96 Comments Add your own

• 1. Rachel  |  November 30th, 2007 at 6:38 am

  wow, impressive list. very ivy league owh. xD haha.
  yeah, tell me about it.. college apps are a pain in the butt! (and the SAT.. man, i hated that. i like the ACT better) i’m glad i’m done with mine, just anxiously waiting (for them to reject me ;P) at this point. btw, i know a really good website that may help with colleges and such. check out fastweb.com :D should be somewhat useful. and good luck. x)

• 2. lishun  |  November 30th, 2007 at 7:18 am

  i’ve sent you a list of personal contacts through msn. covered UPenn, Cornell, Yale and Columbia. hope it helps yea?

• 3. alvin  |  November 30th, 2007 at 7:20 am

  10 bucks says pau will cry on her first night here in US.

• 4. songjun  |  November 30th, 2007 at 7:52 am

  what. You were the one all being bratty and stubborn say ” NONO I DONT WANT TO DO A LEVEL AT ALL, I dont want waste time and go to UK” :P I remember very well ok! cos i was saying u should try A levels, but u dont want to even consider it :P

  see. dont listen to me la somemore haha

• 5. sheon  |  November 30th, 2007 at 8:32 am

  my dad was in columbia for his degree and masters. :P

  good luck!! i think yale is the most prestigious of all in your list?

• 6. Missie  |  November 30th, 2007 at 9:14 am

  Hi Su Ann!

  I went to college in the States when I was 17 (I am now 28 and considered the US my home). Are you sure you need a pre-u qualification to go to college in the US? I graduated from high school and was sent straight to college without a pre-u qualification.

  I can’t give you a lot of insight on where to go to school. There are a lot of different factors to consider and it’s more of a personal preference. All I can say is that the midwest folks are way nicer (hint Chicago). I’ve been to NYC a couple of times and had horrible experiences while I was there. Sure, it can be a fun and luxurious trip. However, I found that true New Yorkers are so rude and uncaring!

  You can always transfer to a different college if things does not work out. Good luck!

• 7. kennysia  |  November 30th, 2007 at 9:30 am

  So was filling out the form for “Which Malaysian Blogger Are You?” part of your SAT exam preparation?

• 8. Michelle  |  November 30th, 2007 at 10:11 am

  Dahleeeng, hiyo, you can always look up for the web to get more information. Or attend some education fair. Of course, it must have to do with the States.

  Try mixing Milo with Van Houten Cocoa powder. =)))
  And I do know how it feels to leave everything behind. It seems like to me, yesterday is the day I set foot to school. Now, SPM is behind and hello college!

• 9. Sparky  |  November 30th, 2007 at 10:27 am

  I go to Duke, drop me an email if you have any questions about the school. =) good luck!

• 10. Missie  |  November 30th, 2007 at 10:35 am

  One of the best decisions my parents ever made was to send me off to school in the US. I had the BEST time of my life when I was in college! It also helps me secure a very bright future.

  I guess what I am saying is that you have nothing to worry about and have TONS of things to look forward to when you come to the US. Honestly, I did not miss home or my family that much. I miss good Malaysian food though!!

• 11. gray  |  November 30th, 2007 at 10:48 am

  okay la, if you get into nyu, upenn or chicago, we’ll be like, university mates (hopefully).

• 12. Johanny  |  November 30th, 2007 at 11:24 am

  Just one word… Melbourne :P

• 13. pau  |  November 30th, 2007 at 11:24 am

  u of c’s essays generally give you a lot of freedom and room to be creative from what i remember. i’ve always felt that the whole personal statement process on college apps overall was a really great opportunity - esp. for someone who can write like you! as long as you set aside enough time to do it all, i’m sure you’ll pass with flying colors =p try to enjoy it (writing about yourself/telling your stories) neh because all of those schools are of such high level of prestige … if/when you get into them, i’m sure the academic courseload will be just as daunting as what’s set in front of you now. i think the only way to deal with it is to love what you learn =) pretty soon i’ll be going through the medical school application process, feels like the tests never end sighsigh

  p.s: no love for the west coast? :( pretty much all east coast and midwest schools huh

  good luck on your SAT ! hope you find a lot of support here from your readers ^^

• 14. Fu Han  |  November 30th, 2007 at 11:46 am

  You know what! I was going to email you regarding application to American schools because once, Andrew of Swarthmore was talking to me about you! I guess now’s a better time.

  I’m applying to about 8 to 10 schools and it seems we have about 7 schools in common. Eee.

• 15. Pynk  |  November 30th, 2007 at 12:23 pm

  Hey..
  I was wondering, where do you take your SAT? MACEE? Cos I’m planning to study in US too..

  Anyway, good luck in your college applications!

• 16. Kevin  |  November 30th, 2007 at 2:12 pm

  Just apply to Wichita State University and you’ll be instantly accepted.
  No need to write essays, no need pre-u qualification, no need any crap.
  Just apply and no worries, you can start packing.
  Best of all, you have Kevin Low to pick you up at the airport.

  hahahahaha

• 17. linsey  |  November 30th, 2007 at 3:04 pm

  i would like to wish you good luck, but i think i’m abit too late
  just woke up! =Pp

• 18. sarah  |  November 30th, 2007 at 3:20 pm

  i saw you’re applying to dartmouth and i have a friend who’s applying there too who asked me to write her peer evaluation. just wondering if you’ve done much research on that bit because i can’t seem to find much info on it. like, how much weight does it carry and how formal/informal can it be? are there any examples of a peer evaluation? i’m worried i won’t be able to write well enough about her (yeah i know everyone says write from the heart blablabla but really..it’s a lot harder than that) and it might mess up her chances if i come across as jerky or halfhearted which i do a lot apparently, even if i don’t feel that way. omg this is turning into an essay..anyway, would appreciate some insight if you’ve got some insider info on how this is meant to be done :) and good luck for sats!

