International Students Flock to American B-Schools

International Students Flock to American B-Schools by: Jeff Schmitt on September 03, 2014 | 0 Comments Comments 948 Views September 3, 2014International students find U.S. colleges highly attractiveWant to spark a debate? Just bring up American higher education. For proponents, our public universities and private college are the envy of the world, a research mecca that draws the brightest minds to our shores. They are America’s true competitive advantage, incubating startups, pushing boundaries, preserving cultures, and training the professional ranks. To critics, they are just bloated and insulated relics that don’t prepare graduates for the work world. They are proverbial money pits, resistant to change and designed to protect faculty perks under the guise of academic freedom.And don’t get anyone started on the â€Å"college experience,† which runs the gamut from beer-soaked revelry to midnight shifts at IHOP.One thing is for sure: The world’ s students are flocking to American campuses in droves. According to the Brookings Institution, foreign students attending American universities and colleges jumped from 110,000 in 2001 to 524,000 in 2012. American education has become a destination, with 819,614 overseas students enrolling during the 2012-2013 school year (accounting for 21% of all students who study abroad). Then again, American institutions have always been a draw to overseas students, who represent 3.4% of American enrollment, â€Å"a share that has remained relatively constant over the past 60 years† according to Brookings.The Value of Foreign-Born StudentsLike the value of American institutions themselves, this trend also fuels arguments. For some, these migrations take spots from American students or even train our future business and geopolitical competitors. But that isn’t necessarily true as Brookings pointed out in this same report:â€Å"The benefits these students provide [to] their colleg es and universities are well understood. Only recently, however, have local leaders began to appreciate that students from fast-growing foreign economics can also be important anchors in building global connections between their hometowns abroad and their U.S. metropolitan destinations. With knowledge of both markets, foreign students can be valuable assets to local business communities that are seeking to expand globally and the wider metropolitan economies in which they sit.†In other words, these graduates serve as bridges, navigating cultural and business divides while forming networks with classmates and institutions that wouldn’t otherwise exist. And that brings up a question: Where will these next networks be built – and by whom? You’ll find some of these answers in the Brookings Institution’s â€Å"The Geography of Foreign Students in U.S. Higher Education: Origins and Destinations,†   which was released on August 29th. The study, wh ich relies on a â€Å"unique and never previously accessed government database,† examines questions relating to the home countries, fields of study, and economic impact of foreign-born students studying under a F-1 visa in the United States.Business is Top Field of Study   At the undergraduate and graduate levels, business is the most popular subject for overseas students. In fact, nearly a third – 32.4% of these students majored in business, management, or marketing from 2008-2012. This is over 10% higher than American students in general. Look at it another way: The 173,372 business majors from overseas are roughly equivalent to foreign-born students majoring in engineering (61,438), social sciences (37,422), computer and information sciences (22,792), biological sciences (21,602), health sciences (19,794), and communications (15,193). Page 1 of 712345... »Last  »

