The New York Times has a special on Grad School. Some topics they tackle:
Like it or not, these colleges have outsize influence on American society. So their admissions policies don’t matter just to high school seniors; they’re a matter of national interest.
More than seven years ago, a 44-year-old political scientist named Anthony Marx became the president of Amherst College, in western Massachusetts, and set out to change its admissions policies. Mr. Marx argued that elite colleges were neither as good nor as meritocratic as they could be, because they mostly overlooked lower-income students.
For all of the other ways that top colleges had become diverse, their student bodies remained shockingly affluent. At the University of Michigan, more entering freshmen in 2003 came from families earning at least $200,000 a year than came from the entire bottom half of the income distribution. At some private colleges, the numbers were even more extreme.
In his 2003 inaugural address, Mr. Marx — quoting from a speech President John F. Kennedy had given at Amherst — asked, “What good is a private college unless it is serving a great national purpose?”
On Sunday, Mr. Marx presided over his final Amherst graduation. This summer, he will become head of the New York Public Library. And he can point to some impressive successes at Amherst.
More than 22 percent of students now receive federal Pell Grants (a rough approximation of how many are in the bottom half of the nation’s income distribution). In 2005, only 13 percent did. Over the same period, other elite colleges have also been doing more to recruit low- and middle-income students, and they have made some progress.
It is tempting, then, to point to all these changes and proclaim that elite higher education is at long last a meritocracy. But Mr. Marx doesn’t buy it. If anything, he worries, the progress has the potential to distract people from how troubling the situation remains.
When we spoke recently, he mentioned a Georgetown University study of the class of 2010 at the country’s 193 most selective colleges. As entering freshmen, only 15 percent of students came from the bottom half of the income distribution. Sixty-seven percent came from the highest-earning fourth of the distribution. These statistics mean that on many campuses affluent students outnumber middle-class students.
“We claim to be part of the American dream and of a system based on merit and opportunity and talent,” Mr. Marx says. “Yet if at the top places, two-thirds of the students come from the top quartile and only 5 percent come from the bottom quartile, then we are actually part of the problem of the growing economic divide rather than part of the solution.”
Read this NYT article reviewing why one shouldn't invest in a college education.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/weekinreview/16steinberg.html
Plan B: Skip College
By JACQUES STEINBERG
WHAT’S the key to success in the United States?
Short of becoming a reality TV star, the answer is rote and, some would argue, rather knee-jerk: Earn a college degree.
The idea that four years of higher education will translate into a better job, higher earnings and a happier life — a refrain sure to be repeated this month at graduation ceremonies across the country — has been pounded into the heads of schoolchildren, parents and educators. But there’s an underside to that conventional wisdom. Perhaps no more than half of those who began a four-year bachelor’s degree program in the fall of 2006 will get that degree within six years, according to the latest projections from the Department of Education. (The figures don’t include transfer students, who aren’t tracked.)
For college students who ranked among the bottom quarter of their high school classes, the numbers are even more stark: 80 percent will probably never get a bachelor’s degree or even a two-year associate’s degree.
That can be a lot of tuition to pay, without a degree to show for it.
A small but influential group of economists and educators is pushing another pathway: for some students, no college at all. It’s time, they say, to develop credible alternatives for students unlikely to be successful pursuing a higher degree, or who may not be ready to do so.
Whether everyone in college needs to be there is not a new question; the subject has been hashed out in books and dissertations for years. But the economic crisis has sharpened that focus, as financially struggling states cut aid to higher education.
Among those calling for such alternatives are the economists Richard K. Vedder of Ohio University and Robert I. Lerman of American University, the political scientist Charles Murray, and James E. Rosenbaum, an education professor at Northwestern. They would steer some students toward intensive, short-term vocational and career training, through expanded high school programs and corporate apprenticeships.
“It is true that we need more nanosurgeons than we did 10 to 15 years ago,” said Professor Vedder, founder of the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, a research nonprofit in Washington. “But the numbers are still relatively small compared to the numbers of nurses’ aides we’re going to need. We will need hundreds of thousands of them over the next decade.”
