“Does it make sense for me to send my child abroad for education and is the investment worth it?” This is an often-asked question from hundreds of parents in India over the last few years, and is an important one as the answer to this question has a strong implication to their child’s future.
I have been fortunate enough to have experienced studying in India until my undergraduate years and in U.S. post my graduation. I grew up in a college town in India, was admitted into the oldest and one of the most reputable engineering colleges in the country, University of Roorkee or now known as I.I.T Roorkee. Post my graduate, I came to the U.S. to do my M.S. in computer engineering, without any scholarship, and after working for a few years in Austin, Texas, I did my M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Having experienced firsthand, the college environment in both these countries, I believe the education system, especially the higher education, has a lot to offer to a student compared to the universities in India.
The mind of parents is always in a dilemma when it comes to deciding whether they want to send their children abroad. They cannot help but wonder why International universities are better than Indian universities!There are three primary reasons why International universities, especially the universities in U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia, are a paradigm shift from their Indian counterparts. These universities are well funded with good facilities and experienced faculty. The environment and exposure provides a robust platform of professional and personal development in children. In these universities, the teaching methodology is geared to provide freedom of experimentation, innovation and fundamental learning.
Just like the public universities in India, the public universities in U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia receive a lot of federal and state grants. Most of the private universities have billions of dollar endowment from their alumni.However the scope of funding for these universities is much higher compared to what an Indian university may be receiving from the government. For example, U.S. spends $500B+ on post secondary education (as reported by NCES), amount larger than GDP of most of the countries.This funding enables the universities to recruit excellent faculty, build world-class research facilities and expose students to emerging technologies and labs.
As we all know, college education is not just about learning in the classroom, but also developing skillsets, experience that helps in our careers post graduation.These countries not only have great institutions with significant education budgets, but also is the home of world-class innovative companies in each and every area from Internet, Retail, Pharmaceutical, Fashion, Industrial products etc. Hence, the opportunities for students to engage in research, teaching jobs, internships and job opportunities while pursuing education or after graduation are far higher compared to other countries. This is an important consideration every student and parent should keep in mind while making his or her decision of studying abroad.
Lastly, the method of teaching in International universities is very different compared to Indian university. In countries such as U.S., a student can take courses in wide number of areas, set their flexible schedule of coursework, and major in different areas. The goal of teaching at these universities is to help a student find their passion, area of interest, understand the fundamental concepts, and excel in it and at their own pace. It is less about completing certain credits, certain coursework in a certain period of time. It is all about freedom of choice and the freedom to experiment innovate and make society a better place for everyone!
This article has been authored by Ajay Singh, Founder & CEO, Stoodnt
