EDUCATION ABROAD: SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?

In some parts of the world, studying abroad is believed to be the key to a successful career-and even a happy life. Parents rightly think that  being culturally flexible¹ and bilingual (especially in English) will be an advantage. But there are also negative aspects to an international education.

A relatively small number of adolescents find themselves studying at boarding schools abroad. With big reputations, excellent facilities, and small class sizes, schools like these provide a desirable product. Some boarding schools almost guarantee² entrance to elite colleges in English-speaking countries. These schools can be a challenging experience, and students often suffer from homesickness³. Parents see the difficulties of exposure to a new society as a worthwhile⁴ trade-off. However, boarding schools are often exclusives⁵ communities; they rarely reflect the population of the country as a whole. Neither do they come cheap; in the UK, schools like Eton and Harrow can cost up to $58,000 per year.

It is far more common for undergraduates to study at universities abroad. According to educationdata.org, more than one million foreign students came to US universities in 2019. Statistically, students from China were the highest in number, with 369,548 arriving to study in the US, while those arriving from India represented the second largest group, with 202,014 students. Altogether, foreign students contributed close to $44 billion to the US economy.

Living in diverse cities, foreign university students experience the societies of the countries they go to more fully. This provides other less obvious benefits to their education. While they can also feel lonely, they are more likely to become independent⁶, confident, and self-motivated. Until recently, such students often found employment easily upon returning to their home countries. In African nations, sixty-five percent of companies' CEOs studied abroad. In Asian countries, the figure is lower, but still significant at twenty-nine percent.

However, as a growing percentage of young people attend university, the benefits of an undergraduate education abroad are becoming less obvious. Many employers now expect applicants to have a master's or even a PhD. And although many of the top jobs will continue to go to those who graduated abroad, at a typical cost of $40,000 a year, getting there can seem increasingly risky. Many students now find themselves stuck with large amounts of debt⁷ and the stress of knowing they won't be able to pay it off for many years.

Another challenge students face is the unfamiliar atmosphere and curriculum at foreign universities. In 2017, Chinese students at several Australian universities protested about how aspects of Chinese politics were being taught. In light of this, it would appear that the Western education students pay so much for is not always easy to adapt⁸ to.

Often, though, students who leave to study abroad do not return home, an effect called "brain drain." This means that the skills students develop are used in host countries rather than at home. By 2006, Indians had started 13.4 percent of all tech start-ups in California's Silicon Valley. The Indian government has tried to encourage more graduates to return home. This way, they can benefit the Indian rather than the US economy.

Worldwide, domestic⁹ education remains the most popular and practical way to learn. It is cheaper than international education, helps build communities, and prepares students for life in the country in which they will most likely live and work. On the other hand, international education helps to expand students' minds. It is an exciting way to learn and can provide a better chance of finding a good job. It would seem that students have a lot to consider when deciding whether to stay or to go.

• program of study
• brain drain
• boarding schools
• elite colleges
• student debt
• obvious benefits

• bilingual
• aspect
• adolescent
• undergraduate
• statistically
• curriculum

India: Brain Drain or Brain Gain?

In India, "brain drain" was first identified in the 1960s as scientists and technology developers began to move abroad to advance their careers. This had a damaging effect on the Indian economy. To address this, the Indian government eventually introduced taxes on Indians living and working abroad. Even so, through the 1990s and 2000s, brain drain remained a problem.

Now, though, it seems the problem has been reduced. This is perhaps the result of government investment in education; the country now has more than 51,000 higher-education institutions for students to choose from. Pre-COVID, though, huge numbers of Indian students still chose an international education.

So perhaps a bigger factor in India's "brain gain" is that students who do study abroad are now returning home once qualified. This is connected to shifts in the global economy. Companies in countries like the US have now begun to reach capacity; job opportunities are no longer so easy to come by. At the same time, tech companies from the US and Europe have begun to invest in India.

Looking ahead, India's young scientists and tech inventors may not have to choose at all. In 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced laws that would allow foreign universities to set up campuses in India itself. The world's top one hundred universities, Modi stated, would be welcome to set up shop in the country. Recent difficulties with foreign travel mean it is possible that many institutions will take up his offer.