And much of their training, he added, might be feasible outside the college setting.
College degrees are simply not necessary for many jobs. Of the 30 jobs projected to grow at the fastest rate over the next decade in the United States, only seven typically require a bachelor’s degree, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Among the top 10 growing job categories, two require college degrees: accounting (a bachelor’s) and postsecondary teachers (a doctorate). But this growth is expected to be dwarfed by the need for registered nurses, home health aides, customer service representatives and store clerks. None of those jobs require a bachelor’s degree.
Professor Vedder likes to ask why 15 percent of mail carriers have bachelor’s degrees, according to a 1999 federal study.
“Some of them could have bought a house for what they spent on their education,” he said.
Professor Lerman, the American University economist, said some high school graduates would be better served by being taught how to behave and communicate in the workplace.
Such skills are ranked among the most desired — even ahead of educational attainment — in many surveys of employers. In one 2008 survey of more than 2,000 businesses in Washington State, employers said entry-level workers appeared to be most deficient in being able to “solve problems and make decisions,” “resolve conflict and negotiate,” “cooperate with others” and “listen actively.”
Yet despite the need, vocational programs, which might teach such skills, have been one casualty in the push for national education standards, which has been focused on preparing students for college.
While some educators propose a radical renovation of the community college system to teach work readiness, Professor Lerman advocates a significant national investment by government and employers in on-the-job apprenticeship training. He spoke with admiration, for example, about a program in the CVS pharmacy chain in which aspiring pharmacists’ assistants work as apprentices in hundreds of stores, with many going on to study to become full-fledged pharmacists themselves.
“The health field is an obvious case where the manpower situation is less than ideal,” he said. “I would try to work with some of the major employers to develop these kinds of programs to yield mastery in jobs that do demand high expertise.”
While no country has a perfect model for such programs, Professor Lerman pointed to a modest study of a German effort done last summer by an intern from that country. She found that of those who passed the Abitur, the exam that allows some Germans to attend college for almost no tuition, 40 percent chose to go into apprenticeships in trades, accounting, sales management, and computers.
“Some of the people coming out of those apprenticeships are in more demand than college graduates,” he said, “because they’ve actually managed things in the workplace.”
Still, by urging that some students be directed away from four-year colleges, academics like Professor Lerman are touching a third rail of the education system. At the very least, they could be accused of lowering expectations for some students. Some critics go further, suggesting that the approach amounts to educational redlining, since many of the students who drop out of college are black or non-white Hispanics.
Peggy Williams, a counselor at a high school in suburban New York City with a student body that is mostly black or Hispanic, understands the argument for erring on the side of pushing more students toward college.
“If we’re telling kids, ‘You can’t cut the mustard, you shouldn’t go to college or university,’ then we’re shortchanging them from experiencing an environment in which they might grow,” she said.
But Ms. Williams said she would be more willing to counsel some students away from the precollege track if her school, Mount Vernon High School, had a better vocational education alternative. Over the last decade, she said, courses in culinary arts, nursing, dentistry and heating and ventilation system repair were eliminated. Perhaps 1 percent of this year’s graduates will complete a concentration in vocational courses, she said, compared with 40 percent a decade ago.
There is another rejoinder to the case against college: People with college and graduate degrees generally earn more than those without them, and face lower risks of unemployment, according to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Even those who experience a few years of college earn more money, on average, with less risk of unemployment, than those who merely graduate from high school, said Morton Schapiro, an economist who is the president of Northwestern University.
“You get some return even if you don’t get the sheepskin,” Mr. Shapiro said.
He warned against overlooking the intangible benefits of a college experience — even an incomplete experience — for those who might not apply what they learned directly to their chosen work.
“It’s not just about the economic return,” he said. “Some college, whether you complete it or not, contributes to aesthetic appreciation, better health and better voting behavior.”
Nonetheless, Professor Rosenbaum said, high school counselors and teachers are not doing enough to alert students unlikely to earn a college degree to the perilous road ahead.
