In our day-to-day professional work in international education, we all struggle to manage information flow, identify opportunities, synthesize possible solutions, and act appropriately to better ourselves, our audiences, and our world. To help in this often overwhelming task, Social Media & International Education (SMIE) Consulting offers this free weekly e-news brief to share our perspectives and to provide some wisdom along the way. Happy reading!
- If you’re trying to be greener with your international student recruitment efforts, check out this FPP webinar this Thursday (1/19) that introduces their new product - DigiBooth. We trialed this at a student event recently and like the concept.
- It seems we’re always searching for ways to reach Chinese students. This Webcertain guide takes a look at how Chinese students choose universities and provides some actionable advice on how to reach them.
- There are a lot of resources out there to help plan overseas recruitment and what subjects are in demand around the world from prospective students. The team at Studyportals has put together a useful “starter pack” for you.
- Love these quick takes from the folks at Intead on some recent topics of discussion at recent international education conferences and events. We’ve all got quite a full plate of challenging issues we’re contending with in our field.
- Organic reach on Facebook always seems to be slowly slipping away. How can you change your fortunes? This article from Social Media Examiner provides 10 ways you can improve your organic marketing on this social media platform.
International Education News
- How has the pandemic changed online education trends in the US? In 2017, 15.7% of all higher ed students enrolled fully online, up to 45.6% in 2020, then back to 30.4% in 2021, the wave has passed, but things have changed.
- This January 25th virtual forum, sponsored by ICEF and the Chronicle, on what the right use of agents should be in international student recruitment should be a lively discussion. Worth taking a look.
- The inevitable fee increases being proposed by USCIS for immigration-related services are raising eyebrows among international educators but are meant to cover a projected $1 billion budget deficit in DHS otherwise.
- ChatGPT has garnered a lot of attention recently, but what are the implications for international education? Unnerving in its ability to assess baseline conversations about our field, but the real implications for SOPs and essays are ones to watch.
- Where is higher ed coming down on the AI breakthrough ChatGPT? “(It) is, quite simply, the best artificial intelligence chatbot ever released to the general public.” Used in the classroom it could well be asset not something to be feared.
- Veteran US admissions commentator, Jim Jump, shares his thoughts on what ChatGPT might mean for college admissions essays: “I found both essays to resemble cliché essays, with neither answering the prompt in a convincing way. They also didn’t sound like an essay a teenager would write, but rather an essay a teenager might write with major assistance and editing by an adult.”
- For business school alumni there is a real thirst (48%) for lifelong-learning opportunities from their universities. Unfortunately, though largely proud of their alma maters (88%), the majority are unaware of what is available. Missed opportunities.
- If you’re looking for a reason to develop a parent strategy in your international student recruitment planning, read this solid NAFSA article from Jackie Kassteen and Marigold Holmes. Look at the decision-making drivers of students.
- I’ve always shared how important it is for mid-level managers and directors to manage up to not only keep leadership informed, but to direct the conversation in the right direction. Good piece on leading from the middle.
- The number of Confucius Institutes in the US (and globally) has shrunk dramatically in the last 3 years, especially with 2022 new DoD funding regulations. But apparently there is a way to get exemptions to keep CIs going.
- In India, the US Charge d’Affaires is talking a good game about getting students their visas in time for the spring term. Let’s hope that the opening of the massive Hyderabad consulate by summer will bode well for the future as well.
- Australia - Applications to many Australian universities are up substantially, even over pre-pandemic levels. Indian students are leading the charge back Down Under. India, by the end of 2023, will have replaced China as the main sender abroad in my opinion.
- Australia - To no one’s surprise, international students are helping drive Australian migration numbers back to pre-pandemic levels according to this Sky News report.
- Canada - In terms of lists you don’t want to be on in Canada, 7 of the 10 institutions nationwide with the highest non-compliance rates amongst their international students (no shows, dropouts, and asylum requests) are in Ontario.
- Canada - International student well-being should be the primary focus for colleges. In Canada the call for an increased focus on the apparent disconnect between recruiters and students services when it comes to issues like housing is quite stark. “I find it difficult to swallow that knowing that there is a lack of housing, colleges continue to bring in more students,” commented one unnamed college representative interviewed by the council. “And then they say, ‘Well, I’m sorry but housing isn’t our responsibility.’ ” Perhaps the Dutch are on to something.
- Canada - While from the outside looking in, international educators in the US have been envious of what we see as clear pathways from study to work to residency that exist north of the border. In Canada, however, the calls for a international student immigration strategy are rising fast.
- China - History, methinks, will not look too kindly on the devastation wrought by three years of closed borders in China. “Students, scientists and businesspeople are among those who have paid a price for China’s closed borders.”
- China - This past week saw the long-awaited reopening of China to the world. What’s happening? “Opened its borders for incoming and outgoing travel and resumed the processing of visa and residence permit applications, including those of international students.”
- China - This article from the South China Morning Post raises, perhaps, a significant negative impact of the pandemic on English education behind the Great Wall, with China slipping from a high of 38th to 62nd in English proficiency.
- China - Interesting to read two international students’ perspectives on returning to what was the epicenter of the pandemic that ravaged the world three years ago - Wuhan.
- Finland - Even smaller volume countries (for international student intakes) are suffering challenges with student visa processing. Finland saw only 60-80% of expected students arrive due to consulate backlogs abroad.
- India - This PIE News article raises some troubling concerns about potential bribery happening between UK and Canadian university regional managers and hand-picked master agents. Is this just sour grapes on those who have lost out or something more pernicious?
- India - After the big splash last week from the UGC opening the doors to top foreign universities to set up shop in India, this piece raises some issues: not an answer to brain drain, lack of clarity for stakeholders, and the unchanged nature of the study abroad landscape.
- United Kingdom - At British universities, there have been many additional costs associated with the pandemic. Not the least of which are the hardship funds distributed to international students. Some institutions paid six figures a year in 2021 and 2022.
- United Kingdom - What are the hopes and fears of British international educators these days? Fears over possible caps on the number of students let in, and hope that universities and their communities can come together to address significant housing shortages.
If you’d like a more in-depth analysis of the main news stories each week, check out our Midweek Roundup international education live chat on Wednesday at 1pm ET on the SMIE Consulting Facebook page, YouTube channel, Twitter feed, and LinkedIn. A podcast version is available as well on all major podcast provider platforms.
