Idea of studying abroad

Just the idea of studying abroad can make someone's head spin. Europe,Austria,South America, Africa, Australia, Asia. Already there are five choices and you haven't even explored all the continents yet not to mention the endless possibilities for city choices inside each of them.It can be overwhelming just choosing a location. Then the fun stuff comes, like choosing a program and looking at prices. To help sort through all of the confusion, the University of Florida puts on a study abroad fair for perspective travelers.

This year it will be on Wed., Sept. 21 in the Reitz Union Colonnade from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Attendees can meet students who have been abroad, representatives from different programs and some of the faculty who lead the programs.Coming face-to-face with a slew of options can make the fair just as overwhelming. There are pamphlets and information about so many destinations that by the time you leave, you could either want no part in it or want to go to 16 different places.But before you even consider a program, you have to decide if studying abroad is right for you. Some people already know that studying overseas isn't for them you may be one of those people. Others know that if they want one thing out of their college education, it is time abroad.

A recommendation is to ask yourself a few questions before you actually decide what you want to do.For instance, if you have to take out a loan for your study abroad program, is it worth it? If money is an issue, looking for scholarships becomes part of the application process. The UF International Center offers scholarships for the academic year, semesters and summer. Note: The deadline for spring scholarships is coming up on Sept. 28th!When choosing a location, many factors come into play.Some students may base their decision off of the desire to learn another language.

If one of the reasons you want to study abroad is to sharpen your Italian skills, your options are limited. While if cold temperatures matter, you might not want to study in Northern Europe during the chilly winter months.In today's world of tight budgets and increasing tuitions, one of the biggest questions is whether or not studying abroad will be conducive to your graduation track. Will it fit in with your schedule?Depending on your intended course work, classes can be extremely varied while abroad. If staying in your major is important to you, finding the right program can take precedence over location.Will you be behind when you return from studying abroad?

Taking the time to look into the programs offered by your college or for your major will help you find the perfect fit.For instance, the College of Journalism and Communications offers a photojournalism program that goes to Berlin during the summer, while business majors can take core classes online while learning Spanish in Madrid.Choosing the time for your trip may also be a deciding factor studying abroad in the fall means missing a football season. If this is important to you, then spring or summer seem like better options.With all these things to ponder, going to the fair and learning about the programs could be helpful before answering some of the questions. It takes a lot of time and planning before you can come to a decision. When in doubt, check with the International Center for all of your studying abroad needs.

Annual Study Abroad Fair will be held on Tuesday

The annual Study Abroad Fair will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 13from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Ferguson Student Center’s second floor main lobby. The event, sponsored by the Capstone International Program, is open to any students who wish to learn more about study abroad opportunities.Representatives from affiliate providers, the exchange program and the 2012 faculty-led programs will have booths set up to answer questions and provide information to students who are interested in studying abroad.

The Study Abroad Fair is a great way for students to get information directly by talking to affiliate providers who are experts on their programs, and to see in one place all the programs you can choose from,said Study Abroad Coordinator Brittnay McMillain.The University offers a wide variety of study abroad opportunities, and students are not required to know a foreign language to participate. Some destinations include: England, New Zealand, Egypt, China, Greece, Belgium, Italy, Spain and Sweden. Destinations vary based on major and the region students wish to travel to.

The Study Abroad Fair gives students a chance to ask questions and learn more about studying abroad. Capstone International Agent Melissa Smith said visiting a past Study Abroad Fair helped her to narrow down her choices when she was deciding where to study abroad.Tara Northington, a junior currently living in Spain while she studies Spanish for her minor, said that her experience has been wonderful so far.I’m staying for four months with a host family, and I picked a UA affiliated program called ISA, which has gone above and beyond my expectations already,Northington said.The directors and staff have helped us with anything we need and are taking us on multiple excursions around Spain while we’re here. We are even getting to go to Morocco for five days.

