myUface Blog

Once a week, every Saturday, I will be putting out a podcast. The goal of the podcast will be to cover the  subjects of the week in audio form, with guests occasionally.

On the first podcast the  co-founders of myUface joined me to talk about the reasons why they think international students should study in the U.S. The first podcast is right here.

If you like the podcast and want us to answer one of your questions on it, please send me your questions at podcast@myuface.com.

Other Podcasts

1. Podcast: Asking Questions - 18 Jul
2. Podcast: Give Yourself Time To Complete Your Application - 13 Jun
3. Podcast: What to Do if your Application is not Accepted - 06 Jun
4. Podcast - The View from Albania - 23 May
5. Podcast: University Rankings - 16 May
6. Podcast: Timeline for Applying to a U.S. University - 09 May
7. The Inaugural myUface Podcast (This post)

So we’ve considered most of the advantages and disadvantages of going to the U.S. for your university education.  But you may still be having difficulty deciding if studying in the U.S. is the right decision.  In this final post, I will present three pieces of advice about how you should go about making the decision whether or not to study in the U.S. (or anywhere else, for that matter):

1. Remember, you won’t be studying at a university called “the U.S.”  You’ll be studying at one particular university in the U.S.  So please, do some research about individual universities.  DON’T think that every university in the U.S. will be more or less the same, because they AREN’T.  Until you bring real universities into your decision-making process, you won’t be making an informed decision at all.
2. Keep your options open. Remember, you don’t need to decide right now that, no matter what, you’re studying in the U.S.  You have should research different programs in many countries, including your own.  You may want to consider pursuing entrance into U.S. universities and, at the same time, applying to universities in other countries as well.
3. Find good advisers. Making the decision to study in the U.S. will be easier if you connect with people who are familiar with the U.S. system of education.  Find such people and develop a relationship with them. The right adviser can help answer all your most difficult questions and lead to a better decision. In your country, look for an Educational Advising Center.  On the internet, you need go no further that myUface.  Remember, you can always ask us questions and we will always give you the best advice we can!

The decision to study in another country is a daunting one, but it can be fun as well.  The options for international students are more diverse and exciting than ever before.  Consider all your options carefully, but always remember:  if you do your research, take your time, keep your options open, and find good advisers, you will find the perfect program for you!

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.?

Here is a list of five other disadvantages to studying in the United States for you to consider:

1. Studying in the U.S. – or in any foreign country – involves adjusting to a new culture and way of thinking. Although this is an exciting challenge to overcome, and will positively shape your character and personality, it is nonetheless a difficult process.  For some students, it can take up to a year to fully adjust to their new environment.  For others, it can take days.  In either case, the adjustment process requires flexibility, perseverance, and mental toughness.
2. For most international students the United States is very far away from their home country.   Because of the time difference, organizing ways to connect with those in your native country can be challenging.
3. Similarly, the distance between you country and the U.S. will make it hard to travel home during short breaks in the Spring and Fall, or over the weekend; whereas if you studied closer to home, you could easily visit friends or family for short periods of time.
4. A huge benefit of U.S. university is that it provides a high quality education.  The flip side of that is that obtaining a U.S. degree is very challenging and requires hard work.  You will be challenged by professors and fellow students.  If you are looking for an easy path to a degree, this may not be it.
5. English, english, english, all the time.  Though studying in the U.S. can be a great way to perfect your spoken and written English, it can be difficult if you are not fully committed to learning the language.  Do you like English?  Do you really like English?

For Your Consideration:

Can you think of other disadvantages to studying in the U.S.?  If so, please share!

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.?

Here’s another potential disadvantage of studying in the U.S. that you should consider:  in certain countries, and within certain professions, people who possess U.S. degrees are viewed with suspicion and even resentment.

To use an extreme example to illustrate the point:  in certain authoritarian countries, if you possess a U.S. degree the security services may suspect you of being a spy.  Really, it happens.

OK, for most of you this will not be a problem.  But you could suffer from suspicion of your degree in other ways:

• colleagues may be threatened by your degree.
• colleagues may feel that your degree doesn’t apply to the “way we do things here.”
• colleagues may have negative political feelings about the U.S. as a country, and apply those feelings to their relationship with you.

Are these reactions fair or reasonable?  Absolutely not.  But they can be surprisingly common, especially in fields like economics, politics, public policy, and so forth.  I once met a group of Harvard graduates who had studied politics, but who were almost completely ignored by the politicians in their own country, and had all moved onto different fields.

By the way, this in no way applies only to U.S. universities.  Usually, if this kind of attitude exists at all, it will exist in relation to foreign degrees in general.

The bottom line is, be aware of the “culture” that exists within your chosen profession, and ask yourself, would holding a U.S. degree help me or hurt me here?  How will I fit in “going back?”

