A long and winding road of higher education abroad…

PURSUING HIGHER EDUCATION (POSTGRADUATE STUDIES) is not a priority option after finishing university degrees fifteen years ago. My mind set during my university life was that I want to finish my bachelor's degree and then find a good paying job! That was it… nothing really in my wildest dreams to pursue higher education or postgraduate programs to be more competitive in the professional world of engineering. Aiming to get higher education abroad or overseas is another thing that absolutely not in my plan during those university years, except that I want to travel abroad either to work or just plainly for tourism purposes.

I was a working student (after I completed by 3-year Civil Technology diploma) while pursuing my BS Civil Engineering degree. It was tough having a full time 8-5 work and 4 hours of studying 6 days a week. Coupled by living alone (boarding house) and maintaining high marks in all my subjects/modules, it was not an ideal life for a young man compared to what the young generations are enjoying nowadays. But no regrets at all! It was a great feeling to earn a living and for having an enjoyable lifestyle not dependent from my family. Coming from a poor family in the central part of the Philippines, living in the city (Makati) was not a trouble-free. But I was lucky to have relatives, including a grandmother who worked hard to look after her children and grandchildren that made life easier during those years. Sometimes, thinking about those academic years, I never thought that I could travel and have a 100% funded higher education abroad.

Why Abroad? Well, one of my professors in college advised me to pursue postgraduate program overseas. I don’t know why he persuaded me but I think he was convinced that I could make it and be a successful professional someday. No doubt, he was right then! Honestly, I could not afford and manage to pursue my postgraduate programs in the Philippines from my own resources. There were limited scholarships in the country available during those years and it was very competitive as well. Again, it was unusual for Engineering graduate to continue higher learning, unless if I decided to be a teacher but which it was not the case. I want to practice what I have learned from the four corners of the classroom. But after gaining four years of solid working experience, I decided to embark in my higher education journey.

The requirements for the application were also tough to comply but having a strong determination and faith I managed to get three (3) scholarship grants: Master's degree in Urban Planning at the Asian Institute of Technology (Thailand) in 1991; Master by Research (MPhil) in Environmental Engineering at the University of Queensland (Australia)in 2002, and PhD in Engineering (Built Environment) at the University of Ulster (Northern Ireland, UK) in 2005.

How did I manage to get scholarship grants? One of the main requirements for funding are the average grades from high school and in college. Since I was an honour student, it was not hard to meet this requirement. The second requirement is passing the minimum score for TOEFL or IELTS – the English proficiency level. Having English as our second language, it was not really difficult to meet the minimum requirement score. For example, IELTS is used by Australia and the UK to check the English proficiency of the applicants. In my case, I took it 3 times already and I got fair bands, except on the second attempt that I got a lowest score in writing (5) which was not really good! Thirdly, endorsements or recommendations from former professors/teachers and boss from work are another documents to support the application. Again, I did have good relationships with my bosses and teachers and seeking for recommendations from them was easy. Finally, it depends on the field of study – civil/environmental engineering (including planning and management) is one of the courses that always on the list for possible funding for applicants from the developing countries. Sometimes, working experience is a primary consideration especially applying for grants thru Philippine government-initiated (National Economic Development Authority, NEDA) application. By the way, age limit is also another issue especially for pursuing PhD programs in Japan, Germany and other European countries.

Getting a grant successfully is not an over-night affair. For example, I attempted 3 applications for Australian universities (1997, 1999 and 2001) but only in 2001 that I successfully able to get the grant from AusAID. On the other hand, my application for AIT (Asian Institute of Technology (Bangkok) was not difficult in some way that I was accepted in just a matter of 3 months. I was really excited for having accepted and this was my travel abroad for the first time. My PhD application's approval in the UK in 2005 was very fast which somehow affected my job and future plans. This was the only application that required a long-distance phone panel interview!

Why pursuing postgraduate overseas? My grandmother once commented when she was still alive that "why I have to go back to school?" after passing my Civil Engineering licensure exam. I explained to her that "it is free and I could travel abroad as well"! This is the easiest way to see the world and to prove that the globe is "flat"! You might disagree about this but I don’t want to explain it here. I don’t have any criticisms to pursue higher education in the Philippines but if the opportunity is there to have it abroad, then why not grab it! In my experience, taking postgrad programs abroad have more benefits than having it locally. Most of the time, the training is tougher (doing own research work) and it is the initial stage for having a successful career overseas getting high paying jobs. If you maintained (as a study leave) with your government employer, then you are obliged to go back to the Philippines serving for 2 years equivalent for one year of the study program. Part time employment is another opportunity while studying. Even though working while studying is stricter in some cases, generally you are allowed to work a maximum of 20 hours a week during school term and up to 40 hours a week during vacation. For example, while pursuing my PhD program in the UK, I was allowed to teach or tutor undergraduate students 3 times a week. Tutorial class is an extra hour for students to do additional lectures and guiding them while during their exercises/seatwork.

But honestly, my motivation why I decided to pursue PhD is because I observed in the Philippines that to get involved in big international funded projects (USAID, ADB, CIDA, World Bank, etc.), you should have a doctoral degree! One thing more, since I do part time teaching for both postgrad and undergrad students in the Philippines, I also planning to continue this and maybe someday could be working full time doing management job (like Dean or Head of School, who knows)…

Finally, the added value of studying abroad is the opportunity to travel! Carrying a student visa, it is not difficult to apply for tourist visas. For example, I had successful applications for tourist visas for US and Scandinavian countries, including Canada, and other countries in Europe. Having time to travel is somehow brings a balance in my academic life, including my blogging also helps me survive from living away from family and friends.

Downsides in pursuing Postgrad? Since my studies were fully funded, then I don’t have much problem financially and I can send some extra money back home to my family. I can save some money for my travels and to maintain my singleness lifestyle. I'm single so there's not much of a problem in terms of adjusting the new environment, but if I have a family, then this is another story! Im not sure if I could cope having a family while studying. I'm not saying here that having a family is a hindrance to pursue postgrad abroad, but it requires more of thinking to pursue or not!

If you planning to pursue it by own funding, then it is really a tough thing to do! You should have a secured funding to ensure a successful postgrad, otherwise you will not be able to finish it, unless your parents could extend their financial support. Having a parttime job while doing a postgrad is hardwork but if you could just have it on a fulltime basis, then you can concentrate and finish in a short period of time. For example, my scholarship package for my master's degree in Australia was worth more than 2.5 million pesos (including tuition fees, conference fees, accommodation and living allowances), while my PhD program was worth 4 million pesos. Thank you very much to my donor agencies! So, pursuing postgrad abroad entails a lot of money but in the long term, it is worth completing it!

Where to get financial supports? There are several options to get funding. From a developing country like the Philippines, international funding agencies always give substantial funds to encourage Filipinos to do further study abroad. For example, the National Economic Development Authority (Scholarship unit) is responsible for screening both government private applicants. With the easy access thru internet, visiting universities websites is another option to get scholarship funding directly from the institutions; including searching thru Embassies is a first try to seek grants. If you have friends who are currently studying or completed their studies abroad, this is another way to seek advice for possible assistantships. Click here for additional information in securing financial assistance/scholarships from various donor agencies and universities.

THERE IS NO SHORT-CUT FOR AIMING a higher education abroad. It is a long and winding journey with bumps along the way! But at the end, there is always a promising result that we could hang on to a brighter and fulfilling life ahead of us.