Accentuating The Positive

In this post, which is likely to be the last of the year, I just wanted to draw attention to what seems to have been the prevailing trend in the promotion of international education to British students.

This year has seen an almost unrelenting stream of bad news and negative reports about the value and purpose of university education. With cuts likely to be on the agenda for the following years, universities in the UK will face a major struggle to satisfy student demand and deliver the outcomes that they have been led to expect. We are already seeing that students are increasingly cynical about the "cookie-cutter" claims and testimonials which populate most university prospectuses because they know the resources just aren't there to make this a reality.

Restrictions on university places will certainly continue although this is likely only to be an issue for those applying to the "best" universities. Many students will now consider putting their lives on hold until the "right" opportunity comes along even if ideal alternatives are presented to them.

With the rising cost of education in England, student mobility as a whole is actually declining, with students choosing local universities over centres of excellence. The consequences of such a trend are all too obvious. The continued expectation that tuition fees will rise just as soon as the general election is out of the way also gives grounds for pessimism.

In our work promoting international education the temptation is to focus on the consequences (intended or otherwise) of British government policy on higher education. Indeed, it is all too easy to do this. However, we believe that negative motivation to study abroad is far less powerful than might be expected; the fact that tuition may be available elsewhere at a much cheaper cost or that other countries may provide student finance at better rates of interest, is not going to make up students' minds. The positive messages about a better lifestyle, making international friends for life and broadening horizons in a way that does not smack of cultural imperialism, these are just some of the reasons why students will think about international education rather than more general international experience.

The British government is making the negative case for an increase in outbound student mobility; it doesn't need the help of us or anyone else operating in this sphere. Our early New Year's resolution is to ensure that next year, our voice will promote the life- (and career-) enhancing benefits of international higher education.