American Degree Transfer Program at Taylor's University

Assalamualaikum

Hello!

Many post-SPM students who wish to study abroad are considering to do Cambridge A-levels and International Baccalaureate (IB) for their Pre-U. I'm certain that these two programs are very familiar among the students. But do you guys ever heard about Canadian Pre-U (CPU), South Australian Matriculation (SAM) and American Degree Transfer Program (ADTP / ADP)? Most of the private Colleges like Taylor's, INTI and Sunway offer those programs.

But here I'm going to share about ADP since I was at it before. Most people do not know what ADP actually is all about. When they heard of "American Degree", Oh going to the States. Yes, they're right. Nevertheless, we can also transfer our credits to certain universities in Canada and Australia as well.

Basically, ADP is divided into two programs: 1+4 year program and 2+2 year program. I am doing 1+4 year program which means 1 year of pre-u studies at Taylor's University and 4 years of undergraduate studies in the US. I've completed two semesters (one year) in ADP and will be enrolling into U of Minnesota in Fall 2017 as a freshman.

Based on my experience, I would say that I'm very satisfied with the learning environment in Taylor's ADP. The lecturers are very good and approachable. Taylor's ADP follows the American education system where there is a lot of coursework throughout the semester. Here you will be graded continuously via assignments, coursework, tests, quizzes, presentations and even attendance and participation. All these can contribute to approximately 70% with the remaining 30% via final exam. The final grade for each semester is called GPA (Grade Point Average) on a 0.0 to 4.0 scale.

  

p/s : Course evaluation for every subject may be varied from one another.

How to calculate the GPA and CGPA?

For example:

Semester 1: Fall 2016

Subject	Credit Hours	Grade	Grade Points	Total Grade Points
Calculus I	5	A-	3.70	5 x 3.70 = 18.5
English Composition I	3	A+	4.00	3 x 4.00 = 12
Microeconomics	3	A	4.00	3 x 4.00 = 12
TOTAL	11			42.5

GPA   = Total Grade Point ÷ Total Credit Hours

           = 42.5 ÷ 11

           = 3.86

CGPA = 3.86

Semester 2: Spring 2017

Subject	Credit Hours	Grade	Grade Points	Total Grade Points
Calculus II	5	A	4.00	5 x 4.00 = 20
Introduction to Music	3	A+	4.00	3 x 4.00 = 12
Macroeconomics	3	A	4.00	3 x 4.00 = 12
TOTAL	11			44

GPA   = 44 ÷ 11

           = 4.00

CGPA = 3.86 + 4.00

                      2

           = 3.93

Yes, the percentage to get an A is very high but it's not impossible tho. Here you can choose the subjects and the lecturers. If you're lucky, you can even arrange your own timetable. Also, different lecturers have different teaching styles. But trust me, all the lecturers in Taylor's ADP are very good and well-experienced! 

How's life as an ADPian?

Well, I would say that I enjoy being an ADPian at Taylor's Uni because of the diverse environment, excellent facilities, holistic learning methods, experienced lecturers and friendly friends. Here, you can have countless opportunities to develop yourself in becoming all-rounders by joining clubs and societies such as ADP Crimson League, Economania Club, ADP Futsal Club and Community Service Club. However, I only managed to join Community Service Club during my second sem and get involved in Stock Challenge that had been organized by Economania Club during my first sem. 

In terms of workload, it really depends on the lecturers. Petronas and Maybank scholars in Taylor's ADP might be very busy during the first semester because of the SAT, TOEFL, supplementary essays for university applications and ADP's coursework. We all need to complete all those kinds of stuff in Fall semester because we're only doing one-year preparation. 

What is the SAT?

SAT stands for Scholastic Assessment Test. It's a standardized college admission test (some kind of SPM) and is handled by College Board. In March 2016, the SAT has changed its format. The old SAT's total score was 2400 while the new SAT's total score is 1600. I took the new SAT on October 2016 and the format is as below:

Section A: Critical Reading (52 questions, 65 mins)

Section B: Writing and Language (44 questions, 35 mins)

Section C: Math without Calculator (20 questions, 25 mins)

Section D: Math with Calculator (38 questions, 55 mins)

Section E: Essay (Optional and essay score is separate from your Math, Reading & Writing scores)

If you're planning to take the SAT, I would highly suggest you do the online practice at Khan Academy. Most of the exercise books can also be found at MPH Bookstores. I would recommend you to buy the latest edition of The Princeton Review, Kaplan or College Board. These are the books that most of my scholar mates used for SAT preparation. 

For essay section, it is optional, depending on which universities that you want to apply. Most of the top universities (Ivy League etc.) require you to take the SAT essay. The essay scores are divided into three parts which include; reading (2 to 8), analysis (2 to 8), and writing (2 to 8)

For Petronas and Maybank scholars during my batch, we learned all the techniques to answer the SAT questions from Cartisans Consultancy a month before the ADP classes started (SAT Workshop: mid-July until mid-August). 

For those who wish to apply into the Ivy League, you may require to take the SAT Subject Test.

What is TOEFL iBT test?

TOEFL (iBT) stands for Test of English as a Foreign Language (internet-based). It's an English proficiency test for students who come from the non-English speaking countries and who wish to study in the US or other English-speaking countries. 

Mostly TOEFL is accepted in USA, Canada and IELTS is mostly accepted in UK.

How to apply for US universities?

Every university has a different requirement. Do check the requirement first before you begin the application. This is because most of the US universities require you to pay the application fee in order for them to process your application. Please make sure that you qualify the university's requirement unless money is not your issue.

My pathway along the application process

• July '16: Started preparing for SAT, TOEFL and personal statement
• Aug '16: Fall semester in ADP began
• Sept'16: Started filling in the online application form (CommonApp), doing the supplementary essays and preparing a recommendation letter.
• Oct '16: Took the SAT Test and TOEFL iBT.
• Nov '16: ADP Final Exam, sent the online application forms and paid the application fee by using a credit card
• Dec '16: Sent all the required documents (school transcript, SPM results etc.) by courier and kept track of my application status

The date of admission results for every university may be different. Mostly the universities will release their results in March. 

I think that's all for now. I hope this information is helpful for you. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors!

Thank you for reading.