We get so many e-mails about intenraitonal education news that we thought we would provide you links to see what is going on in the world of international education.
Today’s topics relate to recruiting students from Sri Lanka, the current state of the U.S. financial market and how that is affecting international business students looking to work in the United States after college, an opinion on using international student recruiting agencies and the state of education in South Korea.
Click on any of the links below to read more about the topic.
If you are an international student finding yourself surprised at every corner of the 2008 Presidential race you are not alone! American politics, this year especially, is full of surprises even for me as an American. We have two candidates promising to bring change to this country. There is no doubt in my mind that both candidates care very much about the future of the United States as a country – which is a good thing. The election of the next President should be about making an informed decision about who we believe will be the best leader of the United States. Correct me if I am wrong? What complicates matters is all the media hype, websites like TheRealMcCain.com and the inevitable twists that occur during the campaign trail. It is sometimes difficult to decipher what information is accurate and what is a stretch of the truth.
Studying in a foreign country requires adapting to change to some degree and that often results in culture shock. So apparently in the US this year we wanted to make sure you are getting a full dose of culture shock. The political situation is yet another part of the experience and I would encourage you to embrace the opportunity to get involved and have open conversation about these topics to share your worldly perspective.
Bianca deCastro from the San Jose State University Spartan Daily newspaper published an article yesterday that offered the international student perspective on this year’s US Presidential election between Obama and McCain. The part of the article I found most interesting was the mention of having international students in the classrooms of US universities. International students can offer American students a valuable outside-the-box view into American politics, which is often missing.
So again, I say if you are an international student in the US troubled by American politics maybe it would help to find a small mixed group of students to have an open discussion and share your perspective. I think it is a great chance to let off some steam. You never know you might influence the decision of someone who will be voting in November.
From looking at the first reports of many schools around the U.S. and talking to people from the various universities and colleges in the U.S. it seems that the trend of international students studying in the U.S. is greatly increasing. I am sure there are many factors influencing this situation ranging from the economic, a depressed U.S. dollar to the many colleges and universities helping international students afford studying in the U.S.
For example, schools like Minnesota State are experiencing vast increases in the amount of international students studying at their university. Minnesota State has had a 30% increase from the previous academic year which according to their director of international student affairs is attributed to the fact that either financially, international students can afford the reduced in-state cost of tuition offered to international students or from a customer service standpoint the office has added additional staff to better help international students study at their university.
Another type of school that has a financial appeal to international students and has seen improvements in the number of international students is the community college. Take Bunker Hill Community College for example (yes that is the school from the Matt Damon movie Good Will Hunting) now has 680 international students representing 95 countries. Community colleges have such a great appeal because of their inexpensive tuition and are a great opportunity for international students who can’t yet afford a 4 year college.
If you are an international student interested in studying in the U.S. take a look at these examples and understand that there are opportunities for you to study there. Again, make sure you are finding colleges and universities that are the right fit for you financially, socially and academically.
As international students we have a drive to get out and see the world. I have been reading through the blogs today and came across a call for international students to participate in an ‘international student travel video contest’.
Reading through the website it looks like all an international student has to do to win is to create a video and tell your story about a proposed trip. You can read the official call for student videos here…
The grand prize of this contest is $3,000 to take a trip anywhere in the world. So if you are a student looking for another travel experience check out this contest and see if you can win.
As you know we truly advocate for all students around the world to have international education experiences. We know that the benefits of an international education experience go far beyond the classroom to understand how to deal with other cultures and people. Companies around the world, especially the multinationals are in dire need of students who have the ability to work cross culturally.
Take a look at this blog from Redmarketer and their thoughts on the benefits international students have regarding job opportunities after graduating college.
We hear it all the time but it has never been more apparent… the world is shrinking and our nations borders are little more than lines on a piece of paper. To be successful in today’s business environment one needs to be able to work effectively cross culturally and who better to fill those important positions than the students who lived and studied in new countries.
For those looking to gain an advantage in the corporate or job marketplace the best place to start is with an international education experience.
This afternoon it was confirmed that two new institutions Worcester Polytechnic Institute (video) and Emmanuel College had signed on as goSwoop’s newest partners. The count of partner institutions is officially eleven and there are many more coming soon!
Equally exciting is having 90 new team members added to the goSwoop family! Let me explain. goSwoop is one of several companies selected to take part in a rigorous semester-long project course called GB301 at Bentley College. The 90 new members of the goSwoop team are mostly comprised of third year undergraduate students at Bentley. This evening Cort, Fayaz and I presented to three class sections to provide them with a general background about goSwoop.
