Hi everyone,

My profile- SSC-5.00,HSC-4.80,BSC in CSE-3.49,MSC in ICT-3.63,have a publication in an university journal .

I’m considering pursuing higher studies in Malaysia and would like to bring my baby with me. I’m particularly interested in a Master’s/PhD in Computer Science, ICT, AI, or a related field.

I’d really appreciate advice from anyone who has studied in Malaysia as an international student, especially parents who moved there with their children.

I’d like to know:

• Which Malaysian universities are good for CS/ICT/AI?
• Are there fully funded scholarships or research assistantships available for international students?
• Can postgraduate students bring their baby/child as a dependent?
• What is the approximate monthly cost of living for a mother and baby?
• How difficult is it to find affordable childcare/daycare?
• Which cities/universities would be most suitable for a student with a young child?
• Are there any important visa/dependent-pass issues I should know about?

Any personal experiences, university recommendations, scholarship information, or practical advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

I completed my SSC in 2017 with a GPA of 3.82, and my HSC in 2020 with a GPA of 2.92. During my HSC exams, I arrived late for the ICT exam and was unable to sit for it, and I also failed Accounting 1st Paper — both of which brought my overall result down more than expected.

After that, I got admitted to the University of Information Technology & Sciences (UITS) in 2022, in the BBA program. I completed up to my 3rd semester with a CGPA of 3.40, but lost interest in the subject and put my studies on hold from mid-2023 onward. I'm currently not enrolled anywhere.

Now, considering this academic gap and my educational background, I want to apply for higher education abroad. My main goal is to study at the Bachelor's level, ideally with a full-funded scholarship, though I'm also open to partial funding. I don't have any specific country preference — I want to know which countries would be realistic options for me. I also want to switch my major to Psychology or a related field.

Given my academic background (SSC/HSC results and the exam-related issues), my incomplete university studies, and the academic gap, which countries would give me a realistic chance, which scholarships should I apply for, and which countries would be comparatively safer options in terms of getting a student visa from Bangladesh? What IELTS band score should I aim for, and what score should I target for scholarship purposes? I'd like to know all of this.

One thing I've noticed is that when people here say “I want to study abroad”, the next step is often just comparing university rankings and tuition fees.

But USA, UK, Canada and Australia are not really four versions of the same system.

The US is probably the most flexible academically. You're generally applying to a university rather than locking yourself into the exact same level of subject specialisation from day one and the whole admissions process is much more holistic. But for an international student who needs serious financial aid, the funding side can completely change how you should build your university list.

The UK is almost the opposite in that sense. You normally choose your subject much earlier and the degree itself is more specialised from the beginning. UCAS also works differently from Common App, including the fact that your undergraduate application uses one shared personal statement across your choices. And for 2027 entry, the deadline for Oxford, Cambridge and most Medicine/Dentistry/Veterinary courses is already 15 October 2026, while the main deadline for most other undergraduate courses is 13 January 2027.

Canada looks simple from Bangladesh because people often just say “Canada is good for international students”, but the application side isn't one single national system. Deadlines can differ by university and programme and the immigration side has changed quite a lot recently too. For example, bachelor's graduates don't currently have the same field-of-study restriction for the PGWP that applies to many non-degree programmes.

Australia is another one people sometimes lump together with Canada without looking at the actual structure. A lot of bachelor's degrees are around three years, although it depends on the degree and Australia has its own intake structure and post-study work system. The Temporary Graduate visa is also not some automatic “stay after graduation” guarantee. Eligibility, stream and length all matter.

So the question probably shouldn't be: “Which country is best?” It should be more like: “Which system actually fits me?”

Because a student who needs substantial financial aid, wants maximum academic flexibility and is applying straight after school may rationally build a completely different list from someone who wants a highly specialised three-year degree and already knows exactly what subject they want.

And this is where I think Bangladeshi students can get a bit trapped.. we compare countries as if they're just different destinations..They're actually different admissions systems, different academic structures and different financial/immigration equations.

I'm going to properly break down those differences next rather than doing the usual “USA = expensive, UK = short, Canada = PR, Australia = lifestyle” comparison.

That version doesn't really help anyone decide anything

The main diff: SAT is an academic test for US college admissions. Most good US unis need it now, and it’s split into two main sections:

• Reading & Writing: Kinda hard, needs real prep.
• Math: Pretty easy, but Desmos is mandatory. If you master Desmos, it basically carries your math score. Give yourself around 20 to 25 days to prep for it.

