It’s helpful to break down the time between now and August 2013 into three six-month chunks of time, and know what you need to be doing during each of those phases.

January to June 2012 (Testing and University Search)

• Register and prepare for the SAT – I suggest doing this in May or June. The next available date is October, which is getting close to many universities’ application deadlines or deadlines for applying for prestigious scholarships.
• Register and prepare for TOEFL or IELTS – Check with the universities you are interested in to see if they require this of students from your country.
• Be fully engaged in the university search process – go to education fares, visit websites, talk with college counselors, meet with your school’s college counselor, seek the advice of admissions consultants.
• Have a goal of having identified 5 to 8 schools to which you would like to apply by May.
• Continue to be involved in extra-curricular activities
• Keep your grades up! GPA and class rank really do matter to U.S. universities.

July to December 2012 (Applications and Further Testing)

• Understand application deadlines as well as application deadlines for prestigious scholarships
• The summer is a good time to work on personal statements or essays you may be required to submit
• Begin to identify teachers and community members who know you well and can write a strong recommendation for you.
• Submit applications – September is the earliest I would recommend submitting applications. Most priority deadlines or prestigious scholarship deadlines will fall somewhere in November or December. Even for schools that don’t have deadlines, some of their merit-based scholarship for which they have limited dollars will have been awarded by January.  A good goal is to have your application in no later than December 15.
• If you want to try to improve your SAT score, you will have opportunities to do this in October, November and December. Remember that universities will use your highest SAT score when determining admission and financial aid.

January to August 2013 (Evaluating Offers, University Choice, Preparing to Travel)

• Sometime between January and April, you’ll receive final offers from universities and it will be time to decide
• Once you’ve decided, you’ll need to get your visa
• Forms forms forms! (housing form, health form and finalization forms)
• plane ticket and preparation for travel

Of course, there is a lot more that could be said about each one of these bullet points. The goal of this blog, however, is to raise awareness of the need to start the process early and to provide a point of reference for knowing if your on schedule in the university selection and admissions process.

This fall, ELI 360’s connection with Germany was further strengthened when two students from Lugau, Germany enrolled in our English as Second Language (ESL) program at Hardin-Simmons University (HSU) in Abilene, Texas. The boys arrived in late August, and had the opportunity to experience life at a U.S. liberal arts university. They lived in the dorms, ate in the cafeteria, hung out with American students and became part of the HSU Family. They also played soccer for the HSU Cowboys under the guidance of Coach Heger and made significant contributions as the team stormed into the playoffs after a shaky start.

Maxim Farger (left) and Robert Hornig (right) from Germany.

Before the students left on their tour of the United States this Christmas break, ELI 360 managed to catch up with them. Below is the full interview:

ELI 360: Hi Robert and Maxim, thank you for taking time out to speak to us. First, can you tell us how you heard about ELI 360 and the ESL Program?
Maxim: I heard about ELI 360 from a family friend of mine named Reiner Kallus. Mr. Kallus turned out to be a friend of Ellen Presley. They had known each other since they were teenagers. Mr. Kallus had visited Ted and Ellen in Abilene, Texas before and he told me about ELI 360 and how Hardin-Simmons was a good university.
Robert: (laughs) I heard about ELI 360 through Maxim!

What were some of your ideas about the United States before you came?
Maxim: When I think about the U.S., I think about fast food, good movies, Hollywood and a lot of advertising. When I think about Texas, steaks, pickup trucks, big cars, and hot weather come to mind.
Robert: I agree with Maxim. I also thought about fast food and big cars. In addition, I also think of highways and big cities like New York.

Were those ideas and expectations accurate?
Maxim: They were mostly accurate. I was surprised however, to find out that everybody here in Abilene was so friendly. People here genuinely care about you, unlike in Germany where people were more serious.
Robert: My thoughts were mostly accurate except for one thing: There was A LOT more fast food than I had expected (laughs). I was disappointed, however, to find that the public transportation in Abilene was pretty poor.

Did you experience any culture shock? What did you find most different about the U.S.?
Robert: The first month was really warm, and the food was hard to get used to. Also, I was surprised to find that there were barely any sidewalks in Abilene. It was hard to get around on foot. In Germany, most people cycle. People here drive a lot!
Maxim: I agree. The weather was hot and the food was different. The biggest difference is that the infrastructure here is not as great as it is in Germany, and getting around is hard if you don’t own a car.

