Controversy has arisen this week after the league-topping University of Cambridge warned its interviewers not to shake students’ hands. Advisors fear that the traditional British gesture may offend students from certain cultural backgrounds, due to the physical contact involved. Whilst some academics are claiming this to be an overreaction, it does open up an avenue of thought – should residents of the UK be more mindful of other cultures’ manners and behaviours?

The UK has more than doubled its intake of students from overseas in the last decade, taking multiculturalism to a whole new level. With so many cultures merging, everyone, from those born in the UK, to immigrants, to those temporarily studying in the country, may find themselves coming across cross-cultural differences in behaviour.

As an international student, you may already be aware of British communicative rituals or cultural ‘norms’, many of which will also be conventional in your country of origin. Alongside the handshake is the old-age custom of queuing, which may seem redundant to people in other parts of the world. Amongst dozens of British gestures is the ‘thumbs up’, the ‘finger’, the ’shrug’, and the peace/’V’ sign, all of which can be prone to misinterpretation when perceived by other cultures. Stereotypically, British people also tend to avoid close physical contact, in comparison to other European countries, like Spain and Italy.

However, in others’ eyes, British people could be perceived as too forward: Cambridge University ruled against the handshake in light of certain religious beliefs. Orthodox Jews and some Muslim women, for instance, may not like to be touched by those of the opposite sex. Subsequently, the handshake could potentially cause such recipients to feel uncomfortable.

Amongst those cultures who differ to the UK in communication style is Japan. In Japan, generally speaking, it’s customary to hold less eye contact with your conversational partner than in the west. The Japanese also value prolonged silence in conversational contexts, whilst other cultures, including the British, may find it uncomfortable. But perhaps their most complex set of cultural specific behaviours are evident in a dining context. Drink pouring and serving rituals are abundant around a Japanese dining table, but may not be understood elsewhere.

Some communicative behaviours that are standard in Britain may even offend some cultures. The ‘thumbs up’ gesture is actually an obscenity in other parts of the world, as is the giving the ‘a-ok’ sign with your index finger and thumb. The list of cross-cultural behavioural differences is enough to publish whole books on (and there are indeed, many available).

However, it’s also important to consider that these affiliated behaviours are simply ‘atypical’ of a nation or religious group. Perhaps, judging a person’s behaviour by their cultural background alone is typecasting, and in itself, an offense. This presents somewhat of a paradox to someone trying to generate pleasant relationships with everyone – hence why Cambridge University advised its interviewers to avoid handshaking with ALL students. The university advised its interviewers that “there is a certain amount of cultural sensitivity relating to handshakes… Suitable body language conveys welcome just as well.”

However, in mind of everything discussed, does such thing as ’suitable’ body language really exist? Every aspect of a person’s behaviour could be criticised as being contradictory, unusual, or even rude to those outside their particular culture. Perhaps it seems more reasonable to, rather than banning certain behaviours, stay mindful and aware of other people’s values and conventions. Instead of judging people as uncooperative or even rude by their manners and conventions, perhaps consider that their way of doing things may just be different to ours, whether due to cultural reasons, or something else entirely.

The top ten places are dominated by UK and US universities, with four UK establishments featured. Although claims that the new regulations and changes to the fees system may have an impact on 2012 results have already began circulating. Ben Sowter, Head of Research at QS told the BBC that he believed that is was “inevitable” that financial pressures would impact UK universities rankings in the future years, due to staffing, research productivity and the result of UK students looking to go overseas for their education.

The top ten institutions are as follows:

1 – University of Cambridge – UK (100.0)

2- Harvard University – US (99.3)

3 – Massachusetts Institute of Technology – US (99.2)

4 – Yale University – US (98.8)

5 – University of Oxford – US (98.8)

6 – Imperial College London – UK (97.6)

7 – University College London – UK (97.3)

8 – University of Chicago – US (96.1)

9 – University of Pennsylvania – US (95.7)

10 – Columbia University – US (95.3)

For a full list please click here.

Amongst those featured in the top 100 were eight Australian institutions, with Australian National University ranking an impressive 26^th and the University of Melbourne not far behind at 31^st.