Holly Buckner, the director of CIAP, encourages students to study abroad on the Capstone International academic study programs website.Study-abroad is an opportunity for students to shift their perspective and view the world through an entirely different lens,Buckner said. When you travel, you learn more about yourself and your culture as you interact with citizens of another. And you undoubtedly come home with a respect and appreciation for your host country rivaled only by that for your homeland.For more information throughout the year, students can join the Study Abroad Connections club or contact Capstone International Agents, a group of interns at the Capstone International Program who have studied abroad within the past year. Academic advisors are available year round in 135 B.B. Comer Hall to meet with students and help them plan their study abroad trips.I would recommend that students study abroad, because, as Mark Twain says,Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness’,said Francine James, professor of an International Honors seminar that prepares students to maximize their study abroad experiences.

JNU it to the top 100 in the QS World University Rankings this year

The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has made it to the top 100 in the QS World University Rankings this year. QS, for the first time, has released a subject-wise list in which the English department of JNU Centre for English Studies has been ranked among the top 100 English departments in the world. Apart from the English department , JNU's departments of geography and area studies, and politics and international studies too, have found a place in the top 100.

Saugata Bhaduri, chairperson, centre for English studies, school of language, literature and culture studies, JNU, says,Though JNU has been rated as one of the top 100 universities of the world in the past, it is for the first time that the agency has considered individual departments around the world. I am proud that CES has been ranked in the bracket of 51-100 .Having achieved this position of standing as one of the top departments in the world, Bhaduri is eager to sustain this position in future too.I feel that we have to face immense challenges to upgrade to higher levels in the coming lists.According to Nunzio Quacquarelli, managing director, QS, the subject-wise ranking was launched this year to help students refine their study choices since they show university excellence in a particular area of study on a global scale.

Students are increasingly looking to pursue their graduate or postgraduate degree overseas. For the student and his/her family, studying abroad represents a major investment , and it is not surprising that people want detailed information upon which to base their educational investment decision. The role of rankings, in this context, is important,says Quacquarelli.Our research of tens of thousands of applicants over the last decade shows that students form a clear picture of the subject that they wish to study first, and then decide where they wish to study," he adds. The process of research for the department listing was long; from identifying the subject disciplines, gathering, verifying and analysing data from various universities, focusing on academic and employer reputation, using a measure of citations per faculty, to adaptive compilation and final screening.The collection of independent and objective data on the performance of universities across a range of measures, such as entry standards , student satisfaction, tuition fees and graduate employment rates, is likely to be helpful for all those concerned with making the right choice on where to study,says Quacquarelli.

The entire credit of this achievement, as per Bhaduri, goes to the quality of research that their students review and the quality of publications that the faculty reviews.He adds,The CES has been at the forefront of cuttingedge research in the field of literature and culture studies in English for more than two decades now, with phenomenal output in publications, papers and research projects from both faculty members and students.

High college cut offs attracts world’s top universities to India for talent

College cut offs reached new heights this June as the 10% increase in entry requirements into Indian colleges caused great challenges to students achieving less than top marks. Even talented students achieving marks in the 80+ range are likely to face difficulty in gaining a spot at their first choice university in India. The world’s top universities recognise the talent in Indian students and will arrive in India between the 13th and 21st of September to meet and recruit the best Indian students to their institutions.

With prestigious colleges such as Shri Ram College of Commerce, Hindu College, and Lady Shri Ram College requiring 100%, 99% and 97%* respectively, over 150,000 Indian students are currently pursuing higher education degrees overseas. The recently released eighth edition of the QS World University Rankings® 2011, which ranks the top 700 universities in the world shows the range of world class universities . The top 100 consisting of universities from UK, US, China, Switzerland, Japan, Singapore, Germany, Denmark and Canada to name a few. The QS World University Tour, an undergraduate recruitment event from the team behind the QS World University Rankings®, brings some of these top-ranked institutions from around the world to meet with the best Indian students looking to study abroad.