What is the difference between a U.S. University and a German one?
Robert: In Germany, we don’t have varsity athletic teams for our universities. We only have professional sports clubs with their own academies, such as Bayern Munich (soccer team). The universities in Germany are also much bigger. We don’t have any small universities. Also, we only have one university per city. You’ll never find three universities in one city, like here in Abilene.
Maxim: The teaching quality and style here is very good – similar to Germany. I do appreciate the diversity here. I lived in a small town in Germany so it was not very diverse.

Maxim and Robert pictured here with the HSU Cowboys Soccer Team.

Did you enjoy playing soccer for HSU? Did you have a good season?
Maxim: I liked it. It was a good and new experience since we don’t have university teams in Germany. It was a good season. We made some good friends on the team but we weren’t very close. We didn’t have any problems with anybody on the team.
Robert: I had a lot of fun. We stayed in nice hotels and traveled a lot. We had some successful games. All in all, it was good. Everyone on the team was friendly. It was really nice to be able to score two goals.

Do you have a message for the guys on the team for next season?
Maxim: I hope the guys can win the ring next season, and that they can win the national championship. I believe they can do it, they have good players. Also, Coach Heger needs to improve his German (laughs).
Robert: (laughs) Yes. Coach Heger needs to improve his German. On a more serious note, I really hope the guys can win the ring. I also want to thank Coach Heger personally for the opportunities he gave us.

Did you enjoy your classes? What were your teachers and classmates like?
Maxim: The classes were good. It was nice to have classmates from a different country (China). Also, I really liked that we got to shoot guns on one of our weekend trips to a farm. Only in Texas! Which reminds me, I also think of guns when I think about Texas! (laughs)
Robert: Some of the classes were boring since we had to learn so much history (Robert doesn’t like history, apparently). But it was great overall. I like that had various trips. We got to go to the zoo, as well as visit with some employers in Abilene to learn about jobs.

Did you miss your family a lot? How often did you stay in contact with them?
Maxim: I missed my girlfriend a lot. I did Skype and Facebook my family and my girlfriend every day. I also really missed my close friends.
Robert: It was fine. Family is important to me, but my time here was brief, and I enjoyed it here so it wasn’t bad. I managed to communicate with my girlfriend every day.

Overall, did you have a positive experience here?
Maxim and Robert: Yes. Very much so.

Quickly, what are the three best things about Hardin-Simmons University?
Maxim: Soccer Team, Friends, and the Swimming Pool!
Robert: Dorm life, FIFA Tournament with the guys, and the soccer team!

Would you recommend this program (ESL) and this university to your friends back in Germany and around Europe?
Maxim and Robert: Definitely. The price was very good for everything that we got (food, housing, tuition, books, etc.). It was reasonable. It’s unfortunate that university is free in Germany, otherwise we are sure more students will come. Our advice to German students: if you only want to study for a semester, and to get new experiences, HSU is definitely the place to be!

Have you made any fond memories? Can you name your best memory from this semester?
Maxim: Getting into the playoffs with the Cowboys.
Robert: NSO (New Student Orientation)!!! The first week was absolutely amazing!

What are some of your plans after this semester?
Maxim and Robert: We will be in Miami with a friend over Christmas and New Year’s. After that we will be touring the major cities in the U.S.: New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Hawaii and Las Vegas. Afterwards, we will head back to Germany on February 8, 2012.

That sounds like quite the trip! What do you plan to do when you return to Germany?
Maxim: I will work again at my previous job with Siemens where my brother Alex works. I will start university in October. I plan to study medicine but we’ll see how it works out. I might start off studying physical therapy and then go into medicine.
Robert: I will work first as well. I will try and find a job. Hopefully I will get to work for the hospital I worked for before I left. I will start school in October, probably majoring in Material Science.

• To see more pictures of Robert and Maxim in action, click here: Maxim and Robert in Action.

ELI 360 wishes Maxim and Robert all the best with their future endeavors. Hopefully, their time here would open the door for many more German and European students to consider enrolling at our partner universities. If you would like find out more about our ESL Program at HSU, please e-mail us: admissions@eli360.com

Students who are traveling home this holiday need to remember S.A.N.T.A.

International/nonimmigrant students who are traveling home this holiday season need to remember the acronym S.A.N.T.A. in order to have an uninterrupted traveling experience:

1. Sign the Form I-20.

• All international/nonimmigrant students should travel with a valid, signed Form I-20, “Cerficate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status.” This is absolutely necessary if you are traveling outside the U.S. Make sure you visit your school’s SEVIS contact and your I-20 signed.

