Context ¶
This post is directed to Kenyan parents/guardians who have child in high school that is about to sit for their KCSE. It’s never too early to start thinking of possible next steps.
If your child has already started undergraduate classes at a local university, it’s a bit risky for them to start thinking of undergraduate US universities. The applications and required exams are time-consuming.
When I talk about US universities, I’m only referring to the ones that provide full (or close to full) scholarships to international students based on how much the family can afford. There are scholarships that require the student to be an athlete or maintain a certain GPA, but I’m not well-versed to advise on such scholarships.
What is it going to cost? ¶
| Item | Cost (USD) | Cost (KES) | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT | 103 | 12,706 | SATs are the equivalent of KCSE. The SAT tests on Reading and Math. |
| Application Fee | Between 50 and 100 per university. | 6,168 to 12,335 per university | If you these costs are too much, you can request a waiver. Universities usually grant this waiver. |
| Miscellaneous | ~75 | 9,252 | SAT Prep Books, Internet Access |
| Total | 178 | 21,958 | We’ve not included the application fees because most applicants request waivers. We recommend applying to 8 schools. |
The costs in this post were obtained on 26th Dec, 2022. Conversion rate at the time: 1 USD = 123.35 KES.
Should you and your child take such a bet? ¶
US universities cost ~27m KES for the 4 years. The bet costs ~29,000 KES. There are other costs down the road like air tickets, visa fees and immunizations, but once your child has a full scholarship at the world’s best universities, the rest tends to fall into place. For instance, Princeton paid for my flight.
The universities that provide scholarships tend to accept between 4% and 15% of their 30,000 or so applicants. A good portion of the 30,000 applicants are quite qualified. Luck plays a role in the admission process, but again, looking at the students who get accepted, it’s impossible to point out who got lucky. It’s a matter of giving your best shot and crossing your fingers.
First gauge your child’s current academic ability. Getting an A- or above in KCSE is a good indicator of performing well in the exams needed for admission. However, unlike in Kenyan universities where academic merit is the sole factor, US universities consider a combination of academic ability, achievements, letters of recommendation and personal essays.
It’s also crucial that your child also wants to attend a US university. Introduce them to the idea, but don’t force it on them. The application process requires a lot of deliberate effort - parental influence can only take them so far. If your child wants this, but you’re not enthusiastic about it, give them your support either way. Striving to obtain a great education is a noble goal.
Why didn’t I know about this? ¶
Most of us went to Mang’u, Alliance, Starehe, Maryhill, etc. The teachers at these schools tend to be knowledgeable about the application process. These schools also tend to have alumni that attended university abroad, and the alumni usually come back to their alma maters to encourage the current students to apply to universities abroad.
By spreading this information and guidance to a larger audience, we hope that more students decide to try their luck at these college applications.
What about attending local universities? ¶
If your child is taking Medicine or Law, then a Kenyan university is probably the better choice. Medicine and Law are not offered as undergraduate degrees in the US.
The applications open on August 1st, and close by January. The first set of admission results are out in December, and the second set of results come are released in March/April. If your child gets accepted, they’ll start school in the US in the September after getting their admission results.
A well-crafted college application takes time and effort. Some students choose to attend the first year of class at Kenyan universities. Others defer enrollment in order to give college applications their full attention. I was in the second group - I joined EaSEP at Nandi Hills and later worked as an SAT Tutor before joining university.
I got accepted into JKUAT’s Civil Engineering and was part of the September 2014 intake. It took a bit of convincing, but my parents allowed me to defer my JKUAT admission for a year and focus on the college application process.
Luckily, my bet paid off, but I also have peers who didn’t get admitted or who didn’t get a big enough scholarship. However, in the grand scheme of things, deferring for a year isn’t the end of the world.
Closing Note ¶
Our parents are proud of the decisions that we made three years ago. You probably will too. If you have the means to take this bet, please do!
Brief Intro: I’m Chege, currently a 4th year undergraduate student at Princeton University. I studied at Mang’u High School in Kenya.