“I’m not saying don’t get the B.A,” he said. “I’m saying, let’s get them some intervening credentials, some intervening milestones. Then, if they want to go further in their education, they can.”
UNITED KINGDOM
www.aboutus.org/Britain-Info.org
www.fco.gov.uk/en/
This British Embassy answers most questions you will have about the United Kingdom.
www.hero.ac.uk/uk/studying/international_students__guide.cfm
Describes itself as the official online gateway to Higher Education and Research in the UK. There's a specific section for international students.
USA
www.edupass.org
EduPass gives a good introduction to student issues like housing, visas, credential evaluation, American history and culture. Also provides a list of US colleges and universities that give financial aid to the greatest number of international students.
www.usjournal.com
Provides a search tool for campuses in the US based on academic level, course, amount you can pay and geographic preference. Lists education fairs but unfortunately, there's none for the Philippines.
www.iie.org
The Institute of International Education website provides detailed descriptions of the institute's grant programs for US and international students to study in the US.
http://exchanges.state.gov
Government grants, fellowships and student exchanges for international students to study in the US. Includes link to Fulbright Program.
www.abroadplanet.com/schol1.html
Aside from being a survival guide for international students, it also provides information on scholarships available to them.
www.collegeboard.com
Links on how to prepare for college (SAT, etc.), finding a college, applying for college and paying for it. Targeted towards undergrads.
www.isoa.org
Insternational Student Organization's information health insurance for foreign students and non-US citizens.
www.aauw.org/education/fga/fellowships_grants/international.cfm
The AAUW Education Foundation offers graduate fellowships to women with Bachelor's degrees (or the equivalent). Candidates cannot be citizens or permanent residents of the US. These fellowships are meant to support graduate students writing doctoral dissertations and post-doctoral scholars conducting research in the United States. The fellowship for 2009 schoolyear has passed.
While going through my files, I found a list of links that can be helpful to those students looking to study in Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Thailand. More links to follow...
SPAIN
www.spainexchange.com
Gives information about the educational system and courses available in Spanish colleges and universities, as well as information on educational tourism.
www.bne.es/index_eng.htm
The Spanish National Library has links to Spanish bookshops online, Spanish publishing houses, Spanish university libraries.
www.sispain.org
Links for every aspect of Spain—learn about Spanish wine, flamenco, soccer teams, or take some on-line Spanish courses. (in English, French, German, Spanish)
SWEDEN
www.hsv.se/2.539a949110f3d5914ec800056285.html
What is student life like in Sweden, when does the academic year begin? Find out where you'll live and how you'll get around town. The Higher Education Agency has a website to answer your questions.
www.csn.se/en/2.135/2.624
Support for foreigners looking to study in Sweden
www.sweden.se
Another site describing different aspects of life in Sweden.
www.si.se/templates/StartPage____3.aspx
The Swedish Institute is a cultural center that supports culture through grants, scholarships and exchange. If you are interested in learning to speak Swedish, the Institute provides information on programs around the world.Fellowships and grants from the Swedish Institute for foreign students to study in Sweden.
SWITZERLAND
www.crus.ch
The Rector's Conference of the Swiss Universities has some excellent pages for those interested in studying in Switzerland.
www.crus.ch/information-programme/study-in-switzerland.html?L=2
An outline of the higher education system, scholarships, cost, admission requirements.
switzerland.isyours.com
Guide to life in Switzerland. This site covers everything from education to banking.
THAILAND
www.thaistudents.com
For weather, culture, tourist attractions, student associations, entrance examinations, education news, Thai student websites.
www.thailandlife.com
This website is maintained by a Thai student who shares all aspects of his life including religion, political issues, thoughts on popular culture.
www.asiatour.com/thailand/e-01land/et-lan18.htm
This page from the Asia Tour website teaches all about manners and social conduct in Thailand. You will learn about the aforementioned wai and more. The website itself has links to other Asian countries (including the Philippines) and further information on Thailand.
