Question on Graduate Studies in Taiwan? (NCCU, etc)

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:

  • American, mid-20s

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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!

Giving this a bump, as it’s been several days since first posting.

Does anyone have insight on the above, by any chance?

@Icon ? @hansioux ?

Help?

Hi. I graduated from NCCU and I had a very positive experience there. I am still sort of connected but not as much as I’d wish.

I do not think a year off will influence your prospects. However, it must be noted that for scholarships, you must apply from abroad. Yes, the cost is affordable, but every bit helps. I managed OK without a scholarship, though, but I work here. It is not easy working and studying, and if you do, you will miss a lot of activities. There are seminars, competitions -check out the performance at Hult Prize-, international exchanges, etc. Another way is to have a joint degree if your alma mater is included in those agreements, check on the school website. BTW, you can do a semester abroad, like in Europe or other parts of Asia, like Korea or Japan or Singapur, for example, as part of your curriculum.

The NCCU programs are highly coveted and it gets very competitive to get in because of the teaching, in terms of quality and also 100% English usage. NCCU already has a high standard locally. The school has a very varied international student composition, plus locals, which leads to interesting partnerships and opportunities.

I’d recommend you to visit, sit in in a class, talk to the dean at the school and have a look around. They see you, you see them, they notice your interest, you can ask what can help you get in.

Best of luck. Hope it works out for you.

4 Likes

I don’t think that’s something you will have to worry about. Most English-only International Master’s programs here in Taiwan serve the purpose of providing opportunities for young people from countries that still has diplomatic ties with Taiwan. They are desperate to recruit more students, especially one with your pretty impressive credentials.

I’m personally not a fan of NCCU due to its close ties to the KMT party. After all, Chiang Kai-Shek was the first principle of NCCU. However, an English-only International Master’s programs with a lot of students from Africa and the Caribbean sounds like a perfect environment for studying International Affairs.

2 Likes

We also get the boatloads of Europeans looking for China light. Also groups from US universities that have signed agreements with the school.

Give us a try. Things change. Winky winky.

1 Like

@Icon Thank you for the input; this is very helpful. It’s good to know that I must apply for scholarships from abroad. I intend on doing that, and will be starting the application process later this year. I won’t be working while pursuing my master’s, so I intend on being quite involved on campus to make the most of my experience.

It’s interesting that you mention joint degrees - it’s something I hadn’t considered previously, so I will do some research to see if there would be anything worth pursuing there. Depending on the semester abroad options available, I would certainly be interested in doing that as well. Glad to know that the student body is diverse too, as that’s definitely a plus given I’ll be in an International Affairs program.

I’m aware NCCU is quite competitive, hence why I’m trying to do everything I can to bolster my resume and profile so that I can get in. I would be interested to learn what else could help me get admitted, beyond what I’ve done so far. If you have any other ideas on this front, feel free to let me know.

I will be making a trip to Taipei in the back half of this year, in which I’ll be meeting with the NCCU staff and also hopefully sitting in on a class or two. I would love to talk with the dean there and see what else I could do to help get in.

Thanks again for the input; I really appreciate it.

Con mucho gusto. No hay por donde.

1 Like

Thanks for your input, this is quite helpful to know. I’m definitely attracted to programs with a diverse student body, and NCCU seems to fit that bill.

Does anyone know how competitive the different scholarships available are, in the event that I’m able to get admitted? Or are they simply doled out to whichever applicants are qualified?

After my first semester I wanted to say I also really approve of the program! I really liked my professors who were great instructors and also experts in their field.

2 Likes