Admission for post-graduation course start

The two-day centralised admission through counselling to various post-graduation courses of Mangalore University, including its two constituent colleges, began on Friday with many candidates thronging to opt for chemistry and physics.This is the first time that the university has held centralised-admission process for most of its courses and constituent colleges.According to K. Chinnappa Gowda, Registrar, the admission on Friday was for science stream. The admission was done for around 20 science courses which did not have an entrance test. Centralised admission for arts and commerce would be conducted on Saturday.

A professor in chemistry said that there were 120 seats for M.Sc. in Applied Chemistry, M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry, M.Sc. in Industrial Chemistry, and M.Sc. in General Chemistry on the university campus. In addition, M. Sc. in General Chemistry course in the University College, a constituent college, had 20 seats. All these courses had attracted around 700 applications. The percentage of marks scored in qualifying examinations by students who obtained seats on the basis of merit varied from a minimum of 88 to a maximum of 98.A professor in Physics said the department had received 265 applications for 55 seats. It had received 33 applications for 27 seats of physics at Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa College, Maidkeri, a constituent college. The percentage of marks by students who obtained seats on the basis of merit varied from a minimum of 90.92 to 98.

Only two students got admitted to M.Sc. in Earth Science and Resource Management Course till late evening. A professor in the department said the course had 25 seats including 15 merit seats and 10 payment category seats. He said that five candidates from Kannur University and one candidate from Davangere University had been shortlisted. But they could not join on Friday as they did not have their marks cards.Vice-Chancellor T.C. Shivashankara Murthy, who reviewed the admission process, told The Hindu that the university would temporarily admit the students from other universities if they produced the attested copies of marks cards downloaded from the websites of respective universities. Their admission would be regularised only if they produced the original marks cards by July 10.     

Study abroad in Ecuador, China

Two Vol State students are traveling across the globe this summer as part of an undergraduate study abroad scholarship.Lucas Bates of Cottontown is studying Introduction to Sociology in China.Kyle Nagy of Goodlettsville is studying biology on the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador.The national Gilman Scholarship Program offers awards for undergraduate study abroad and was established by the International Academic Opportunity Act of 2000.This is the first time Vol State students have received the scholarship. Both of the students will study abroad for four weeks. During the summer 2012 application cycle, the Gilman Scholarship Program reviewed more than 2,600 applications for more than 500 awards.

In other international education news, Vol State associate professors Drs. Eldo Osaitile and Girija Shinde have been chosen to take part in a Tennessee Board of Regents Access and Diversity grant program that seeks to increase minority participation in international education. They will have extensive training to incorporate international and diversity elements into core curriculum classes. They will then recruit minority students for international travel-study experiences. The program is run by Pellissippi State Community College and the TnCIS program.

College to offer business courses at September

North West Kent College will be offering business courses at the newly redeveloped Gravesend campus from September.The business BTEC level three extended diploma covers marketing, law, finance and human resource management.In addition, the course links with the Career Academy UK, which offers mentoring for learners and progression to a six week paid internship with Blue Chip companies at Canary Wharf.

September will also see the launch of the information and creative technology level two BTEC certificate.It is designed to give the learner a general knowledge of a variety of computing elements including creative digital animation, software and website development, installation and maintenance of computer hardware and installation and customisation of software.Associate director for business and computing, Stephanie Cassidy, said: "The qualification that our learners gain is highly recognised by employers and the link to the Career Academy really inspires and motivates our learners".      

students illustrate what makes them glad they decided to study abroad in University Language Services’ scholarship contest

Whether high in the sky or firmly at ground-level, college students who entered University Language Services’ latest scholarship contest gave a bird’s-eye view of what it’s like to study abroad.College students across the United States and around the world submitted photos of the scene that made them realize that they made the right decision to study abroad. Winner: Ava Macchiaverna, class of 2013 at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. Macchiaverna, of Seaside Park, N.J., took a photo of a friend jumping from a gondola 450 feet above a lake in Switzerland, right before it was her turn. studying abroad proved to me that until you spread your wings, you will never know how far you can fly,” she wrote.

 2nd place: Kotchaphorn Mangkalaphiban, class of 2015 at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Penn. She was scared when she left Thailand to study abroad in the United States and took her photo high above the Pacific Ocean, but the experience was worth it. “Between homesickness and sometimes frustration, the hollowness in me was filled with friendship, from my host family to students at school to the community,” she wrote.

  3rd place: Jenna Lanzaro, class of 2013 at The College of New Jersey in Ewing, N.J. As an Italian-American, she aimed to “embrace the culture” by studying in Florence and exploring Italy. Lanzaro, of Commack, N.Y., plans to return to Italy this fall as a student teacher, and a photo of a lemon grove in Sorrento reminds her to teach her students to “seize the day.The photographs submitted by the winners and by all contest entrants show the significance that studying abroad plays in the lives of so many college students every year.University Language awarded a $500 college scholarship to the grand prize winner and $100 scholarships to the 2nd and 3rd prize winners. Profiles of the scholarship winners will be posted on University Language Services’ blog, Campus Commons.Honorable mentions were awarded to another 12 entrants who submitted photos of places ranging from Iceland to Japan.

