Thousands of Saudi students are to leave the country this year to study abroad thanks to a large number of scholarships from the government. Too bad none of this was available when I graduated from high school four years ago. Anyways, for these students College v2 offers some good advice on things you need to pack. A microwave is an awesome idea. How come I never considered getting one for our apartment in Riyadh?
20 thoughts on “Thousands of Saudi students are to leave the count…”
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Saudi Jeans 
they should’ve raised our allowance instead of sending idiots here
Calling others idiots is unnecessary, especially that the government have actually raised your allowances.
Packing a microwave is not a good idea. If a student is going to a place where a microwave is more expensive than the shipping charges, then s/he’s going to a place that probably can’t run a microwave to begin with.
In most of the developed world, a microwave can be had, new, for under SR 200. That’s far more than the cost of a used one, of course, being sold by a departing student.
Same goes with refrigerators, but even more so!
I agree that packing a microwave and shipping it from KSA to USA is not a good idea, but I think most of the advice in that post can be used by students coming from overseas. Now for me, packing a microwave from the Eastern Province to Riyadh seems like a pretty good idea.
i’ve graduated this year and have been accepted at kfu(medicine) and got scholarship as well but I chose study here because it’s 6 years and will be 7 and it’s just bachelor degree.
I dunno why students who have been accepted in valuable university like kfupm would be thinking about study abroad.
But you know… The system that they are using is completely bad and self-destructive :S
I didn’t go through the MOHE scholarship program but I know few people who did and got accepted and believe me they are NOT qualified to survive even in an Arabic university. I know them they are my friends they’re good people and everything but definitely not academic achievers :P
Almost ANYBODY can manage to get a scholarship :S Some even apply just for the sake of taking a “Trip” to another country :S
The deadlines are also ridiculously stupid :S They start taking applications after most of the competitive Saudi university announce their admission results. So by the time they start giving scholarships the competitive student will have had already submitted his documents to a good Saudi university :S
Well anyways you can still get a scholarship for you’re masters :D
15% big deal, the other goverments provide there students with some money they can actually manage to pay car insurance/rent/books/supplies/gas/groceries, and you should’ve seen the people they sent here..do you think the majority are people with a good command of the english language? no. the stories of them drinking, skipping classes, just here doing a whole lot of nothing, the stories i could tell about universities recieving sexual harrarsement complaints from some of the new students…the system needs to revamped and there should be more of an efficent system, you should see how crazy it is here when the new students arrive.
Excuse me while I cough a bit…
The difference between US and Saudi educational benefits is pretty amazing. Some students in the US–those who can prove that they come form “income impaired” families–can find scholarships that pay tuition and room and board. Some even include a guarantee of a job to provide pocket money. None provide a stipend for living expenses.
If you don’t get a scholarship, or only a partial scholarship, there are a few options. The easiest for the student, of course, is to be born with rich parents who can pay all the bills.
Most, however, also work while they study. I went to a private university (i.e., more expensive), along with two of my brothers. That was too much of a financial burden for my father to handle. As a result, all of us worked and took out student loans. I never had a semester in which I didn’t also have at least a part-time job. That’s pretty much the norm, even for students at state universities.
Students who go into fields like medicine pretty much have to rely on student loans because tuition and school expenses (not car payments or rent) are huge. It’s not at all uncommon for a newly minted doctor to have over a quarter million dollars of student loan debt on graduation.
Beside paying bills, students work experience in university also gives them a leg up when it comes time to graduate and move into the real world. They’ve got something on their resumes to indicate that they know how to work.
PS: Driving your supplies to school offers many opportunities to save money. I had to rent the biggest SUV made to drive my son and his gear up to his school, once he moved out of the dorm.
john, i was talking about the gulf goverments, i guess i should’ve made that clearer…and i would love to have the chance to work, but i’m not allowed to work here and the cost of living here in the us is a killer, i’m not one for clubs or wasting all my money on booze, 1200 is simply not enough in certain cities
i would love to have the chance to work, but i’m not allowed to work here
Why? Is there a rule bans Saudi students from getting a job while they study abroad?
Ahmed, I think he’s referring to the restriction on international students for working off-campus jobs. International students can only work on-campus, and if the university is small, it’s hard to find these sort of jobs.
I second John plus, there is always the voltage problem depending on where you go..
So ahmed, if you’re thinking of a Masters in Pharmaceuticals, I am sure there must be one at UT here in Austin..in fact, one of my acquaintances teachers pharmaceuticals there, I can always inquire in the future if you’d like..
