Greetings all,
I’ve been browsing this forum for several months, although this is my first time posting. That said, I have a question around master’s degrees in Taiwan that I’d appreciate your feedback on.
I have been thinking about applying to NCCU’s English-only International Master’s program for entry in Fall 2018 (either the IMBA, or Master’s in International Affairs).
My dilemma (or question, rather) - I recently resigned from my job due to burnout and desiring a change in career. International Affairs has long been my passion, so I’ve decided to pursue that in full, with a focus on Asia-Pacific.
A bit more info on my profile is as follows:
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American, mid-20s
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BA in International Business from a well-regarded private university in the US (with honors, Summa Cum Laude). 3.95 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
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For the past 5 years, I have worked in a business operations capacity in the high-tech sector. 3 years of this were spent at a rapidly-growing startup, and the past 2 years were spent at a blue chip, globally renowned tech firm. Both of my roles were global in nature, and the past 2 years I have spent based at our regional headquarters in Asia. I intend on continuing to live and work in Asia for several more years, and hope to keep a focus on the Asia-Pacific region for the rest of my professional career.
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Fluent English, basic/intermediate Mandarin
I will be taking 1 year off (starting in a few months) before applying to grad schools late this year and early next year. During that time, I will be taking Mandarin classes full-time, building a travel / international relations-related company that I’ve been working on as a side project for some time, and publishing a couple of books on Amazon (these will be directly related to international relations and the field I’ll be pursuing in grad school). I will also be traveling throughout the Asia-Pacific region, while building my writing and research portfolio. I also plan on visiting each of these campuses and meeting with the admissions staff in person before applying.
My concern - will taking a year “off” of work before applying to grad school negatively impact my chances of admission, giving how I’ll be using my time over the next year?
Based on my experience and plan for the next year, do you believe I’d face any challenges with admission when applying for master’s programs at NCCU (or any university in the region, for that matter)? Are there other considerations I should be keeping in mind?
Also - what is the environment like for scholarships and funding at the graduate level in Taiwan right now? Tuition, accommodation, and fees all seem quite reasonable based on the research I’ve done so far, but would be great to get some of them covered if at all possible.
Thanks in advance for any input you all may have, I truly appreciate it!