East Asia has seen a distinct increase in their rankings with universities from Japan and Singapore leading the way as the University of Tokyo ranked 25^th , the National University of Singapore at 28^th and Kyoto University reaching 32^nd.

Amidst the lower rankings, it has emerged that a number of universities from Latin America and the Middle East making an appearance on the list.

Almost 100,000 students come from overseas to study in New Zealand every year, but a few seem to embrace the experience both inside and outside of the classroom with exceptional enthusiasm. This year, Education New Zealand ran a competition for the first time to find New Zealand’s top international students from all educational sectors.

These students have highlighted the contribution that international students make to the cities and towns in New Zealand where they study, and to their fellow students both Kiwi and international.

Nominees were judged on their academic achievements, their participation in institutional and community activities, and how they have thrown themselves into Kiwi culture and experiences. Institutions were encouraged to nominate the best of the best, and a judging panel has selected these winners to represent each sector.

Schools Sector and Grand Prize Winner:
Ryo Hosoma – Burnside High School, Christchurch

Ryo came from Japan to study at Burnside in January 2009, speaking very little English and feeling extremely shy and nervous. He has since come out of his cocoon so much that the school staff refer to him as their butterfly!

Despite having to catch up on his English, Ryo has achieved extremely well academically. He is also involved in the school orchestra and concert band. He recently appeared in a promotional video for Study Christchurch.

Ryo is the international department’s Japanese representative – taking new students and families around the school, and also providing tours for education agents. He mentors new international students, spending time with them when they are feeling homesick or confused. Ryo always has time for others, and never expects anything special in return.

On the day of the February earthquake, Ryo helped the school staff to look after international students and keep everyone calm until their host parents could collect them. He organised groups of students to help with the quake clean up, and he also help support the Chinese families who came to New Zealand to claim their lost family members. He even helped organise a barbeque for the families to add a small positive experience to their very difficult time in New Zealand.

“It was great to have the barbeque even though they were here for a sad reason and I was sad because of the Japanese earthquake, we could do something together which made us all feel positive about life and we could laugh together in spite of all the tragedy,” says Ryo.

The international director at Ryo’s school says of him, “He is genuinely compassionate and caring and wants the best for everyone. Many of our international students get great marks, play music, and do things for the school. There are very few that actually make a connection with other people in school and the community in a selfless way. That is a very special gift.”

Private Training Establishments Sector Winner:
Karen Ishikawa – Quantum Education Group (The Culinary Institute of New Zealand), Kerikeri

Karen left her home in Japan at the age of 13 to begin her studies at Kerikeri High School in Northland.

It has been Karen’s dream to become a chef since the she was just seven, and she believes that going to Kerikeri High School opened a lot of doors for her chosen career path. During her time at the school she became heavily involved in the Regional & National Culinary Fairs as well as extra-curricular sports and musical activities.

In 2009 Karen was chosen as the Northland Representative for the New Zealand Hospitality Challenge to compete against other regions in NZ and she was awarded a gold medal, winning the competition. Things only got better as she was awarded the Top Hospitality Student award at Kerikeri High School as well as a student academic excellence award. She also won the Northland Chefs Scholarship.

In 2010 Karen enrolled at Quantum Education Group – The Culinary Institute of New Zealand. Her work ethic was second to none and she went on win the award for Top Level 3 Student. This year Karen has returned to complete her Professional Chef Training and has stood out as one of the schools best students. She was chosen to represent The Culinary Institute as part of their Toque d’Or team. This is the most prestigious competition for hospitality training in NZ and Karen’s skills and application earned her a spot on the team.

Karen plans to get some overseas experience as a chef “then come back to NZ to open my own three Michelin star restaurant.” She sounds like the type of chef who might just achieve that!

University Sector Winner:
Bree Loveridge – University of Canterbury, Christchurch

Bree is a PhD student from the United States who has been in New Zealand for five years. She was granted direct entry to the PhD Programme without needing to complete a masters’ degree. She is also a University of Canterbury Doctoral Scholarship recipient, and is researching curriculum and assessment in New Zealand’s secondary education policies.