For foreign students, the decision to leave or stay in the country where they studied is a life changing one. When I first arrived in 1996, my plan was to get my MA, maybe get some work experience and hurry back home to my family. Thirteen years later, I'm still here. And there is still the urge to move back to the Philippines. With graduation coming up, it will be time for students to decide if they should stay or go, to help with your decision making process, I would like to share an excerpt from an eloquent piece by Butch Dalisay. He delivered the speech to departing Fulbright scholars in May 2006 where he revealed his experiences and thoughts as a Fulbright scholar himself. The full text is in his blog: http://homepage.mac.com/jdalisay/blog/PenmanMay06.html. I recommend visiting his blog to read not only the speech but also the feedback he received.
Today, with satellite TV and the Internet, the actual experience of going to America might almost be anticlimactic for many. I’m sure that many of you have been there before and might look at this forthcoming trip as just another one in the course of business. In some ways, it will; America has been so demystified for us by the media and by Hollywood that we think we know it much too well.
On the other hand, the marvel of America is that while it can prove to be very small, it can also be very large—much larger than the media and Hollywood can make it to be, in the realm of the personal encounters and experiences to which you and your imagination will be delivered by that 747. The American people are a fabulously, sometimes perplexingly, diverse lot, blessed with the capability of fitting into neat stereotypes and then just as quickly breaking out of them.
Even the Filipino rich can learn in and from America. A few months ago I spoke in this vein before a group of American educational counselors who had come here to recruit the sons and daughters of affluent Filipinos for their schools. I remember a palpably mutual sense of embarrassment over our awareness of that fact. But then I told them that one of the best things our young patricians could do would be to study in America—where they could learn to tie their own shoelaces, cook their own meals, and learn something about the fundamental equality of people under the law.
Some of you—if not most or even all of you—will learn to love America, warts and all. It’s not a difficult place to love or learn to love, like the rich neighbor you grew up with and sort of had a silent crush on, whom you suddenly find yourself going out to the prom or on a date with.
But to go back to my first message: love America all you please, but never forget where your home is, which is here—not even here in 21st century Makati, but in those parts of our country which languish in the 20th and even the 19th centuries. We go to the great schools of America not just to improve our lives but theirs—those Filipinos who cannot even read, or are too hungry and tired from work to read. We are their emissaries, their agents, their speaking voices in a world so caught up in wealth and newness that it can despise and dismiss the ancient pains and plaints of the inarticulate poor.
You can swear today that your commitment will never waver, but try not to speak too soon. The test and the temptation are part of the experience. You will come across or even be offered attractive jobs and opportunities for postgraduate work. Some of you might even find that ideal—or, well, that acceptable—husband or wife who somehow managed to elude you for so long.
You can make all kinds of arguments, justifications, and rationalizations: my life circumstances have changed; I’m no longer the same person who made that promise; I can find the money to pay back whatever I owe the program or my university; our facilities back home are too primitive for the kind of research I need to do; my department has forgotten all about me; the political situation back home is too volatile for my safety and that of my family. All of these could be true—and in the end, all of them would still be, in your heart of hearts, false.
None of these conditions exist in the fine print of our contracts with our people; we pledge to learn, to return, and to serve unconditionally, as our way of saying “thank you” for all the new knowledge we will be privileged to gain—for all the brilliant autumns and the showery springs ahead of you, for all the lectures that will leave you breathless, for all the bottomless libraries,
for all the summer frolic on the beaches of another ocean, for the skyscrapers of Manhattan and the sunsets of San Diego.
Again, for all these, study well, enjoy America—then come home to say
“thank you.”
Butch Dalisay
Philippine Star
May 22,2006
The clinic where Jose Rizal worked under the direction of oculist Otto Becker. 
The scholarship deadline is March 21, 2008. That's only two weeks away but it appears to be an annual scholarship so its good to keep in mind for next year if you're not prepared to apply immediately. From what I gathered, it is offered to Filipinos who want to pursue further study in Environment and Water Management.
Go to http://futureleaders.aed.org/ for more information. Good luck!