• 19. Jeff from LA  |  November 30th, 2007 at 4:36 pm

  Wow, that is an impressive list of schools. You must have truly incredible grades and SATs.

  Good luck. I’m surprised you didn’t apply to any West Coast schools, but besides that I can’t argue with your list, those are all very strong schools academically and I’m sure you’ll have a good experience at any of them.

• 20. Jeff from LA  |  November 30th, 2007 at 4:57 pm

  Oh and don’t worry Pinkpau. You’ll love college and I’m sure you’ll love the US. It’ll be different than everything that you’re used to, but sometimes that’s the best part, just exploring a completely different way of life. Oh and since you love American music, you can go to as many concerts as you want out here.

  You also have to visit LA sometime even if you don’t come to school out here. The East Coast is a wonderful place but the West Coast is a different experience altogether.

• 21. Jeff from LA  |  November 30th, 2007 at 4:57 pm

  You’ll have to send me an email if you ever come out to LA.

• 22. hw  |  November 30th, 2007 at 5:27 pm

  What are you planning to study anyway?

  Also, I don’t think American Universities give a rat’s ass about A levels or pre-U. I went to the US right after high school to do my 4 year degree without wasting 1.5 - 2 years doing A Levels. What’s important is your SAT results, the english language TOEFL crap, and your co-curricular activities and involvements, accomplishments etc.

  But yeah, you’ll love the US. And why no West Coast schools? California has the best weather, food and people :P

• 23. Michael  |  November 30th, 2007 at 5:42 pm

  wow…the list was impressive =.=…if i’m in one of those…in my dreams T_T…good luck then~

• 24. michellesy  |  November 30th, 2007 at 5:48 pm

  Oh babe, you’ll be fine.

  Really - you always come out tops even though you were reaaaaaallllly worried about how you went, remember? =)

  I can totally see you at Columbia/ NYC or U of C somehow, but I think I’ve mentioned that before. Something about you and the vibe of a big city like NY/ Chicago =D

  I thought US colleges didn’t place as much premium on pre-u qualifications?! I’m sure you’ll do fine on the personal statements/ application essays - you’ve got so much passion and verve AND the ability to express said passion and verve eloquently.

  Ever considered mentioning this blog of yours in your application essays? Or the fact that you started blogging waaaaaay earlier than most folks out there? It certainly makes for an interesting insight into the inner working of Pinkpau, which I think is what US colleges are after, soul-baring stuff etc? =)

  I only have about 1 cent worth of input when it comes to the US college application process as two, maybe three of my friends tops, were headed for the States.

  Fastweb.com is a pretty good resource (as mentioned by Rachel) as is the Princeton Review and tinkosong.com, in addition to mainstream websites such as msnbc.com (US websites for US colleges, heh) to get a general feel for the admissions process.

  Just a (quick and dirty) sampler:
  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14346427/

  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/?q=college+%2B+essays&submit=Search&id=11881780&FORM=AE&os=0&gs=1&p=1

  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14345597/

  And don’t worry sweetie, your best asset is YOU! And if I might say so, you’re pretty fabulous OK? =D

  ps: Andrew would be able to load you up with tips, as would other US students like Suet Li and Audrey maybe? You’ve got heaps of contacts babe!

• 25. Tiara  |  November 30th, 2007 at 6:02 pm

  I thought you were already doing pre-u in Taylors??

  What the US needs is something equivalent to a Year 12, because their high schools go on longer. For Malaysians that’s Form 6/A Levels/Matriculation/Foundation/Pre-U. More of a logistical thing, than anything.

  In that case, if you haven’t done a Year 12 equivalent, then I’d think that your unis would be the LAST people to accept you. Mainly because they are:

  a) Super competitive, and therefore look for any reason not to take you (hell, even geniuses get rejected…then again Yale did take in Dubya)
  b) On the traditional side of things (NYU maybe a bit more alternative, but unis like Yale and Columbia DEFINITELY more traditional)

  If your main criteria for university in the US is that they are willing to accept unusual circumstances for entry, you may be better off in alternative/unusual universities. Chances for financial aid are slightly lower (then again NYU is stingy - I was considering applying - and so are many “top” unis) and the education style is totally different, but in many cases is SO worth it. Because they have such a different outlook on education, they are willing to take into account different circumstances and possibly won’t ding you just because you went up to Year 11.

  Colleges That Change Lives has an AMAZING list. The book is great too (though the writer has the tendency to pronounce every school in there “the best school EVAR!!11`”), made me cry actually because I wished I was in those schools! Also read the Time article Who Needs Harvard? for a different perspective.

  If you want to be really safe, BEFORE you apply, contact the admissions department of each university and ask them what their policy is on pre-U/Year 12. Tell them your situation and ask if it’s viable for you to apply. Once you get those answers, you can cull your list. Saves time and money (US applications are EXPENSIVE. main reason I didn’t go) because then you know you won’t waste your effort only to be rejected over a technicality.

  A lot of people tend to focus on the brand names (Harvard, MIT, ETC) and forget that there is quality education elsewhere in the world that just isn’t as famous. Obscure doesn’t always mean terrible. Hell, continental Europe has fantastic education for less than Australia’s costs, and hardly anyone thinks of Denmark or The Netherlands as an education destination!

