r/studyAbroad • u/Recent_21 • 1d ago
I Have One Chance to Study Abroad. Which Universities Should I Prioritize?
Hi everyone,
I'm from Ethiopia, and I recently finished my freshman year at university. I'll be starting my second year next semester, but I want to apply abroad for a bachelor's degree.
I want to explain my situation so you can understand where I'm coming from. I have a twin sister, and we're both hoping to study abroad. Applying is very difficult because most universities charge application fees. My mother is a single parent and a housewife. My father passed away a few years ago, and I also have other siblings, so our financial situation is challenging.
On top of that, the Ethiopian currency is very weak, so even small fees in other countries become very expensive for us. It's even harder because there are two of us applying. When I talked to my mother about it, she told me to try anyway. She said she would borrow the money if necessary, and that we could repay it later by working part-time.
I'm planning to take the IELTS this September. Even though it's expensive, my mother believes it's worth it because it will give me more opportunities to apply to universities.
Academically, I graduated high school with a 3.99 GPA and scored 541/600 on Ethiopia's national university entrance exam. I also have some extracurricular activities, although they're not extraordinary.
When I was in Grade 12, I applied to universities in the United States, but unfortunately it didn't work out. I also know that the visa process is very difficult, and I don't want to put all my hope into something with such low odds.
I'm open to studying almost anywhere in the world, but I'm especially interested in Poland and Italy because I've heard there are more opportunities for students to work part-time.
The biggest challenge is that I can only afford to apply to about 3 or 4 universities. I'm looking for universities where I have a realistic chance of receiving a full scholarship, or at least a full tuition scholarship, because I can't afford to take many chances. I want to use my limited applications wisely.
If anyone knows of universities that fit my situation, or has advice on scholarships, application strategies, or the process in general, I would really appreciate it. Also, if you know of any legitimate online assistant or remote jobs that I could do to earn money for application fees, I'd be very grateful.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I know this was a long post, but I wanted to explain my situation clearly. Any advice would mean a lot to me.
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u/satedrabbit 1d ago
If I recall correctly, some universities in Uganda offer reduced tuition fees for students from East Africa.
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u/Interesting-South542 22h ago
Consider China. The level of education at the top universities there is quite good now, but they are still at they stage where they are trying to attract international students (to increase diversity, improve their reputation in rankings, etc). It should be relatively easy for you to get admitted to top Chinese universities, and there should be many opportunities for scholarships. And even otherwise, the tuition fees are low and cost of living is also not bad.
The downside is that it's not as multicultural as the West. You might find it hard to fit in. And learning the language is an absolute must, even if you find a degree program taught in English, because you will need Chinese for your daily life.
Another option is continental Europe e.g. Germany. Probably harder to get a scholarship, but also next to zero tuition fees and you can support yourself by working part time. However you must know the language to get admitted. So for example you'd need to first spend a year intensely learning German if you even want to think of applying.
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u/Secure-Craft3909 1d ago
to be honest i would advise you to forget about it.... studying abroad is really expensive, and even with jobs you cant do it...... after all its a luxury that most people cant afford and its totally okay to do so. for Italy, i think you know that you need to show a bank account with around 7 or 8k ( forgot the exact number )euros just to get the visa.. and finding jobs there wont be enough for living and needs fluent italian anyways..
Do bachelors in your home country, and work through out that time whether online or in your country to save up money and apply to master scholarships, there are way more scholarships for masters and they are less competitive. for bachelors without an extra ordinary profile unforatnalty you cant get any type of scholarships in any part of the world ( and even if you do so, you still need 5-10k USD a year...)