Category: Education & University Insights

Globally we have been facing an unprecedented time in history with the outbreak of the Corona Virus. After many lockdown iterations in India – we have entered an “Un-lock” phase which is bringing about its own set of challenges. One of the industries reeling from the impact of this global pandemic is international Education; with travel restrictions imposed, Embassies and Consulates closed; many campuses globally and in the US are now opting for online delivery of the Fall 2020 intake. This has resulted in a lot of uncertainty and doubt regarding students’ plans to study abroad. Luckily, my current organization has been pro-active in evaluating the upcoming challenges and hence advised staff to work online in order to safely service students virtually and stay focussed on their applications for Fall 2020 intake and beyond.

The Chronicle of higher education has a live tracker (currently of about 910 US institutions). According to the latest figures, about two-thirds plan to re-open in the Fall. We have witnessed a mix of optimistic and opportunistic decisions among US Universities. Where on the optimistic side, Ivies such as Harvard and Yale are yet to make a decision; some of the more conservative high-ranked universities are considering a hybrid model in order to equip future students with the best possible options.

Thus any student who has already applied for Fall 2020 has a few options:

1. Take Fall 2020 classes online
2. Defer intake to Spring or Fall 2021
3. Attend physical classes in Fall (subject to getting a visa approval in time and assuming some institutions may/may not defer the start of the Fall intake)

So considering all the above options, the questions that tickle the belly are:

Should one take online classes? What are the benefits? Drawbacks? If one defers to a future intake, are they still eligible for work experience opportunities or will they miss out?

Understandably, as online classes are a newer medium for most students, they may be hesitant to enrol, may it be the fear of parents being uncomfortable with this scenario or the whole idea of overseas education being compromised.

The reality is the whole world has been forced into a “new normal” and many of us have been pushed into innovation, and to use technology and virtual platforms to move ahead in time.

What I may offer is that online learning (even in a blended way) is here to stay; and to some extent, all of us will have to adapt to this. While you may not get the exact feel of being on a campus – online learning does afford some advantages such as personalised group projects, more time to absorb the material as you will have the pace to yourself, one-on-one interactions with faculty and, of course, saving money!

Did you know that if you choose to take online classes for the first semester, from the luxury of your room/study, then you save almost half the cost of US Education in the form of rent, transport, living expenditures, etc.? Most universities are offering these online classes at a reduced cost for your convenience. So, you can still stay on track to complete your studies in time, and as a bonus save some money in the process.

In case you choose to defer to a later intake, US Universities are happy to assist you all the way. As they understand it is a student’s personal decision to make. Some universities are even waiving off standardized test (GMAT, GRE, SAT) requirements, so do check the Covid-19 Update section highlighted prominently on university websites for detailed information.

In case you are waiting for your standardised test/English Language test appointment dates, check with your test providers and keep yourself updated regarding online registrations or the latest available test dates.

Please do not panic and continue to focus on your planning and preparation to secure admissions. If you have received an admit, start ensuring all your documents for the visa are ready. This way as soon as visa appointments open up – you can be first in line.

US Universities and colleges do value their international students, so be rest assured they will work with you to ensure you get the best possible educational experience, virtually and in-person!

• The article was originally published in Career Ahead July 2020 issue.

Hospitality is directly related to civilization, as the idea of being friendly to outsiders has been around for decades and has grown into a flourishing industry. 

The time I spent in Switzerland was a unique and exceptional experience. Studying amidst the beautiful Alps and the mesmerizing scenic beauty drew me into hiking, sports, and other outdoor activities. As an international student, one gets a plethora of benefits, such as living in elite cities and building an international network that will be beneficial for the future. The quality of education and punctuality the teachers and students have to maintain in Switzerland is unique compared to other cultures and educational institutions in various countries. An integral part of my hospitality course was research, and a high level of attention to detail in research institutions is mandatory in Switzerland. I was majorly involved in group projects, assignments and presentations, and poster making assessments and competition with an extremely culturally diverse team. The teachers were very helpful and supportive of all my work. In some instances, there seemed to be a language barrier, where I was unclear what the teachers would discuss; however, as all the work was uploaded on presentations, I could see it later to clarify any confusion. In Switzerland, it’s an advantage to learn German along with English, for which we had classes in college. My colleagues and I participated in various research conferences and seminars, led by professors from all around Europe, which gave an insight into the experiences and learning of various individuals. My university allowed me to learn how a hotel or restaurant functions from within, from the points of view of the management and the employees, and taught me various ways to excel in the different departments.

“The internship is a dose of the real world. In school, we just learn the basics; in the hotels, we learn the actual, never-ending hard work”

Although it can be quite expensive to afford the daily living there, costs can be covered while doing the course by working in professional hotels and companies and undertaking yearly internships to gain savings and manage personal expenses. Internships are an important part of college, along with studies, and are also the best way to gain first-hand knowledge and experience. My internship taught me a lot of good things that will help me in my future studies and in work. I mainly worked in Service, Kitchen, and Sales & Marketing. I learned how to work along with other people in the departments and the importance of obeying the rules set by the manager and by senior colleagues. The internship is a dose of the real world. In school, we just learn the basics; in the hotels, we learn the actual, never-ending hard work. Our manager was a very sincere and disciplined person. We had a no late-comer policy and every employee had to be on time. I learned to appreciate the importance of punctuality working in such an environment, and would want to follow this in the future. Most days, the work was continuous and we got only one or two breaks in the whole day. On days when there were many guests, we even had to miss some break shifts and work over hours. 

