international education

How your US College Application is Evaluated

March 21, 2017 by Chiranth Nataraj

Students from around the globe seek out colleges and universities in the United States to continue their own personal educational opportunities. Why? One reason is that the U.S. has a wide array of schools that specialize in a variety of different educational topics. While most institutions offer the same core areas of study, there are some schools that are known as among the very best in the world in relation to studying medicine, others that are tops among law schools, still others that emphasize journalism, and so on. So by attending one of these schools you can earn a great foundation in all educational topics, but if there is one particular area in which you wish to emphasize so as to further your career prospects, you can do that as well.

For students who wish to build a long term life for themselves in the United States, attending school there is a great way to get that started. Attending university in the U.S. will allow a student to get firsthand experience with the language, culture, and customs to see if it is a good fit for them and to speed up the acclimation process. It can also be a great way to get a head start on becoming a permanent citizen and finding an employer.
All U.S. colleges and universities love to bring in international students from across the globe. It is in a school’s best interest to be able to show that they have a widely diverse pool of attendees, and that they attract the top academic available both in terms of students and professors.

In fact, in 2015 it was reported by NPR that there were 975,000 international students attending schools in the United States. That’s not only a big number, but a fast-rising one as well, as it’s up 10%. If you would like to add yourself to the list, one of the first questions you will need to investigate is how your application to a school in the U.S. will be evaluated.

One important caveat that must be discussed when diving into this topic is that because of the new Presidential regime in the United States, there is much concern about the future of immigration in the country. Because of this, standards around how immigrants are evaluated, even for something temporary as schooling, may change at any point.
Aside from how visitors to the country are evaluated in general, one important consideration for your U.S. college application will be what entrance exams you have taken and how you performed on them. There are two main entrance exams required by universities – the SAT and the ACT. These tests are designed to assess your readiness for university based on a variety of educational competencies. Each school has its own minimum score needed to earn acceptance, so you will need to contact the specific schools you are interested in attending or look on their web sites, as this information is easily found there. Knowing which to take could be confusing, so you can consult this helpful guide from The Princeton Review.

Another consideration that will be important is what type of school you are applying to. Are you applying to an undergraduate program or a graduate program? Graduate programs will be more stringent in their acceptance as they take in fewer students per year since the teaching is focused on a very specific course of study that requires more intensive and intimate teaching.

You may also need letters of recommendation from existing educators, employers, or other trustworthy figures who can vouch for your intellect, work ethic, and character. How many letters of recommendation and from whom will vary by school, as will most other admission requirements.

One final area to think of in reviewing college applications to the United States is your Visa status or the status of your passport. Schools will want to make sure you are eligible to legally attend and there will be no chance of you being deported. For more information on obtaining a Visa or passport as a student, you can read here

Again, each school will differ somewhat in their exact requirements, but the basics of having your application evaluated include taking and scoring well on an entrance exam, obtaining letter of recommendation, knowing which type of school you want to attend, and having your travel documents in order. Aligning those components with the requirements of your desired United States-based college or university is the critical first step to gaining admission.

International Baccalaureate: Pros and Cons

February 21, 2017 by Chiranth Nataraj

Have you heard of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program? This educational program is often shortened to the IB. The International Baccalaureate is studied by students around the world and is a valuable learning resource for young people.

There are many advantages associated with the International Baccalaureate, and some disadvantages to weigh up, too. Find out more about the International Baccalaureate and whether it is a good fit for your students.

What Is An International Baccalaureate Diploma Program?

In the International Baccalaureate program, students split their work into six different courses, with three of these courses taken at the standard level and three courses taken at the higher level. Students pick a subject from each of the course groups numbered one to five, and then they choose a sixth course from group six, or from any of the groups one to five. The learning in the International Baccalaureate is arranged to be able to give students a deep knowledge and breadth of education, focusing across the different groups of study.

Group one is literature, or a language study in the mother tongue. Group two is a foreign language. Group three is a subject from the study of society and individuals, for example business management, psychology, history, or the environment. Group four is science. Group five is math or computing. Group six is the arts, including music and theatre.

The assessment and the core of the International Baccalaureate is made up of an extended essay which is chosen and researched by the student, and which numbers 4,000 words. Theory of Knowledge is a way of assessing that the student is able to pay critical attention to different forms of knowledge such as emotion, language, reason, and perception, as well as different types of knowledge like artistic, and historical. The extra-curricular activity Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) allows students to complete real tasks outside of the classroom. This helps students shape their personalities, and develop new skills within their community.

Advantages of the International Baccalaureate:

Students’ Futures

The International Baccalaureate has long been considered a sound and effective preparation for further study in the US and for working life. Students report being able to deal more effectively with study at university after following the program, as it equips them more soundly for further study than other high school programs. The International Baccalaureate often turns out students who are better rounded, more confident, and more experienced.

Studies show that students completing the International Baccalaureate attain significantly more first class degrees and upper second class degrees in the UK. International Baccalaureate students are more likely to be enrolled in the top universities. And they were more likely to be employed with graduate employers at a better rate of pay than students completing other educational programs.