  Good luck and keep us updated on how it goes :)

• 26. aw  |  November 30th, 2007 at 6:08 pm

  I got into a good (relatively) US college with my ‘A’ Levels and SATs.

  Swathmore?? Why?

  One of the most important things that will help you decide which college to apply for is to decide your field of study. It’s a bit ridiculous to apply for 12, honestly, just because they are “good” schools. You have to realize that in *every* school, there are good professors, and professors that make you regret you went to that school. Each school is known for different fields of study.

  For example, U of Chicago is good for Economics. But for Business, you might do well to go to UPenn (Wharton is one of the best in the US). For Engineering, why the hell do you want to go freaking Swarthmore when you can go to U of Michigan.

  After you sort out your field of study, then decide on the college environment. I find U of Chicago quite depressing. Chicago has some cool places to visit, but mostly it’s industrial and bleak, and freaking cold in the winter. NYU is in New York.. very cool place to be. If your major will be into film-making.

  Then you can, and should, google each college. You might find that a college is in a small town in the middle of nowhere, which might be something you hate or love. You might find your college is in a freaking large town, and accomodation is crazy expensive. Hey, it’s the US. A (very) small apartment with crappy street parking can cost RM3,000 a month, versus a large townhouse for RM1,000 in a smaller city.

  You should consider West Coast colleges as well, like UCLA, Berkeley. Stanford is freaking, freaking cool if you can afford it. Princeton is cool too.

  Bottom line, you’re wasting your time if you apply to all 12 before deciding what you’ll be likely to study. You should know that you can always apply for a transfer after your freshman year if you prefer another school. You can take your credits with you, so you don’t have to repeat when you get to the new school.

  If you need to know more, feel free to email me.

• 27. LiYing  |  November 30th, 2007 at 8:42 pm

  Hey su ann!

  best of luck in your SATs! You know that we’re all rooting for you here! =D

• 28. hanna  |  November 30th, 2007 at 9:03 pm

  you know who to come to for info on northwestern… ;)

  and don’t worry about getting in. with strong SAT scores and well-rounded activites (plus, as it goes without saying, well-written personal statements), i don’t think you have that much to fear. concentrate on highlighting what makes you unique - US colleges love diversity.

  there’s been a lot said about the prestige of various schools - only take reputation into account FOR YOUR SPECIFIC INTERESTS - no point going to yale or harvard if the program you want there isn’t as fantastic as that of a lesser known school. it’s easy to be swayed by the glamour…

  and yes, the midwest (i feel) is a tad more friendly, stereotypical as that is….

  good luck! i’m on msn if you need any help.

• 29. Voonkiat  |  November 30th, 2007 at 9:35 pm

  can’t provide u with much useful help here, but best of luck to you. :)

• 30. jiayoong.  |  November 30th, 2007 at 10:22 pm

  truth be told i’m still confused with the whole adp system. i’m starting to find it’s not what i want and if i turn back my parents will get hell mad at me for wasting time and money wtf.

  this whole getting assignments done consistently just isn’t working out for me cos i keep missing classes sigh.

  anyway, all the best with the SATs. :D

• 31. lishun  |  November 30th, 2007 at 10:42 pm

  just apply la. you have nothing to lose. other than the outrageous application fees the US seems to charge for everything. grr.

  but yeah, widen your choices to non ivy-league unis and you may be surprised.

  all the best, su ann! you are so totally suited for the states!

• 32. foreverjas  |  November 30th, 2007 at 10:48 pm

  whoa. al the best! u can do it leh!!! eh, how do u write a good personal statement? need your opinion ;) i’m applyin to aus universities. 20 of them . LOL. same case i didnt take pre u of Aus. SIGH SIGH SIGH

• 33. Claire  |  November 30th, 2007 at 11:34 pm

  ehh? aren’t SATs considered pre-u’s? :P good luck with everything! i bet you’ll get into at least 5 of the 12. muahahhaa. :D

• 34. Benjamin Franklin  |  December 1st, 2007 at 2:47 am

  Field of study should only be one of the things you consider when you apply,or you’re missing the whole philosophy of a US education.

  Consider opportunities, consider room for exploration in other areas you might want to try. My personal opinion is that the real strength of a liberal arts education is not confined to your concentration, but in its ability to train you to be an innovative, critical thinker.

  Get a good liberal arts education, and you can get involved in pretty much anything you want after you graduate, regardless of your field of study. I personally think Swarthmore is one of the best liberal arts colleges in the US.

• 35. pau  |  December 1st, 2007 at 3:36 am

  i agree that swarthmore is one of the best liberal arts colleges in the US. i also agree that field of study is only one factor you should consider when applying. more than half of my friends have pretty drastically changed their major within the past 3 years. even i changed from business to physiology. if i had gone to a school specifically for its business program then that would probably be a regret of mine …

  at the same time, you don’t have to go to a liberal arts college to get a well-rounded education. i’m personally a fan of liberal arts colleges, but i attend a public university, and i feel like i’ve gotten a pretty well-rounded education. from your list, there is no “best” … in my opinion at least … it’s too hard to say “why would you go to x when you can go to y” they all have so many things to consider. ex: can you handle a very cutthroat, competitive environment … what’s your ideal class size … are you familiar with how different the physical surroundings will be from what you’re used to (ex: chicago and cornell), how important is it for you to be actually taught by the professor and not his graduate lackeys (lol). you will get a good education at any of the schools you have listed there. like countless people have said, it is possible to get a good education almost anywhere … but you’ll just have to make the choice about what suits your personality the best - on many different levels.

  anyway it’s too early to be worrying about this stuffs! worry about applications first, and THEN about choices ^-^ …. hope your exams went well.

  p.s: i also applied to like 11 colleges and i don’t feel that it’s a waste. costly, but not a waste

• 36. kiasu andrew  |  December 1st, 2007 at 5:27 am

  HAHAHAHHAHHAHA
  i burst out laughing in the middle of the library at the “Swarthmore? WHY?????!!!” comment.
  ROLFMAO hahahahahhaha

• 37. Kim  |  December 1st, 2007 at 6:22 am

  impressive list of colleges.
  what course would you pursue in Cornell?
  im looking to do my degree there after getting my diploma next year.