Universities from around the world are keen to recruit in India and have long recognised the potential of the country’s students and the value they add to their universities. Marina Tirado, Head of International Development at IE University in Spain says,Over the course of the last year India has played a major role in global business. The talent of Indian students is internationally renowned which is why we’re actively recruiting these future leaders to our university.Peter MacDonald, Head of Graduate Products at QS says, ‘The best higher education institutions in India are heavily oversubscribed; the supply and demand of quality institutions in India does not go hand in hand.He continues,Candidates may be pleasantly surprised at the entry requirements of some of the best universities in the world in comparison to those in India. Countries such as Canada are offering very favourable visa environments for Indian students in hope of attracting the best students to the country.

For those worried about the high cost sometimes associated with studying abroad, many institutions travelling with the tour will provide scholarships and offer practical advice on applying to different financial aid schemes. Attendees will also have the opportunity to speak with admissions directors from universities around the world, receive admissions advice from independent experts and attend seminars on studying abroad. QS is the world’s leading information specialist in the higher education sector. QS mission is to enable motivated people to fulfill their potential by fostering educational achievement, international mobility and career development.Through our exclusive events, publications, research and interactive web tools, we link undergraduate, graduate, MBA and executive communities around the world with recruiters and education providers.

TU Japan study abroad program saw a decrease in enrollment

The natural disaster and subsequent events that unfolded in Japan last March haven’t stopped Sydney Daviston-Atkins from wanting to study abroad at Temple Unversity Japan. If anything, she said, they made her want to go more.The sophomore theater major, who recently transferred to Temple from Fordham University, where she began formally learning the Japanese language, said she’s been interested in Japan’s culture since her early teens.

I’ve wanted to go to Japan since I was a teenager,Daviston-Atkins said.The desire is still there.the disaster didn’t really deter me from wanting to go.However, this semester, the number of students studying abroad at TU Japan has dropped to 33 from 69 last spring.Kyle Cleveland, study abroad coordinator at TU Japan, said a number of factors could have affected the decrease, apart from the disaster, known as the Great East Japan Earthquake.While Cleveland noted the disaster could have played a role in the recent decrease, he listed a number of other things that may have offset some of the program’s enrollment.

Whatever trends that we’re seeing are also impacted by what was happening a couple of years ago,Cleveland said, citing the U.S. recession and economic downturn. He noted that decisions to study abroad are typically made a few years before actually going.Cleveland also said the deadline to apply for the program, close to the time of the disaster, could have affected decisions to study abroad at TU Japan this fall.I think that if people had the ability to decide today, opposed to three months ago, you’d have a different number,Cleveland said.Between the Fall 2005 and Spring 2010 semesters, the number of students studying abroad at TU Japan fluctuated between 73 and 97. Last year, the number dropped to 63 and 69 in the fall and spring semesters, respectively.

The approximate 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck the northeast coast of the region on March 11, with a deadly tsunami following. Aftershocks, a nuclear power crisis and radiation leaks were among the concerns spawned by the disaster.Recent reports estimate that close to 15,700 people have been confirmed dead and more than 4,000 people are still missing.The general sentiment in Tokyo, where TU Japan is located, is starkly different than northern areas such as Fukushima, Cleveland said. Fukushima is home to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the site of the largest nuclear accident that resulted from the disaster.Up there, you can hardly overstate how bad it was and how it affected those people, but down here in Tokyo it’s a very different situation, Cleveland said.He said signs of the disaster are hardly visible in Tokyo and that the campus’ surrounding area is safe for students to travel to.Although the Japan campus reported no damages, the Spring 2010 Japan study abroad program was cut short after a travel advisory in Japan was issued by the United States Department of State. A chartered flight on March 20 from Tokyo to Hong Kong assisted students in leaving the TU Japan campus.

