Study abroad fair organized by Office of the International Programs and Study Abroad at Fainman Lounge.

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The Study Abroad Fair organized by the Office of International Programs and Study Abroad took place Oct. 2 at Fainman Lounge, where Roosevelt students had a chance to learn about new destinations offered by various academic and non-profit organizations from across the country.

Justin Osadjan, the director of International Programs at Roosevelt University, said he is hoping to increase the number of Roosevelt students participating in international programs. “My office is in charge of many things, and one of them is working with Roosevelt University students who want to study abroad as part of their academic career,” Osadjan said. “We have a number of students who study abroad each semester, and we are interested in increasing those numbers.”  To send students overseas, the Office of International Programs and Study Abroad partners with national and foreign organizations and academic institutions. Osadjan said introducing students to the national organizations that offer study abroad guide programs is one of the best ways to get the information about those programs in students’ hands. “Exchange programs are agreements Roosevelt has in place with universities around the world where we will send a Roosevelt University student,” Osadjan said. “In exchange, we get a student from that university in Chicago to fill the shoes of our student.”

As Roosevelt’s Office of International Programs and Study Abroad does not have the exchange agreements in every country, it partners with national organizations that have a greater scope of study abroad guide programs. According to Osadjan, Roosevelt University has partnerships with 15 organizations in the U.S. that offer trips where students can spend a semester or an academic year while living and learning in another country. One of these organizations is Vermont-based “World Learning” that presented its School for International Training (SIT) Study Abroad that helps students to learn about critical global issues in different parts of the world. “Like a lot of organizations, we have sites all over the world, but there are several things that we do are kind of unique,” said Benjamin Efird, relations manager for SIT’s Midwest region. “We are big on experiential learning: We think language acquisition is important, we think it’s important students live with close families so they can really dive into the culture. One of the most unique components we have in all our programs is an independent study project: All of our students are taking a Research Methods and Ethics course and narrowing on an academic topic or an area of interest and end up doing a research project for their entire last month in a country.”

Efird said SIT Study Abroad has been at the previous fairs at the university and wants to interest more Roosevelt students, as social justice is incorporated in all of SIT’s programs. “We focus on critical global issues,” Efird explained. “We are looking at everything from a broad interdisciplinary angle of gender rights and gender and education systems, social movements, peace and conflict issues, post-conflict transformations. We put the human perspective into all our programs for students.” Accounting freshman Alexa Tapias said she was looking at Roosevelt’s programs in Colombia and Turkey. “I just want to go explore, expand my horizons a bit and that’s basically why I want to do it,” Tapias said. “I have traveled outside the U.S. a lot, and that makes me want to do it even more.”

The Study Abroad Guide Fair takes place twice in the academic year, as the Office of International Programs and Study Abroad continues to build partnerships with new organizations nationally and around the globe. “We do a fair each semester,” Osadjan said. “It’s generally in early October and again, sometime in late February or March.” Brittany Palmer, admissions representative of “Semester at Sea,” a study abroad guide program operated by the University of Virginia, said their program is becoming more popular in the Chicago area. “We are a little bit different because we are a comparative learning organization,” Palmer said. “You go to many different countries rather than just spending the whole semester in one,” Palmer said. According to Osadjan, The Office of International Programs and Study Abroad sends 10-15 students to different countries each semester. Roosevelt students can choose from a variety of long-term as well as short-term programs. “Each semester, we have other students who go study abroad on what we call faculty-led trips,” Osadjan said. “Faculty-led trips are where a Roosevelt professor will organize a class and that class includes about a week and a half of international travel. Students will study theory in a classroom, and they see what they have studied by travelling overseas,” Osadjan said.

As Osadjan said, within Roosevelt exchange programs, London Metropolitan University and University of Sussex have been two of the most popular ones. The Office of International Programs and Study Abroad has recently added a few new opportunities for Roosevelt students. “We have seen a lot of increased interest in the exchange program we have with KwaZulu-Natal University in South Africa,” Osadjan added. “We have one student studying there right now and several more students have expressed interest in going there in spring 2014. South Africa has turned into an exciting option for many students.”

The Office of International Programs and Study Abroad provides Roosevelt students with opportunities of studying in England, Tanzania, Spain, China, Germany and many other countries. The office is located in AUD 124.

UMass Amherst Cancels all Study Abroad programs in Israel - Amid Gaza War

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UMass Amherst has canceled all study abroad programs in Israel for the coming fall semester amid continuing fighting in the Gaza Strip, campus officials announced.

The university said this week that its International Risk Management Committee made the decision based on advice and information from the State Department, insurance and risk management consultants, and other sources. The fall cancellation will affect two undergraduates, one who was planning to start a program at Tel Aviv University next week and another who was scheduled to start a program at Bar-Ilan University in October.

The students will be reimbursed fully for any “nonrecoverable” expenses, including airfare, deposits, and program application and visa fees. Administrators have also offered to help the students secure housing and course enrollments or to find alternative study abroad options for the semester. “It was a difficult decision,” said Jack Ahern, the college’s vice provost for international programs. “But we take our responsibility to ensure students’ safety strongly.”