2 BYU graduate students win more than $20,000 to further their studies in foreign countries

Two BYU graduate students will ship off to countries around the world to study language immersion and national security issues with the funding they received from winning the David L. Boren Fellowship.Spencer Humiston and Annie Samhouri were two of the 119 graduate students who won the fellowship over 575 applicants. The fellowship is sponsored by the National Security Education Program and funds students as they work for the federal government.Humiston is using his fellowship to study and write a paper about Thailand’s current political state. He served an LDS mission in Thailand and has returned to visit the country with his wife many times.

Humiston said in an email he is looking forward to returning to Thailand with his family.“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Humiston said. “Last summer we spent a couple of months in Thailand and Bali with our little girl and had a great time. I’m expecting the next six months to be just as fun.”Humiston leaves for Thailand June 19 and will reside there until December 19. After his fellowship he will seek a job in the national security sector.Samhouri, who is currently in Amman, Jordan, won the Boren and Fulbright Graduate Fellowships for 2012-2013. She received a bachelor’s degree in political science with minors in middle eastern studies and international development from BYU. She studied Arabic for two years and completed two internships with the Jordanian Ministry of Social Development.After completing her fellowship, Samhouri plans to seek employment with United States Agency for International Development in the Office of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment or with the United Nations.

The UK ranks just 25th in the world for the number of students studying abroad are we too fond of our home comforts?

David Willetts, the man responsible for raising tuition fees to £9,000 a year, is usually considered a villain in the student world. So it's a surprise to hear that he has announced a substantial fees discount to encourage us to study abroad for part of our degree.Those who spend two or more terms at an overseas university will pay no more than 15% of the year's fees at their UK institution, which is good news for students who want a taste of international life without the commitment of spending their whole degree abroad.

Across Europe, students have been getting to know each other this way for years: 3.7 million students (pdf) each year take part in an Erasmus exchange, a mind-opening year of foreign study and fiestas.But although we Brits were invited to the Erasmus party, we haven't bothered to turn up: fewer than 1% of outgoing Erasmus students are British. It would seem that students in the UK prefer to stay on our small island, surrounded by home comforts and fellow English speakers.This is perhaps a bit harsh many students would love to take part, but the structure of most UK courses prevent all but language students from spending time abroad.Evidence suggests that a year overseas makes students more confident, independent and employable. In a 2011 education and skills survey, over half of employers questioned said that there were shortfalls in young peoples' "international cultural awareness".

A year abroad may help to achieve that coveted "global mindset". At the very least, anyone who has lived in France will know never to call a French business at lunchtime.The new proposals mean that students should pay no more than £1,345 to their UK university when abroad  although this is still steep, especially when little or no tuition is being provided.A year abroad should not be an expensive gap year, but a recognised and integral part of all courses and its benefits must be available to all. Universities should work at creating funds to ensure that anyone who wants to study abroad is able to do so.Year-abroad students are sometimes criticised for partying too hard and not doing any work. But the cynics are missing the point  when else would you have the enriching experience of eating an English breakfast for dinner in a flat in Rome, cooked by Irish, French and Turkish flatmates and washed down with Portuguese liqueur?

Evenings like this are a crash course in international understanding and create strong relationships that will last far longer than the headache the morning after. JK Rowling spent a year in Paris as part of her degree. Would it be going too far to say that her in-depth experience of another culture may have helped her to create the parallel world of Harry Potter?If you're starting university this year, take advantage of the funding on offer. Language need not be a barrier – intensive courses are widely available while many universities offer programmes in English. The grant also applies to exchanges outside of Europe, for those who can see themselves revising on the beach in Australia or living in an American frat house.Wherever you go, the chances are you won't be disappointed – in a survey for thirdyearabroad.com, 86% of students who took a year abroad considered it to be the most valuable part of their degree. Who knows, it may even be the most valuable year of your life.

Awareness programme for engineering courses

The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Malabar sub-section will organize a one-day programme for students aspiring for admission to engineering courses on Saturday. The programme is aimed at creating awareness about different areas of engineering and the skills needed to succeed in the field.

The programme, to be organized at the Sports Council Hall, is intended to address the decline in pass percentage in many engineering institutions and help students get detailed information and job prospects of various branches in engineering. S Gopakumar, former deputy director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) will lead the panel discussion on the need to develop soft skills to become 'employable' engineers.K P Mohandas, former dean, National Institute of Technology-Calicut (NITC) will speak on the topic, 'special tips for engineering studies'. M P Sebastian, professor, Indian Institute of Management-Kozhikode (IIM-K) will talk on 'engineering career paths and prospects'.

Study Abroad Fairs

The SF Study Abroad programs are abroad right now! SF students are exploring the Louvre, climbing the Great Wall of China, and discussing best practices in health care with other students in Sweden. By next week they will have many pictures to share. If you want to join the programs for 2013, check out the SF Study Abroad website to see details on the general education courses you can take care of while abroad, the places you would stay, and scholarship information.