• 38. Jeff from LA  |  December 1st, 2007 at 7:11 am

  Lol, poor PinkPau, it sounds like you’re getting swamped by college advice. That’s why I’m going to refrain from giving any here.

  I’ll just wait until you go to grad school, ;)…………

• 39. Anonymous  |  December 1st, 2007 at 11:05 am

  u are applying some Ivy League U ya, hope u can get into one of them

• 40. Smiley  |  December 1st, 2007 at 2:38 pm

  Screw you… I wanna go to US… Ure making me jealous..

  … I’m sure u’ll be just fine..

  Imagine getting offer letters from all 12 Unis…

  Lol

• 41. Jayne  |  December 1st, 2007 at 4:09 pm

  Woah. That’s an amazing list. U. of Michigan and Cornell are on my list as well =)

  I just finished my SAT 2s 5 hours ago..>.

• 42. johnleemk  |  December 1st, 2007 at 6:01 pm

  I’m being a whore for Dartmouth here, but I think you might have a somewhat reasonable chance here. The fellow who said that these universities look for any reason to reject you hit the head on the nail, but I’ve found a lot of people at Dartmouth (especially internationals) who didn’t exactly do the traditional thing (one guy from New Zealand applied despite knowing if he got in, he wouldn’t be able to finish his A-Levels, and got in).

  Of course the admissions process is a lot more complicated than that, and for all I know it just happens that unusual people apply more to Dartmouth than other places. (I would say it’s one of the more unique schools in the Ivy League…)

  To whoever was worrying about the peer rec, it’s fine. They don’t weight it heavily. From what I understand, the only thing that would jeopardise your friend’s app is if you, for instance, mention that she cheated on an exam, or otherwise bring up some major problem. In rare cases a peer rec may make the difference, but I wouldn’t worry about it.

• 43. tomatoinc  |  December 1st, 2007 at 7:57 pm

  good list. Northwestern !

  what is your intended major?

• 44. jasmine  |  December 1st, 2007 at 9:46 pm

  My advice would be to think long and hard about what you want to do in life and what you want out of your college experience– yes, no one is expecting you to have your career path mapped out at this point but do not be fooled into enrolling in a school purely for its seemingly perfect facade. Do you want the quintessential American college experience in a lovely college town with football teams and rolling lawns and Greek life? Or a city school? Think about the whole picture and don’t be a sucker for US News rankings and glossy prospectus pictures– as many Malaysians seem to be.

• 45. Dan-yel  |  December 2nd, 2007 at 12:07 am

  Haha… remember drink soya bean milk, remember.. ;)

• 46. Sureindran Raja Silvam  |  December 2nd, 2007 at 12:30 am

  selecting the right course or major is the most difficult part. selecting the college is still secondary for me. But like you said, there is always a possibility for one to change his/her mind on the major. So it’s smart to go to a place with variety.

• 47. smartypants  |  December 2nd, 2007 at 12:53 am

  hey, you’ve got a bunch of great readers out there, giving you good tips and advice. you’re at an important crossroad and it is never easy to make a choice. anyhow, remember that at the end of the day, it is about how we can make the best of life’s offers. i know you will ace and come out tops in any colleges if you put your heart into it. lesser colleges cannot smoulder your talent and neither can ivies awe you too much. chill and best wishes.

• 48. Jeff from LA  |  December 2nd, 2007 at 1:07 am

  Jasmine, a round of applause for you for bringing up football as a consideration for college. There is nothing that brings a school together like a good football team.

  There are just so many things I love about the college football experience. For example, I love the sheer incredible noise of 92,000 (yep, ninety-two THOUSAND) USC fans filling the stadium every Saturday and yelling and cheering at the top of their lungs. I love having absolutely no voice by the end of the games because I have been screaming for 4 straight hours. I love high-fiving and hugging random strangers when we score. It almost brings a tear to my eye to see people everywhere decked out in school colors as far as the eye can see, an ocean of cardinal and gold. I love being able to talk to anyone with even the remotest connection to USC and say “so how about our football team this year” and be able to talk with them for hours.

  None of my friends who went to a school without a good football team can even remotely understand why the college football experience is so amazing, but it has definitely been one of the greatest aspects of my college experience.

• 49. Sam  |  December 2nd, 2007 at 6:06 am

  so what would happen to martian while u’re so far away?

• 50. zz  |  December 2nd, 2007 at 3:42 pm

  self sponsored? or scholarships?

• 51. miss.cc  |  December 2nd, 2007 at 8:51 pm

  wha…? why need pre-uni qualifications to enter international unis? i didn’t want to take those…now seeing that it is needed…… T____________T

  whyohwhyohwhy.