1. Weather
Temperature - Winter (0-45 degrees F), Summer (60-90 degrees F)
Clothes - Winter - Winter Coat, Scarf, Gloves, Skid-free shoes, Hat; Spring - Raincoat/Jacket, Umbrella; Summer - Same as back home, know that it can get really hot and humid, sometimes it's even worse than the summer back home.
2. Cost of Living
Long Distance Call to Manila - Via phone card, 20 cents a minute
Postage Within US - 41 cents
Postage to Philippines - 90 cents
Bus Fare - $2.00
Train Fare - (Subway) $2.00
3. Racial Mix
New York City is known to be the most racially diverse city in the world.
4. Getting Around
Bus - MTA Bus
Train - MTA Subway
Walking - One can get around by walking in New York City. In the outer boroughs, you will need to take the bus, train, or rent a car.
Car a Necessity? - No
Others - NYU students can avail of the free shuttle service that goes around the East Side of Manhattan.
5. Filipino Supplies
Filipino Restaurants - Manhattan - Elvie's on 13th St. and First Avenue, Pistahan on 14th St. and First Avenue, Cendrillon in 45 Mercer St. in SoHo (very beautiful but does not cater to the student budget) ; Flushing, Queens - Krystal's, Ihawan , and Rene's on Roosevelt Avenue. A relatively new place with a nicer ambiance and still in the cheap eats category is Grill 21 in the Stuyvesant Village area (346 East 21st st. and 1st ave.).
Filipino Stores - Phil Am Food Store in Flushing, Queens in Roosevelt Avenue. You can buy bagoong, longganisa, and Clover Chips. One can also find Philippine brand condiments in Chinatown.
Balikbayan Box - Johnny Air Cargo, Forex, FRS Express,
Phone Cards - TeleOption (800 720 7138), Direct Line Philippines (866 357 0338)
Travel Agents - none mentioned
6. Student-Friendly Neighborhoods - Columbia University - Morningside Heights, Harlem; Fordham (Bronx Campus) - Fordham Avenue Area; NYU -Brooklyn, Downtown Manhattan (Living in Manhattan is very expensive. Try looking at other boroughs. As long as you and your school is near a subway line, it is very easy to get around).
7. Roman Catholic Church / Other Places of Worship - There is a Roman Catholic Church in amost every neighborhood. Check the yellow pages.
Contributor: Tricia J. Capistrano
1. Weather
Temperature - Winter: 10-35 F; Spring: 40-70 F; Summer: 70-100 F(feels hotter than the Philippines as the air is very dry), Fall: 40-70 F. The problem with Chicago is that the temperature can swing wildly (as much as a 30 degree drop or climb) in a given day. As a local said, "If you don't like the weather in Chicago, just wait a few minutes." So, check the forecasts regularly.
Clothes - Winter- The key is to layer your clothes and to ensure that your extremities are protected from frostbite. Thermals should be very snug, sweater, corduroy trousers (warmer than khakis or jeans and inexpensive if bought in the Philippines), Polartech or down parka/woolen overcoat, woolen socks, snow boots, scarf, gloves/mittens and ear muffs/hat that extends over the ears. It is also important to use a lip balm and hand and skin lotion to stop your skin from chaffing; Spring - undershirt, long-sleeved shirt,sweater or jacket,cotton or woolen trousers; Summer - oxford shirt, khakis and loafers for casual business attire, and knitted polos,shorts/khakis and sneakers/sandals for leisure; Fall - undershirt, long-sleeved shirt or long-sleeved polos, sweater and/or jackets, Khakis or corduroys.