International Focus

As the name suggests, the International Baccalaureate is designed to be taken by students across the world. This makes it particularly suitable for students who may move countries during their studies, as the IB is recognized by many educational institutions globally. Students get a better, broader view of the world through the program as they are taught about working and living in a global economy.

Transferable Skills

Completing the International Baccalaureate gives students a number of transferable skills which are looked on favorably by employers. These are skills like time management, problem solving, communication, and independent working.

The International Baccalaureate is a rigorous program that gives students many skills in learning to deal with a full workload, which will automatically serve them well when they go to college.

Greater Scope

Children are given the opportunity to develop skills over a broad range of subjects that are otherwise dropped when continuing with another educational program. They continue to get exposure to all parts of the academic stream, and can develop skills in foreign languages while focusing on other areas. The inclusion of the extra input of the creativity, activity, service (CAS) component also ensures that students benefit from a holistic education.

Disadvantages of the International Baccalaureate:

Cost

The International Baccalaureate program is not cheap to run, which means that few schools and institutions run it. It is most often included as an option at paid private schools, which may put it outside the reach of many families.

Access

The fact that there is less choice in schools where the IB program is offered also means that parents may not find a school close to them that allows their students to study the International Baccalaureate. Many of the International Baccalaureate schools are not centrally located or are only located within major cities.

Why Aren’t More Latin American Students Coming to the US?

January 22, 2014 by Chiranth Nataraj

A study shows that large numbers of students from Asian countries like India, China and South Korea come to the US for higher education when compared to the Latin American students.

Obama’s opened the doors to Latin American students – but are they coming through? A recent report from the Institute of International Education and the US State Department shows the United States is an increasingly attractive place for overseas students to visit, but that international students are coming from Asia in much greater numbers than from Latin American countries. This wouldn’t be such a problem, except Obama recently drew up an ambitious plan to boost the number of US-Latin America student exchanges to 100,000 by 2020.

The “Open Doors” report says almost 50 percent of international students came to the US from China (236,000 students), India (97,000 students) and South Korea (71,000 students). Students from the Americas and the Caribbean numbered just 67,000. Does this mean that Obama’s “100,000 Strong in the Americas’’ program is moving too slowly to meet its 2020 target? I look at the figures and see positive growth but too little to be entirely meaningful. The total number of overseas students coming to the US is rising – by 7 percent overall to 2014 – but at the annual rate of growth the number of Latin American students in the US will be only 87,000 in 2020 – a shortfall in terms of Obama’s goal, according to calculations by Andres Oppenheimer in this opinion piece.

graduates
Asian Confidence and Latin American Disbelief
So why do Asian countries have so many more students currently residing in US universities, and more on the way? Asian countries have been proactive in promoting study abroad programs, in part to meet their own agendas in terms of raising standard of living and education. The Latin American countries that send the most students to the US also have programs in place to attract students and inspire them to take the leap and make the most of opportunities for study in the US. For example, the Brazilian government recently launched a scheme for its students to get PhDs and Masters degrees abroad. Mexico sends 14,200 students, Brazil 10,700, Columbia 6,500 and Venezuela 6,200.

However, reports of scholarships and opportunities to head for the universities of the US are often greeted with disbelief on the part of Latin American students. Students look at the publicity surrounding degrees and education in the United States and think, “that’s great, but it can’t be for me.” Often students have concerns about life in the United States that prevent them from making the move – how will they afford accommodation, will they be able to work to make ends meet? The visa requirements for study in the US are often seen as too prohibitive and complex for “ordinary” students to be able to apply. Consequently, well-off students may consider study-abroad schemes but talented individuals with no financial backing believe the programs are not for them.

Financial Appeal of Study in the US
Scholarships are available but how many people know how to apply? And do Latin American governments spend as much time as Asian governments in disseminating information about US universities and publishing the rankings that show US universities are consistently ranked best in the world? Obama and his government could also do more to ensure the success of what is a valuable and worthy initiative to open borders and increase cultural exchange across the nations of the Americas. Latin American countries, despite Obama’s positive spin on study abroad, often have more pressing concerns than sending students abroad, no matter that the benefits from these exchanges may help their future competitiveness and prosperity. Argentina for example, which is ploughing its own isolationist agenda, sent only 1,800 students to the United States in 2013, according to the report. Incentives from the US, which could be offered through an expansion of private sector funding, could secure more university partnership deals and make it more financially attractive for Latin American countries to promote study abroad.

On the other side of the coin, the number of US college students going abroad to study rose by 3 percent in 2013 but only a small number of students – 16 percent of the total – went to Latin American or Caribbean universities. Most US students chose to study in the UK, Italy, France, or Spain. The most attractive countries in Latin America for US undergraduates are Costa Rica (7,900), Argentina (4,700 students), Brazil (4,000), and Mexico (3,815).
If the door’s open, it may take a little extra push for Latin American students to enter – and for US students to do the same and broaden their horizons in South America and the Caribbean.