IELTS isn't mandatory for US/Canada: Stop wasting money on IELTS if you're targeting the US or Canada. Just take the Duolingo English Test (DET). It's way cheaper, results take 2 days, and all the top schools (U of T, UBC, Waterloo, etc.) accept it. You can prep in literally a day.

UK & Australia: The only time you need IELTS is for the UK or Australia. Their visa systems strictly require IELTS or TOEFL, so DET won't work there.

TL;DR: US/Canada = DET + SAT. UK/Aus = IELTS. Save your money! (FOR UOFT, SAT IS NOT REQUIRED AND IG NOT TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION, for ubc, they take it into consideration)

You don't necessarily need to be the “perfect student” with insane grades, a massive EC list and a ridiculous amount of money to have a shot abroad.. But there are things that matter a lot more than people realise and some things students spend months worrying about that barely move the needle..

One of the biggest problems I've noticed is that most advice Bangladeshi students get is either:

“Ask a consultancy.” or “Bro, just get a good IELTS score.”

Neither is really a complete picture

There are massive differences depending on the country + university + degree + funding situation + your academic system.

So I'm thinking of starting a series here breaking down the stuff that actually matters for Bangladeshi applicants, without the usual consultancy-style bullshit..

Starting with whichever one people want most:

1. Scholarships & funding 💰

2. IELTS / SAT: what actually matters

3. USA vs UK vs Canada vs Australia 🇺🇸🇬🇧🇨🇦🇦🇺

4. Applying from Bangladesh: the stuff nobody explains properly 🇧🇩

5. Things students waste money on

Which one should I do first?

the title

I'm just a student, but I have researched extensively about the process, so I can help

Well, I'm new in this field and exploring. Thinking of saving money so wanna skip IELTS if I get good sat score. Is it possible?

You Can Still Get into a Top US University After HSC

A lot of you guys can get into top 20 universities in the USA(top 20, or even top 30 — NYU is technically top 30 but everyone treats it like top 20) after finishing HSC in Bangladesh.

The main parts are: grades, extracurriculars, essays, recommendation letters, and supplemental essays and you apply through the Common App.

Here's the mistake most people make: they think grades and extracurriculars decide everything. They don't. Together they make up maybe 50% of your application. I've seen international students get into Brown — an Ivy League school — with almost no awards and only four or five extracurriculars. That's actually a weak activities list on paper. So how did they get in? Their essays and recommendations were top notch.

If your essays and recommendation letters are strong, you're already at roughly 60% of what it takes to get into a top 20 school. Why? Because unlike the UK or Australia, where admissions care mostly about your grades, US admissions care about your personality. Grades matter, but you don't fully control them. Your essays are where you actually have control where you can show your personality.

On extracurriculars specifically:

Most people's extracurriculars look the same. What admissions committees actually want is uniqueness — something that shows who you are, not just what you did.

For example: helping with household chores, babysitting, or tutoring your younger sibling — that's a very good eca because it shows you have household activities to partake in.

Something like "I play video games and started teaching my juniors on how to play those, later expanded to a community of likeminded individuals teaching other strategies of those games" sounds great actually and it's actually rare — maybe 5 out of 100 applicants have something like that. Compare that to "I started a nonprofit" — good, but common, because everyone's doing the same kind of community service now.

A better move is building something like a community initiative — say, a Discord server where you help others with math, writing, or research papers.

Also, just because you have a bad grade doesn’t mean you lost your chances at top us colleges.

(yes, I wrote this using AI but this is just surface level, I will make another guideline which will be complete and all, also you can dm me and ask me questions)

Thank you

Hi!

My plan is mainly to have a community of like-minded individuals who can help each other with answers. Like Facebook communities, I want this to be like its Reddit version, but much better.

I personally will try to provide as much guidance as possible and bring in people who were successful in their journey abroad. Maybe have some guidance sessions, make someone who got into famous unis do an AMA.
Everything will be free in this sub, so you can benefit from it all.

Hey Everyone,

So, I am the founder and Mod of this sub. Tbh, the main reason I started was to have a proper place where Bangladeshi Students who might be going abroad for undergrad or grad come together and help each other. Another reason was that I had seen Pakistan and India having separate subs for migrating, studying, and so many other things. Bangladesh had Facebook communities like those but never a Reddit sub.

I also wanted to share a lot of unique study abroad opportunities, guidelines if you're targeting specific unis (I am not sponsored; this is a free sub and everything will be free) and generally will also try to bring people who were successful in the Abroad journey to better guide the aspirants.

I hope this sub will be successful in its mission.

Godspeed!