The voluntary authorized departure from Japan ended April 15, when the U.S. declared that the safety and health risks outside of the 50-mile radius of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant were very low.Cleveland said he expects enrollment to rise again in the near future.Students don’t randomly come to Japan. It’s expensive, it’s a long ways away, there’s the language issue,Cleveland said. I don’t think they’re likely to be deterred.In fact, Cleveland said students traveling to Japan now will have a unique experience.If you’re a person who is interested in Japan, this is one of the most interesting times to be in Japan that you’ll ever experience,Cleveland said, noting the disaster’s affect on the culture. I think some kids.want a front seat to history.Daviston-Atkins said she hopes that Japan’s society can rebuild itself to the point it was at before the disaster. If she doesn’t get to study abroad at TU Japan this spring, she said she’ll go next year.It’s not a matter of if I’m going to go, it’s a matter of when,Daviston-Atkins said.

Natalia Rialucky Takes a Stand for Women & Girls

Even while carrying two overflowing bags of books about women’s political and economic issues, Natalia Rialucky is poised. She plans to read all of them before heading to Paris as Indonesia’s representative at the Girls 20 Summit.The Girls 20 Summit focuses on girls and women and the solutions they can bring to worldwide economic problems.This year’s summit will focus on economic innovation and will take place from Oct. 18-21, two weeks before leaders of the G-20 countries descend on Cannes.Girls and women from 21 countries and a seat for the African Union will have the opportunity to meet and participate in discussions about how girls can work to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges.We received hundreds of applications from around the globe for these 21 delegate positions. Indonesia had one of the highest number of applicants,said Farah Mohamed, curator of the summit and president of The Belinda Stronach Foundation, which is putting on the event along with 70 other partners.

Natalia, 20, is entering her final year at the University of Indonesia where she studies international relations. She is used to balancing internships, model United Nations duties and her classes. She read about the summit on Facebook and decided to apply.I was interested because in Indonesia women’s issues are a big concern for the government as well as the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment, but I don’t see anything happening yet,she said.When I see female domestic workers being mistreated abroad I don’t think it’s enough to ask the minister of foreign affairs to do something.High school debate class first opened Natalia’s eyes to women’s rights and issues.I must admit that I have always been in a privileged situation, and did not have an experience of being denied education or being discriminated against,she said.I didn’t know what was happening. I thought my life was OK until I joined the debate class in high school.

Discussions of female quotas in politics and unequal pay for women and men in the same jobs made Natalia start asking why?I realized that women are still being treated as second-class citizens when people said women in relationships are always the weaker party,Natalia said. They are the one’s getting pregnant and have the burden to take care of the babies. And I was saying, ‘If the marriage is about two people, why should all the trouble fall on women?’ Since high school, Natalia has jumped at every opportunity to participate in leadership programs. When the University of Indonesia first heard about the model United Nations competition at Harvard, they sent Natalia. Natalia went on to start the first model UN club at her school with some friends.Young people can engage in diplomacy, and that’s where the hype of advocating on behalf of important issues is mushrooming in Indonesia today,” Natalia said.

With domestic workers Darsem binti Dawud Tawar and Ruyati binti Sapubi making headlines, Natalia’s interest in domestic workers has taken center stage.Indonesia, as one of the biggest sources of migrant domestic workers, still faces many challenges in protecting our work force, she said. It’s unfair when you see men and women both work abroad, but in the domestic sphere most of them are only women, and they’re being lied to when agencies say you will get this amount of money and you will be well treated. But then their passport is held by the agency.
Natalia thinks that education is key to empowering women, especially domestic workers abroad. Making sure women are literate and can understand what their employers expect of them could alleviate some problems.

