The International Student Blog

If you are a prospective international student from the Middle East or Africa, you won’t want to miss the upcoming Hobson’s Virtual Student Fair on March 3, 2012. Dozens of US colleges and universities are looking for students just like you! International students interested in studying in the US will have the opportunity to speak with admission representatives and get important information right from your computer.

Hobsons Virtual Student Fair gives prospective students the chance to chat (or even, video chat!) with representatives from multiple schools throughout the US. Get important information about each school, ask questions with representatives, and choose the school that’s right for you. Those international students who register and attend the virtual student fair will also have the chance to win a scholarship up to $3,000 USD.

Why spend time and money traveling to the US when you can do this from the comfort of your home? The cost is free and admission is easy. To attend, prospective international students from the Middle East and Africa can register right online for the virtual student fair. Hobsons Virtual Student Fair will be on Saturday from 9am – 3pm EST. See more information and register for the Virtual Student Fair:

http://www.internationalstudent.com/hobsons-virtual-fairs/

We look forward to seeing you there!

Most international students that attend a college or university in Tennessee come from China (20.6% of the total international students in Tennessee), India (10.2% of the total international student population), or South Korea (6.8% of the total international student population). More and more college and universities are looking to recruit international students to diversify their school and programs. In fact, many colleges and universities have their own international student offices to help students transition to their new home in Tennessee!

So, you may be asking yourself, why should an international student study in Tennessee? CNN ranked Tennessee as one of the best places to live in America. Whether you plan on hiking the Great Smokey Mountains, touring the country music capital of the world in Nashville, or if you are looking for some southern cooking, no other state can provide all these amenities within a short drive!

One major draw for international students in Tennessee is the low cost of living and affordable tuition. You can view the tuition fees at the various institutions in Tennessee for undergraduate programs. As you will see, the table is broken down by school and tuition. You’ll notice that these tuition fees for international students are less than what some in-state students pay to attend a specific private or state school.

As the new school year has just started, most international students registering for classes will need to show proof of adequate health insurance coverage – or you will need to enroll in your schools insurance plan. Most school insurance plans are expensive, and by showing proof of alternative coverage you can save up to $700 a year! For example, students from the University of Hawaii can save $754 per year and students from Florida International University can save $717 per year!

The Student Secure plan offers excellent, affordable coverage for all international students, including coverage for:

- Up to $300,000 policy maximum
- $100 deductible
- Provider Network in the USA
- Meets most school requirements (check them here)
- Starts at just $28/ month

Find out more and start the year off right by saving money!
http://www.internationalstudentinsurance.com/student-health-insurance/

Shrills of amused screams echo through the air as a roller coaster whips around a bend and skyrockets upward, only to drop its unsuspecting riders back down its steep track. This could be any rollercoaster at one of Virginia’s theme parks. Forget traveling to Orlando, Florida for fun rides, international students studying in Virginia can escape their academics and easily take a day trip to one of Virginia’s amusement parks.

International students can take a break from the historic sites of Williamsburg Virginia or just their studies at the College of William and Mary and venture off to Busch Gardens Williamsburg. With over twenty rides, Busch Gardens Williamsburg is European themed. Originally named Busch Gardens: The Old Country, students can visit England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Germany and Italy. Animal encounters featuring eagles, wolves and Clydesdales, among other animals, are available.

Cool down at Busch Garden’s Water Country USA with more than ten slides and attractions.

Just north of Richmond, the capital of Virginia, King’s Dominion is the perfect place for students studying in Virginia to seek hair raising thrills. Kings Dominion attracts over 13 million visitors a year with over 60 rides and attractions. The Anaconda was the first looping coaster in the world that showcased an underwater tunnel and the 4,210-foot Dominator is the longest floorless coaster in the world. Volcano, the Blast Coaster, is the only coaster in the world to shoot you straight out of a raging volcano at speeds over 70 mph.

Like Busch Gardens, Kings Dominion also has a water park, Waterworks, complete with waterfront cabanas, rafting rides and slides.

When walking along the 28 feet wide, thee mile long boardwalk in Virginia Beach, you are bound to come across the Virginia Beach Amusement Park. Located across from the boardwalk’s only pier, the Amusement Park is more like a carnival. Prices of rides vary and all day wristbands are available.

For many travelers, tour guides are a must as they help us plan ahead and navigate in a foreign land. But when walking into a book store you will see many different tour books claiming to be the best travel guide. If you are going to study abroad in France, you might wonder how to choose a guide book that is right for you with so many options; you will find books on traveling Europe, books specific to France and others for Paris alone.

Guide books can be a valuable tool saving you time and money while you are abroad. No need to waste the first day of your trip trying to figure out which hotel to go to or looking up what subway line when you arrive. How to choose a guide book that is good and reliable is not just about choosing the one that is accurate and up-to-date, but also knowing what your needs are and what sort of traveling you will be doing.