• 52. Dan-yel  |  December 2nd, 2007 at 9:47 pm

  Hey Su Ann, remember about the coming Human RIghts Festival 9 Nov, hope you and your friends can make it :)

• 53. wan siong  |  December 2nd, 2007 at 9:50 pm

  Hey, better not forget about all the wonderful people back here in Malaysia.
  Always be the pinkpau we used to know and better not suddenly change to pinkbun or something else.
  Have fun studying and good luck in your future undertakings.
  =)

• 54. killswitch  |  December 2nd, 2007 at 11:10 pm

  wow an 18 year-old having a 25 year-old mind :) i’m very impressed, such a fantastic lass
  i stumbled upon your blog looking for some food reviews.

  glad you joined the rally, too bad you can’t vote (you’re so young!!! *cry*)

  good luck w/ everything in life, especially w/ the uni you choose

  don’t know where to leave a comment so here it goes

  p.s. coincidentally i’m identified as demonic marvin by my … lol (i’m a girl, wth!)

• 55. TheRealAnonymous  |  December 2nd, 2007 at 11:28 pm

  why didn’t you just join the ADP program? then you wouldn’t have this worry… LoL

• 56. jimmy  |  December 2nd, 2007 at 11:48 pm

  all the best pau(s) !

  lol couldn’t help it.

  but i really do mean it.

• 57. pinkpau  |  December 3rd, 2007 at 4:12 am

  rachel : thank you for the link! :) have you already applied? which schools are you going to?

  lishun : thank u once again babe! :D

  alvin : but i have you to take care of me, right !

  songjun : i was not being bratty and stubborn!!! well even if i was you coulda just grabbed me by the shoulders and said LISTEN UP, DO ALEVELS OR YOU WILL REGRET IT 2 YEARS FROM NOW! ah why didnt you???

  sheon : your dad went to columbia??? *JEALOUS* will your dad write me a glowing recommendation letter if i bribe him with lots of cupcakes!

  missie : for the schools im applying to, most of them state in their websites that international students should have pre-u :( some liberal arts schools are less strict about this however. which school did you go to? and i havent been to NY .. but i think i will love it there :) and yes transferring is my back up plan. let’s hope i dont have to use it!

  kennysia : ya haha so i can write an essay about how i am like Malaysia’s top political blogger !!!!! i think it would help if i intended to major in political science. heeheehee. can you put a kennysia.com chop to verify my quiz results?!

  michelle : yeah but nothing like personal testimony :) congrats on spm being over! i remember that being the best time of my life

  sparky : thank you for the kind offer!! :)) will be emailing soon

  missie : yes im very excited about going there to study :) i think it will do me wonders and give me an excellent education.

  gray : seriously? which schools are you applying to?

  johanny : yes! crown towers! gelato in the winter! vintage clothes! mucho shopping! st kilda’s! swanston! <3 <3 <3

  pau : i love the u of chicago questions! and nope, no love for the west coast... :P where are you applying to for med school?

  fu han : hahaha! so it looks like we're both applying to a crazy number of schools. good luck in your apps! :) i hope you did your pre-u and are not going through the nervousness i am

  pynk : i took my sats at metropolitan college, the only place you can take the sats in KL. you register online at http://www.collegeboard.com, not at macee. macee charges you more.

  kevin : that means i will have you and eric and jeremy for housemates????

  linsey : no you were in time :P thank u! but i think i did v badly :(

  sarah : my advice is : write from your heart. i know its a cliche but it’s a personal voice that they want to hear. also dont make her out to be totally perfect, but give one weak point (nothing too grave!!) and then say how she overcame this weak point of hers :)

  jeff : i do NOT have incredible sat scores, as will be evident in about 2 weeks’ time :( and you are totally looking after me if i ever come to LA

  hw : where did you go to school? the schools im applying to DO look at pre-u unfortunately :( not so much the lib arts schools, but ironically im only looking at one of those which is Swarthmore. nope not west coast schools :P okay why dont you recommend me a few, and if they take the Common App, i’ll research them and apply!

  michael : sigh my dreams too

  michellesy : the academic records are extremely important :( so no pre u = BIG handicap. haha i dont know about the blog thing … on one hand i talked to a few people and they said i should and they gave reasons that i agree with. on the other hand, it just makes me nervous and may just be a disadvantage rather than an advantage. yes andrew and suet have been super helpful :))) and thank u so much for the links babe! trawling them now

  tiara : thanks so very much for ur input, tiara :) it’s always so enlightening to read what you have to say. i was doing an american credit transfer prog in taylors, unfortunately, not the alevels. i emailed some schools and checked their websites, and they say just so long as you accepted credit from a degree program, you MUST apply as a transfer. however, some have advised me to just include my adp transcript and say this is my pre-u. what do you think? to do that, or just exclude my transcript all together?

  aw : but i’m really quite undecided as to what i want to major in :( so i figured applying to liberal arts schools would do me some good. i considered usc, ucla and ucberkeley, but their deadlines are all too tight. which school are you in? i wish i had the luxury of considering the weather and atmosphere of the school, but right now as long as even ONE school of my 12 accepts me, i would be overjoyed

  liying : thank u so much :) :)

  hanna : yeah must tell myself to stop being such a prestige whore :P sigh but i still think the lack of pre-u is such a horrible handicap. hey when you did adtp in inti, how many credit hours did you do?

  voonkiat : thank u :))) gimme some of your cambridge luck and talent!!!

  jiayoong : ooh then it’s the american system you cant do. are you an exam mugger sort?

  lishun : yeah i’m trying to cut down on some ivies seeing how i’m being made aware that i have absolutely zero chance of getting in without pre-u :P YALAR DAMN EXPENSIVE WAN EVERYTHING

  foreverjas : what pre-u did you do? my biggest tip about personal statements : speak from the heart and make sure your essay stands out from the thousands and thousands that the admissions ppl will read. be really original :)

  claire : sats arent pre u unfortunately!