2. Cost of Living
Local Phone Call - none mentioned
Long Distance Call to Manila - Via phone card, 20 cents a minute
Postage Within US - 41 cents
Postage to Philippines - 90 cents
Bus Fare - $1.75/Transfer 25 cents http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/fares.html#d
Train Fare - (Subway) $2.00/Transfer 25 cents http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/fares.html#d
3. Racial Mix
Students - Univeristy of Chicago: a large graduate student population (almost 2/3 of entire student body) made up of many international students (mainly Latin Americans, Chinese and Indians -- fewer Filipinos but there is a Fil-American student group called Samahan)
Locals -The international community in Chicago is small as the city in the Midwest, but the locals come from various immigrant populations. There are strongly rooted hispanic, Polish, German, Swedish, Chinese, Italian and Indian neighborhoods. Perhaps due to their facility with English, Filipinos tend to be more dispersed, however, one can often find an unusually high concentration of Filipinos in churches, hospitals, Chinese and Japanese restaurants, discount chains and outlet malls. The social and economic division in Chicago is between the north and south sides. The northern population is mostly white and affluent. The southern population is mostly black and less affluent. The nice thing about Chicago though is that significant exceptions abound (e.g., Hyde Park in the southside has a quaint college-town feel due to the UofC). Finally, like most major US metropolitan areas, the affluent populations (also mostly whites) have left the inner city to live in the suburbs.
4. Getting Around
Bus - Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) http://www.transitchicago.com/
Train - CTA and the Metra (http://www.metrarail.com/)
Walking - Yes. Most of the City's parks, beaches, museums, shops and restaurants are within walking distance from the train and bus stations. Moreover, Chicago has a joggers/bike trail right beside Lake Michigan that stretches to almost the entire length the city.
Car a Necessity? - No, if you live in the city. However, a car would definitely be very useful when you do your groceries during winter, especially if you have young child.
Others - Both the UofC and Loyola have free shuttle service to students from their respective campuses (UofC in the South and Loyola in the North) to the Downtown area (the "Loop").
5. Filipino Supplies
Filipino Restaurants - Manhattan - Elvie's on 13th St. and First Avenue, Pistahan on 14th St. and First Avenue, Cendrillon in Mercer St. in SoHo (very beautiful but does not cater to the student budget) ; Flushing, Queens - Krystal's, Ihawan , and Rene's on Roosevelt Avenue.
Filipino Stores - Unimart at 5845 N. Clark St. offers most everything you'd need from the RP plus it offers a good selection of fish and prepared foods. It also has a PNB and a video/karaoke rental store. Most big chain groceries (e.g., Dominick's and Jewel) have international food sections, but basically limited to Chinese, Thai, Indian, Mexican and Jewish food. Chinatown has the usual, roasted-duck-hanging-from-the-window stores. Devon avenue has a lot of indian and pakistani stores. The good find though are Mexican groceries that carry a surprisingly familiar range of fatty meats and offal and usually have a much more diverse internaitonal food section.
Balikbayan Box - Johnny Air Cargo, Forex, FRS Express,
Phone Cards - TeleOption (800 720 7138), Direct Line Philippines (866 357 0338) Travel Agents -
6. Student-Friendly Neighborhoods - Depends on the university campus, Univ of Chicago and Northwestern have good on campus housing. Yuppies live in Linclon Park, Lakeview, Wrigleyville.
7. Roman Catholic Church / Other Places of Worship - Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago has over 300 Roman Catholic churches, it is one of the most religiously diverse cities and home to the Council for Parliament of the World's Religions and various interfaith organizations
Contributor: Neal Deles, Loyola University
1. Weather
Temperature:Winter 31F, Fall 50-70 F, Summer 90-60 F
Seasons:Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
Clothes:Raincoat/Jacket, Winter Coat, Scarf, Gloves, Skid-free Shoes, Thermals, Umbrella,Hat,Earmuffs
2. Cost of Living
Phone Call (Local) 35 cents (Public Phone )
Long Distance to Manila Get a phone card, or review phone companies special rates
Postage (Local) $.41 (Domestic)
Postage (to Manila) $0.90
Bus Fare $1.25 (Charlie Card), $1.50 http://www.mbta.com/
Train Fare $1.70 (Charlie Card), $2 (ticket only) http://www.mbta.com/
3. Racial Mix
Students: Extremely international
Locals: Mostly white
4. Getting Around
Bus Bus
Train "T"
Walking Can walk everywhere
Car a necessity? No
Others Some people prefer to bike to school.
