To go abroad or stay home for a degree

Mira Katyal talks to a cross section of students and finds that most set their sights on distant shores

Twelfth graders in the UAE are today spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a university. Will it be a university here or abroad?

Expatriate students have the additional option of returning home for their higher education.

If their decision is to stay on in the UAE, the options are many - and increasing day by day.

Many aspire to go abroad - to academic institutions in the US, Canada, UK and Australia. While the choices are plenty, the decision must depend on a number of factors - some beyond one's control and others that can be carefully considered prior to arriving at the decision.

Got the right grades?

Atif, who is doing his bachelor's in business administration at Al Ghurair University, is clear about his goal. He wants to get into a university in the UK or the US.

"First you need to secure admission to a university; later on you may or may not get a visa," says Atif, who is from Pakistan. The other option, he says, is to join a university that is affiliated to colleges abroad and get your credits transferred.

He has ruled out Pakistan. "The education is not comparable to the west, and after a lifetime in Dubai, it is difficult to adjust back home," he says.

Kunal Haresh Bhatia, a student at Indian High School, has been accepted at the State University of New York in Buffalo, USA, for a business programme.

"I feel a degree from the US will hold a much higher value than from the UK or Canada," he says.

A desire to migrate to the west and an inability to adjust in their native countries, are big issues for most students. Indian twins Hersh and Aseem Lamba are pursuing their higher degrees in Canada and not India.

"When I apply for a job in Canada, I will have an edge over applicants who have studied outside Canada," says Hersh.

Abhyuday Shankar Awasthi is studying materials science and engineering at the University of Michigan in the US. He had extensively researched the benefits of studying in the US before applying.

The latest technology, an exposure to varied intellectual leanings, opportunities to participate in many events and the fact that the University of Michigan ranked among the top four US universities in engineering and among the top 10 in almost any other field clinched his decision.

Abhyuday is today extremely happy with his choice, "I am almost guaranteed a good job."

Affordability as well as quality

Neera Arya, a recent resident of the UAE and a class 12 student of Delhi Private School in Sharjah, wants a world-class education at a cost-effective budget.

"I would like to pursue a BBA and an MBA degree at Symbiosis [a management institute in Pune, India] because it is a renowned college with a good standard of education," says Neera.

"In the final year, campus interviews facilitate easy placement in well-paying jobs with Indian or multinational firms."

Neera's decision has also been influenced by the fact that India is her native country and thus a familiar environment. The tuition fees as well as the cost of living are affordable, particularly when compared to overseas education.

Yousuf Al Ghoul from Jordan had aspirations to study IT (information technology) or MIT (management information system) in the US or Canada.

"The US offers the latest, international trends in learning. With a US degree you have an edge over other job applicants," he says.

Today Yousuf is pursuing a CIS (Computer Information Systems) degree at Al Ghurair University.

He is satisfied, the plus point being that he can continue to live with his family. What about getting a degree in Jordan? A quick smile before he replies: "I didn't consider it."

Set goals early

Better choices can be made if a student is clear about his or her goals early on. Aseem says it is better to have an idea from ninth grade onwards.

"This is because some American and Canadian universities admit students on the basis of their grade 10 or 11 marks; only the very reputed universities wait for grade 12 marks to come in."

For him, it became easier to make up his mind when he visited Canada rather than by sending applications from here.

"Another unknown factor among students is that they just evaluate the university ranking, which is misleading.

"While a university can have a reputation of its own, what few people realise is that different courses have different reputations in different universities (like learning cooking from Harvard would be pointless.)

"It is essential to first select a course and find the universities that are better at it rather than just go on the reputation of the university that offers it."

As this random sample of student views has shown, the preference seems to be to study abroad. The degree is perceived to have more value in the job market. But admissions procedures to these universities are tougher.

The tuition fee and living costs have to be considered. Visa problems have to be sorted out. Things are no doubt much easier if the choice is to stay put in the UAE.

Professional certificates with undergraduate IT degrees
From September, undergraduate IT students at the University of Wollongong, Dubai (UOWD), will be offered professional certificates in each of the majors in the Bachelor of Computer Science and in the Bachelor of Internet Science.

Internationally-recognised certifications IT Project+, Network+ and Security+ will be offered in the Bachelor of Computer Science.

The Bachelor of Internet Science will offer E-Biz+ and IT Project+ certifications.

"We will be offering our students the option of sitting for Professional Certificates in each of our majors," said Dr. Farhad Oroumchian, acting chair of the College of IT at UOWD.

"Professional certification will help our students to better position themselves in the job market".