2. Apply for passport or visa renewal in your home country (if necessary).

• If you are returning to your home country and you have a passport that is either expired or will expire in within six months, you should apply for a renewal. A student who has a passport with only six months or less left will not be allowed to enter the U.S.
• If you have an expired visa, make sure you renew your visa at your home country’s U.S. Embassy or Consulate. As soon as you find out your travel dates, make an appointment with the Embassy/Consulate to get your visa renewed when you get home. Again, you will not be allowed to re-enter the U.S. if you carry an expired visa.
• If you are traveling to a third country (not U.S. or your home country), make sure you check the visa requirements for that country before travel.

3. Note that employed students should bring an employment letter and Form I-766, “Employment Authorization Document,” (EAD) when traveling.

• If you are legally employed off-campus you should travel with a valid EAD and a letter from your employer verifying employment. This is assist the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in verifying your information upon re-entry.

4. Travel with all required documents.

• You should always travel with your required documents. Never place these important documents in checked luggage. The required documents are as follows: a valid, signed Form I-20; a valid passport (good for more than six months, unless otherwise exempt); a valid nonimmigrant visa, if required; and financial information showing proof of necessary funds to cover tuition and living expenses. Failure to have all these required documents may jeopardize your ability to re-enter the U.S.

5. Assign an emergency phone number.

• Make sure you have an emergency phone number from your school or from ELI 360 as a point of contact in case you encounter any problems while traveling.

By traveling with S.A.N.T.A. in mind, international students will have a smooth and stress-free re-entry and travel experience. If you have any questions, please contact Benjamin Skye at benjamin_skye@eli360.com

Unable to make it into the top local universities, more and more of India's best students are choosing to study in the US.

According to a recent report by The New York Times, students in India are finding it increasingly difficult to enroll in their local universities. With about half of India’s 1.2 billion people under the age of 25, the country’s handful of highly selective universities are increasingly overwhelmed.

“The problem is clear,” said Kapil Sibal, the government minister overseeing education in India, who studied law at Harvard. “There is a demand and supply issue. You don’t have enough quality institutions, and there are enough quality young people who want to go to only quality institutions.”

This summer, Delhi University, one of the top universities in India, issued cutoff scores at its top colleges that reached a near-impossible 100 percent in some cases. The Indian Institutes of Technology, which are spread across the country, have an acceptance rate of less than 2 percent — and that is only from a pool of roughly 500,000 who qualify to take the entrance exam, a feat that requires two years of specialized coaching after school.

Indians are now the second-largest foreign student population in America, after the Chinese, with almost 105,000 students in the United States in the 2009-10 academic year. Student visa applications from India increased 20 percent in the past year, according to the American Embassy here. Additionally, although a majority of Indian students in the United States are graduate students; undergraduate enrollment has grown by more than 20 percent in the past few years.

American universities have now become “safety schools” for increasingly stressed and traumatized Indian students and parents, who complain that one fateful event — the final high school examination — can make or break a teenager’s future career.

But for some students, it is not merely the competition that drives them to apply to study in the United States. It is also the greater intellectual freedom of an American liberal arts education. India’s educational system is rigid, locking students into one specific area of study and affording them little opportunity to take courses outside their major beyond the 11th grade.

Only a few courses of study are considered lucrative career paths. Economics, commerce, engineering and medicine have a certain cachet, while English, history and languages are less well regarded. Often students who cannot afford to study abroad end up in less competitive courses, with a narrowing of career possibilities.

Based on our experience working with international students, particularly those from countries which hold the final high school examination as the sole criteria to enrolling in a local university, we have seen how American universities can provide a great “second chance” for students who struggle with the one final exam. A quality liberal arts education in the U.S. not only prepares a student for a specialized career field, but also emphasizes the need for holistic development and lifelong learning. Students from these programs are better equipped to adapt to the challenges of an ever-changing global community.

This post is a summary of the article “Squeezed out in India, Students Turn to the U.S.” To read the original article as seen on The New York Times, please click on this link.

Families and students in the ELI 360 network can now keep up with the developments at ELI 360 by simply following our new Facebook Page.

Here’s a glimpse of what the landing page currently looks like:

It is our goal to continue being a vital resource to the families and students that we work with.

Please follow us by hitting “Like” button below to receive the latest news on international and US higher education, as well as developments at our partner universities and high school.

