myUface Blog

According to the Open Doors report, there are approximately 623,805 international students at U.S. institutions of higher learning. That’s 3.5% of the total student body, and more than the entire population of Wyoming.  And for every student that is studying in the U.S., there are many more who want to study in the U.S.

You may have heard about the increase in students going to study in other countries, such as Britain or Australia. You may have even been contacted by a university in a country other than the U.S., and they may have told you something like this: “Yes, the U.S. used to be the top destination for international students, but they’re on the decline. The newest hotspot for international students is _______.”

Now, it is the case that other destinations have increased in popularity over the years.  But the United States remains the top destination for international students. And far from decreasing, over the past decade the number of students in the U.S. has vastly increased, from 514,723 in 1998/9 to 623,805 this past year.

So, there is no doubt about it – the U.S. is the country of choice for international students.

But it’s worth pausing for a moment and asking a simple question: why?

This is obviously an important question if you’re planning to spend four years of your life studying in a foreign country. Over the next few days, I’ll seek to answer this question as honestly as I possibly can, providing you with both the benefits and the disadvantages of a university education in the United States.

Let me say right from the outset that I am not exactly a neutral evaluator. As a product of the U.S. university system, and as someone who has spent a fair amount of time working with it, I am what you might call a partisan of the U.S. higher educational system. I happen to think that it represents the best available option for a majority of international students. But I am also aware of its shortcomings, and I promise to present them to you in as unbiased a light as possible. I hope that, by reading this series of posts, you’ll gain a fuller understanding of what would await you at a U.S. university.

For Your Consideration:

What’s your impression?  Are U.S. universities a good place to study?

SERIES:  Why study in the U.S.?

• April 20 – Introduction
• April 21 – Diversity at U.S. campuses
• April 22 – Value of U.S. degrees
• April 23 – The Facilities
  
• April 24 – Practical focus of U.S. education
• April 25 – Variety of U.S. programs
• April 26 – The supposed disadvantages of study in the U.S.: visas
  
• April 27 - The supposed disadvantages of study in the U.S.: cost
  
• April 28 - Some real disadvantages of study in the U.S.:  it might not help in your profession
• April 29 – Some real disadvantages of study in the U.S.: will you fit in “going back?”
• April 30 – Other disadvantages
• May 1 – So, should you study in the U.S.?