5. Filipino Supplies
Filipino Stores: None but supplies are available at the stores in Chinatown
Oriental Stores: Shops in Chinatown (Super 8 and Great Wall are the bigger ones)
6. Student Services
Phone Cards Sarimanok One (888 633 6739), Direct Line Philippines (866 357 0338)
Balikabayan Boxes: North American Terminal Phone: (781) 961-0030
Travel Agents: None mentioned
Apartment Listings Boston Globe
7. Hangouts for struggling Students
Restaurants Chau Chow, Penang, Pho Pasteur, other Chinatown haunts,Bars
Others (parks, bookstores, apartments?) Boston Common, Esplanade at Charles River, Harvard Square bookstores
8. Safety
Places to avoid - none mentioned
9. Interesting words/phrases When people ask you how you're doing, just say "Fine, thank you." They don't really expect to hear that you're homesick, that your parents miss you and that your Significant Other is having a hard time getting a ticket to visit you. It's a routine greeting. Other things you might want to know: when they talk abou t Football, it's American Football. The Football played in the Philippines ins called Soccer in the US.
10. Places to live Brookline, Allston, on-campus housing
11. Church Boston College Chapel
Contributor: Joanna Francisco, Boston University
Our guides are simple introductions to the cities we think students are most likely to go to school. In the US, we focused on the following cities: New York, Boston, Washington DC, San Francisco and Chicago. Outside the US, we focused on Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane), Spain (Madrid and Salamanca), United Kingdom (London and Oxford), Japan (Tokyo), France (Paris) and Switzerland (Lausanne).
We asked students who lived and studied in these cities to share their insights and tips on how to survive in their respective cities. If you want a more comprehensive guide - feel free to check out are the usual guidebooks (Frommers, Fodors, Lonely Planet, etc.) with their corresponding websites.
Once we figure out how to post an excel file on our blog, we will have all the guides in one document but for now, we have to post each city individually.
First city we're posting: Boston.
It's not surprising international students are faced with a dilemna after they complete their studies and work programs abroad. After reading a Washington Post article about chinese students confronted with the need to stay (who will take care of parents when they leave?) and pursuing a career abroad (personal fulfillment with career), I'm struck with the similarity with Filipino sensibilities. I also found it interesting how the parents felt their kids would have made a better life in China (contemporaries who stayed have a car, house and families already) if they stayed on instead of working in the US.
We discussed this in a previous section (Ch. 9B What to do After) if you want to read more about the considerations for leaving or staying: Therese Ng's essay about her decision to return to the Philippines and an interview with Carmela Navarra, Constance Uy and Paul Avinante about their decision to continue living abroad.
Here's the link to the Feb. 4 issue in the Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/04/AR2008020403219.html?sub=AR
Universitätsplatz 12
Somebody left this comment anonymously. It's a helpful tip for those who want to travel while they are abroad. This didn't occur to us since we're based in cities that have embassies/consulates. It's also good to keep this in mind for passport renewals. The Philippine Embassy in DC allows mailing renewals but make sure you review the guidelines - and call to confirm! Sometimes the information on the website is incomplete. http://www.philippineembassy-usa.org/downloads/PassportDC.pdf
Thank you anonymous!
Note that having a Filipino passport means that you will need to get tourist visas for travel to most countries outside ASEAN and Latin America. This means that students who choose to study in a place that is not the capital of the country will have a difficult time applying for visas, especially as most embassies require a personal appearance for providing a visa.
Philadelphia, Barcelona, Edinburgh, Osaka and Milan may have great universities, but applying for a tourist visa to go elsewhere generally means taking hours-long bus rides and (at least) an overnight stay in the capital.
We know the guide isn't perfect and we want it to be as helpful as possible. If you think we missed a topic or would like something added (photos maybe?) or if you have any tips yourself, please let us know. We would like to hear from you.
We're preparing our city guides and it should be posted soon.
