The International Attraction

Every year, thousands of Indians flock to universities abroad in spite of the presence of world-class universities back home. Studying abroad is a popular trend among Indian students who go in huge numbers to countries such as the UK, US and Australia for education after class 12. In 2011, around 210,000 Indian students chose to travel abroad to study, nearly 105,000 of which chose to study in the US. And now, even universities in Canada, New Zealand and Singapore show an exponential increase in the number of Indian students.
India has nearly 300 universities and more than 12,000 university-affiliated colleges, having a total enrolment of about 9 million students. Thus we have one of the largest higher educational networks in the world. Then why are so many of our students opting to study abroad?
Says Karan Gupta, who studied at the University of Texas at Austin in the US and IE Business School in Spain, “US universities have excellent infrastructure and allow tremendous flexibility in choosing courses.” On being asked how many Indian students were studying there, he said, “At UT there were hundreds of Indian students and even at IE Business School the class size was around 8 per cent Indian.” He added that while the studies are not easier than those in India, the coursework incorporates more case studies, team discussions and projects.
Gupta’s statement corroborates the views of many Indian students who find Indian courses to be based only on theoretical knowledge as opposed to foreign courses, which are more ‘flexible and practical’. Practical educational courses, lower student-faculty ratio, academic excellence of the universities and interaction with international students are other attractions, which make Indian students travel abroad to study.
On the flip side, studying abroad may not be all that glamorous.There is a general conception that universities abroad are far better than Indian universities. However, this is not always the case. India can boast of world class universities such as the IITs and IIMs, which provide quality education and have produced internationally acclaimed leaders in their respective fields.
Students studying abroad have to cope with many challenges. Firstly, education abroad is very expensive. University fees, along with the relatively high cost of living, will compel you at some point to take up part-time jobs to meet your financial demands, unless of course your parents have deep pockets. On the other hand, some Indian colleges and universities charge fees, which even low income households can afford. Hence, most students in India don’t need to take up jobs while studying and can concentrate completely on their college work.
Students studying abroad also have to battle a host of other problems, including home sickness and adapting to a brand new enviornment. These issues may seem trivial but many students have actually left their studies mid-way and returned home as they couldn’t adjust.
People who study in India and then go on to work abroad often fare extremely well, clearly proving that education in India lays a very strong base for the students who are now ready to dominate in any system worldwide in spite of Indian education being branded by some as ‘ bookish and impractical’.
Another advantage of studying in India is the competitive environment, which pushes students to score better than their peers, thus extracting a better performance out of them.
There are clearly advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad and studying in India. There is no ‘correct’ answer and this is a decision that each person has to make individually. It’s important to carefully analyse one’s careers goals. In Gupta’s words – Make an informed decision.

Volume 2 Issue 1