Bree was one of the top three people nominated by the University of Canterbury Students’ Association for the student who contributed most to improving student life on campus in 2010. Not bad for someone busy with a doctorate! This is thanks to her role as President of the Postgraduate Students’ Association.

With her enthusiasm and dedication, Bree turned a relatively small and inactive campus club into one with over 500 members and a wide range of activities. These have included sporting events, ski trips and social mixers, mountain biking, and a tramping trip. Bree’s main focus in the event choices is to help international students learn about Kiwi culture and explore the beauty of New Zealand’s natural environment. As an outdoor enthusiast, she is not only involved with Kiwi culture, but is dedicated to getting others involved as well.

Bree has gone above and beyond to make this club a success, bringing together postgraduate students from every level of postgraduate study and from every department, developing an ever increasing campus-wide and interdisciplinary postgraduate community. Bree’s work has brought together people from a wide range of backgrounds; including international students, adult students and staff.

An enthusiastic, caring and friendly person, Bree’s exceptional leadership qualities, organizational skills, and most of all her endless hard work have made the University of Canterbury a better place for all postgraduate students.

Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics Sector Winner:
Kai Quan – Wintec, Hamilton

Kai is from China, and is a year three Bachelor of Applied Social Sciences, Social Work student.

Kai volunteers for and becomes involved with events on campus and outside. For International Social Work Day 2009, Kai volunteered to help in creating the stand at the library. Kai is active in the Ethnic Social Workers Support Group and takes on responsible roles within the group.

She has been involved in community events such as the Indigo Festival, playing an active part.

In 2010 Kai approached Rawiri Waretini – Karena, tutor Te Whiuwhiu o Te Hau to learn the Maori model Paiheretia. The tutor comments that Kai was so engrossed in the process and quick to pick up the concept that as a result of the learnings she did an amazing presentation to her peers in which was very well received.

This year Kai voluntarily coordinated and then participated in a Human Rights Facilitator Training workshop that was run by the Human Rights Commission for a week in February 2011.

This impressive young woman works with others in a manner that is integral, approachable and has the best interests of others at heart.

English Language Schools Sector Winner:
Jae-ik Bae – New Horizon College of English, Napier

Jae-ik has been studying English in Napier at New Horizon for five months, but his dedication and hard work have already become clear to staff at the school. After getting a great result in his general English course, he decided to move on to the challenging “First Certificate in English” which is an internationally recognized qualification for people who want to use English for work or study.

In addition to his studies, Jae-ik has leadership qualities and led a team fund raising event to support the Japanese Tsunami victims. Rather than stay isolated from the local community, he became a regular member at the Planetarium in Napier and finds opportunities to make local friends and have contact with others in the community.

Jae-ik studied in Auckland for three months and then travelled around the South Island before taking up his studies once again in Napier last November. He plans to return to Korea in June.

Students’ Choice Award Winner:
Ang Ching Ting – Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington

(The Students’ Choice Award was selected by popular vote on the New Zealand Educated Facebook page.)

Malaysian scholarship student Ang is completing a double degree at Victoria University in Bachelor of Education – TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and Bachelor of Arts – Linguistics. She is excelling academically and began taking third year courses in her second year.

Ang was a finalist for the Young Community Leaders Award for 2011, sponsored by the Wellington Community Trust, for her voluntary work. She will shortly graduate from the Victoria International Leadership Programme and will be receiving a Victoria Plus Award from the University, and the Volunteer Connects Award supported by Wellington City Council.

On top of her demanding studies Ang is a mentor, a “Language Buddy”, a note taker for students with disabilities, and English tutor for migrants and even helps out with Wellington’s Harbour Capital marathon to name just a few of her actitivites. The list of her voluntary work seems endless.

“I am, without a doubt in my mind, a better person because of my involvement in the New Zealand community, and for that I am truly thankful,” says Ang.

The winner from each sector will get a great trip in New Zealand with Flying Kiwi Adventure Tours and a winner’s certificate to hang on his or her wall. The grand prize winner will also have a Kiwi BBQ lunch event hosted at his school.