Chinese students and their parents attend the International Education Expo in Beijing on May 8, 2008; STR / AFP / Getty Images

Time magazine reports that Chinese students are looking for study options outside of China in increasing numbers, in part because they believe the quality of education in places such as the United States, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom is better than at Chinese universities that Time describes as being “hamstrung by an archaic education system in drastic need of reform.”

No longer are China’s top achievers in the national university admissions exam – the Gaokao – exclusively choosing top Chinese schools such as Beijing and Tsinghua universities. Instead they are increasingly looking at overseas options — a trend that has both China’s education experts and the general public worrying about the competitiveness of higher education in China.

While 9.3 million Chinese students took the college-entrance exam in 2011, close to 1 million high school graduates did not, and among them, some 200,000 chose to go to foreign universities instead. Today over 100,000 Chinese high school graduates attend college in the United States each fall, and this year at least 17 of the top 100 mainland students chose to go to the University of Hong Kong.(*Interestingly, Hong Kong’s Ministry of Education has begun drastically over-hauling its education system this year, swapping their old British-influenced system for one that resembles more of the American liberal arts system, to read more about this, visit this link: Paradigm Shift in Hong Kong Higher Education)

The exodus of the country’s brightest high school students has renewed discussions in the media about the ongoing problem of higher-education reform. And so far — in the absence of any clear evidence that reform is actually happening — public opinion of China’s universities has become more and more skeptical, if not downright negative, according to Time.

Beijing’s official response to the call for reform is contained in the 10-year blueprint for education reform issued by the State Council last July, with policies like “expanding the universities’ administrative authority” being listed — albeit vaguely — among its 70 bullet points. Until these issues of reform are resolved, the trend is expected to continue, with an increasing number of Chinese students “voting with their feet” by leaving the country’s education scene for brighter pastures outside of China, especially in the United States. Just this year alone, ELI 360 has had over a hundred applicants from mainland China with at least forty of those students having enrolled at one of our partner universities for either ESL (English as Second Language), bachelor’s or master’s degree programs.

- Read the full article regarding the current plight of China’s education system on TIME Magazine’s website: Why Are China’s Universities Losing Their Star Students?
- To read about Hong Kong’s education system overhaul, click here: Paradigm Shift in Hong Kong Higher Education

[ih-maj-in]

verb (used with object)
1. to form a mental image of (something not actually presentto the senses).
Or…
verb (used without object)
6. to form mental images of things not present to the senses;use the imagination.

_______________________________________________________________

In my final semester as an undergraduate, I took an ethics course through the Logsdon School of Theology at Hardin-Simmons University. In that course, our professor highlighted the role of “imagination” in ethical (right/moral) living. When I first noticed the subject matter of “imagination” in my course schedule, I had to chuckle to myself. Here’s why…

The Barney series formed my earliest perceptions of the concept of "imagination". Imagination, however, is not just a child's plaything. (Image taken from Barney.com)

Being the eldest of five siblings, I had the great fortune (or misfortune depending on how you see it) of keeping in touch with my childhood far longer than most of my peers. My parents were busy folks and trying to care for five children was not the easiest of tasks. For this reason I found myself spending a lot of time with my younger siblings whilst helping my parents babysit. Babysitting my siblings often involved watching re-runs of Barney the dinosaur on VHS (this was before CDs and DVDs mind you).  If any of you have had an experience with Barney, you would know that “imagination” was one of the recurring themes in this popular children’s series.  It is in this very context that I grew up relegating Barney and “imagination” to the realm of child’s play. Due to these experiences, I had subconsciously convinced myself that imagination was the antithesis to logic and reason, which I saw in essence as marks of adulthood and maturity.

If there is one thing I have learned about growing up, it is this: one of the greatest sources of growing pains (and relief) stems from unlearning the false “truths” that we have come to believe. In this case, my views on “imagination” as a primitive/prepubescent means of thought were radically reframed through this ethics course.

Imagination plays a bigger role in our adult lives than we may believe. Most of the time, we are not aware of how much of the choices we make depend on the extent of our imagination. Learning about the role of imagination in ethical decision making has revolutionized the way I look at life and education.

Imagination plays a bigger role in our adult lives than we may believe.

If you only learned to bow as a greeting growing up, chances are you won't ever figure out that shaking your hand is also a form of greeting. Our imagination is limited by our context.