There is so much to learn from guests and colleagues of various regions. I wouldn’t say there was any particularly challenging situation; however, one thing that did bother me was that many times I had to work an hour or more as overtime, and I did not get that time off later as compensation. Another issue was the food, as I only ate vegetarian food there were occasions when they forgot to cook my food, as vegetarian food was hardly made there. At times, they would forget to make my food and I had to remind them, and my lunchtime would be wasted waiting for my meal. Overall, although there were minor issues, an internship is a great opportunity for students to gain real-life insight into what their graduate career could be like. The experience allowed me to see if I am the right fit for the position and the firm, and likewise, it helped me judge whether this is a career that I really want to pursue.

• The article was originally published in Career Ahead July 2020 issue.

international-education-has-been-such-an-enriching-benefit-of-our-interdependent-world-as-we-knew-it-exploring-cultural-diversity-where-core-values-are-challenged”>“International education has been such an enriching benefit of our interdependent world as we knew it – exploring cultural diversity where core values are challenged”

International education has developed rapidly over the past decade, as advances in global travel and technology have made the world more accessible, both physically and digitally.

However, we now live in unprecedented and uncertain times with the Covid-19 pandemic enveloping civilisations throughout the world, indiscriminate of nationality, colour, race, religion and location. Not only have we been forced to adapt our behaviours rapidly against a real threat to humankind, but we have developed an isolationist mind-set, adopting social distancing to protect ourselves and those closest to us.

As we grapple with the concept of non-contact, this challenging worldwide situation has opened our eyes to the inherent social nature of humankind, finding ways to grow our skills and knowledge of advanced technology to enhance our connectivity remotely.

International education has been such an enriching benefit of our interdependent world as we knew it – exploring cultural diversity where core values are challenged. It is the catalyst to growing knowledge, competences and attributes in the development of a multi-faceted worldview and greater understanding of alternative perspectives. Does today’s pandemic put an abrupt halt to this globalisation and transnational awareness or is this an opportunity to discover more innovative ways of connecting globally and building our cross-cultural competencies?

higher education institutes around the world are asking precisely this question and searching for real-time solutions as imposed lockdowns are gradually eased and a new normal is slowly unveiled. We are all looking at what the “new normal” will actually look like and how we can shape international delivery of education to fit our reconstituted society. Indeed, as some nations unlock their social distancing, there are already variances in what “new” rules will be applied. At the time of writing, Spain had just introduced limited outdoor exercise time, which has been the accepted norm in the UK since the lockdown and Germany is allowing spas and hairdressers to open – never before did I appreciate the real benefit of being bald!

Clearly, we all see the world through different lenses and have different and often conflicting priorities and core values. However, it is the understanding of this diversity, the multiple perspectives and cultural differences that forms the very foundation of international education. Not only is it about developing a global mind-set, but developing critical skills such as agile mindfulness, decision-making, situational evaluation and relationship-building that an international educational experience can provide with its immersion in cultural, attitudinal and behavioural diversity. So, can this really be achieved in this new VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world we face? Can an online education substitute this engagement with diversity or will international education be mothballed and confined to storage until we re-emerge and return to global travel as we knew it?

“The future is fascinating, presenting exciting opportunities to exploit the technologies we have invented and lived with for years”

The future is fascinating, presenting exciting opportunities to exploit the technologies we have invented and lived with for years. In fact, much of our digital connectivity to date has been established around social networking and building personal relationships, which younger generations have embraced. Now is the time for institutions and students to apply that sense of adventure, a key element in international education, and explore different ways of teaching and learning in the discovery of new ways to interact and communicate globally.

Questions should be posed about the ways in which we can establish relationships, without the physical interfaces we are used to. We should be looking at developing remote interactions that are geared towards the cultivation of the skills, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours that an immersive international experience achieves. Already Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams and other such platforms are enabling our remote visual and aural connectivity – incorporating the diverse cultural nuances and contradictions that are experienced through international education within teaching content would produce adaptability in our learning styles, and would help to achieve grounded educational development.

History shows that there will not be a genuine educational substitute for an immersive international experience, but is there a choice in these unpredictable and uncertain times? The reintroduction of international education as we knew it does not yet have a definitive timeline, and the option of delaying will simply waste the extra time that the pandemic seems to have given us.

There will always be a permanent future for international education. However, in these unusual times we simply need to embrace our global circumstances and adapt our behaviours. Students play a critical role, developing a mind-set to engage with new and unforeseen teaching styles. Adapting to unpredictability and unusual contexts is a key attribute and a basis of international education – one that is much-needed in today’s world.

Institutions need to optimize advanced technologies, become creative and innovative in the methods used to reach learning outcomes, and integrate the cultural and soft-skill learnings from an immersive experience into a short-term solution before we can return to some realistic form of “normality”.

• The article was originally published in Career Ahead July 2020 issue.