For Your Consideration: do you know what you’d like to do as a career?  Do you know someone within that career who has studied abroad?  How is their degree received among their colleagues?

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.?

Today we’re going to talk about a potential disadvantage to U.S. university study.  First, a brief look back:  in our last two posts – here and here - we discussed supposed disadvantages of studying in the United States:  the difficulty of obtaining visas, and the high cost of a U.S. university education.  We discovered that, although there was a kernel of truth to both of these, neither represented a particularly huge problem.

In contrast, today we’ll be talking about a real disadvantage for many of those who choose to study in the U.S., and it’s this:  for many professions in many parts of the world, a U.S. education simply does not provide the appropriate preparation.  Let me give you an example:

A student I met from an Eastern European country had always dreamed of studying in the United States.  He wanted to become a lawyer.  The problem was that, in his country, a law degree is awarded at the end of undergraduate education at a specialized legal faculty.  In addition, his country’s system of law was completely different from that practiced in the U.S.  In other words, by going to get an undergraduate degree in the U.S., he would have:

• missed out on getting the degree he needed to practice law in his home country
• learned very little information that actually pertained to his own legal system

Now, that’s not to say he shouldn’t have wanted to study in the U.S.  In fact, despite the disadvantages of a U.S. university in this regard, he ended up coming to study in the States.  But even he acknowledged that those four years were in a certain respect wasted, at least in terms of how they strictly applied to his chosen profession (they were certainly not wasted in terms of his life – he had a great experience, made lifelong friends, helped him develop leadership and cross-cultural skills, and so on).

The bottom line here is that before you decide to pursue university education in the United States, you should do some research into how it might impact your chosen profession.  In the majority of cases, a U.S. degree will probably advance your career.  But in certain cases, due to the system used in your country, it might not provide you with the appropriate qualifications.  This is particularly possible in some of the following fields:

• law
• education (i.e. getting certified to be a teacher in a public school)
• medicine or dentistry

For your consideration: do you know what you’d like to do as a career?  What are the requirements in your country for having such a career?  Do you need a specific degree?  To pass a certain test?  How will education in the U.S. impact your ability to meet such requirements?

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.?

As in yesterday’s post, I’m going to speak very briefly about a supposed reason not to study in the U.S.

The reason?  It costs too much.

Verdict: False

As we mentioned in a previous post in this series, while it is true that a U.S. university can be expensive, it’s also true that the U.S. spends more per student than almost any other country.  So it’s not as if you’re paying for nothing.

But more than that, is university study in the U.S. really so much more expensive than other countries? I’m always skeptical of claims like “universities in _____ country are expensive,” because, as we saw in yesterday’s post, there are so many different kinds of universities and programs available.  In every country, you’ll find some programs that are expensive and some that are not.  For example, let’s look at some very basic tuition information available on the web (NOTE:  these are estimates taken from random sites for the purposes of illustrating a point):

• Tuition in the U.K. is between £3,500 to £18,000 a year
• Tuition in Australia is between $A10,000- $A16,000 a year
  
• Tuition in the U.S. is between $5,000 and $30,000 a year

Using today’s exchange rates, and taking the middle point of those ranges,  tuition costs work out to be:

• UK:  $15,695
• Australia:  $9,347
• U.S.:  $17,500

Now, are there differences?  Yes.  Are the differences so overwhelmingly big so as to make you immediately discard the idea of studying in the U.S.?

Probably not.

The bottom line is that, yes, the U.S. will tend to be more expensive for university study . . .but probably not by such a large amount as to outweigh the various benefits of going there. And always remember, there are going to be universities in the U.S. that cost less than the average university in the U.K. or Australia.  It all depends on what you want and what kind of program you’re looking for.

For Your Consideration:

Have you looked at specific universities in the U.S.?  Do you know how much it would cost to attend?  Have you looked for other schools which might cost less?

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.?

In today and tomorrow’s post I’m going to speak very briefly about two supposed reasons not to study in the U.S.  Occasionally I’ve heard these from  students.

Reason #1:  It’s too hard to get a visa

Verdict: FALSE

You do hear about a number of international students who don’t get visas to the U.S.  The process also seems complicated, filled with all kinds of strange-sounding documents like I-20s.  The truth is, though, when you hack through all the confusion, the process of getting a U.S. visa is really quite simple:

1. You apply to a university in the U.S.
2. The school accepts you and send you some documents you need to apply for a visa
3. You apply for a visa interview at the U.S. Embassy, and go to the interview with the necessary documents
4. The embassy approves your application and puts a visa in your passport
5. You get on a plane for the U.S.

Now, there are certain steps of the process which do present real difficulties for large numbers of international students.  Quite often the above scenario can become much more complicated (and throughout the year we’ll talk a lot more about visas).  But for the majority of international students the process – though long – ends in success. It’s also worth mentioning  here that many think the Obama administration may be more open to international students.

