Published in Sunday Observer 28th March 2010

Have you ever been interested in higher education, but felt overwhelmed by the challenges to achieving that goal? Searching for that perfect university is definitely a difficult process. There are many universities around the world that you can attend and it can be very difficult to find and receive information that is specific to you. It is even harder since many parents and students do not even know of the opportunities that are open for them when considering a university.  This is where SL2College can help Sri Lankans who have an interest in higher education, and help them achieve their goals whether at home or abroad.

SL2College was created in 2005 with the primary focus on providing important information about higher education.  The organization is powered by Sri Lankan students, who have attended universities in Sri Lanka and around the world. These students have first-hand experience and knowledge about the many questions that surround the path to higher education. With the help of the internet, the SL2College website has connected Sri Lankans worldwide into one big community. These students have gathered together to help offer their services in providing information to other students who have an interest in attending universities at home or abroad.

A Community for Learning

This global community interacts with each other through the SL2College website (www.sl2college.com). The website is the foundation of the organization and supplies relevant information about educational opportunities in Sri Lanka and around the world. One of the most important aspects of the website is the forum section where students have the chance to post their own questions and also receive answers from others that have already gone through certain experiences. All previous queries and replies are archived in the forum and are available to all members.

Another important feature of the website is the resource section. It consists of the many articles and questions and answers written by members of SL2College. You could search through the articles to see what interests you, and read through the experiences that the members have gone through while attending university. There are articles about specific degrees for undergraduate and graduate degrees, along with general information for applying to universities in the US.

SL2College is for Everyone

As indicated above, finding a university or a particular program can be a difficult process, but with the help from SL2College, this is made easier for you. The organization is there to help deliver free, unbiased advice about higher education and to make sure you are aware of all options available to you. Although SL2College primarily targets students, parents can also search through the website with questions that they might have about higher education and about the best options available for their children.

As stated earlier in this article, the forum section on the SL2College website can be of great use to everyone. When applying to a university, it would be very beneficial to you if there was someone that you can ask questions from about the respective university. In this case, a question about the process can be placed in the forum section of the SL2College website, and then anyone who has information can post the answer to your question directly. There are also scholarship opportunities posted on the website, along with advice from students who have already received certain types of aid. A good way to get information about aid from specific universities (apart from the financial aid office) is usually through the students that attended that university.  And with the help of SL2College, that connection can be accessible to you.

When choosing a respective country to attend university in, many students have different objectives they look into. For example, some students might be more comfortable relocating to a country where they already know someone, such as a loved one or a family friend. But others might be more focused on looking only at their opportunities through a certain degree or educational goal. Online, you can definitely find many college ranking websites, however the information that you will receive from these sites will not be very significant or specific to you. With SL2College, you will have the chance to find students that have gone to the universities that you are interested in and compare the information you discover from these students to better narrow down your options. If you find that certain fields of studies are not presented in the resource section of the SL2College community, the administration of SL2College will go out of their way to find a volunteer that can help answer your questions.

Not just in Cyberspace

As a more beneficial attribute to students living in Sri Lanka, SL2College has had seminars in Sri Lanka, to help educate students about the opportunities that are available to them. The organization has already held seminars at University of Moratuwa and at Royal College. Currently, the association has the Fulbright Commission and the US Embassy cooperating together to present the seminars, however, for the future, they are planning on expanding the participation to include speakers from other countries such as United Kingdom and Australia. In addition to the seminars, for the past year SL2College has been publishing articles about foreign education in some weekly and daily newspapers. This article announces an exciting new partnership with the Sunday Observer to publish articles and to run a weekly SL2College column about higher education.

It’s Free, Unbiased and Open!

SL2College is a free, unbiased organization that works independently from all universities and recruiting agencies. Due to the association not being affiliated with any educational institutions, volunteers are employed to give their own advice on specific matters. The volunteers involved with this organization consider it their obligation to help provide the best educational guidance for anyone with an interest in education. These volunteers are very devoted in believing that everyone should have the opportunity to receive the best education possible. The volunteers of SL2College are a very significant component of the organization and their dedication helps provide reliable information to other students.

Your Future with SL2College

Although SL2College cannot directly choose the right university for you, the organization was created to provide accurate and reliable information to prospective students and parents. The community has advanced greatly since 2005 and is looking into globalizing the network. Currently, the main source of information about higher education is from the United States, but there are many volunteers from other countries around the world that are giving their assistance to the community. Along with the volunteers, the organization consists of active members from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka. Plans are under way to expand coverage to other popular educational destinations such as China, Russia, India, and many more. The organization is also hoping to have more volunteers cooperating with the SL2College community and including their input about educational opportunities.  As for now, the seminars are primarily located in Colombo, but there is a plan to start seminars out of Colombo and broaden the spread of SL2College throughout Sri Lanka.

If you are interested in higher education, join the community at www.sl2college.com, browse through the website and use the opportunity to grasp a better understanding of universities in foreign countries. Take the time to search through the site and feel free to post any questions you believe are of great importance to you. To volunteer your time and experience for SL2College, contact an administrator at info@sl2college.com as your assistance will help guide Sri Lankan students in accomplishing their educational goals.