Study Abroad News & Alerts

A recent list published by the Center for World University Rankings on the 25th of April ranked the University of Washington 25th world wide and 5th among the public institutions of the U.S. These rankings are known for being transparent, objective and for their consistency. These rankings consider seven objectives and robust indicators which are grouped into four areas. The schools are judged and ranked on the basis of their quality of education, their faculty and the research facilities. It ranks the top 2000 universities out of the 19,788 in the world.

Stanford is launching its first school in 70 years which is known as the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability as a result of a 1.1 billion Dollars gift from John and Ann Doerr which is the largest gift in the history of Stanford. Arjun Majumdar has been appointed as the dean of the school.  The school will consist of different departments that will focus on advanced subject understanding, interdisciplinary institutes that innovate across fields. The school will have new faculty, new facilities, new infrastructure and new policies. The goal of the university is to address all the issues related to the planet's well being and its future. The school is anticipated to solve issues and do wonders for the planet and mankind. 

It has been declared by the Nimroz Department that all those  female teachers that were terminated in Afghanistan after the Taliban took over will be given their jobs back. Amidst the discussion of Taliban banning girls from second education, this news has been confirmed by the Nimroz Department. The director of the Nimroz Department has seen that very soon the appointment of 196 teachers will begin. The teachers have displayed their gratitude although Afghanistan has been subjected to severe condemnation after they decided to forbid girls from secondary education.

The L.L.B exams of the Mumbai University were postponed and the new date share is likely to be released very soon. The exams were scheduled to be started from the 10th of May but now have been postponed till further notice. The exams are going to be organised in pen and paper mode. Earlier in February, it was declared that the exams will be organised in hybrid mode but then the decision was changed. But on 25th of April it was announced that the exams will be conducted in offline mode. The college will be completing the exams between June and before July 15th and are told to design the datesheet in such a way that students get at least 2 days of holidays in between each exam.

We all know that the pandemic was the least expected thing mankind had to endure in the last 50 years. The changes it brought with itself were revolutionary in its own self. Not only that we all have gotten used to them as well now that the pandemic is over as well. Education and academics had to bend and mold themselves a lot to adjust in the challenging times. But the consequence of that was beneficial in a lot of ways as well. When the pandemic started, internet connections were very infrequent in many areas because of which many students had a great deal of difficulty in attending online classes. To solve that the government improved network connections. Slow learners were benefitted as they could hear the recorded lectures over and over again without having the public fear of lagging behind. In a way it was good for the mental health of students who run like horses in a race competition. 

According to the QS World Rankings, MIT has been ranked number 1 in 12 subject areas in its subject rankings. The institute has received number 1 rank in Architecture/Built Environment; Chemistry; Computer Science and Information Systems; Chemical Engineering; Civil and Structural Engineering; Electrical and Electronic Engineering; Materials Science; Mechanical, Aeronautical, and Manufacturing Engineering; Linguistics; Mathematics; Physics and Astronomy; and Statistics and Operational Research. It got second place in Biological Sciences and Economics and Econometrics. In 2022, universities were ranked under 34 broad categories.

The Delhi Government has recently warned private schools against forcing parents to buy expensive books, uniforms and other school related stuff or else a strict action will be taken against them. They have also been told to not change the colour of their uniforms for at least three years to avoid the repetitive expenses for parents. The DoE order quoted "Schools shall display class-wise list of books and writing materials to be introduced in the coming session as per rule well in advance on the school website, and (this should) also be communicated clearly to parents via other media." 

Education has become a very competitive sphere, not just for students but for universities as well. To be the best, they have to consistently innovate and evolve themselves which can be a very difficult thing at times. Students now judge universities on the basis of their international or national rankings. High ranked universities are always prioritized by them. Global partnerships and collaborations are always very useful in such scenarios. By coming together two universities can always share their strengths and work on their respective weaknesses by learning from each other. The combined courses offered by them have far more credibility than their own respective courses. By engaging in student exchange activities, trips, faculty exchange and more things, the process becomes very enjoyable for both students as well as the institute.

Now that the lockdown is over and students are moving abroad or trying to move abroad at the same frequency as they used to before the pandemic, the competition will also increase. Many students will sit for the visa interviews. Here are some tips to crack your interview like a pro-

• You must bring a proof with yourself that you have been accepted into a university. Bring your I-20 to ensure that you have paid your Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) fee.
• Make sure that you convey to them that the sole purpose of your wish to goto America is for study and not for travel or lifestyle changes.
• You must prove to them that you have the paying capacity to bear the expenses.
• You should convince them you have the intention to move back to your country after your education.
• Make sure that you know what you will be pursuing and have knowledge about the program. 

Other than your conventional business or medical degrees American colleges also offer some out of the box degrees. Today we will discuss them. 

• Introduction to surfing

This is offered by Pepperdine University and the classes are given on Malibu Beach, California.

• Nature of Society: Beyoncé and Intersectionality

In this course 3 credit points are given for discussions over Beyonce and assignments related to her. Students also discuss racism, classism and sexism. 

• Tree Climbing

This course is taught by very honorable Cornell University. This course accounts for one credit point and teaches you to climb almost any tree.

• Going Viral

This is a major course at Montclair State in Montclair, N.J. that teaches you how to get viral and several other internet algorithms.

• Serial Murder

This is a four credit course offered by High Point University to its first year graduate students.

As the Biden government is in the discussion of a major possibility of  waiving off broad student loans, a new study has found that the pressure to pay back study loans severely affects your health. Students in their thirties become more prone to heart diseases and can also feel physically exhausted all the time. Young adults who are under debt have been found to have irregular sleeping patterns, high sugar levels, high blood pressure and more keenness to smoke. The study is made in comparison with students who do not have to pay any student loan. Chronic stress has been found to be the major factor behind this. Also when you have to pay back the loan, you are not left with a lot of money to spend on good food, gym and medical facilities. 

