#HASJDHJASH THIS GOT LOJNG

[cinnaminsvga]

hi zee, i have a question that i've wanted to ask for a while now but you really don't have to answer if you don't want to, so i know that you're studying in canada right now on a scholarship and i was wondering how you got the scholarship? i don't really have anyone that i could ask and i've been having trouble finding them on my own, do you have tips tricks or advice maybe for people that wants to study abroad on a scholarship? it's totally fine if you don't want to answer it tho! ty c:

this is so late, and i’m sorry for forgetting to reply!! hopefully it isn’t too late ;w; (under the cut bc it’s so long!)

so firstly, you’re incredibly brave to want to study abroad!! not many people are willing to leave home and live alone in a foreign country, so props to you for even considering. yes, international tuition is much higher majority of the time, and there’s the stereotype that all international students are “rich” because of this, but really, many of us are only able to study abroad due to scholarships (like me!! i’m not necessarily dirt poor, but i definitely wouldn’t be able to pay the full tuition if i didn’t have a scholarship… at my uni, the tuition for international students is almost 3x the price of local students!! wack!!)

there are many ways you can get a scholarship, and one of the easiest and most direct places you can get one is from the university itself. in my uni, i get about $3000 worth of aid as long as i keep a solid A+ average (around 3.7 gpa) and an additional $1000 by winning a leadership prize that my uni sponsors annually. these prizes/aids are usually applied for, but some universities offer entrance awards for first year students based on your application. your prospective uni will usually outline the different scholarships and financial aid options for international students on their official website, so be sure to read carefully and see which ones you’re eligible for!!

then, there are many websites online that offer financial aid by applying for them (sort of like a contest of sorts). many of them require you to submit things like essays or graphic design entries in order to be considered for their scholarship. this is where i get majority of my tuition money from, and it’s really all about entering as many contests as you possibly can!! it’s incredibly advantageous if you have skills like writing, drawing, painting, designing, etc because these are usually what these companies/websites are looking for. just google for them and a bunch are sure to pop up.

also, idk if this applies to where you live, but in my home country, many rich old people often sponsor bright prospective students and help them get their education abroad. i have one friend who got a sponsorship from this millionaire back home, and all she has to do is keep up a consistent grade and her sponsor will keep paying for her schooling. again, idk if you’ll be lucky enough to find one of these “sponsors” but it never hurts to look around, you know? (this is NOT a sugar daddy btw hsajdhajs just wanted to make myself clear)

and… at the end of the day, there’s also work you can consider. even though i have a bunch of scholarships, it’s still not enough to pay for my entire tuition, not to mention i have to think about rent and food and other stuff as well. it’s why i have to work two jobs at a time sometimes to make things work, or sometimes i’ll have to ask my parents for help (which i hate doing because. well. i’m just not about that life.) so you can take that into account as well. 

if you’re really worried about money and not sure if you’ll be able to support yourself financially while abroad, i suggest making a plan of sorts on how much money you think you can acquire through scholarships FIRST, and then seeing if you can sustain yourself with that money CONSISTENTLY or not. bc it’s easy to think “oh, as long as i get my entrance award, then that’s good enough” when really, you have to think longterm as well. think about WHERE the funds will come from (parents, relatives, scholarships, work) and whether this will be enough to keep you afloat when you get out there into the world.

good luck!! idk how helpful this is, but to anyone out there wondering if it’s worth going abroad to study… i can’t say that for certain, but i CAN say that it’s possible. remember: studying abroad in top schools will only bring you so far; your own ability and effort is what will matter in the long run.