Japan-EAF (Emergency Assistance Fund) will provide grants of up to $5,000 to students from those regions hardest hit by the earthquake and tsunami (including Miyagi, Fukushima, and Iwate prefectures) who are enrolled in US colleges and universities and face serious financial difficulties due to the recent tragedy in their home country. Accredited United States campuses are invited to nominate students at their institutions for whom help is needed for the spring semester 2011.

International Student Advisers or other campus officials are invited to submit nominations to IIE. Students cannot apply directly. To nominate students, advisers should complete the Japan EAF nomination form and e-mail it to JapanEAF@iie.org. The first round of grant nominations should be submitted to IIE by April 4th, 2011. If funding permits, IIE will consider applications on a rolling basis after the deadline.

According to data in IIE’s Open Doors 2010 report, produced with support from the US Department of State, colleges and universities reported nearly 25,000 students from Japan studying in the United States, about 52% at the undergraduate level. Japan is the sixth leading sender of students to the United States. IIE is currently surveying campuses to find out how many are from the most seriously affected regions and facing financial hardship due to recent events. United States campuses are beginning to provide support, but more help is needed so that these students can complete their studies.

Allan Goodman, president and CEO of the Institute of International Education, said, “Our goal is to help relieve the financial burden that is compounding these students’ personal distress, and to encourage them to complete their US studies so they can return home with the skills and new knowledge to help rebuild their shattered communities.”

To be considered for an Emergency Assistance award of up to $5,000, the nominated student must:

• Demonstrate how their financial resources were seriously disrupted by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami
• Be enrolled in an accredited US higher education institution as of January 1, 2011
• Be in good academic standing, as defined by the host campus
• Have the appropriate non-immigration visa status (US citizens and permanent residents are ineligible to apply.)

If possible, US host campuses nominating students for Japan-EAF awards will also be expected to provide emergency assistance to the nominated students through tuition waivers, full or partial scholarships, housing, stipends, loans, work study, or other forms of support.

While preference will be given to degree-seeking undergraduate students, graduate and non-degree students with pressing needs will also be considered.

To make these emergency grants, the Institute will draw upon a special fund created by IIE and the Freeman Foundation to assist students from Asia facing major crises at home or in the United States. The Fund has previously been used to assist US-based students from Asia during the financial crisis in the late 1990s, after the tsunami in Southeast Asia in 2004, and following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

IIE has a long history of mobilising support to help students and scholars in need throughout the world. The Institute’s Scholar Rescue Fund provides fellowships for established scholars whose lives and work are threatened in their home countries. In addition, IIE’s Emergency Student Fund provides support for international students facing crisis situations, such as illness or natural disasters.

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Click here to visit the Institute of International Education website to learn more about IIE and the Freeman Foundation.

The figures, which cover the academic year ending in 2009 and will be released in May, show that the number of international students studying worldwide has risen to 3.43 million from 2.96 million. The sharp rise shown by the Unesco statistics was revealed by BBC News yesterday. They report that the global figure in Unesco’s report shows an increase in international students over the past decade, rising by over 75% since 2000.

The report has used a range of indicators to follow mobility trends, exploring the numbers of students sent and received from perspective countries. It also shows how likely students are to go abroad for their education, as a percentage of all tertiary students in that country.

Despite fears that the global economic downturn would impact international student enrolment, the numbers of students choosing to study abroad appears to be on a continued increase, although not at the rates seen in previous years. For example, the number of international student studying in the USA rose by 3% in the 2009/2010 academic year, with the highest percentage of students coming from China, according to the Institute of International Education.

China is attempting to increase it’s own number of incoming students, which currently mainly come from Asia and the US, as are many other countries in Asia. The Asia-Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE), which aims to promote international education in the Asia-Pacific region, is currently holding a four day conference in Taiwan entitled ‘Asia-Pacific Education: Impacting the world’. The conference is expected to bring together 750 delegates from 40 countries and includes an international education fair open to students. Deputy Education Minister Lin Tsong-ming said: “The conference is the perfect venue for Taiwan’s higher education workers to share valuable experience with their international counterparts, an for our universities to step up their globilization”, reported Taiwan Today.

As the Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings released yesterday show, Asia’s institutions are still struggling to be considered among the ‘best’ in the world. Although Japan’s University of Tokyo featured in the top ten universities by reputation, Asian institutions were massively outnumbered by those from the UK and US.