Their primary responsibilities throughout the semester will be to conduct research about the international education market and work in groups to develop business plans that offer suggestions on how they believe goSwoop can be improved. The course is broken down into three different sections – finance, marketing and operations, each of which is lead by a different professor. All of the professors involved with the course bring invaluable experiences to the classroom for students to use as a resource. We will be updating you frequently on the progress of the GB301 class and we are looking forward to collaborating with the students.
The overall goal we established for the three classes is to help develop solutions for goSwoop to increase its international student and university user base. At the end of the semester each group will be responsible for presenting the ideas they have developed and will be responsible for submitting a final business plan. The group with the best business plan will receive a $500 reward for their efforts.
I know that a lot of students are worried about how they are going to feel when they come to study in the U.S. It is a great question because nearly every student goes through this process. Here is a video from a student at Columbia Business School who gave this presentation during Columbia Business School’s orientation for first year international students. I think it offers great insight on how you can feel more comfortable and enjoy your international study experience in the U.S.
Part 1 – First Experience of Living in the U.S.
Part 2 – The American Phrasebook (VERY GOOD INFORMATION!)
If you are interested in listening to more of the presentation, click here…
The 2008 US Presidential Election has ignited the participation of students, not just in the US, but around the world. For the student population this is perhaps the most exciting time in politics we have ever experienced. I think it is amazing to have discussions filled with passion among friends in social settings about this year’s candidates. There is no doubt the hype is largely due to the historical Democratic primary race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama coupled with the US strong disapproval of George W. The weeks and months leading up to the November election are sure to get increasingly heated as Obama and McCain make their arguments for why they should be our next President.
I recently read an article McCain or Obama: Israel Debates written by Sara Sorcher from ABC news that offered an different perspective. The article describes the concerns of Israeli and Palestinian international students and what has motivated them to get involved in this years US Presidential Election – even without a vote.
The last eight years of US foreign policy has certainly left a big black mark on the US reputation around the world. However, there are people who are ’sad’ to see Bush leave office. In countries such as Israel some people feel a sense of security having US Military presence and inevitably the upcoming change in Administration brings uncertainty.
I would like to think we can expect the next President of the US to take greater care when it comes to our actions internationally. I am hopeful for brighter days and efforts to increase diplomacy which will encourage peace! I will definitely be thinking about the Israeli and Palestinian students while watching Obama and McCain argue their positions on Israel in the upcoming debates.
Today it wasn’t easy for me to wake up. Yesterday I played an epic tennis match against Jake (which of course I won) and did a crazy P90x chest and back workout with Tony (who I think is hillarious as well) which left me at the end of the day exhausted. Last night I fell asleep with my computer on my lap trying to finish up a presentation for goSwoop.
I tried for the first time in about two weeks to get more than 6 hours of sleep but failed to successfully disable my alarm and yet again was up at 6:30am. Needless to say I could have been a bit of a grump this morning. I popped out of bed and tried to go for a walk to get the blood flowing but somehow managed to have my eyes closed for a majority of the time I was walking. If someone saw me I probably looked like a zombie stumbling down the road.
So now that I am in the mobile office (today it’s Cosi) I had to get myself amped for the day. I want to bring the enthusiasm and get some more good stuff going on goSwoop. Today I needed a good laugh so I watched a video that I think is absolutely hilarious from Saturday Night Live by Adam Samberg. Take a look and get ready to laugh!!!
Hopefully, like me, this video set you in a good mood to start your day. Let me know what you think!
Fall semester has started and I see many new faces on campus. They all look excited about “college life” – away from parents, more freedom, more parties…. and of course, “dorm life”. Dorm life is a big part of college for many students. In Preben Gietz’s blog entry in GoSwoop, he shares his dorm life experience.
When I came to college I had no idea what a freshmen dorm is like. To be honest I never really thought much about it. All I knew was that I was going to live in a room with a roommate in a building with other students and that I was going to have to share a bathroom. As it turned out….. (click here for more)
Expectations vary regardless of where students come from. Not all dorm life is like the typical-hollywood-movie-style where there are parties all the time. There may be some level of freedom in dorms, however, it isn’t like an oasis where you get what you want, a place to relax and a place to be free. In fact, it’s the opposite. There are less freedoms since there are rules to follow (such as keeping alcohol in the room or blasting the music at night).
Dorm life is really fun. But requires lots of effort – keeping clean, doing laundry on your own, and more. It’s experience and it’s different for everyone. Post your college dorm experience on goSwoop and get tips on how to create a good living space!
I recently spoke to Amina Saigol. She is a senior at the Lahore American School who will be attending Brown University in the Fall. In this scoop Amina shares how she prepared for the US college and university application process.