They are being denied education because most of the traditional families in Indonesia tend to prioritize the son to go abroad first. They still have this traditional mind-set that guys will go outside of the village and come back with money, while women stay at the domestic level,she said.Natalia said she was looking forward to the chance to meet delegates from around the world and participate in discussions.Natalia is not the kind of person who will sit quietly in the forum enjoying the meals and scenery,said Dwi Ardhanariswari Sundrijo, Natalia’s academic adviser at the University of Indonesia.She will talk, discuss and share knowledge and experiences. She will make new friends and build a network. She will learn a lot from the conference, and later give what she gets from it back to society at large.During panels and workshops, participants will be asked to bring the experiences of their own countries into discussions.

Indonesia is not all about terrorism,Natalia said.In most of my other chances to go abroad I say Indonesia, and people say, ‘Oh the one that had the Bali bombing.Those sentiments are still there. What I want the other participants at the summit to know is that we are a moderate country as much as we are majority Muslim. We are diverse in ourselves and we are ready to be a part of the international world.Natalia admits she is a bit nervous about representing the world’s fourth-most populous country.It’s scary,she said.It’s a lot of girls I am talking about here. I am excited, but I am a bit cautious because I need to be very careful about what I am stating. I don’t represent my government, because the government sometimes has its own lines it has to follow.So I am representing women in my country and I can be free to see what the problem is and see what can be done. This is something I am very passionate about advocating.

If Natalia could have a few minutes with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, she knows what she would say.I would say send more women abroad to be more exposed to international competitions and modern ways of living. When they return not only will they be contributing to our economy in general, but they will teach those kind of moderate and competitive values to their families,she said.If they stay at home, all that they know is from their parents. An educated mother is a key to success in Indonesia if we want to have a better future later on.The first G(irls)20 Summit was held last year in Toronto. Kartika Nurhayati represented Indonesia and created a mobile library when she returned that serves young Indonesians in impoverished areas. Natalia was inspired by Kartika’s example, and is already making plans for when she returns to Jakarta, such as an all-female business competition.Natalia has been to Paris only once before, and just for a day so she didn’t get to see the beautiful Eiffel Tower.This time, she hopes to see the symbol of Paris and gain ideas and learn from the summit.Before she gathered up all of her books, Natalia smiled and said,I think every time I go abroad I should make something out of it.

APSU students studying abroad

132 APSU students took a course or pursued a study-abroad program outside the U.S. That's up from 88 students in 2009-10.That's a significant increase, said Tina Rousselot de Saint C'ran, coordinator of International Education at APSU. I'm seeing about five students a day on average, and while that keeps me busy, I would like more in my office.Now, APSU wants the growing trend to continue, making sure even more students know about the opportunities in and benefits from studying abroad with APSU's new initiatives.

Currently, APSU is charting new territory by working with academic departments and international partners to develop more study-abroad options in general education and high enrollment courses. This fall, a new faculty grant will be available to provide financial support for the development of new international course options. For example, an APSU student needing to take an introductory course in world literature or biology can elect to study Shakespeare in London or the diversity of life in the rainforest of Costa Rica.

The purpose is to create international options in courses that meet the academic needs of the vast majority of APSU students,Rousselot said.Many students, however, often disregard studying abroad because they feel they cannot speak the language in the host country and as a result would not be able to take coursework in their degree programs while abroad. With APSU now a new member institution of the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), language is no barrier.You can study physics in China and take the course in English,Rousselot said.We search by major for a list of courses at member universities where you could go but take the course in English.

We haven't offered such a wide variety of courswork taught in English before, and I think many students think they have to be extremely fluent in a foreign language to go abroad. Hopefully, ISEP can help dispel this belief, and we will see more students taking advantage of the opportunity to study abroad.The ISEP is a network of more than 300 colleges and universities across the globe that cooperates to provide affordable access to international education. Membership in this program allows APSU students to study abroad in various academic disciplines for a full semester or a year in 50 countries worldwide.And, of course, the APSU campus community benefits when an exchange student studies at The Peay.When we send a student, we receive a student, although the incoming student doesn't have to be from the same country where an APSU student goes,Rousselot said.This helps to diversify the exchange student population on our campus, and our students are exposed to new beliefs and cultural values.