American Education, or American+Foreigners Education?

For my last Civic Issues post, I entwined my topic of choice, Education, with another CI topic – that time, gender.  I think it is important as well as fascinating to explore how the different CI topics relate to each other, so this week I delved into what diversity in education looks like, specifically the issue (or non-issue) of foreign students in higher education.  The presence of these students are harmless, if not beneficial, to many; however, others argue that foreign students’ ability to take American spots in college (and later, possibly the work force) should be monitored or capped.  With all our nation’s talk about immigration reform, I found the system of foreign students’ integration into American society enlightening as well as question-raising.

First off, the facts, because most are probably unaware of the process of the roughly 760,000 foreigner‘s enrollment in U.S. universities, such as our own.  Students must obtain a visa – as a means of permission, almost – in order to study here. However, this specific document (an F-1 visa) holds implications that the students will return to their home countries after their period of study, and they actually must try to prove they will return as a means of acquiring the ticket to U.S. education.  However, it is indeed possible for the graduating student to upgrade his/her F-1 to a temporary work visa that is valid for up to 12 additional months.  Still, many students hope to score the H-1B – the work visa.  Herein lies the controversy, for while some are unhappy with foreigners scooping up the already-scarce American jobs, others argue that bright, foreign students are necessary to America staying ahead (echoing the Option 1 of the in-class Education Deliberation, eh?).  President Obama himself has stated, in regards to foreign students becoming American workers, that “In the global marketplace, we need all the talent we cant attract… we don’t want the next Intel or the next Google to be created in China or India.  We want these companies and jobs to take root here.”  Many others share this sentiment, stressing that a large proportion of our country’s companies, innovations, and research discoveries – our country’s success, ultimately – was due to the talent of foreigners on American soil.

Of course, foreigners in the work force often begin as students of the American higher education system, and many colleges and universities share their diversity statistics with pride.  Institutions of higher education may market themselves on the basis of providing prospective students with a more holistic, global education and student body that only their international students provide – a facet that is becoming  increasingly desirable as our society itself continues to undergo globalization.  In my opinion, this too is valid, for I have often heard friends share how cool it was to hear the perspective of the foreign student in their class who can personally relate to class material in a way that Americans can’t.  In class, you and I also are learning the value of diversity of experience and opinion when deliberating certain issues.  However, while international students may be desired for these admirable reasons, there is something else at work here too: money.  Foreign students contribute $21 billion a year to the national economy, and most importantly, they contribute full tuitions.  No financial aid, no scholarships, no in-state tuition.  Colleges and universities are not required to give them anything.  Actually, some colleges actually charge them additionally fees, such as Purdue University’s $1000-$2000 fee. So then, foreigners become an economic advantage, for what exactly makes an American student worth thousands – or tens of thousands, even – of dollars? Beyond filling quotas, essentially nothing.

While there are many sides to the situation of foreign students at American institutions, some may beg the (stasis) question of Definition: is this a problem, even?  Is it so bad that in an increasingly global society, we are accepting global students – especially when we have no problem with studying abroad ourselves? What do you think – does the benefit outweigh the cost of denied entrance, either in college or the work force, of Americans?

 

 

7 responses to “American Education, or American+Foreigners Education?

  1. Shannon,
    I love the direction you’re taking this blog in terms of combining your topic with other CI issues. You’re right that these things intersect, and it’s interesting to see how our conversations shift depending on what variables we discuss. Well done!

    I tend to agree with many of your peers that American or foreign-born, we should want to education the most intelligent, innovate students there are and then keep them around! I think you make a good point, too, that as the world becomes more globalized, it only makes sense that our educational system should reflect that.

    I think the problem for some people enters in when they consider the mission of a public, state-funded university. Penn State, for example, was originally meant to serve at the public insitition for Pennsylvania students. People are concerned that if out-of-state and international students take the place of PA students (especially for profit), the university is no longer fulfilling it’s mission. But perhaps that’s an outdated mission? What do you think?

  2. I just wonder why we’re trying to control schools so heavily. I think we should just leave them as institutions of learning open to whoever is interested and qualified. I mean, are we going to make education a means to an end? And in this case, actually, a means to an American end? I guess it’s not even about why we might be tweaking our education system. It’s the fact that we keep trying to do it for reasons besides better education for the sake of itself. By limiting foreign students, we not only limit a certain group of people from entering our schools (which limits the diversity of an institution), but we also limit ourselves to an American focused world-view. American schools for American students for American goals… I just don’t like the sound of that. It shouldn’t matter if a foreigner is taking an American job…

  3. I honestly never really thought of the issue of foreign students coming to America for college and staying, therefore taking away American jobs. I always thought it was more of an issue if foreigners came to the US for college and left after four years. They took that American education away from an American student, and they’re going to use that American education to help advance another country. The foreign students who return home after four years are the ones who will be starting the next Google or Intel in China and India. These students take our education without doing anything to give back to the country who just provided them with the job skills they’ll need to be successful. I’m not saying I don’t like foreigners in US schools. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’m one of the people that you talked to who said how interacting with foreigners really adds to my college experience. While I do think global students do enrich the education of American students, I wonder what the real issue foreign students pose is. Is it better for the US if they stay after graduation or if they leave?

