US varsity offers surprise scholars

BY SHARMILLA GANESAN
educate@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: Gaining admission to not one, but eight, top American universities is a feat indeed.

SPM top scorer Anushree Lalitha Subramaniam herself was taken aback by the positive response from eight of 10 universities she applied to.

So much so that Anushree, one of the country’s top three scorers in SPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia) 2004, has a tough time choosing between her three favourites – Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Yale University and University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.

The eloquent 19-year-old from Petaling Jaya, who scored 14 1As for her SPM, admitted that she was surprised when the offer letters came pouring in.

AWARD RECIPIENTS: Anushree and Tian Seng sharing their joy with Bank Negara Human Resource Management Department deputy directors Adhari Belal Din and Norliza Mohd Zin during a visit to the central bank on Thursday.

“I’m not sure why I’ve been selected, but one reason could be that US universities not only look at your academic achievements but also your extra-curricular activities,” said Anushree, who is currently completing the Preparatory Programme for Overseas Universities at Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten).

Anushree, who hopes to double major in economics and music, is one of the three Bank Negara Special Scholarship Awards recipients who got full scholarships to pursue a study option of their choice without being bonded to the central bank.

Fellow beneficiary Leong Tian Seng, 19, of Ipoh, who was also one of the three top scorers, was offered a place by six prestigious US universities, including Carnegie Mellon University and University of Michigan.

“I’m elated to be accepted into Carnegie Mellon, as it is one of the top schools for computer engineering,” said the 13 1A-scorer.

Anushree and Tian Seng were in Bank Negara on Thursday to share their good news with the bank officials.

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