That in many ways it is pretty much the same everywhere.—Yeyey Cruz, Royal College of Art, London
Independence. Living and thriving in a totally different culture. Being accepting of other people. Realizing the world is a very small place.—Bibi Choa, Sophia University, Tokyo
Obtaining insights about work/life from a multi-national, multi-cultural perspective.—Eric Franco, MBA, Stanford, California
Confidence.—Therese Ng, New York University, New York
Independence in thought and in action. Oh, did I say a better sense of humor about the way the world works?—Rhoel Dinglasan, Yale University, Connecticut
Titchie: Before I left for NYU, I was determined to return to the Philippines immediately after graduation. People thought I was crazy not to want to stay on and explore opportunities in New York. So I found a job at the interactive division of an advertising agency and it was fun since it was the height of the dot-com craze. After my practical training expired, I returned to Manila to work and spend time with my family for a year. I got married and moved back to the US where my husband works for an international organization. So here I am, living happily in a future I didn’t plan.
Tricia: After obtaining my Masters, I planned on getting a job in the US and saving up to open a business back home. But who would’ve known that I would marry the first Caucasian I dated and decide to stay!
If you need work authorization, there is no sense concealing the fact that you don’t have it because you are not going to gain anything from it.—Felipe Estrella, Columbia School of Business, New York
My parents didn’t want me to work in Japan. On hindsight, it was a good decision. Most of my friends who stayed are stuck teaching English. Women do routine secretarial work, including making coffee for their bosses. Certainly not a good thing for me.—Bibi Choa, Sophia University, Tokyo
Titchie: A degree from the University of the Philippines didn’t mean anything. Working at a top television company, ABS-CBN also had no impact. It was difficult to distinguish yourself among your fellow jobseekers, especially if they studied in the US schools and worked in US companies. Even if I had years of production work in the Philippines, my three-month internship at Nickelodeon had more weight than that.
Tip: If you’re sending out a resume for a job, DON’T put your picture on it as is the practice of most Filipinos fresh from college. Even if you look incredibly cute, potential employers will see you as a legal threat. It’s like you saying, “Hey, I’m Filipino! If you don’t hire me, I’ll sue you with racial discrimination.” So your resume goes into the trash.—Arvin Concepcion, New York
Wise Words: In any society, I guess if you are a Kennedy, you can get to where you want to go but in general, you can use your school or even the career center. Contacting people who were alumni of the school is the best way because they are willing to help you. It’s to their best interest to help you. —Ana Ascalon, University of California Los Angeles, California.
Tricia: It’s important to keep in touch with past and present employers for references. You might also want to keep in touch with friends in Manila and in school even if it seems user-friendly. Most of my employment was through a friend’s referral. In the US, and I think the rest of the world, it’s not really what you know but who you know and studying abroad helps you “know” more people.
One Year Before Graduation
Find out limitations and requirements for work permit.
Helpful links:
USA
http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/
Australia
http://www.immi.gov.au/
http://www.gradlink.edu.au/
UK
www.workpermits.gov.uk/guidance/training
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/index.shtml
http://www.ukcosa.org.uk/
Japan
http://www.studyjapan.go.jp/
Switzerland
http://Switzerland.isyours.com/e/immigration/programs/study/work.html
France
http://www.edufrance.fr/
Germany
http://www.campus-germany.de/
6 Months Before Graduation
Begin serious job hunting: Attend fairs, take advantage of school’s employment service, networking (let people know you are looking for work), apply for an internship (good way to make contacts and they can also be made into references).
Update resume
Select and ask contacts to be references
Get a social security card (US only) if you don’t have one yet
Job Search Sites
France
http://www.phosphore.com/
Japan
www.nagai.or.jp/english/index.htm
www.nagai.or.jp/english/sgoffice.htm
http://www.tfemploy.go.jp/
US only
http://www.careerbuilder.com/
http://www.job.com/
Global
http://www.monster.com/
http://www.brassring.com/
3 Months Before Graduation
Apply for EAD/work permit
Interview for jobs. Try to go for interviews with jobs that you don’t really want, so you can do your practice interviews with them. Reminder: Make photocopies of all the documents you send out
1 Month Before Graduation
Follow up status of EAD
Get copies of transcript
Interview for jobs
Graduation!