Our imagination (our ability to think, perceive and form mental images) is severely limited by our culture and context. This in turn limits the choices that we can make. If we only grow up learning choices “A, B, C”, it is beyond us to choose “D, E, F” if we never learn that “D, E, F” are actually valid choices. To cite an more concrete example, an international student who grew up in a culture where people only bow to each other will not know that shaking hands is an alternative means of greeting another person unless he or she is exposed to such a form of greeting. When you apply this example to moral/ethical living, we find that the type of choices we make is limited to what we have come to know. In other words, we cannot choose choices that are not a part of our imagination (perception).

This brings me to the point that I would like to make in this article: studying abroad in a foreign country is the perfect antidote to a limited imagination. Even though the multimedia age that we live in today ensures that we are more connected to the global community than ever before (media also shapes our imagination), there is still great value in traveling to another culture and learning about the inner workings of that said culture. Along the way, we find nuggets of wisdom that can help us become a more complete and ethical human being. Learning new ways to tackle life’s problems does not mean that we lose our cultural and ethnic identity; it merely means that we have the opportunity to become more efficient and creative at solving the problems life throws at us. One of the chief goals of quality education then should be an overwhelming emphasis on helping the learner expand his or her imagination.

Although there is no “perfect” culture in this world and there is value in respecting the uniqueness of all cultures that we encounter, the ability to “chew on the meat and spit out the bones” (so to speak) can help us get pretty far in becoming a better citizen in this global community. Studying abroad is but one of many ways to expand one’s imagination. However, if you ask me, it sure is the best way to do so.

Do you agree with this article? Do you have any suggestions, opinions or alternative points of view? Feel free to comment below. You can also contact the author at benjamin_skye@eli360.com

Leaving home for the first time is a big challenge - make sure you are off to a good start!

You have been accepted to a university in the U.S., received approval for your U.S. Student Visa, and booked your flight tickets, now all you have to do for the last three weeks before your departure is kick back, relax and have dozens of farewell parties with all your friends and close relatives. Right?

Wrong! There is still much left to do. Here’s a list of items you might want to look at in case you left anything out:

Flight Itinerary & Airport Safety

• Make sure that you know exactly when your flight is departing. For international flights, you want to show up at least two hours before you designated departure time so that you can clear customs. If this is your first time leaving the country, be sure you speak to a friend or relative who has experience flying internationally.
• To be safe, carry at least two copies of your flight itinerary with you so that in case you lose one, you will still have another one to refer to. When you arrive in a new country, make sure the first thing you do is to take note of the local time and adjust your watch accordingly.
• Do not be afraid to ask questions along the way and take care of your belongings. You have a long journey ahead of you so make sure that you are well rested before you get on the plane.

Electronics & Gadgets

• If you are bringing a computer or any other electronics into the US, be sure that you have the appropriate adapters for the outlets here. You also need to check the voltage to make sure that the devices you are bringing can work with the power outlets here.
• When traveling, keep you electronics close to you. However, do not get too carried away with your electronic devices while waiting between flights. Always keep an eye on the time so that you do not miss your flight.

Medical Issues

• If you have any medical issues that require you to take certain medications consistently, be sure to ask your local doctor for an official prescription. ELI 360 recommends that all international students undergo a full medical checkup before leaving their respective home countries.
• All students attending a university in Texas are required to receive a vaccine for bacterial meningitis before they can be allowed to move into the campus dorm rooms. Please be sure to check with your local physician if this shot can be administered.
• Bring a copy of your medical records with you while you travel. This can be very helpful while you travel in case of any medical emergencies. Your university nurse will also require you to turn in a copy of your medical history for the school’s records.
• Students who are near-sighted (myopia) and require glasses/contact lenses should visit their local eye doctor/optometrist to get additional contact lenses, a spare(additional) pair of glasses and your latest eye prescription before leaving your country.

Important Documents

• Be sure that you have all your important documents with you before you leave (Passport, I-20, Acceptance Letters, Birth Certificate, Identification Cards, Medical Forms, Prescriptions, Flight Itineraries, etc.).
• Carry your passport and I-20 close to your body at all times. You can purchase a sling bag that you can tie around your body under your shirt at your local traveler’s store. Keep your passport well hidden at all times – losing your passport (and other important documents) can make your trip very complicated.
• Make sure that you have copies of all your original documents. Keep your documents in a well seal folder. Whatever you do, do not place your original documents in your luggage. Always carry them in your carry-on luggage (preferably, in your bag pack).

