Should I study physics in Malaysia and then do post-graduate abroad?

[DriftyPrime]

I'm Malaysian, and I'm definitely going to study physics. The thing that I'm worried about is that I do now know if I should do my bachelor's in Malaysia then go overseas, or should I just go overseas? I've asked my relatives about it, and they say that my bachelor's is very important and Malaysia may not have a decent physics education and facility for physics because I'm intending to go into research. So he thinks it is a better idea to just go study in Germany for my bachelors, then do my post-graduate elsewhere like Japan or Korea. The cost is also a factor, that's why if I'm doing my bachelors overseas, I can only choose Germany.

Edit: I will be learning German until C1 if I go for the German route, if I'm remaining in Malaysia, I won't take German at all and go for normal A-levels

 

[CrysPhys]

As a first step, you should inquire at the physics and alumni offices of the universities in Malaysia that you are considering. Ask how many of those who graduated with a bachelor's in physics went on to a grad program in physics and at which universities. Leave your contact info and ask departmental staff to forward it to alumni and ask them to get in touch with you.

 

[Vanadium 50]

It's not just country - it's individual universities. Not all universities in Malaysia are equally good, nor for that matter are the ones in Germany.

Are you certain Germany is an option? "I want a 1st world education and want the Germans to pay for it" is an argument that still works, but not as well as it used to, at least according to my friends who teach at German universities.

 

[gwnorth]

Germany seems to be the hot option of late for international study. While many graduate programs are offered in English, the same is not the case at the undergraduate level and you may need to be fluent in German to get your bachelor's there (or at least will have fewer options).

 

[Vanadium 50]

Word has got out. However, Germany is 1% of the world's population, and simply cannot afford to educate the other 99%. So, now that word has gotten out, demand is outpacing supply.

 

[Dr.AbeNikIanEdL]

Since your first plan appears to be studying in Germany directly (for the first bachelor), lets look at how realistic that is at all. Have you checked these websites

https://www2.daad.de/deutschland/na.../en/57293-database-on-admission-requirements/

http://anabin.kmk.org/anabin-datenbank.html

and entered your particular situation to see if you will be eligible at all? At least some paths of Malaysian education have further requirements on grades, will you realistically meet them?

Edit: I will be learning German until C1 if I go for the German route, if I'm remaining in Malaysia, I won't take German at all and go for normal A-levels

This is also curious, at what level of high school are you currently? Do you already know some German? If you are starting from 0 and are in the last 1-2 years of high school, reaching C1 seems optimistic (not to say impossible). It's also worth noting that a generic C1 certificate will (at least in some cases) at best allow you to sit the actual German test.

 

[ohwilleke]

While not all German university programs have a German language of instruction, none are in Malaysian. So, whether you do this as an undergraduate depends a lot on how confident you are that you can become fluent in German by the time you start university.

Studying in Malaysia as an undergraduate buys you more time to become fluent.

Also, keep in mind that if you study in Germany in physics with an eye towards graduate work, that you will ultimately have to become fluent, or at least functional, in both German and English.

An English speaking country, for example, Australia, might place less of a burden on your ability to learn both languages plus math and physics, if you study abroad.

 

[DriftyPrime]

Since your first plan appears to be studying in Germany directly (for the first bachelor), lets look at how realistic that is at all. Have you checked these websites

https://www2.daad.de/deutschland/na.../en/57293-database-on-admission-requirements/

http://anabin.kmk.org/anabin-datenbank.html

and entered your particular situation to see if you will be eligible at all? At least some paths of Malaysian education have further requirements on grades, will you realistically meet them?


This is also curious, at what level of high school are you currently? Do you already know some German? If you are starting from 0 and are in the last 1-2 years of high school, reaching C1 seems optimistic (not to say impossible). It's also worth noting that a generic C1 certificate will (at least in some cases) at best allow you to sit the actual German test.

The A-levels that I will take if I go for the German route is that we'll only be taking 3 subjects (maths ,CS, physics) and then we'll be taking German 6 hours a week for 1 and a half years. After that, I will be taking German classes every day for 9 months. After that, I'll be applying for universities.

 

[DriftyPrime]

So, whether you do this as an undergraduate depends a lot on how confident you are that you can become fluent in German by the time you start university.

That's one of the reason I'm a bit hesitant when deciding, I think I can learn to speak and understand decent German in around 2 years. Having experienced learning a same subject in multiple languages, it's kind of hard to not just go back to English every time. The thing is that I really want to just stay in Malaysia for my undergraduate, but I'm afraid that getting my degree here will be a bit disadvantageous if I want to pursue post-graduate overseas.

 

[Dr.AbeNikIanEdL]

The A-levels that I will take if I go for the German route is that we'll only be taking 3 subjects (maths ,CS, physics) and then we'll be taking German 6 hours a week for 1 and a half years. After that, I will be taking German classes every day for 9 months. After that, I'll be applying for universities.

Have you checked this actually meets the admission criteria? When I input Malaysia in the links I gave earlier, the high school sounding degrees (none of them are directly called A-level, so you have to check what the one you would do actually is), require at least 5 independent subjects (with some exclusions and some requirements on achieved grades).

 

[CrysPhys]

The thing is that I really want to just stay in Malaysia for my undergraduate, but I'm afraid that getting my degree here will be a bit disadvantageous if I want to pursue post-graduate overseas.

What about the universities in Singapore? Are they an option for you?

 

[gwnorth]

Have you checked this actually meets the admission criteria? When I input Malaysia in the links I gave earlier, the high school sounding degrees (none of them are directly called A-level, so you have to check what the one you would do actually is), require at least 5 independent subjects (with some exclusions and some requirements on achieved grades).

If the OP will be doing A-Levels, then they should fall under the admission criteria for applicants from British patterned education. It won't matter that it was done in Malaysia. The only consideration might be whether the OP is doing the UK or International version of A-Levels as some universities require the former (mostly in Switzerland though).

International Advanced Level

With your educational background, you qualify for direct subject-restricted admission to all higher education institutions, provided that
- the "Advanced Level" can be proven by certificates from the following examination bodies:
-- Cambridge Assessment International Education (formerly: Cambridge International Examinations)
-- Learning Resource Network (LRN)
-- OxfordAQA
-- Pearson (formerly: Edexcel)
and
- the basic prerequisites as well as the subject-specific requirements are met.

GCE - Advanced Level

With your educational background, you qualify for direct subject-restricted admission to all higher education institutions, provided that
- the "Advanced Level" can be proven by certificates from the following examination bodies:
-- AQA
-- OCR
-- Pearson (formerly: Edexcel)
-- WJEC bzw. WJEC Eduqas
-- CCEA
and
the basic prerequisites as well as the subject-specific requirements are met.

 

[Dr.AbeNikIanEdL]

Fair enough, I assumed A-levels was just and English word for whatever the local high school degree is.

 

[gwnorth]

Fair enough, I assumed A-levels was just and English word for whatever the local high school degree is.

No they represent years 4 and 5 of secondary education in the UK and are also offered in many other countries.

 

[Muu9]

This program is in English: https://www.physes.uni-leipzig.de/e...national-physics-studies-program-ipsp-honours