  ben franklin : i’m really very undecided as to what i want to do, which is why the american system appeals so much to me. at this point, if i had to apply based on my intended major, i would be at a total loss. and yes i’ve heard such good things about swarthmore :)) thank you for your input, gave me something to think about in regards to my field of study

  pau : yes, i think no matter where i go, i’ll be getting an excellent education :) so while i have my dream schools, i’m really not going to kick and scream if i have to go elsewhere. i’m really just very excited to be studying in the US :)

  kiasu andrew : it’s a question i should be able to answer very well, seeing how it’s the swat app essay prompt :P

  kim : i dont have my field of study yet. so im applying to their school of arts and sciences

  jeff : this is GREAT! dont poor pinkpau me :P i’m loving all the advice!!!

  anonymous : THANK YOUUUU :(((( im so scared that i wont get into any of my schools

  smiley : eh dont simply simply screw me. haha even getting 2 letters would be a dream come true

  jayne : as did i, at your time of comment!

  johnleemk : lots of people apply before their A2 is over, right? sigh i so wish i had done pre-u. but gonna try and see how i can package this now :)

  tomatoinc : dont have one yet :) im too interested into too many fields!

  jasmine : thank u :) very good advice. i must admit i’m extremely swayed by college rankings. sigh!

  dan-yel : hahaha america dont have soya bean =(

  sureindran : i dont know what i want to study yet, but i think this shouldnt be a problem seeing how the american system leaves so much room for dipping your toes in just about every field there is to dip your toes in :)

  smartypants i am very SCARED!!!!

  sam : what he thinks and feels is not a priority to me anymore

  zz : im applying for financial aid :) too broke for the 30000-40000 USD / year!

  miss.cc : GO DO PRE-U. dont make my mistake!

  dan yel : okay will check my calendar :)

  wan siong : i would NEVER forget malaysia. NEVER. unless the people vote in najib as PM, in which case i would die.

  killswitch : hehe thank u :) the rally was amazing.

  therealanon : HELLO??? i DID join the adp prog! and regretted it like crazy!! *smacks u

  jimmy : thank u :))) i know you mean it.

• 58. Tiara  |  December 3rd, 2007 at 7:24 am

  Hmm, I’d think the ADP counts as a pre-u, otherwise why would they have the program?? I think you’d have to ask each uni individually.

  When I tried applying to Australia, different unis had different ideas on requirements. QUT accepted me within 5 minutes - I had some Limkokwing transcripts, and that was good enough. XD UQ wanted the originals, which I lost. UNSW didn’t even understand my LUCT certs -_-;;

• 59. anonymouscleaner  |  December 3rd, 2007 at 7:42 am

  jasmine above has got it right. rankings are bullshit if you are applying to all top-tier schools. get it right by deciding your priorities. a college campus life? or a city campus life? what are your plans after school? grad school or straight into the working world? these things you have to take into consideration when you apply. right now what i am saying doesnt matter as it is too early to decide the future. but come junior/senior year, the school you choose is crucial to what happens after when you graduate.

  picking a school that can accommodate all of these things are the best. thats why ivy league schools have it all. you can walk in not having anything planned, and walk out in the best of places.

• 60. Jay  |  December 3rd, 2007 at 8:01 am

  Here’s to wishing you the best of luck and support no matter which university you decide. And remember, in the end, you decide not the colleges in where you go.

• 61. songjun  |  December 3rd, 2007 at 8:07 am

  haha see, no one seems to want to listen to me despite my good ideas until its too late and becomes ‘in-retrospect’

  must be cause i spew too much silliness :P

• 62. johnleemk  |  December 3rd, 2007 at 8:10 am

  Well, my NZ friend never finished his A2, because their course is structured a bit differently.

  anonymouscleaner has good advice - though Dartmouth can’t really offer you the city campus experience (unlike most of the other Ivies). The nearest thing to a city is West Lebanon, which is a five minute drive away; if you want a proper city, you have to take a 2-hour bus ride to Boston. (Though I suppose you know all that already.)

  P.S. If you want to be a corporate/I-banking whore, Dartmouth is perfect. You’re virtually guaranteed a job - the companies drive up here to pimp you. Though I suppose you know this as well. I keep forgetting it was Eng Han who sold you on Dartmouth.

• 63. pinkshirtz  |  December 3rd, 2007 at 8:37 am

  haha ..sigh … if you go to US … there goes another goody for us to read. Where nothing will seem familiar anymore … and we no longer are able to say … thats nice, lets try that tomorrow.

  Sigh … Its sad how local bloggers goes to other country and suddenly … their blog turns into a all self devoting shrine featuring all the glitzy stuff that we can only read about…

• 64. gray  |  December 3rd, 2007 at 8:43 am

  chicago, nyu, upenn lor — not interested in the rest.

  (i’m as much of a ratings whore as you are [but then again, i'm a graduate student, hence university mates, c.f. course mates.].)

• 65. Michelle  |  December 3rd, 2007 at 9:07 am

  I finished the book! Oh, and the ending is very unexpected. I thought that she’s going to shoot herself. Or something like that.

  But, I’m slightly disappointed.

• 66. pro-andrew  |  December 3rd, 2007 at 9:49 am

  go find andrew.

• 67. sheon  |  December 3rd, 2007 at 12:29 pm

  my dad was there in the late 70’s. he saved his scholarship allowance and sent a one way ticket for his gf (now wife aka my mom) who was a seamstress back then, to live and eventually married in the states. :) cool huh?

  bribe him with cupcakes? ahahahah………no need lar. i’ll ask him if his words still carries weight or not… ok?