The bottom line is that, for most students,  if you’re serious about studying in the U.S., the visa process is more of a hassle than a real disadvantage.

For Your Consideration:

Have you hear horror stories of students not getting U.S. visas?  Please share them with us!

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.?

One very important reason to consider a university education in the United States is the value of the degree you’ll receive at the end of it.  According to one recent report from National Public Radio,  degrees from U.S. universities are so highly regarded abroad, that having one is “solid gold.”  This is especially true of business degrees:

“Business degrees are far and away the most popular end objective of most foreign students,” says John Fernandez, president of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. He says that developing countries just don’t have much to offer in this area. “There are few, but not enough to deal with the masses that they must send through higher education, so that’s good news for United States-based business schools.”

It’s not just business schools, however.  Regardless of your field of study, a degree from a U.S. university will be recognized by the overwhelming majority of employers throughout the world.

There are two reasons for this, and understanding them will help you more fully understand the true value of a U.S. degree:

First, to gain accreditation in the U.S., a university has to go through a rigorous, transparent, well-established process that provides independent verification of the quality of education provided in an institution.  The specific process of accreditation is a subject for another post, but here’s a snapshot:

Accreditation in higher education is a collegial process of self-review and peer review for improvement of academic quality and public accountability of institutions and programs. This quality review process occurs on a periodic basis, usually every 3 to 10 years. Typically, it involves three major activities:

• A self-study by an institution or program using the standards or criteria of an accrediting organization.
• A peer review of an institution or program to gather evidence of quality.
• A decision or judgment by an accrediting organization to accredit, accredit with conditions or not accredit an institution or program.

This means that when an accredited U.S. university awards a degree, the quality of that degree has been vouched for by an independent process of quality assurance.  That makes employers feel better about your degree.

Second, a very large number of international students have graduated from U.S. universities and gone on to successful careers around the globe.  Having experienced the U.S. educational system themselves, they know its strengths and are likely to positively evaluate candidates who also received a U.S. degree.  The influence of this factor will only increase as, year after year, U.S. universities continue to host international students.

To conclude briefly, because of the strong, independent system of accreditation in the United States, and the ever-growing network of graduates from U.S. universities throughout the world,  the reputation of U.S. degrees has never been better.

And here’s the bottom line: if you choose to study in the U.S., you can be confident that the value of your degree will garner respect all over the world.

For Your Consideration:

Think of graduates from U.S. universities that you have met.  What special skills do they seem to possess that might be a product of their educational experience in the U.S.?

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.?

If you enroll to study at a “typical” U.S. university, you’ll encounter students and professors from a bewildering array of backgrounds. Students of many different nationalities and socio-economic backgrounds will share the same classrooms, assignments, and living spaces. A look at the list of the top 20 source countries for international students at U.S. universities will give you some idea of the variety of nationalities represented at U.S. campuses.

There are three main reason why you should care about diversity in a university you attend:

First, diversity among the student body may increase the quality of the education you receive. Here, for example, is the President of the University of Virginia’s view of the value of diversity in the educational process:

We value diversity here because it has to do with the human richness, the variety of experiences and backgrounds and perspectives and reasons for learning that distinguish us as people, based on our own backgrounds, our own expectations and our own prior experiences.

If you are in a classroom with twenty students from an identical cultural background, chances are that all twenty will have a similar approach to material presented in that classroom. If you are in a classroom with twenty students, each of whom is a from a different cultural background, then you will most likely experience many different perspectives about the material presented.  Although different studies have come to different conclusions regarding the impact of diversity on education, there is a general consensus that a diverse learning environment presents certain unique opportunities to students and teachers alike.

Second, as we move into a more and more globalized world, the ability to interact with people from different cultural backgrounds, and to perform well in a variety of cultural settings, will become more and more in demand.  For example, The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, a ” leading advocacy organization focused on infusing 21st century skills into education,” lists, among others, the following skills as vital:

• Global Awareness
• Communication and Collaboration
• Social and Cross-Cultural Skills

It’s very easy to see how studying at U.S. university with a diverse student body would help you build all of these skills.

To put it more simply, imagine that you have just graduated and you are interviewing for a great job  with a large, international company.  The interviewer asks you, “How do you work with others from different cultural backgrounds?”  If you’ve just graduated from a U.S. university, you’ll be able to answer that question very confidently, providing a number of concrete examples.

Third, the contacts you make with students from different countries and cultures can help you in your professional career.  This is especially true if you see yourself going into an international career.

And let’s not forget the most important reason for you to value the diversity you’ll find on U.S. campuses: meeting students from other backgrounds is just plain interesting.

For Your Consideration:

Does the thought of studying with people from all over the world interest you?  Why or why not?

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.?

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.?