To go or not to go - that is the question!

Two recent news items regarding a) the attacks on Indian students in USA, UK & Australia?and b) the increasing difficulty for students to get work permits/jobs post graduation, precipitated a conversation with my friends who's children have also studied abroad on the merits of sending our kids abroad for education.?

This decision has been further exacerbated by the weakening of the rupee making it more expensive thereby making it more difficult to justify the ROI

Having myself studied in the US (as did my father and my 2 sons), I have been a proponent of the benefits of international studies beyond merely the degree.

Some of the learnings from my overseas education (albeit 50 years ago!!) have played an important role in my subsequent life?

1. Critical thinking: I was shocked when I first arrived to learn about the concept of open book exams & take-home exams, a concept completely alien to my India upbringing. When I asked my professor he told me we want to make you ready for the real world & these resources will be available to you then so why focus on rote memorizing of formulae. We want critical thinking.
2. Dignity of labour: I worked in the college cafeteria washing dishes at $1.60 an hour (this allowed me to buy my first TI calculator and buy pizza for dates). Many of my fellow USA student colleagues also worked there. For someone like me who came from an privileged middle class background and had never entered the kitchen at home, this was unique. It did however teach me the dignity of labour. My sons too worked at KFC and other fast food restaurants.?
3. Tolerance: The school was a true meritocracy. Didn't matter what family background you came from, how rich you were, your gender or your colour. I was in a college in the south (which was not that well known at time but was all I could afford) and we had students for many countries and many different states. These interactions taught me that at its core we are all alike.
4. Breadth of learning: Despite being an engineering major, I had the opportunity to take classes in economics, philosophy (as an aside I was contemplating changing my major to philosophy but thought my father would have a heart attack!!!) and even a 1 credit course in bowling !!!
5. Frugality: Even though the $/rupee exchange rate at the time was 8.00, I knew my father had to stress resources so we worked to make every dollar count and scrimp as much as possible. Again for a person who never batted an eyelid to spend this was unusual.
6. Cultural appreciation: Being in a foreign land, the Indian community tended to bond more. Many of my India friends would cook Indian food (my contribution was washing the dishes), celebrate all Indian festivals, go to Washington for a Lata Mangeshkar show etc. I learnt more about my culture there than I would have in India!!

I have also been a big advocate for Indian universities attracting foreign students as I strongly believe there is no better way to build country to country ties than through student exchanges. Unfortunately India has less than 50,000 international students studying here (mostly from Nepal, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and UAE)

In conclusion, despite the debates swirling my view is - try and go for it.

#india #education #learning #international