Today we will compare what sets public universities apart from private universities. 

• In smaller universities you will find more personal attention as the student count is not that high whereas in the public universities the number of students are very high. 
• More opportunities are available even for average students in private universities whereas in public universities you have to be the best among the best to grab good opportunities. 
• Bigger public universities offer you more exposure but smaller private universities have a rather smaller amount of diversity.
• Public universities are difficult to get into whereas private universities are not that hard to get into.
• The fees at big public universities are very hefty whereas the fees at private universities are not that high. 

England and Wales have received a record high number of complaints regarding the insufficiency of facilities offered by universities post COVID. Many of them are not satisfied with the kind of studying experience they are getting keeping in mind different parameters and thus sending complaints to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA). The complaints received in 2021 have been 6% higher than before. The issues included under qualified staff, technical issues while online classes and poorly prepared substitute teachers. The complaints have been considered valid and many students have been given back half their fees as well in some universities. The authorities are looking into the matter and hope to solve them as early as they can.

In the contemporary world, where we talk about women empowerment and feminism so much, there are still some countries where are women are subjected to extreme violence. In August 2021, Taliban took over Afghanistan and since then it has not been the same for them. Since it was a pandemic phase during that time, schools were already shut. Now that the situation got better, Taliban allowed the reopening of school but imposed a ban on co-ed schools. The teachers are highly underpaid and seldomly regular. The infrastructure facilities to say the least are non-existent.  Girls above 16 cannot attend college or schools, without covering their faces and complete body. The international community has condemned this and since then many countries have offered to sponsor the education of youth in Afghanistan but this has also been declined by the Taliban.

Standard Medical College has announced three names for the 2022 Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. The scholarship is meant to support 30 U.S immigrants or the children of immigrants. Over 18000 students applied for this scholarship and from them these names have been chosen. Around 90000 dollars will be awarded to these students to cover their cost of education. The names of the students who received the scholarship are-

• Quenton Bubb, an MD/PhD student in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, was born in Brooklyn, who is a child of immigrant parents from Grenada.
• Esther Elonga, an MD student, whose roots are from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Tania Fabo, an MD/PhD student, who was born in Germany.

An alumnus of the University of Sydney David Collins has been awarded an honorary fellowship for supporting the university's sports community for a long period of time. A scholarship has also been named after him called the Collins/Peasley Scholarship which has been encouraging students to balance their studies and sports activities in a very intellectual and organised way. Collins had been a champion for the university and through the years has been a pillar of support for them. Throughout his time in college, he was an active participant in every sport and even after graduating he still remained a part of the Athletic Club. Both Collins and his wife, who are active sports enthusiasts, guided the college for years and years. 

The world has just recovered from probably the most challenging times since the World Wars. There has been a huge loss through different tangents of life be it loss of lives, money, job, savings, assets and education. Education system went through a huge transition in the pandemic. After the introduction of online methods of teaching nothing has been the same. It's safe to say that after COVID recovery in the education field has been impressive in the countries. Getting back to regular schools and universities as they were has been a smoother process than it was thought to be. The key ingredient in this recipe has been teachers regardless of any suspicions. Teachers have adapted to every situation like chameleons. From learning to take online classes to switching to hybrid and learning new technologies every day, the process has been very painstaking for them. But the way they have endured everything and balanced the future of education on their shoulders has been extraordinary to say the least. 

Times Higher Education has released its rankings in reference with the universities' adherence towards UN's sustainable Development goals. These rankings are called The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2022. The rankings make assessment on the university's social and economic impact and how successful it was in delivering UN's sustainable Development goals. The University of Waterloo has been ranked 53 in the world. The university had an impressive jump of 46 spots. It ranked in the top 100 with 12 out of 17 goals. Vivek Goel, president and vice-chancellor of the university said that they have worked very hard towards complying with the SDGs and have been founding institutions to mobilize scientific and technical expertise to solve all the concerns that SDGs aim at.

QS World Rankings have now become an ultimate criteria in judging universities. Today we will discuss Top universities in a variety of fields that you should consider before deciding your institution of study according to the QS Rankings.

• Arts and Humanities

1. University of Oxford
2.  University of Cambridge
3.  Harvard University
4.  University of California, Berkeley(UCB)
5.  Stanford University
6.  Yale University
7. Columbia University
8. New York University (NYU)
9. . The University of Edinburgh
10.  University of California, Los Angeles

•  ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2.  University of Cambridge  
3.  University of Oxford                                
4. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU)
5.  Stanford University
6.  ETH Zurich - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
7. National University of Singapore (NUS)
8. Imperial College London
9.  University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
10.  Delft University of Technology

•  LIFE SCIENCES AND MEDICINE

1. Harvard University
2. University of Oxford
3. Johns Hopkins University
4. University of Cambridge    
5. Stanford University
6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology     
7.  Karolinska Institute 
8.  UCL
9. University of California, San Francisco
10.  Imperial College London

The government of the UK has announced a 'high potential visa' that will allow graduates and skilled workers from across the globe to come and live in the UK without having a sponsorship letter from the employer. This is a golden opportunity for the students who are studying there as well as the people who are planning to move to the UK. Regarded as the 'highly selective visa scheme, it will be open from May 30th 2022 and it is open for bachelor’s, masters, and PhD graduates from 50 of the world’s top-ranked universities which can be checked from the Global Universities List”.  The list will include only out of the UK universities and the university must be included in at least 2 or 3 renowned rankings. This was done to accommodate the highly skilled needed vacancies in the UK and to accelerate its economic and technological growth.