I want to study abroad. What should I do?

A Resource for Parents

Parents of college going students have many questions about how to provide the best educational experience for their children. Parents are eager to know about what programs lead to a good career, what are a few good colleges and universities, how to get scholarships, and how to gain the maximum benefits from an institution, and other related questions. Parents of international students, in particular, have many questions and concerns and sometimes simply don't know where to turn. The purpose of this blog is to answer these question for parents in an objective and forthright manner. This blog provides information that goes beyond the marketing blitz of colleges and universities. As a seasoned educator with more than twenty years of experience in higher education, I hope to be of service to you. This piece was written by Uma Gupta.

Click on the Comments link (see below this post) and post your questions or comments.

My Odometer, My life!

A friend sent this to a friend who sent it to me! The story of my life is captured in these words!

We set out on life's journey hoping, wishing, and fairly confident that the road ahead will be smooth. We wish for smooth sailing, but life's best lessons are learned on unpaved roads. It builds courage, resilience, perseverance in us. It tests our faith and reaffirms our faith. The fork in the road is always about choices: take the easy road or take the road that is right and tall. May you be blessed to walk on unpaved roads!

Some people try to turn back their odometers.

Not me, I want people to know why I look this way.

I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved!

Views on Larry Summers

Haven't read it as yet? Read it. A fascinating article titled, "Academic Inquisitors, in one of the few truly intelligent newspapers left on Planet Earth: the Wall Street Journal dated October 16, 2007.

Remember Larry Summers? Oh, yes. Remember the beating got? Oh, yes.

Regardless of whether you agree with Summers or not, the way academia has behaved and continues to behave over a statement that he made tells more about academia than it does about Larry Summers. That is the simple truth of it all.

Assume for a moment that Larry Summers was\is dead wrong. That his opinion about why women do not enter or succeed in the sciences or his opinion about the genetic preponderance that leads to disenchantment of women with the sciences is all hog wash.

Assume Larry Summers said something that was embarrassing to "intellectuals" all over the world. Now what? Do you remember ever saying something stupid? Do you remember doing something that was embarrassing? Do you remember when the words just did not come out right? Do you remember being misunderstood? Now what?

We in academia  guard academic freedom as our birth right. Larry Summers also has academic freedom to air controversial views. We in academia are trained (or at least we think we are) to ask controversial questions, hold controversial views, and take controversial positions. As a community of individuals who value academic freedom, would we not have the curiosity to engage in a dialog about the views aired by Larry Summers and held secretly by many men and women? What are we afraid of? An honest discussion?

Alcoholism: The Next Scandal to hit Academia

For those who are well-versed with the inner workings of academia, it is easy to guess what the next scandal to hit academia will be.

For those of you who don't know, it will be about alcohol on campus and how many educational institutions do an inadequate job of monitoring the safety and well-being of our students.

Judicial systems are out of date, penalties are slow in coming and weak in implementation, and meeting the enrollment figures is often more important than holding our students accountable. Retaining a student is important to campuses where enrollment is an issue and hence stringent policies on alcohol are unwelcome in these institutions.

Further, some campuses are keen that their campus data should not reveal that alcoholism as a problem or an issue. Most parents don't know to ask for this data (a federal mandate, by the way) and for those that do campuses want to make sure that everything looks good.

So if you are a parent dropping off your kid at a university or college, ask about their judicial policies and procedures. Talk to other students on campus. And at least take a look at the data, even if some institutions prefer you never look at that data. 

US News and World Report - what its ranking REALLY means

In many ways, the rankings of US News and World Report no longer hold the prestige and sterling reputation it once did? Why? Because almost every college receives some ranking or the other by some group or the other. It is difficult to find an institution today that is has not received some ranking or the other. As a parent or a future student, such rankings boldly highlighted on college websites,give us a warm and fuzzy feeling. Of course, we say to ourselves, if this institution is ranked, by God it must be a good institution. Buyer Beware! Nothing could be further from the truth.

Recent rankings of US News and World Report identify institutions that would surprise even the faculty and students at these institutions. The education offered under the title of "world-class education" is neither world-class nor is it a strong education. No wonder employers complain that many of the graduates of today cannot write, lack critical thinking skills, and our poor problem-solvers. More important, at some of these institutions, exposing students to global issues and cultural understanding is anathema. Not only do these institutions not offer global programs, they actively work behind the scenes to discourage students from pursuing global opportunities. The Spellings report is telling in that the issues identified as roadblocks to preparing a highly educated global workforce have not changed in the last decade or so. So we must get beyond rankings. We must look closely at the criteria behind such rankings. Would the authors of the US News and World Report study send their kids to institutions that they rank as top 25 or top 50. I am quite confident that they would not. So look before you leap.