Things to Bring & Packing Tips

• Avoid carrying large amounts of cash on you as best as you can. Visit the bank prior to your trip to get traveler’s checks.
• If you have to carry cash on you, be sure not to put all your cash in one wallet/bag pack/pocket. Separate your cash into small portions and have each portion in a different part of your body/bag. This way, if you get picked by a pickpocket or if you drop some of your money, you won’t be losing all of it.
• Be sure to weigh your luggage at home before showing up at the airport (unless you are ready to pay the additional charge for overweight luggage). Check with your airline company that you are flying regarding the weight and luggage limit before you begin packing.
• If you are arriving in the fall (August – September), you can reduce the weight of your luggage by not packing any winter clothing. The weather here in the Southern states usually stays warm through late October or early November. You can purchase winter clothing for relatively cheap prices once you arrive.
• One useful packing tip that can help you maximize your luggage space is to roll up your clothes. By doing so, you will be able to fit more into your luggage. Roll up any breakable items (glass, ceramics, etc.) into your clothing. You will also want to try and stuff items into any small spaces (i.e. all your socks can be stuffed into your shoes, along with other smaller items).
• Do not pack anything that you cannot afford to lose (important document originals, money, personal items of value) into the luggage that you check in. In case your luggage is lost, you will not be able to recover these items.
• If you are bringing any food items with you, be sure that you have it packed tightly. Check with your airline company regarding the types of food you can bring. Processed foods (spices, sauces, etc.) that are sealed are typically acceptable while fresh meat and vegetables are usually not allowed to be brought into the U.S.

***To receive a list of recommended items to bring along, please e-mail ELI 360 at the following address: benjamin_skye@eli360.com

Communication

• Be sure to have the name card/contact information of the person who is picking you up. If you are working with an agency (such as ELI 360), make sure you have the right local number to call. All airports will have public phones available, all you have to do is find some change or in some instances, you can use a credit card to pay for the call.
• Do not hesitate to contact the people who are picking you up in any cases of emergency or accidents at the airport (i.e. loss of luggage/passport, injury, etc.). They can offer you good advice on what to do.
• In case of any changes in your flight plans (delays or cancellations), be sure to contact the people who are picking you up. It is never good to leave the people picking you up without at information regarding the changes in your plans.

Some last words…

Congratulations once again from ELI 360 as you embark on this journey to your American university of choice! We look forward to seeing you on the other side and we hope you have a safe trip! Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need any help or have any questions. All the best!

Sincerely,
Benjamin Skye
ELI 360
Communication Coordinator

* You can reach ELI 360 with your question by sending your e-mail to benjamin_skye@eli360.com

For students leaving home for the first time, homesickness can be a major challenge.

International students leaving home for the first time face a vast array of challenges. Sometimes, these challenges may prove to be nothing more than minor inconveniences. On the other hand, some of these challenges can be particularly detrimental to the physical and emotional health of a student studying in a foreign country.

Learning how to adapt to the culture of a new country plays a major factor in minimizing how homesick an international student may feel.  Here are five ways students can prepare themselves to prevent being derailed by homesickness while studying abroad:

5. Make new friends.

Leaving home means leaving years of deep friendships behind. Coming to a new country and a new environment does not mean that you have to be lonely for the next four years of your college life. It is important to step out and cultivate new friendships. As a matter of fact, it is a widely held fact that the friendships you develop in college are often the ones that will last you a lifetime. Having good friends will provide you with the emotional support that you when college life gets challenging. For some students who are lucky enough, their friend’s families might even begin to treat them as one of their own. Being able to visit a local family for holidays is always a comfort and helps greatly in the fight against homesickness.

4. Keep yourself busy.

Warning: This is not a call for international students to turn themselves into workaholics that never rest. Some students use school and other activities as a coping mechanism to drown out their misery as they struggle with missing family and friends at home. This is not healthy. Nevertheless, students should still find ways to keep themselves occupied with balanced activities. Students need to work hard at school and become actively involved on campus. In addition, students also need to take part in leisurely activities offered at their campuses such as pick-up games, intramural sports, and other college festivities/celebrations/events.

3. Make plans for holidays with local friends

Holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.) can be very lonely times for international students.  Most local students here in the U.S. often leave campus to go home to spend time with their families. Some lucky international students will be able to go home while others might get invited to spend the holidays at their friends’ houses. Students left in the dorm should take this opportunity to organize their own parties. Students can cook together, choose to go out for a meal or organize a game night. Find out who else is in town, and call them up to meet somewhere. The holidays are a time to get creative!