Ingrid
Anon…you keep whining about the fact the government doesn’t send you enough money, I guess the concept of equal opportunities never occurred to you, so you don’t want the government to send anymore loser abroad, just keep on pampering the one that are already there, the hell with everybody else. The government is already spending tremendous amount of money on you, as a full scholarship student abroad, can’t you even help a little? Do we have to ask the government for everything? Everything have to be handed to us on a silver plate, you do know that many American students have to apply for student loans, and many are in debts years after they graduate. At least you don’t have to pay your government back. And by the way you can cut expenses by sharing your accommodation, and living on campus, and even there are ways where off campus part time work can be arranged. And if you so stretched for money why can’t you just ask your parents, just look at this way, if you were going to school at home they would be providing you with room, and board and pocket money. So stop, whining and thank God for all the blesses that you have.
i think they should send qualafied students, not the likes i’ve seen here…i’m rooming with my friend, i’m thankful for what i have, though it’s not adequate…i can’t ask my parents for money…well because they don’t have much to spare…isn’t that what scholarships are for? helping qualafied students who are pressed for money, and not kids who are coming here to finance a mini vacation..like i said before the system for the scholarships should be revamped and improved…they should take into account your grades (they do give a bonus for a g.p.a of 3.0 and above every semester), the state you live, the university you attend….you cant expect someone who’s paying 500 a month for rent to get the same allowance as someone paying around 1600…and a huge number of the students that are here complain about many things concering that area, not only the allowance but how inefficient they can be…im thankful that my goverment provided me with the scholarship program, but i care about my country..and i think they’re wasting too much of there money on sending not so qualafied “students”…i’m not saying all that were sent arn’t qualafied but judging by their behavior and demeanor, most of the people i came across arn’t serious about it.. they should’ve stayed back home
persona, if the gov. is capable of providing us with everything and more, why can’t we ask for it? just as much as it’s their money, it’s rightfully ours, isn’t it?
Anon.. I agree with you on one thing the scholarship program should be revamped, where students should be screened more carefully. But even students on the honor roll are going to have a few problem when they first arrive, considering they are going to move to a complete new system and a new society. What I would to suggest for the Ministry of Higher Education is to have an intensive orientation course in English, and University life in the States. Just to avoid incident like the one that happened in that school bus in Florida. You just can’t judge all Saudi students the same way, some are there to excel and succeed, and others are there to get an American university degree at any cost. I think some of the older students are more of a problem, they are getting their Master, and PhD, and they have no idea what in the world they studied, they pass their classes by cheating, or by having their girl friends do the work for them. Believe me, I seen it happen, they spend years in the States, having their scholarship extended, costing the government so much money, at the end the get a pseudo degree, to hang on their wall, and if you ask them anything about their chosen field, they start to get that glazed look in their eyes.
I don’t think the government will start paying student different stipend depending on the state they live in, where California students, would get more money then let us say Austin, Arizona. I think that will cause too much friction between students. And by the way I was under the impression student on the dean list, or the honor roll, who gets 3.5 GPA and above do get a bonus stipend. Anyway 15% increase is a nice start, and maybe there will be a review every couple of year, so it can be adjusted according to inflation rates in the states.
persona i enjoyed your reply and believe it or not, me and my friends discussed one of your points many times…”What I would to suggest for the Ministry of Higher Education is to have an intensive orientation course in English, and University life in the States.” i apologize if i did sound whiny or a bit hotheaded earlier, and i was at fault. there was a more diplomatic way of discussing it, and you proved that in your last reply
Ahmed,I agree with u , the educational system here is too sick …
I think 7000 scholarships is a huge number and half of them are teens want defrayed trip lasts one year
timing this year is the worst and i’m still waiting for Aramco final acceptance result yet !!
Anon , MOHE is a stupid student and the scholarships conditions must change …
the concept of being in high expensive state is totally wrong as well
i know many of students in America who are very comfortable with financial matters
God bless all of u :)
If the Muslim governments and the parents of the students who come to America schools knew what I see their children do–they would revoke the scholarships and make them return home. Many fall into sins, while a few actually become more religious while in America.
Those scholarships should only be for those who are known to be strong in their Deen.
Scholarship program is nice, BUT the students are struggling so hard to do the work here in the U.S. that it’s not worth it. The Americans are getting a very bad picture of what Saudis are like based on the terrible work ethic that these “chosen ones” are displaying. Now, I KNOW that there are tons of smart and hard-working Saudis out there, they are just not being sent to the U.S. Sorry.