• 68. hanna  |  December 3rd, 2007 at 12:31 pm

  just a clarification, adp isn’t pre-u - it’s actually your freshman year. some colleges clarify by calling it the american degree transfer program, because you transfer your credits at the end of your time there.

  and i think northwestern accepted 15 of my credits? i was a sophomore and a half when i got there, lol. fantastic, because it left plenty of space for fun classes that didn’t have to count towards my grade (pass/fail) or for light-on-classes, heavy-on-activities quarters. :)

• 69. davidlian  |  December 3rd, 2007 at 12:37 pm

  I actually liked college exams. But then again, that’s me.

  So, who brought you to Petra that one time? Lol… now I’m so curious.

• 70. Fu Han  |  December 3rd, 2007 at 2:09 pm

  I’m actually pursuing a prep program at an unknown institute at Shah Alam, I’m not sure if it qualifies for a pre-uni program but I’m pretty sure that whatever you’re doing now may be better than what I’m taking currently.

  Good luck in your apps too! I’m pretty sure you’ll rock it.

  Omg guess what, I saw you at Metropolitan that day and wanted to greet you, but you left pretty early. Sheesh. Honestly, your blog is really terrific. Kudos to you.

• 71. anonymous  |  December 3rd, 2007 at 7:58 pm

  Hi Pink Pau,

  Currently, I’m in NYU. Yale does not accept transfer students, you have to join as a freshman. I think it applies to most of the Ivy League unis. Anyways, all the best.

• 72. foreverjas  |  December 3rd, 2007 at 8:38 pm

  i’m taking TAFE Aus ad.dip thingy [very regret] 2 years course. i should have jz did a-levels at the first place! yeesh. but i dun have a very good command in english. sigh. i need the scholarship. no scholarship no aus for me. sigh. ei, US really suits u. wish u all the best of luck! whoa. u can be so so so famous there! haha.

• 73. Charlie  |  December 3rd, 2007 at 8:50 pm

  Apa ni.. we applying to the same unis all : P Except for Duke, Michigan and Chicago.

  I really salute you for managing 12 apps la. I’m only doing 5 at the moment and my brain already feels like it’s been turned into food garnish

  Good luck for your SATs : ) I’m sure they’ll be a cinch for you!!

• 74. Boss Stewie  |  December 3rd, 2007 at 9:41 pm

  some very very very top unis there su ann.. good luck i’m sure you’ll get in…

• 75. Nicholas Chay  |  December 3rd, 2007 at 9:49 pm

  Goodluck Su Ann =)

• 76. Jun  |  December 3rd, 2007 at 11:26 pm

  hi su ann! hope ur sats went well :) could u get ur credits transferred to any of the unis on ur list? i dun think US requires a pre-U course if u’ve done adp. plus, if u haven’t done so, get references fr ur lecturers ie ms mary, mrs singh etc. those letters help heaps! good luck!

• 77. nice gigi  |  December 3rd, 2007 at 11:50 pm

  i’m on the college application process also o_O

  but the number of university in my list is only half of yours =)

  all the best to us !! (and to those who are applying too =D )

  *can’t wait to finish*

• 78. songjun  |  December 4th, 2007 at 1:42 am

  haha dont u just love how taylors, HELP and all those ‘dont have to go thru pre uni’ colleges FAIL to mention that they allow you to transfer credits to non-affiliated universities? :P

  Only way to skip Pre Uni is with colleges that have direct affiliation with the uni in question. Or they have some arrangement prior. Other then that, most unis WILL not accept you not havin any pre uni. You must have at least gone thru a diploma or a foundation course.

• 79. songjun  |  December 4th, 2007 at 1:45 am

  Not doing Pre Uni will not disadvantage officially you for applying to US uni but considering the competition you face with regards to everyone else, it will be an added advantage.

  Pau : yea as if me asking u to shut up and force u to do something will make u do that thing anyway :P haha

• 80. jiayoong.  |  December 4th, 2007 at 9:26 am

  not getting the A plusses i want. T-T

• 81. Jeff from LA  |  December 4th, 2007 at 11:44 am

  Well, if you do like the advice, I would advise you to visit the schools that you get accepted to. Visit the campus, tour the surroundings areas and decide which area you would like to live in for 4 years.

  I know it will be really expensive to tour the schools you’re accepted to, but since they all seem to be East Coast schools, you should try to get them all at once.

  Also, while you’re there, see if you can talk to any students to see how they honestly feel about the school, whether they are stressed out, whether there are a lot of fun activities to do on campus, etc.

  Since they are all strong academic schools, this will help you differentiate which are good schools that it would be fun to be at and which ones which are great academically but terrible socially.

• 82. Kaiba  |  December 4th, 2007 at 1:50 pm

  Well hey… Good Luck in what ever you’re up to..

• 83. dee  |  December 4th, 2007 at 4:28 pm

  interesting how most of the schools you are applying are in the central west, north east areas… personally i love west coast schools better because of the weather and because I live there…. well have a bunch of friends from rochester and nyu and they like it really well… rochester is a small college town and life is simpler there while nyu is in the heart of ny (duh) so living cost is alot more expensive… a couple suggestions 1. for your personal essay write about what is so different about you that you can bring to this university, because u know that almost all applicants grade wise is as qualified as you are, so through the essay you have to sell what is unique about you, reading the college/university statement whatever the thing big long essay about the “ideals of the school” and quote from it will always help
  gluck

• 84. Tiar  |  December 4th, 2007 at 4:47 pm

  just a clarification, adp isn’t pre-u - it’s actually your freshman year. some colleges clarify by calling it the american degree transfer program, because you transfer your credits at the end of your time there.