There are many useful online tools that can help you stay connected, such as Skype's video-call function.

2. Maintain healthy connections from back home.

With the rising popularity of online social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Google+) and other online communication tools (Skype, Windows Live Messenger), the world is becoming a smaller place. The distance between you and your friends from back home do not have to stop you from continuing your friendship. Maintaining healthy relationships with family members and friends from home can be very helpful in times of emotional need. Friends and family from home may be able to relate to certain struggles that you have that local friends can’t (and vice versa). Being able to contact them to ask for advice or even prayer can be a great source of comfort and relief when things get rough.

1. Hold firm to your goals.

International students going abroad for studies can gain a lot from remaining highly focused on their goals. When the times get tough, it is extremely important for students to remember the reason why they are studying overseas. Having a deep sense of “purpose” and “calling” to study in whatever field the student is in can provide the student with a great source of motivation to keep working hard. By making it a practice to envision the finish line daily (graduation!), students can cultivate a real sense of inner confidence. Students focused on their goals realize the opportunities that they have to grow and develop towards their lifelong goals. Such students are not easily side-tracked and have the strength to weather any storm.

And finally…

…if you are feeling extremely overwhelmed emotionally or physically because of homesickness, do not hesitate to seek help. All universities are equipped with counselors who can help you work through whatever hardship you are facing. A good place to start is by visiting the Dean of Students for your university. He or she can help you personally or point you towards the right direction to get help. Certain universities have counseling centers on campus that offer free counseling services for all its students. Use the resources available to you. Whatever you do, do not isolate yourself from the community on campus. Staying connected will give you a better chance of recovering and overcoming whatever hardship you are facing.

Benjamin Skye graduated from Hardin-Simmons University in May 2011 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Bible. He arrived at HSU in July of 2007 and has enjoyed every moment studying abroad. You can e-mail him with questions about this article and on the topic of homesickness at benjamin_skye@eli360.com

Two that we want to focus on here in this piece is the idea that for undergraduate study a student will benefit more from a private institution over a public institution. Secondly, is the track record of the university in producing leaders and distinguished alumni.

In PayScale’s 2010 report on tuition pay back or return-on-investment (ROI) you will see that out of the top 100 universities only 31% were state universities. That means 69% were private universities. Out of the 1000 plus universities listed on their report ELI 360 partner universities ranked very high on ROI. Please note that not all colleges and universities were surveyed by PayScale.

Here is the list below.

Look beyond college costs, check your ROI.

Note:

Data Set Characteristics: All data used to produce PayScale’s Return on Investment (ROI) Package were collected from employees who successfully completed PayScale’s employee survey.
Bachelors Only: Only employees who possess a Bachelor’s Degree and no higher degrees are included. This means Bachelor graduates who go on to earn a Master’s degree, MBA, MD, JD, PhD, or other advanced degree are not included.
For some Liberal Arts, Ivy League, and highly selective schools, graduates with degrees higher than a bachelor’s degree can represent a significant fraction of all graduates. Careers that require advanced degrees, such as law or medicine, are not included.
U.S. Only: All reports are for graduates of schools from the United States who work in the United States. This sample does not include U.S. territories, such as Puerto Rico or Guam.
Full-Time Employees Only: Only graduates who are employed full-time and paid with either an hourly wage or an annual salary are included. Self-Employed, project-based, and contract employees are not included. For example, project-based graphic designers and architects, and nearly all small business owners and novelists, are not included.

Return on Investment (ROI) Calculations:

In calculating the return on investment, we must first determine the investment in college and the return from attending college. The investment is the cost of college as determined by the actual cost of attending college. The return (gain) is the additional expected future income stream received for being a college graduate.

Investment in college: This investment in college is the cost of attending college, as calculated by the Weighted Total Cost for a Graduate in 2010 or the Weighted Net Cost for a Graduate in 2010 (for those who get financial aid) as defined above.

Return from attending college: The main financial benefit of attending college is the gain in income received by a college graduate over a high school graduate. However, by choosing to attend college, one is giving up 4-6 years of income one could have received if one went straight to work after high school. Therefore, we calculate the gain in median pay over a high school graduate (Earnings Differential) as the difference between the 30-Year Median Pay for a 2010 Bachelor’s Graduate and Weighted 34-36 Year Median Pay for a High School.