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| Wednesday, Oct 25, 2006
Out of school, looking abroad
Gone are the days when students went abroad for their post-graduation. Now, many migrate right after schooling, says DIVYA KUMAR
Chennai: In a world that is growing younger, you might have expected this would happen. A few years ago, almost everyone who went abroad to study registered for post-graduate degrees. No longer. Today, more and more students are exploring the option of studying abroad right after school.
Take Deepak, a standard 12 student from P.S. Senior Secondary School. An option he is seriously considering is Singapore, where about 10 of his seniors are studying. "The quality of education is high," he explains, "and aid and subsidises for international students make it more attractive."
Advantage students
Deepak is one of many students in the city looking at the possibility of doing his graduation abroad. These youngsters belong to a generation fully aware of the advantages of a degree from a top university overseas. They want the lustre that such a qualification lends to their resume, and they don't want to have to wait to get it. For them, `abroad' is no longer a mysterious or scary place defined only by its distance from home, but one that is attractive in every sense of the word. Economic changes like higher incomes and the easing of foreign exchange restrictions has made it easier for more students to consider this option.
Academic institutions abroad are now aggressively promoting their undergraduate programs here, and these students are becoming a much-courted lot, according to Y. G. Parthasarathy, Dean and Director of the Padma Seshadri group of schools. "Universities in Australia, the U.K., and especially Singapore canvass here a lot," she says.
The U.S., boasting of the top universities in the world remains a major draw for students, although cost is a prohibitive factor. "I would rather go to the U.S.," says Gopal, a standard 11 student of Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan Senior Secondary School, Nungambakkam. "It would be expensive, but it would be worth it."
"Very few can afford it," says Mrs. Parthasarathy. "Those who go are those who can pay. But money alone is not enough, merit also counts." So, every year, only one or two students from her school go to the U.S. Among them, only some are able to get scholarships, and others find ways to cope once in the U.S. "Indian students are so good that they start teaching very quickly, they get credit and waivers for work done and shorten the period of study," she says. "But it is hard work."
For this reason, options such as the U.K. and Australia, which are cheaper than the U.S., provide more opportunities for loans, and where bachelor's degrees take only three years as opposed to four in the U.S., are gaining popularity.
Attractive option
Singapore has emerged as one of the most attractive alternatives for students in need of financial assistance. However, there is the issue of bonds— international students who avail of the scholarships at universities such as the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have to serve bonds ranging from three to six years by working in Singapore-registered companies upon graduation. Otherwise, they are required to pay the fees in full.
The process of admission to these universities is also not easy. "Singapore is very choosy; they want only the very cream of students," Mrs. Parthasarathy says. "They look at the student's marks, plus they hold an exam and an interview." But she concurs that the Singapore option remains an appealing one. "It brings them to an international standard, and they can go from there to the U.S.," she says.
While these students are very keen to go abroad, their parents sometimes have concerns. Gopal's mother Rama Devi has strong misgivings about his plans to go abroad, and hopes he will change his mind. "They are too young to manage themselves," she says. "They are not sufficiently mature to cope with the completely different environment, and may be easily influenced." According to Mrs. Parthasarathy, this is even truer for girls, as their parents worry about the risks of sending them alone, even if just to close-by Singapore.
Going abroad also has a different degree of priority for different students. For some, it is a secondary option to that elusive dream that lakhs of our students pursue every year- getting into IIT. Deepak is very clear: "If I don't get into IIT, I am definitely going abroad," he says. Others decide to go overseas for their graduation early on, and shift to international schools such as the American International School in Chennai to get acclimatised to the international educational system, and perhaps even gain college credit in order to shorten the length of their university study.
Overall, Mrs. Parthasarathy estimates that maybe five to ten students go to the U.S., Singapore, Australia and U.K. after they complete 12 standard in her school every year. In order to complete their graduation abroad, some students pay their way, while others are able to get scholarships. Still others take loans, or have to work off bonds. But they all share the goal of completing a degree of international repute, and these ambitious youngsters are no longer content to wait until post-graduation to realise their dream.
SOME ONLINE RESOURCES
Australia
- The official Australian government website for international
students: http://www.studyinaustralia. gov.au/
Singapore
- National University of Singapore: http://www.nus.edu.sg
- Nanyang Technological University: http://www.ntu.edu.sg
- Singapore Management University: http://smu.edu.sg
U.K.
- The British Council India website for studying in the U.K.:
http://www.educationuk-in.org
U.S.
- US government website for international students: http://educationusa.state.gov
- The United States Educational Foundation in India website:
http://fullbright-india.org/eas/
Courtesy: The Hindu
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