International Students Less Likely to Stay in Philadelphia Area After Graduation 

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Jen Kebea, president of Campus Philly, a nonprofit focused on recruitment, engagement and retention of college talent in the Greater Philadelphia area, discussed a 2019 study with Technical.ly, an online news site for technologists and entrepreneurs. Campus Philly completed a retention data study in 2019 that found the region was retaining 54% of its college students, Kebeba told Technical.ly. However, Kebaba said that within the pool of STEM graduates, some are highly retained, such as those in biology and other life sciences-related subjects; others, such as those in computer science and information technology majors, are less likely to stay in themore

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3 Kenyan Students at Alabama State University Attend French Horn Conference

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Three international music students from Alabama State University traveled to Florida to attend the Southeast Horn Workshop (SEHW) at the University of Central Florida, according to the Alabama State University website. The three students — seniors Vitalis Wagome and Wanja Nganga and freshman Shaka Marko Lwaki, all from Nairobi, Kenya – attended the conference, billed as one of the largest regional conferences in the country for French horn players, the website said. (June 2023) …

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How to Succeed in Your US Student Visa Interview

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Indian Eagle magazine takes a look at the U.S. student visa interview process, offering tips and success strategies. Among them: organize your documents, be honest and concise, and demonstrate strong ties to your home country. Also: don’t be nervous or defensive, and don’t memorize responses. Read the full story here. (June 2023)   …

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Survey Looks at How Students Approach Studying Abroad

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The Keystone Education Group, based in Oslo, Norway, surveyed 23,800 prospective international students representing more than 195 countries and found that students are evolving in the way they approach decisions about study abroad. (June 2023) Several highlights from the group’s 2023 State of Student Recruitment Report conducted from January-April 2023 include: A growing number of students are researching study abroad options less than six months before applying. Three-quarters of students are worried about the safety of studying abroad, particularly when it comes to racial discrimination. Among respondents, 52% were African students and 18% were Asian students.  …

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International Students Face Post-COVID Challenges at Seattle Colleges

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The expiration of COVID-19 restrictions means that Seattle Colleges’ international students, who’d been permitted to take fully online classes from either their home countries or their U.S. residences, have to go back to the classroom. And that, the student newspaper notes, is a problem. “This might leave international students in hot water because some classes are still only offered online, so they cannot enroll in classes they are required to take for their programs of study,” The Seattle Collegian reports. Seattle Colleges is a multicollege district serving the city of Seattle and surrounding communities in the U.S. state of Washington.more

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Young Afghan Girls Find Ways to Keep Learning, Report Says

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After the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, tens of thousands of girls were banned from attending school beyond sixth grade. Many found a way to continue their studies through informal tutoring centers, but those too have come under increased scrutiny as the government continues to crack down on women and girls’ access to education, according to The Hechinger Report. As a group of girls in Kabul have been grappling with all this, they’ve formed a connection with some other teens half a world away in California. The two sets of students, through meetings on Zoom talking about theirmore

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Virginia Commonwealth University Helps International and Immigrant Students Navigate College

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Two staff psychologists – one who grew up in South Korea and one in Kenya – with Virginia Commonwealth University’s counseling services specialize in intercultural issues, VCU News reports. Mijin Kim and Abey Muthoni Wachira draw on personal experience in their work and have highlighted a range of issues that international students can face as part of the culture shock of living and studying in a host country, whose norms and values can vary from their native lands, the online news site reports. (June 2023) …

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Most Popular Graduate Admissions Test in the US Just Got Cut in Half

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The Graduate Records Exam, or GRE, is now less than two hours long and has no writing section. Scores will also be released faster. The changes come as many schools are making the test optional, in what the academic journal Science dubbed “GRExit.” Stephanie Saul of The New York Times describes the new format, and how admissions are changing as the pandemic eases and the Supreme Court reconsiders affirmative action. (June 2023) …

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Should Zoom Classes Outlive the Pandemic?

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After colleges went online during the pandemic, professors reported “stunning levels of student disengagement.” Now, many schools are walking back those policies and no longer offer coursework online. While this is welcome for many students, others with disabilities and chronic illnesses argue that Zoom is the only safe way for them to attend. Julian Roberts-Grmela of the Chronicle of Higher Education has more. (June 2023) …

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What Would College Classes Look Like in Virtual Reality?

