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!
- Struggling to reach Chinese students effectively? Wonder why? Download this helpful Sinorbis infographic
. “The Chinese student decision making journey is longer and requires more touchpoints than the benchmark.”
- What does it take to reach Brazilian students digitally? This Webcertain guide
may be worth a read to better understand the complexities of how digital, mobile, and social are used by your target audience there.
- TikTok
was front and center on the news last week, as bipartisan members of Congress took aim at this platform owned by a Chinese parent company. Is this a witch hunt, much to do about nothing or somewhere in between? We may never know.
- So how have US universities been using TikTok to reach Gen Z prospective students? This Inside Higher Ed piece
shares stories from Washington University of St. Louis, Montevallo U in Alabama, and Columbia U in NY.
- Where does the Chinese government stand on the future of TikTok
in the US (and other Western nations)? More than anything, it wants to safekeep the power of its algorithm and not compromise its access to Chinese tech companies using it.
- New Zealand
joins the US and Canadian governments in banning TikTok from all official devices.
- Additionally, the UK
has banned TikTok from all official government devices. Why? “This is a proportionate move based on a specific risk with government devices.”
International Education News
- For SIOs pondering their on-campus struggles, make time for this upcoming IIE member webinar
on Thursday to learn tools and strategies to cope with the ever-evolving challenges of this all-important position.
- Encouraged to see this bipartisan Transnational Repression Policy Act
being put forth to combat foreign governments that seek to squash the rights of their citizens abroad from speaking their minds or living in freedom.
- We do a lot of things very well in US higher education
but we always can learn from our competitors. “Lacking strategic focus and much central coordination, America’s elite research institutions strive to please every constituency and stakeholder. As a result, their structures have grown more complex and their roles increasingly diffuse.”
- This practice in India, of selling visa appointment slots
, is so much worse than any Ticketmaster scandal. Students (and other visa categories) are being forced to pay upwards of $1000 to secure a guaranteed early appointment.
- College essays may be quietly going the way of the dinosaurs given the rise of AI-driven tools at students’ fingertips. But what does one veteran college counselor
see as the way forward for admission to US higher education?
- What should be the balance for admissions counselors these days between virtual and in-person activities
? Two recently retired chief enrollment officers share their thoughts on what that balance might look like.
- Asia will continue to be the prime driver of international student mobility for the next decade or two. But what are outbound mobility trends in Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, and Thailand saying? Read this ICEF Monitor piece
for answers.
- This Bloomberg article
shares how the race is well and truly back on to regain market share in key Asian markets including China. Why so? For so many, these students are the financial engine that keeps their institutions afloat.
- Australia - This report
from Down Under on the state of international students should be a lesson to us all: “Of note was the substantial worsening of international students’ mental health, social support, and financial security. Whilst these issues were exacerbated by the pandemic, all issues were prevalent prior to the pandemic and may well continue post-pandemic.”
- Australia - Many South Asians
hoping to study in Australia are seen as “two-step migrants.” However, these same students are having trouble finding jobs after graduation, with just over 50% finding employment.
- Australia - US international admissions recruiters active in Latin America: ready for a shock? Australia
enrolls more students from Colombia (18K v 8K) and Brazil (24.5K v 14.9K). Know your competition, get a global perspective.
- Canada - Post Graduate Work Permit (PGPW) holders in Canada whose initial permits recently expired or are still valid have been automatically granted an additional 18 months
of work permission. Now that’s a resolve I wish we had stateside.
- Canada - Unscrupulous agents in India are far too common for any serious international educators’ liking. Another batch of these scoundrels have provided Canada-bound students with fraudulent study permit documents
to enter the country and then get stuck.
- Canada - I don’t think we really appreciate how significant a jump in international students Canada experienced in 2022. They welcome over 550K new overseas students
to their colleges in 12 months. To say this increase put a strain on housing would be an huge understatement.
- Canada - I absolutely agree with the sentiment of this article
: Canada is eating our lunch on needed immigration. “Insofar as international students and graduates have integrated into and grown crucial sectors of the U.S. economy, research and culture, they’ve done so despite and not because of our burdensome visa systems.”
- China - Is the attempt to devalue the importance of English
in the gaokao for Chinese high school students something to worry about in the West? It sounds like it’s more of a rural-urban debate within China.
- India - Well, that didn’t take long. Only a couple of months ago India announced that foreign universities that were highly ranked would be able to open up a campus in-country. Deakin U
from Australia jumps in first with post-graduate degrees in cybersecurity and business analytics in Ahmedabad.
- Italy - A decade ago, Italy
began rolling down a domestic demographic hill. Now, universities are buying hotels to make themselves more attractive to international students.
- Japan - It has to be encouraging for Japanese universities to hear their PM saying
he wants to achieve “500,000 Japanese students studying abroad and 400,000 international students by 2033.”
- New Zealand - Colleges and universities in New Zealand are now seeing a strong rebound of international students
back to its higher education institutions. A few more solid months and the Kiwis will be back to pre-Covid levels.
- United Kingdom - I certainly see how a move to recognize officially the role of educational agents
in British international education strategy would show agents their value. British Council already trains and certifies agents.
- United Kingdom - Boarding schools have come under increased scrutiny in the UK over dubious foreign ties and improper recruitment practices. This move by the BSA (Boarding School Association) to require better due diligence
in reviewing members schools is important.
- United Kingdom - The US is not alone in banning entry
to Chinese students and scholars over national security grounds. Last year, more than 1000 from behind the Great Wall were refused visas up from 128 in 2020.
- United Kingdom - Like our northern neighbors, the UK has seen a rapid increase in the number of new international student visas issued
in 2022 with nearly 490K. That represents an 81% increase on pre-pandemic levels.
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.