Travel guides can cover an entire continent, a single country, combination of frequently traveled countries, a region in a particular country or even just a single city. So let’s say you will be studying abroad in France and you will have time to travel within the country and to neighboring countries as well. Will the best guide book change if you are going to stay in Paris and perhaps take a single trip to London? If you will be doing the latter, you may consider buying two city guides rather than a book on France and Britain so that you’ll get more city-specific information. Contrast that scenario with backpacking Europe where it makes sense to purchase a European travel guide.

Make sure the guide is up-to-date since the world is constantly changing. Restaurants and hotels open and close frequently, prices can change (e.g., food, train ticket, etc.), and even maps or bus schedules change regularly. Using an out of date guide can cause head aches especially if you are stuck scrambling to find a hostel last minute, or find yourself running out of money because you budgeted your trip based on outdated prices.

There are also different formats available including traditional guides, visual guides, and electronic guides described below:

1. Traditional guide books  – contains mostly text with few pictures, 3 of the most popular guides are Lonely Planet, Rough Guides and Let’s Go.
2. Visual guide books – are usually filled with pictures printed on glossy paper. Visual guides are great for specific locations where it can show exactly which sculptures to look at with specific details. In some cases, however, they may lack more in depth information on more practical topics like logistics. They are also heavier to carry around because of the glossy paper they are usually printed on.
3. Electronic guide books – Many smart phones now  include apps that acts as an electronic guide book for many different cities around the world. Lonely Planet and Rough Guides, for example, have travel guide applications for iPhone and Android phones. While they have the potential to be very useful, in my experience, mobile app guidebooks are not yet as user friendly while traveling as opposed to a traditional paper book.

So that brings us back to the question, how to choose a guide book? When choosing among the different options choose a guide that fits your needs (budget, interests and location), is up-to-date as possible, and that is written in a format that you find easy to use.

The University of Florida has increased internationalization giving students the opportunity to open doors around the world.  What started with 300 study-abroad students in one year, has now turned into more than 2,000 study abroad students this year alone and the international efforts do not stop there according to an article in the Gainesville Sun. This year thirteen UF students have won the Fulbright award, part of a US government sponsored program that allows students to gain hands-on experience teaching or conducting research in a foreign country. There are over 155 countries around the world that participate in the Fulbright program and there have been approximately 310,000 participants in the program since 1946 according to the US Department of State.

The University of Florida has embraced internationalization, and has selected it as the 2014 university renewal of accreditation theme. In an effort to spread the theme the university has hosted international fairs and speakers. UF has also branched out by adding international studies as a major, an addition that has been sought after for some time. The international studies program allows students to either study abroad or complete a research project that involves their region of study in their senior year.

The benefits of internationalization at the University of Florida reach beyond the campus, one clear illustration of this is seen through the Peace Corps. The University of Florida was ranked second in the top large universities producing Peace Corps members in 2011. UF provided 97 members, second to the University of Colorado at Boulder that provided 117 members.

If you would like more information regarding how the University of Florida increases internationalization you can find it by visiting the Gainesville Sun.

The year is coming to a close and the New Year is arriving! To help make it easier to find the information to study abroad, International Student in 2011 made numerous improvements online.

Here are a few things we have done for our international students in 2011:

- iPhone App – This year we introduced our iPhone app. Online viewers can now access International Student from their phones and learn about studying in the USA . Read about each state, learn the college application process, find out about financial aid (including international student loans and scholarships), and much more!

- Increased Facebook Presence – Not only is International Student one of the most popular destinations online, but so is our Facebook page! This year we have reached over 6,000 likes. We also introduced the Scholarship Sunday weekly post, which will help you finance your education overseas!

- Video Contest – This year also featured our 6^th annual International Student Video Contest, and it was bigger than ever! The grand prize this year was $4,000 where viewers could vote on their favorite video. We had more video submissions this year than ever before – and the quality of the submission was amazing. It was difficult to narrow down the list to the twelve finalist, and even harder for our judges to ultimately choose Jonathan Moore as the winner. This contest starts each year in September, so if you want to be the winner in 2012, don’t forget to enter!

- Improved USA School Search – Searching for the right US college or university is now easier with our Concierge Service which provides your information to schools looking for students just like you! We also added our state guide for all 50 states so you can learn about where you want to study in the US. For those of you who are looking for more specific information about a specific field of study such as law, business or engineering, you can now research your interests in the Study Guide section as well.

- Featured School – We also partnered with colleges that are specifically looking for international students like you. Featured School profile includes more in-depth information about the school and also student profiles so you can see what actual international students are saying about the school. You can contact these Featured Schools and request more information from their profile as well.

- Concierge Service Expanded to the UK and Australia – Last year was the launched of our Concierge Service here in the US. Simply by filling out your name, nationality, interests, and contact information this free service helps match you with schools all across the US – and now look for schools in the UK and Australia as well!

- Online Student Fair – This year we also partnered with Hobsons and CollegeWeekLive to offer online college fairs giving you the chance to meet with admission directors from over 80 universities in the US, Canada and Australia. This is a great service allowing you to meet advisors and counselors live, asking any questions you have without the expense of travel.

