Scholarships: Financial Planning to Study Abroad

Studying abroad in any part of the world can be expensive and requires careful financial planning so it is extremely important to find out if there are scholarships or other forms of financial support available from your intending institution as well as for your study abroad destination /home country.

Study abroad scholarship is a reward for students to use toward the expenses of their programme which can include tuition, accommodation, and study materials. Even though scholarships may not fully cover your study abroad costs, they will help reduce some of your expenses and provide more relief and a better study abroad experience.

There are a wide array of scholarships, discounts and grants available to students studying abroad at various levels. Students are mostly encouraged to apply for any awards that they are eligible for to support their studies. Some of these scholarships are very competitive and most times require some form of test and grade to qualify while others are easy to access and not fully utilized.

In some cases, these scholarships are automatically given to the applicant as long as they qualify for it by the institution. Some of these scholarships are full while others are part. But whichever way they come, one thing is certain that they do provide some form of succour.
There are several types of scholarships available to apply for when studying abroad as highlighted below:

Merit-based
These are awarded based on certain merits accrued to the institution of study as well as the course of study. Most of these is determined by the particular scholarship offered and what it aims to cover or promote. This could be academic, athletic, artistic, or other special achievements by the student as required by the scholarship.

Student-Specific
These are scholarships targeted at and awarded to specific students who meet certain factors such as Race or Religion.

Destination-specific 
These scholarships are awarded by a particular country to students planning to pursue a study abroad program in that particular country or to a particular specified country. Most of these scholarships are awarded as incentives to keep students interested in studying a particular country for various reasons.

Programme-Specific
Programme scholarships are awarded mostly on the basis of academic and personal achievement tailored towards the programme of study. Requirements for these type of scholarships mostly vary for each programme.

Subject-Specific 
These scholarships are awarded to students based on their major by the various programmes or institutions usually to help promote the programme and entice and attract more students towards enrolling or majoring in such subjects. Qualifications and requirements usually vary also for this type of scholarship and recipient’s ma have to conduct subject-specific researches or major in such subjects.

If you are unsure about what scholarships are available and that you qualify for, speak with one of the local representatives for assistance.

Technology and Education: The Revolution

The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) defined educational technology as "the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources”.

We have become highly dependent on technology these days that we hardly stop to wonder what kind of impact it is bearing on us or if it has just become habitual process to us, ignoring the overall impact it has on us.

In education, one often wonders if technology really has a positive impact and has caused it to improve or if we just go with the trend of these tools being used to enhance education. This has been a debatable topic for years amongst educationist, students and the society as a whole. Many researches have been carried out to answer the question on if technology affects the performance of a students in a technologically enhanced studying environment as compared to those without one.

No doubt, technology has brought about a revolution in education. It is a known fact that when technological tools are properly integrated with studies, the students tend to improve in their achievements and have new opportunities to learn. This in essence means that technology is not the problem but how it is used.

Modernised education through the aid of technology has however enhanced a strong relationship between students and teachers as it enables a more meaningful and fun teaching and learning experience. Students can have access to great resources without spending so much on hard copies of text books and collaborate more with their peers to create and execute brilliant ideas in their various fields of interests.

Our educational system has been greatly overhauled due to this growing and advancing technology which has more positives compared to the negatives. These two, technology and education when combined for the right reason are a powerful tool to intellectual growth.
Some of the main benefits of using technology for studies and the ways in which it improves education include;

• It improves engagement
Both students and teachers can engage with their colleagues from around the globe to dialogue better on certain topics and help meet their shortcomings.

• It encourages individual research and learning
Due to the immediate access to a wealth of quality information and educational materials, it creates a yearning to know more and encourages individual research and learning.

• It enhances collaboration
It encourages collaboration between students to achieving certain goals and refining the students work.

• Teachers are better able to research better and faster as they have a wealth of information at the tap of their mobiles

• Technology enhances more fun ways of learning which enhances knowledge retention
• Online learning opportunities
Due to the accreditation of online education, students can work better at their own pace.

Once education embraced technology, there have been significant improvements as seen over the past few years of technological advancements in education. Technology has a crucial role in education and right now, we have moved past the point of asking its importance to questioning how to thoughtfully craft it into education to enhance learning and create more achievements.

A Week Behind The Great Firewall of China

The Chinese are thinking.

Everyone is at the mercy of the West, except the Chinese because they refuse to democratise information. The idea of unfettered information going out to everyone and somehow seen as being good for humanity can be argued for what we have playing out in the so called Arab spring and other madness happening around the world.


Until recently, I'd have chosen the West's version of freedom of the net but it doesn't work for other growing democracies and I believe it's in the interest of China to have some control over how they manage information.

This does not imply that what China is doing by suppressing its own people through these draconian measures is good, but it's a very important tool to protect their national interest and that’s what every responsible government should put ahead of any other interest.

Cyber terrorism is the warfare of the future. Since the emergence of people like Julian Assange and Edward Snowden, information security has become a really important aspect of national security. Cyber attacks today are so serious; you can bring down planes, power grids, steal people’s identity and live savings. All these happen over the so called open Internet. How do you defend yourself as a growing superpower like China? ‎You control the source.

