Overseas study during the financial crisis

Frank told me he got sick, not homesick, and was going to back home soon or later. I'm praying that his life will be easy.

Just now a Jap woman toured around my office, and finally she talked to me. She could follow Chinese if I speak slowly, and was glad to hear that I was teaching English here.

After that, I have read this:

The long-harbored dreams of many Indian students to pursue higher studies abroad may remain a dream for some more time in the wake of the global financial crisis.

A few education destinations are already feeling the meltdown heat. Experts say that countries like USA, Australia and New Zealand, which have always been high in the priority list of students, are likely to take a major blow in the coming months.

The student population had already diverted to other destinations ever since the Australian government tightened the immigration rules in September this year. Now, the newfound destinations are engulfed in uncertainty. With the intake time for universities in different countries approaching, the shrink may double up, feel experts even as Visa consultants remain hopeful.

Jaideep Mukherjee, business head of Equinox Education Management Group that assists in visa assistance for students going to the UK, said that in most cases, the finances are planned quite early. Students start the process of obtaining visa by September-October if they have to go in January, he added.

He further said: “While there has been a dip in the number of students going abroad, it is not quite a substantial one, as only 3 to 4 per cent students going to the UK depend on odd jobs.” Mukherjee admitted that the coming months are likely to witness a major shrink with the competition for odd jobs increasing, “as more and more people are being sacked”.

Amit Rao, the managing director of Rao Overseas Consultancy that assists visa applicants to countries like Australia, New Zealand and those in Europe, pointed out that the shrink is from “country to country”.

“The visa approval in the US has gone down from about seven out of 10 earlier to nearly four. European countries and New Zealand are seeing a major shrink. The trend will continue in the intake season of each country. Many worried parents are already thinking of not sending their children abroad or fit them in lesser known institutes,” Rao said.

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OK, I need a nap, really.