The State Department has recommended that US citizens defer “nonessential travel” to the region because of hostilities in the Gaza Strip between Israeli’s military and Gaza militants. Since fighting flared July 8, nearly 2,000 Palestinians, including many civilians, have been killed, while several dozen Israelis, mostly soldiers, have died. A three-day truce ended Friday, and the air strikes between the two sides resumed.

Last month, UMass Amherst evacuated six students and one faculty member from the Israeli city of Acre, where they were nearing the end of an archaeological dig program, Ahern said. “We became anxious about the hostilities and the danger they were in,” he said, adding that no one in the program was harmed.

The move will not affect the “substantial number” of UMass Amherst faculty and graduate students who travel to Israel or undergraduates who plan to go on personal travel, Ahern said.

He said the university typically sends five to 20 undergraduates to Israel each semester. No decisions have been made about programs scheduled for the spring semester.

“I’m hopeful that political conditions will allow” programs to continue, Ahern said.

UMass consulted with other colleges before deciding to cancel fall programming. Most other colleges the university spoke to are continuing their initiatives in Israel, according to Ahern.

Some other colleges have suspended study abroad guide programs there, including the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, the University of Iowa, and George Mason University, according to Ahern, media reports, and college websites.

Ahern said the last time he could recall UMass Amherst suspending study abroad programs was 2011, when the school evacuated students from Egypt and Syria during the “Arab Spring” uprisings and from Japan because of a tsunami and earthquake.

Overseas Students Study in Journalism Nominated for Award

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Study abroad students who came to the United Kingdom to pursue their passion for journalism is up for a top media award.

Julija Safronova has been nominated by the NCTJ-accredited De Montfort University for the Chartered Institute of Public Relations’ Midlands Student of the Year award.

Julija left her native Lithuania and made a 1,400-mile journey to study for a media, communications and journalism degree at the Leicester campus.

After obtaining a 2:1 joint honours degree, she’s now returned to her home country to work as a public relations assistant for a start-up business project. “Julija is a motivated and highly intelligent student of which any university would be proud,” said Liz Bridgen, programme leader for the MA public relations course at the university. “She has brought a real passion for public relations to the classroom. I am recommending her for this award because she is a hard-working and intelligent student with a strategic and analytical mind and is not afraid of a challenge.”

The awards will be held at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena in November.  Julija, who ultimately plans to come back to the UK to find a PR job or take her master’s degree at De Montfort, said: “Choosing to study abroad could not have been a better idea. “I was given everything required for my studies here – a modern environment, with access to all library services, a student support centre and even free English language courses, which were extremely useful while writing my dissertation.”

Worth of Study Abroad Students

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Study abroad students during studying an out of state community college, universities and meet new people change the way of thinking and get different meaningful experiences of the world.

Studying abroad is a great way for students to have those experiences and learn how other countries operate and grow. But traveling for study abroad is very expensive. A recent Forbes article stated that the average cost per semester abroad is $31,270, about twice the cost of a private college in the U.S.

As student loan debt totals now exceed credit card debt totals, it’s not hard to see why international travel might seem like an unreasonable expense. However, the benefits of studying abroad can have a life long impact on personal and professional growth.

Abroad organizations can be a great resource for securing additional funds to bridge the gap between the cost of studying abroad and what each college or university offers in the form of financial aid, and many serve specific audiences. The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) is a resource that offers grants and scholarship money to student candidates. CIEE awards more than $3 million annually to study-abroad students who meet the eligibility requirements. Another financially responsible option is to choose a country that has a low cost of living.

freestudyabroadguide.com ranked India, Ghana and China as the top three budget-friendly countries for students in 2013. Any student who is studying abroad should also take inventory of what’s in their wallet. For example, credit card companies will charge foreign exchange fees for every purchase made. After a semester, these charges can significantly add up. Another card that can be helpful to students is the International Student Identity Card, which offers international students perks, discounts and benefits in 130 countries.

Students of NPS Have Obtained Scholarships for Study Abroad.

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The class 12 student of National Public School (NPS) are finalizing formalities to pursue his undergraduate program in law at Oxford. About 150 Class 12 students from NPS have obtained scholarships of $9 million for various undergrad courses in medicine, humanities and other streams in the USA and UK.

Boston University, University of London and Johns Hopkins University are the preferred destinations for study abroad., according to Inventure Academy where half the Class 12 students are headed abroad.

A brain drain is happening early in India. Education consultants in Bangalore are increasingly seeing 16 and 17 year old walk in to get details on foreign universities earlier sought only by those seeking PG admissions. The reasons are not far to seek. Global exposure and higher cut-offs in Indian colleges are forcing them to look to foreign shores.

KP Gopalakrishna, chairman of NPS, said: "Today students are realizing the value of foreign education (study abroad) rather early. The CBSE syllabus is good enough for them to compete anywhere. It's different from what it was a decade ago. Students want to go for their under-graduate program itself now.''