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Imagine if your first-year biology class took place at an “Alien Zoo,” where you dissect animals and identify medical conditions. This is already happening at Arizona State University, where thousands of students pair their real-life lecture courses with virtual labs. Students in the virtual reality course were 1.7 times more likely to earn an A than those in the regular one, reports Olivia Sanchez of The Hechinger Report. (June 2023) …

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Borrowers Worry as Pause on US Student Loan Payments Nears End

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In a good month, Celina Chanthanouvong has about $200 left after rent, groceries and car insurance. That doesn’t factor in her student loans, which have been on hold since the start of the pandemic and are estimated to cost $300 a month. The pause in repayment has been a lifeline keeping the 25-year-old afloat.  “I don’t even know where I would begin to budget that money,” said Chanthanouvong, who works in marketing in San Francisco.  Now, after more than three years, the lifeline is being pulled away.  More than 40 million Americans will be on the hook for federal studentmore

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Medical Students Are Skipping Lectures; is That Such a Bad Thing?

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In the United States, the first two years of medical school are classroom-based. During the pandemic, students took these courses virtually, and even now skip the lectures and rely on recordings. Students report learning better when they can rewind and pause the material, but also that getting feedback and building relationships with faculty are more difficult. Now, as Brown University considers making these classes partially virtual, a student and a professor share their ideas on how to digitize medical learning. Read the op-ed from Alexander P. Philips and Philip Gruppuso in NPR. (June 2023) …

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Will College Affirmative Action Survive in US?

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Colleges and universities are allowed to give underrepresented minorities a boost when applying. But later this month, the U.S. Supreme Court is widely expected to ban colleges from considering race in admissions. How will the schools respond? Read this story from Dan Friedell of VOA Learning English, adapted from a piece by Reuters. (June 2023) …

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Are Declining Enrollments in the US a Hidden Opportunity for Students Abroad?

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Allen Goodman, CEO of the Institute for Higher Education, writes that empty seats at U.S. colleges could drive a boom in international education. The U.S. has lost market share among host countries, but unlike its competitors, its university system is so large and underutilized that it could easily recruit more students. Because international students become “friends for life” with the U.S., and bring valuable expertise (and tuition dollars), Goodman argues the U.S. should recruit 2 million students by the end of the decade. Weigh his argument for yourself in Times Higher Education. (May 2023) …

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What Could a Bitter Lawsuit Tell Us About International Education in the US?

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In 2010, the University of South Florida signed a 30-year contract with INTO, a company that provides support services for international students. INTO built a “pathway program” at the university that taught students English and basic academic skills before they began their higher-education degrees. But after years of enrollment declines, the university ended the contract, and now both parties are fighting an “acrimonious” court case. The news comes as many of INTO’s programs at other schools are being shuttered. While management and financial issues may play a role, so does the post-pandemic educational landscape: pathway programs can now be easilymore

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It’s Graduation Season – Who Might Speak at Yours?

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U.S. graduation ceremonies usually feature a public figure who offers advice to young people starting their careers. This spring, graduates have heard from President Joe Biden, actor Tom Hanks, Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa and even Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, who became the youngest prime minister in the world at age 34, told her audience that change cannot wait, even at their age. “To change things,” she said, “you have to take over.” Read the story from Dan Friedell of VOA Learning English. (May 2023) …

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What Did Justin, a Golden Retriever Mix, Do to Earn a Diploma?

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Justin is a service dog and accompanied his owner (who graduated with honors) to every single class for four years. The student’s university honored the dog’s hard work with his very own diploma, which he accepted, tail wagging, in front a cheering stadium of other graduates. See Justin’s walk across the stage in this story from Bill Chappell of NPR. (May 2023) …

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What Are US Diplomats Doing to Further International Education?

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken touted his department’s achievements in a recent address to NAFSA: Association of International Educators. The State Department has relaxed student visa and study abroad requirements. In fact, it issued over a half-million student visas last year – the highest number in five years. Blinken, who spent part of his childhood in France, thanked educators for “helping us to see the world through another’s eyes.” Watch his remarks in this press release from the State Department. (May 2023) …

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Soon-to-Be Graduates Put COVID Behind Them

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, learning lagged for students around the world, including the U.S., where many had access to online learning. Now these soon-to-be graduates say they are behind in certain subjects because of time missed at school. VOA’s Laurel Bowman sat down with high school seniors on the cusp of graduation. Camera: Adam Greenbaum, Saqib Ul Islam. …

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Former US Congresswoman Liz Cheney Urges Graduates Not to Compromise With the Truth

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Former U.S. Congresswoman Liz Cheney implored new college graduates to not compromise when it comes to the truth, excoriating her House Republican colleagues for not doing enough to combat former President Donald Trump’s lies that the 2020 election was stolen. In a commencement speech at Colorado College, the Wyoming Republican repeated her fierce criticisms of Trump but steered clear of talking about his 2024 reelection campaign or her own political future. Cheney, who graduated from Colorado College in 1988, recalled being a political science student walking into a campus building where a Bible verse was inscribed above the entrance thatmore

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