a graduate from an unfamous institution can be a whole lot better than a graduate from Oxford.

Personally, as I said I want to see more Malays here. =/
I'll do whatever I can to help, this being the first step.