  Well even better then, you’ve skipped the pre-u bit XD

  Really do clarify with the university before you do anything. Tell them your EXACT situation, your ADP and the SATs and whatever 3 letter acronym thing you have, and ask if that’s OK or not. If they say no, then drop them off the list. If they’re cool with it, apply.

  USA is a pain as far as paperwork is concerned and you really need to make sure all your paperwork is in order first before you even think of applying.

  As far as songjun’s point on credit: from my experience, they don’t really care where the credit comes from, whether it’s affiliated or not. Sure, with affiliated unis it is a little easier because they recognize the name. But again, as long as you have your paperwork in order you should be fine. Most American unis require you to send in your course outline details to a 3rd party to get credit counts anyway.

  and YES to the references. Get them from Ivy, from the people you’ve worked with, whoever. As long as they’re not from your family, it’s fair game. US unis LOVE references, it’s required, but it’s often also the one thing that delays you because people are lazy :P Get them now when you still can.

• 85. gX  |  December 4th, 2007 at 5:15 pm

  good luck on your applications. i’m setting my sights on NYU’s MBA program and taking the GMAT at the end of this year. i really, really, really, REALLY want to be in NYC. but i feel quite lost at the moment, because i really don’t know if i’m good enough to get in, and if i do get in, i have no idea how i’m going to come up with 70K for the fees which goes back to the question of if i’m good enough to qualify for scholarships. sigh….
  but all the best to you!!! somehow, i think you would suit a liberal arts college, why not Mt. Holyoke? it’s one of the seven sisters, and you have friends there as well.

• 86. alea  |  December 4th, 2007 at 6:00 pm

  YALE!!!!!!

• 87. hw  |  December 4th, 2007 at 11:16 pm

  Well I went to UC Berkeley - it’s a great university and the top public university in the US. If you’re planning on doing sciences, business or research related stuff, Berkeley is strong for that. Not too sure about the liberal arts colleges, but if you plan on doing your graduate program (in the future :P), Berkeley is one of the best.

  Other West Coast schools that are great are USC, UCLA, Stanford (might break your bank though). One thing about applying to University of California schools is that you apply to the UC system, and you just choose a bunch of UC schools and they will submit your application to each one of them, FYI.

  Swarthmore is pretty damn good for liberal arts from what I hear. If you ask me, I think ivy is a bit overrated :P But nevertheless good schools.

  Don’t fret too much though if you’re still undecided on what you want to study, since the first two years are mostly general education (though you’d have to take some classes to satisfy prerequisites for your intended major), but it’s best to have an idea of what you want to major in, or at least a list of fields you want to major in.

  But whatever it is, education in the US is probably one of the best decisions you will make. You just learn SO much. And I echo Jeff/Jasmine’s statements that you have to experience college football and the Greek life. :P

• 88. hw  |  December 4th, 2007 at 11:19 pm

  Oh, and make sure you apply for your visa as early as possible. I got my visa on the day before my classes started, so I was lucky. Not sure how easy/difficult it is to apply for a US visa now, but 4 years ago, it was hell.

• 89. caryn  |  December 4th, 2007 at 11:29 pm

  wow. all the comments and suggestions and advice. too bad i can’t do much except wish you the best of luck, since poor ol’ me have been in government schools (kindergarten tak kira ler) since forever.

  and don’t forget to blog, wherever you may be!

• 90. wan siong  |  December 5th, 2007 at 10:38 am

  Lolz.
  All of a sudden, politics came into the topic.
  How did that happen?
  Hahaha..
  Anyway, I stand fully by your side on your views of Najib being PM.

  Speaking of politics, if you are interested in knowing how does “Pak Lah’s” aircraft looks like which they bought during the beginning of the year, click on the link below.

  http://wansiong.blogspot.com/2007/10/pak-lahs-and-blue-bird.html

• 91. evelyn  |  December 5th, 2007 at 1:15 pm

  no pre-U.. yeah.. there’re Still a bunch of so-called general education / core-curriculum requirements though !!?
  good-luck sweetie =p

• 92. gX  |  December 5th, 2007 at 8:42 pm

  oh yeah, i got a great piece of advice from an NYU alumna regarding personal essays. it would be good if you can get 3 types of people to review your essay
  1) someone who knows you very well
  2) someone who doesn’t know you at all
  3) someone who is a good writer

  i think it’s very good advice, the only problem is, finding the good writer to review my essay *hint hint* hahaha.

  but probably martian could be both 1) and 3) for you. ;)

• 93. m@nda  |  December 7th, 2007 at 8:57 am

  HEY! stumbled upon your blog. Currently, in Columbia and loving it. I know some people here who don’t really like it but it depends. There’s always the option of transferring if things don’t work out. The best part is that downtown NYC is just 60 stops or more away - 20 to 30 mins. :) Wish you all the best.

• 94. Miles  |  December 8th, 2007 at 2:55 am

  As a Swarthmore student, my understanding is that we have a rather strong Engineering department, and the school is widely considered one of if not the most rigorous schools in the United States, with one of the highest rate of grad-school acceptances you can get.

  I also absolutely adore this place, so I rather highly recommend it.

• 95. zz  |  December 11th, 2007 at 8:13 pm

  najib as a pm? my worth..

• 96. tjiN'z  |  December 14th, 2007 at 9:38 am

  Hei there, you sat for the dec 1 SAT, in metropolitan college?
  I was there too.

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