Chinas firewall has been able to help them hold everyone by the balls. An example is Didi Chuxing, Chinas biggest ride hailing service. Uber tried to get into China but couldn’t compete and had to sell its shares to Didi Chuxing gaining a worth value of $35 billion.

The Chinese don’t go around the world fighting or dictating to governments on how to behave. They wield their power indirectly. So, their firewall has protected their economy, security and enhanced their stature around the world.

The Lipstick As A Powerful Weapon

I remember with nostalgia this very beautiful evening at Jibowu Bus stop when I boarded a Danfo to Ikeja for a little hangout. Luckily for me, I met the front seats unoccupied and I quickly hopped in. Soon, this man arrived who wanted to have a seat too. Seeing that the seat next to the driver was bad, I simply alighted so he could go in instead.

Then the drama started. This man started showing his typical intimidated Nigerian self. He questioned why I would want him as "a man" to go in while I sit next to the door.
I simply let him know I was there first and hence had the right to whatever seat I choose.‎
Infuriated however, and with no choice as he seemed somewhat in a haste too, he had to go sit next to the driver but not without saying so many loud things like "ladies of nowadays", "what kind of women are we training these days", "this one will be ordering her husband", "only beauty, no respect". All these while, I stayed mute. I couldn't give a rat’s ass to what he was saying.

Here I was, about to have a GREAT evening. How dare I let this man with his inferiority issues spoil my mood.

Well, that didn't mean I didn't give him a dose of his medicine subtly.

As I was about hopping back into my rightful place, I moved my head very close (so as to seem like an unplanned bump) to the collar of his WHITE shirt and made sure it got stained with my RED lipstick.‎

You needed to see the shock on his face. He couldn't believe that happened too. He kept ranting about how I was entering in a very uncivil manner like it's my car and all. Grudgingly I said sorry like I didn't know it was planned.‎

My heart was so elated that night; I almost choked from overdose of joy.‎

He'd definitely have had to sort it out with his wife that night. God bless his soul‎ if his attitude has been questionable before and his wife is a No-Nonsense woman. Well, I can only say I'd miss that part of the drama. Next time he won't rub his inferiority issues all over a girls face trying to smear her make-up.

Oh yeah, if I had cried or frowned from what he said, can you imagine how ugly I'd have looked and all my make-up efforts wasted that night?

THE SELFIE IS THE NEW AUTOGRAPH

 The selfie is a digital trend that has gradually slipped in to become an autograph. ‎

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Selfies are faster, easier, can capture multiple fans simultaneously and are also more convenient. There’s the tendency of making the fan feel closer and involves latest technological gadgets which are more fun to operate.

The downside of a selfie though is that autography is an old beautiful art which could involve graphics and calligraphy painstakingly penned down in the author's own writing, unique to each fan and could even come along with words of encouragement, thereby creating a more personalized relationship.

I like to look at the selfie as both a modification on autograph and as a separate art with similar intention.

What the selfie has done is upgrade the autograph to the 21st century reality with the help of technology and social media. A signed autograph hitherto was seen as a personal encounter with someone famous. But it sometimes lacked authenticity and most times it couldn't also capture the moments those encounters happened. The selfie brought all these together; the time, the ambience, the memories and of course that authenticity that the normal autograph couldn't mostly give‎.

Needless to say, in a bid to feel special, a fan could involve graphic enhancement with the use of Photoshop application so as to give the impression of a photograph taken with the star, hence being deceitful.

‎Like we know, a picture is worth a thousand words. That personal endorsement and validity the selfie brings makes it priceless. However, the selfie though brings both parties together in an emotional and powerful keep sake memory, cannot be said to replace the autograph 100% as there are a great many people that would still opt for an autograph alongside a selfie

HOW TECHNOLOGY DISRUPTED THE TRUTH

The long read on Katherine Viner’s “How Technology Disrupted the Truth” in The Guardian, was insightful and helpful in understanding how people feel towards digital technologies especially the social media.

I don't think it is technology that has disrupted the truth. Truth has often been a subjective reality of a person or group and has always been manipulated using the various medium in time. Technology is more about its use than the technology itself. People will always be people and those that intend good will still direct its usage towards good. However, technology enhances things and this means that anyone who intends bad will be helped towards that by its use. Technology can only be said to help spread the false phenomenon faster and broader.

Most people feel technology makes it easy to manipulate and spread falsehood and I think that's just what it is; a means.

Facts exist, like gravity; like good and evil; like hunger and sex and other things but truth and technology are like the message and the medium. Somebody encodes it and then transmits it through a medium expecting a certain outcome. The real problem now is people do not filter or facts check anything again. It is selective exposure without question. You can pretty much convince people with dodgy videos and they would swear it's true. A case in question is the latest hoax on plastic rice. It always just happens that those who spread falsehood usually are more determined and motivated.

Technology creates a fantasy and can be used to elevate or exaggerate falsehood just like it could be used to create an opposite reality altogether. Same technology can be used to spread the truth by those who wish to counter the general falsehood that's been spread around.