  4. Awesome post! I think there are many values to look at on a subject like this. One thing that I believe a lot of Americans who want less foreign students to attend our national universities forget is that we are all after the same goal. A good education. According to US News.com/education, six of the top ten ranked universities and colleges in the world are located in the United States. So where do you think people are going to generally want to go for post-secondary education? I think it is wonderful because it is a way that we make up for lacking in our k-12 rank in the world. If anything, we should want people to come to the United States for education because it brings the best a brightest for us to utilize. If people are worried about foreign students taking spots then they should work harder in their schools before college. Education to a lot of other countries is rare, and the opportunity for college is slim. For Americans, we are blessed with many community colleges, great universities, trade schools and more that we don’t always think about. If a foreign student genuinely earns that spot at a university they deserve to be there more than the American. I don’t think there should be a problem with students coming to the US for college, but I think there might be an increasing crowd of nay-sayers. I think it can only benefit us to allow students from other countries to share and learn with all of us.

  5. I think that this is an excellent post and you posed many thoughtful questions! I agree with Allison! I think that the US should take it as a compliment that so many foreigners want to study in the US. Why? Because the US has such a progressive education system that many other countries lack. For example, I was actually thinking of completing my undergrad in the UK (more than just studying abroad there), but honestly, the education here is so much better in the US collectively than the UK. Even though I am still slightly bitter I study in the US, I know that it is ultimately better that I study here. And in terms of the foreigners, I think that American students should use them to better themselves. I know that some international students try very hard to get jobs because if they have jobs, then they can get working visas. We should have that mindset and try to be as best as we can. Even though we will never be denied from living in this country, I think that it is important how lucky we are to live in the US. (I learned that the hard way when I almost got stuck/detained in England this past summer – I’ll tell you the full story next time!) Maybe through this mindset we can use this mindset we can figure out a way to fix this economy. But at the same time, like you said, we shouldn’t be too hard on foreigners when there is a HUGE push for American college students to study abroad. I think that it is an even trade-off. You lose a little, you gain a little. Ultimately, I think the problem is the mindset, not the actual action of international students studying here. But, then this calls for the question of analyzing it from the other side. What about American students studying at international universities? Should more stay in the US/do you think that they’re studying there for the wrong reasons? (I’ll admit, the British accents was definitely on my list of reasons to study in the UK – but towards the bottom!! Don’t judge me – you would too )

  6. I think it’s important to understand the implications of having international students. As you’ve mentioned, there are many pros and cons. We make money off of them and get to learn more about their cultures. The potential college students and workers may lose university spots or job offers. I think that this selfish American view is wrong. We gain a lot from having others come to the US (like you’ve said, a lot of new technology and innovations have occurred because of them.) Instead of complaining about some taking are jobs away, we should use them as a competitive base to push ourselves higher.
    One thing that does annoy me about international students is that there seems to be a quota for them. Maybe you can elaborate on this in future posts because I’m not sure if it’s true. It seems as if schools get a better reputation depending on their representative population. It’s one thing if these international students get a spot in American Universities because they’re intelligent and worthy, but another if they just get the spot because they’re foreign. Do you agree?
    I think that Americans need to change their mind about those from outside of the country. The United States is a great place, but there are good things about everywhere. Are we an elitist nation? What do we gain or lose by changing our mindset towards other countries and ourselves?

  7. I really liked your blog this week; it was a great idea incorporating foreign students into education. Anyway, I see nothing wrong with foreign students studying at universities in America. In fact, we should take it as a compliment. Foreign students prefer American universities over their own because we are so advanced in higher education. These foreign students contribute many great things to our schools – diversity, intelligence, etc. You also made a good point at the end: if we can study abroad, then why can’t they spend four years studying in America? This is the problem with our society: we are self-centered. We are more concerned about foreigners taking our jobs than thinking of the positive things they contribute. If they are willing to learn here and help advance technology and research to make our world better, then why would we discriminate against them? I also don’t think it is right that they are getting charged more tuition at some universities. In my opinion, that is a form of discrimination. They are getting the same education as American citizens, so charging them up doesn’t seem right at all. Does anyone else agree?

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