Flexibility of courses is another attraction. "Universities study abroad allow students to pursue liberal arts in medicine and engineering courses," says Lt Gen (retired) Arjun Ray, CEO of Indus, 90% students are headed to foreign shores, predominantly US varsities. The scene is no different at Indus International School where every year 90% of its students go abroad to pursue UG courses. Of the 90% of students, 80% go to USA. Apart from pursuing UG courses in science and technology, students are going to foreign universities to pursue liberal arts.''

Education in India too does not come cheap, say consultants. Ajeet Kumar, director of Admission Guru, says in India a student has to roughly spend around Rs 90 lakh to pursue medicine but in China, Ukraine or Philippines, it would be only around Rs 60 lakh.

"Why wait till they complete graduation?" asks a parent whose ward has secured admission in University of Pennsylvania. "The fees are no cheaper here. The process is so skewed that one mark makes a difference and the student cannot pursue the course of his choice. If you have the money, earlier the better.''

Dilip Rai, director of Overseas Educational Services, says the top destinations are the US, Canada, and Australia as they offer work permits too. Singapore is another favorite. Germany attracts engineering aspirants as its universities offer free education for international students. According to an IIM-B study abroad, Indian students also prefer English-speaking countries.

Merit Higher Education Consultancy director Santosh Neelangatil says for the past few year there are many queries regarding admissions for graduate programs in Singapore too. Germany which is known as the hub for mechanical engineering is one of the favorites for Bangaloreans. S Jayanth, manager (overseas education) of Global Gateway Consultancy says it is difficult for every one to get into educational institutions of Germany, but many Bangaloreans are applying as the universities in this country, which are public funded offer free education for international students

According to a study abroad conducted by Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore Indian students prefer pursuing courses in English-speaking countries like Germany, USA, UK, and Australian students.

Study Abroad - India Foreign Exchange Outflow of $15 to $20 Billion.

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About 290000 students go overseas every year for university education, which costs India a foreign exchange outflow of $15 to $20 billion per year. Among the favorite higher education destinations among Indians are study in Germany US, UK, Australia and France.

An important reason for many Indians choosing to study abroad is the shortage of good institutions in India and growing competition for limited seats. Moreover, the reservation policy in India reduces the availability of seats to general category students, weakening the prospects of a majority of students, says an Assocham report.

The US is the top destination for students from around the world. The Open Doors Report, published by the Institute of International Education, an independent nonprofit organisation with a network of 19 offices and affiliates worldwide, which was released in November 2014, reported a 7% increase in the number of international students.

Most of foreign students stood at 819,644 students in 2012/13, with 55,000 more students than last year enrolled in colleges and universities across the US, the report said. Surprisingly, though India remained the top three countries of origin with China and Korea, the number of Indian students went down by 4% for the second year.

Arjun Seth, director of EdBrand, who leads a group of independent college admissions counsellors who assist students identify ‘right-fit’ college or university options abroad, says US institutes offer students the certainty of quality content. “The flexibility of the system, the freedom to do multidisciplinary courses ensures that the students get a well-rounded education, which helps them discover their strengths,” he said.

With over 1,200 institutions and over 22,000 courses to choose from, Australia  also offers a diverse range of study abroad options for international students. “From July 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014, 24,205 Indians were granted student visas to study in Australia. That is a 32.9% increase over the same period last year,” says an Australian high commission spokesperson.

Many Indian students in New Zealand has also increased by close to 50% in the last five years. “New Zealand has eight public state-funded universities, all of which are listed in the world’s top 500 QS World University Rankings,” says Ziena Jalil, regional director, South and South East Asia, Education New Zealand.

About five years past , many Indian students in France grew by 50%. This is because of various factors such as overall increase in the number of Indian students, higher education costs in the Anglo-Saxon countries, wide range of scholarships across a bouquet of academic disciplines and easier visa rules. Nearly 3,000 students studied in France in 2013.

“Indian students coming to France have access to some of the best academic study abroad institutions in the world, at very low fee. Visa rules have been made easier and students can now stay for an additional year in the country,” Arnaud Mentré, press counsellor, Embassy of France.

Anger Builds over Facebook Manipulation Study Abroad

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Facebook News Feeds has sparked among users who are criticizing the study abroad ethics behind the experiment, which was conducted by Facebook and many Universities of Australia, Germany, Sweden, USA i.e.

Researchers tweaked the feeds of 689,003 users to show a disproportionate number of positive or negative statuses for one week in January 2012. They found that the emotions of others on your News Feed can affect your mood, and published the results in journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences). However, they did not inform users that they were manipulating News Feeds, and many questioned the study's abroad ethics.

Facebook legally is allowed to do this. As soon as users sign up for the social network, they agree to give up their data for analysis, testing and research. In this case, however, it is not the research people are criticizing it's the manipulation of data without users' prior consent or knowledge study.