6 Reasons Students Should Apply for Scholarships Right Now

1. Less Competition for ScholarshipsFall semester is a great time to apply for scholarships! Often, many students are focusing on admissions requirements, so they are concentrating on their applications instead of funding their education.However, once we get closer to spring, more students will shift their focus to scholarships. This has the ability to increase the number of applications for each opportunity, especially since the number of scholarships available will begin to dwindle as application deadlines pass.Any time there are fewer applicants, your child gets an automatic advantage as it can increase their odds of being selected for the award. So, by starting now, your student might face less competition, which is certainly a benefit.2. Deadlines are ApproachingDid you know scholarship deadlines can happen any time of year? Its true!There is no hard and fast rule regarding when scholarships need to stop accepting applications, so each institution can set their own guidelines an d requirements.In fact, some scholarships for the 2018-2019 school year are already be closed, and deadlines for others are looming.If you want to learn more about the Seasons of applying for scholarships and when your child should be applying based on their school year, check out this post:3 Scholarship Seasons When Your Child Should be ApplyingBy starting now, your child can access more scholarship opportunities than they could if they wait, making it crucial that they get started today.3. Take Advantage of Holiday BreaksThe vast majority of students get a significant amount of time off around the holidays. Winter breaks are generally at least two weeks long, so your child is likely to have some time on their hands that they can dedicate to scholarships.So, consider having your student treat their hunt for this great source of free money for college just as they would their nightly homework assignments. Encourage them to commit a few hours each day to their search for scholarship s and the application processes, as it will be easier to manage now than when they are also dealing with school work.Looking for more tips about how your student can make the most of the holiday breaks, heres an article to check out: 5 Quick Tips to Maximize the Holiday Break for the College Process4. Plan for the FutureThough many scholarships have upcoming deadlines, some may not be closed to new applications until the spring, or even summer. If your child begins searching for opportunities now, they can spread out the work based on each awards deadline.The easiest way to accomplish this is to create a calendar dedicated to scholarships.Whenever your student spots a scholarship, have them add it to their calendar based on the application deadline. Then, encourage them to set a reminder to go off about one week in advance, and a second alert the day before it is due.If any of the scholarships require documents to be submitted, such as transcripts or letters of recommendation, then they should also add calendar alerts for when they need to request or gather this information. Since it can take time to get these items in order (especially recommendations, as someone else has to supply them), its wise for your child to plan to request these as soon as possible to ensure they have them in hand before the deadline.For more information, check out this article on letters of recommendation: How to Get the Best Scholarship Letter of Recommendation5. Relieve Stress We all know that scholarships are a great way to pay for your childs education. They represent free money, making it easier for your student to avoid taking out loans so they can graduate debt free.There are a lot of scholarships out there, particularly if they start their search today. Otherwise, the longer they delay beginning their search, the less money there is available. And, particularly for high school seniors, waiting even a few weeks can mean missing out on excellent opportunities.If you and your child would like to learn more about applying for scholarships, sign up for our free college scholarship webinar! Its a great way to learn about the process and how to identify opportunities that can help your student avoid debt while pursuing their education!Think student loans arent a big deal? Check out this article: Is Student Loan Debt Really Such a Bad Thing?Still not sure that applying for scholarships now is the right move? Here are six reasons why today is the perfect time to get started.1. Less Competition for ScholarshipsFall semester is a great time to apply for scholarships! Often, many students are focusing on admissions requirements, so they are concentrating on their applications instead of funding their education.However, once we get closer to spring, more students will shift their focus to scholarships. This has the ability to increase the number of applications for each opportunity, especially since the number of scholarships available will begin to dwindle as application deadlines pass.Any time there are fewer applicants, your child gets an automatic advantage as it can increase their odds of being selected for the award. So, by starting now, your student might face less competition, which is certainly a benefit.2. Deadlines are ApproachingDid you know scholarship deadlines can happen any time of year? Its true!There is no hard and fast rule regarding when scholarships need to stop accepting applications, so each institution can set their own guidelines and requirements.In fact, some scholarships for the 2018-2019 school year are already be closed, and deadlines for others are looming.If you want to learn more about the Seasons of applying for scholarships and when your child should be applying based on their school year, check out this post:3 Scholarship Seasons When Your Child Should be ApplyingBy starting now, your child can access more scholarship opportunities than they could if they wait, making it crucial that they get started today.3. Take Advantage of Holiday BreaksThe vast majority of students get a significant amount of time off around the holidays. Winter breaks are generally at least two weeks long, so your child is likely to have some time on their hands that they can dedicate to scholarships.So, consider having your student treat their hunt for this great source of free money for college just as they would their nightly homework assignments. Encourage them to commit a few hours each day to their searc h for scholarships and the application processes, as it will be easier to manage now than when they are also dealing with school work.Looking for more tips about how your student can make the most of the holiday breaks, heres an article to check out: 5 Quick Tips to Maximize the Holiday Break for the College Process4. Plan for the FutureThough many scholarships have upcoming deadlines, some may not be closed to new applications until the spring, or even summer. If your child begins searching for opportunities now, they can spread out the work based on each awards deadline.The easiest way to accomplish this is to create a calendar dedicated to scholarships.Whenever your student spots a scholarship, have them add it to their calendar based on the application deadline. Then, encourage them to set a reminder to go off about one week in advance, and a second alert the day before it is due.If any of the scholarships require documents to be submitted, such as transcripts or letters of reco mmendation, then they should also add calendar alerts for when they need to request or gather this information. Since it can take time to get these items in order (especially recommendations, as someone else has to supply them), its wise for your child to plan to request these as soon as possible to ensure they have them in hand before the deadline.For more information, check out this article on letters of recommendation: How to Get the Best Scholarship Letter of Recommendation5. Relieve StressA lot of students wait until the spring to apply for scholarships, and that can leave them scrambling to secure enough funds to avoid student loans. However, by starting now, your child may be able to cover their educational expenses with scholarships well before the end of the school year.Not having to stress about finding the money can take a huge weight off of their shoulders, so putting forth some effort now can go a long way in making the next few months feel like less of a strain.6. Fill in GapsEven if your student has already been awarded some scholarships, that doesnt mean they should stop their search, especially if they still have more costs to cover. Every additional application represents an opportunity to avoid student loans and help them graduate debt free.Plus, many scholarships can be used for expenses other than tuition. In fact, some are awarded in cash and can be used for anything from supplies to a new laptop to gas for their car.Scholarships that dont have restrictions regarding how they are spent should be considered a boon as they can help make every day living more manageable. So, make sure your child doesnt miss out on these great opportunities as they can certainly make college life easier for everyone.Why Delay? Students need to start applying for scholarships today!As you can see, there are a lot of reasons why your child should be looking for scholarships now. Waiting even a week or two could mean they have access to fewer opportunities, lead ing them to miss out on free money for college.If you and your child are ready to start applying for scholarships, sign up for our free college scholarship webinar.Its a must-see before getting started and can help your student graduate from college completely debt free (like I did).