- Loans for International Students – Our partner at InternationalStudentLoan.com has launched a new loan comparison tool. Specifically designed to provide international and study abroad students with the opportunity to compare loans and lenders, the new system streamlines the process to find and apply for student loans and it is now also available on InternationalStudent.com as well!

We are open to suggestions, so if you have any ideas on what you would like us to see on International Student in 2012, please leave a comment or email us. As always, we are looking to help you with your international education experience. We are looking forward to 2012 and have many new and exciting features coming in 2012, so stay tune!

The United States has often been depicted as having a unique cultural character able to be described both as a “melting pot” and a “tossed salad.” America is a nation of immigrants with varying cultures, and the melting pot imagery is intended to capture the blending of those cultures to form another that is distinctly American. However, the melting pot imagery is tempered with that of the ‘tossed salad’ wherein despite being mixed, different cultures still retain their individuality. The cultural character of the United States is a blend of those two characterizations, and luckily for international students in Wisconsin, the state is a perfect microcosm of the nation in this regard.

The immigration and cultural diversity in Wisconsin go back as far as when early European settlements were being built alongside those of the long-established Native Americans in the region. The European immigration to what would become Wisconsin occurred in waves that were driven by various industries. From fur traders to miners to bankers and educators, early European settlers streamed into the area and established significant population and cultural centers. More contemporary immigration has seen substantial African-American, Hispanic, and Hmong populations flourish in the state. International students in Wisconsin will feel comfortable amidst the culturally-diverse populations of the state. Moreover, the cultural diversity in Wisconsin ensures that visitors from abroad will often be able to find many of the comforts of home—from their favorite fare to others who speak their native language!

Throughout its history Wisconsin has been a culturally-diverse mix of various peoples, and that legacy is upheld to this day through various cultural initiatives in the state. One such initiative that international students in Wisconsin may be able to take advantage of is the sister-state and sister-city programs in place through Sister-Cities International, an organization dedicated to fostering international connections and providing information and other resources for those traveling/studying abroad. Wisconsin’s sister-state and city relationships are with five different locales; Hessen, Germany; Chiba, Japan; Jalisco, Mexico; Heilongjiang, China; and Nicaragua. International students in Wisconsin that hail from any of these areas may have additional resources at their disposal when studying in the state and, at the very least, will have significant communities there awaiting them with some of the comforts of home! The legacy of cultural diversity in Wisconsin is alive and well, and international students in the state can expect a welcoming atmosphere in which to study!

New Year celebrations are major events all across the world and each country celebrates differently. In the US, most cities host public events to count down the seconds to the New Year. One city, in particular, is the most famous and that’s New York City. Every New Year’s Eve, up to one million people gather in Time Square to celebrate by watching the New Year’s Eve Ball Drop at midnight.

If you are in the US during New Years, watching the Ball Drop in New York may be the chance of a lifetime. Because it is such a popular event, there are a few tips to ensure you have a good view of the ball drop. Arrive early to get a good view since many people will start arriving in the early afternoon on December 31st.  There are many small events and musical performances to keep you entertain from the afternoon to midnight, check out this year’s New Year’s Eve schedule of events to see what to expect.

Because you will be standing and waiting all day, remember to dress comfortably and warmly since the weather is bound to become colder as you get closer to midnight.

Having friends with you can also help the wait go quicker, and it will also make the actual New Year celebration that much better. You will be around so many people crowded all together that there is no doubt that you’ll make some new friends.

Celebrating the New Year in New York City can be tiring. To sustain you while you wait for the New Year to arrive, bring food and drinks with you. Because you cannot save space, if you leave to get food, you may lose your spot. This applies even if you need to use the restroom, so be prepared before you arrive!

No matter where you are or how you celebrate your New Year’s Eve, we wish you a happy New Year!

Did you know that 21.5% percent of the international students that came to the US last year studied business and management? It’s no wonder, with businesses connected using technology and transcending country borders, international business is an important subject for many students seeking a higher degree.

With so many different programs, however, it can be difficult to determine which program is right for you. If you plan to study business, there are some programs that allow students to have a truly international experience.

The University of North Florida, for example, has a GlobalMBA program that is attracting students from all around the world. Students spend four semesters at four different universities located in different countries. The first semester is in Cologne, Germany at the Cologne University of Applied Sciences. The second semester is in Warsaw, Poland at the University of Warsaw. The third semester is taught in Dalian, China at the Dongbei Institute of Finance and Economics, and the final semester is taught at the University of North Florida campus in Jacksonville, Florida.

By completing the collaborative study abroad program students earn a dual Masters degree, one in Business Administration and another in International Management and Intercultural Communications from both Cologne University and the University of Warsaw.

Many students looking to gain an international prospective while studying business will find this to be a unique MBA program in the US. If you are considering the pursuit of a master’s degree, definitely check out any collaborative study abroad programs available. Who wouldn’t want to get to travel the globe and earn a master’s degree at the same time? You can visit the University of North Florida’s featured school listing for more information!