The American University Scholarship Interview event held at Cinnamon Lakeside last Sunday, February 21 was a great success. Nearly 200 students and parents attended interviews which had to be extended from 1 pm to 5 pm. Staff from both Northwood University and Missouri University of Science and Technology were kept busy with an impressive group of outstanding Sri Lankan youth interested in pursuing an American Bachelor's Degree.

The students and their parents were most appreciative of the opportunities afforded by this event. Many of the students interviewed did not have the financial resources to afford the entire cost of an international education.

The universities are involved in this scholarship programme in an effort to assist as many capable young Sri Lankans as possible who might otherwise not have access to an international university education and the benefits it stands to bring the students, their families, and the country.
The universities also benefit from increased diversity in their student body.

A presentation on both Northwood University and Missouri University of Science & Technology, which included a summary of financial awards available for both study overseas and regional study in Sri Lanka and Malaysia, was followed by personal interviews for nearly 80 students.

Student interviews included a review of student accomplishments in life and extra-curricular activities as well as academic results.

Valuable workshop for parents
The presentation included valuable information for students on basic education and career planning. A unique 30-minute workshop for parents showed them how to develop a detailed budget for higher education. Both parents and students found this information to be very valuable as few were aware of the details of the planning process. This is critical as the major source of failure and problems for international students are related to finances and are not academic. Many students do very well academically only to discover part way through their degree that there are insufficient funds for them to finish.

Careful planning can help avoid this type of problem. The information provided in the financial planning workshop applied to all students, regardless of their programme of study. In addition to learning how to develop a basic budget, parents were shown how to convert this to a simple annual cash flow. Information was also provided on how to compare universities in terms of both financial cost and additional factors.

Parents and students were also shown how to research specific destinations and how to reduce expenses by up to 60% or more. Hints were also given on how to increase funding available for studies.

Kandy interviews in March
There is only one annual event like this in Colombo, preparing students for the coming academic year. However, there is an event scheduled for Kandy at the end of March. This will be the second and final event for Sri Lanka in 2010. For information on the Kandy event please contact the Northwood University International Programme Centre on 0777 517 517 or the Asia Regional Office on +6012 33 55 043.

The Kandy event will include personal interviews and a repeat of the Financial Planning Workshop.