But with international student numbers still on the increase, and changes in higher education in both the UK and US taking place, perhaps Asia will begin to feature more prominently in international student numbers.

Of the Top 50 institutions listed, the US holds 29 of the places, followed by the UK (6), Canada (3), Japan (3), China (2) and single positions for the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Singapore and Russia.

The survey was part of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2010-11 and was conducted in multiple languages with more than 13,000 higher education academics around the world; respondents were asked to highlight “what they believed to be the strongest universities for teaching and research in their own fields”.

The top six institutions which appear in the list – Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Cambridge, University of California Berkely, Stanford University and the University of Oxford – scored far higher than the other institutions which made the Top 100, suggesting that these institutions are considered world-leaders by the majority of respondents.

The top institutions by country were:

• US – Harvard University
• UK – University of Cambridge
• Japan – University of Tokyo
• Canada – University of Toronto
• Australia – University of Melbourne
• Germany – Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
• The Netherlands – Delft University of Technology
• Switzerland – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich
• Sweden – Karolinska Institute

You can download the full Top 50 Rankings, along with their individual research, teaching and overall reputation scores here.

The Times Educational Supplement, sister paper of the Times Higher Education, has reported that nearly 30,000 applicants to UK universities last year cheated on their personal statements by copying them from online sources or other applicants. The 600-word personal statements for UCAS applications in the UK are an integral part of the university application process, where a student is supposed to demonstrate their personality and why they stand out from other applicants.

UCAS uses plagiarism detection systems, which are also used in many universities to scan essays, and found that in those 30,000 copied statements at least 10% was identical to another source or application, with hundreds even copying the opening lines. The rate of plagiarism in personal statements decreased from 5% in 2007 when UCAS first trialled it’s plagiarism software to 2.8% in 300, but has risen again to 3.85% in 2010.

In another case, scandal hit Japan’s universities last week as it emerged that a series of questions posted on a popular website, which at first seemed innocent, were in fact taken directly from the entrance exam to the prestigious Kyoto University, posted –and answered – whilst the exam was taking place. It is believed that the poster, named ‘aicezuki’, posted the English and maths questions on Yahoo Japan’s “chiebukuro” (pearls of wisdom) site using a mobile phone.

It has further emerged that posts under the same name were also posted during entrance exams to other popular universities, Doshisha University, Rikkyo University and Waseda University. It is not yet clear whether there is more than one person involved and police have launched a search for those responsible. The scandal has prompted calls to ban mobile phones and electronic devices from test sites, such as in South Korea, where a similar ban was brought in after another cheating scandal involving mobile phones in 2004.

And it’s not just the youngsters either. German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg was recently found to have copied large chunks of his 2006 university doctorate thesis and has since stood down from his post and been stripped of his PhD. He has claimed that his plagiarism was a mistake but this has been met with much scepticism, with tens of thousands of German academics writing complaints to the Chancellor, Angela Merkel, who has stood by him throughout the scandal. The University of Bayreuth stripped Guttenberg of his PhD after it emerged that over half of the 475-page thesis had been taken word for word from other people’s work.

Cases like these seem to suggest that plagiarism and cheating is rife, although obviously this is still a small minority and the majority of university students are honest and don’t plagiarise. But in an age of ever-smaller mobile devices and internet access, universities may have trouble curbing the numbers of cheating students. Perhaps some students can’t avoid the temptation to cheat when they think they cannot be found out – according to plagiarism.org, a poll conducted by US News and World Reports found that 90% of students believed that cheaters are never caught or are not appropriately disciplined.

We asked some UK students whether they would cheat on entrance or university exams if they thought they wouldn’t get caught,  and it seems that even those who wouldn’t cheat cited their reason as fear of being caught, rather than the morals involved.

Here’s some of their thoughts on cheating*:

“Of course I would, because I could always actually learn stuff once I am on the course. It would give me a better start.” – Sarah, journalism student from the University of Westminster

“No, it’s not worth the risk of getting caught.” –  Jane, studying Costume with Performance Design at the Arts University College at Bournemouth

“I wouldn’t. Bad Karma… I’d be paranoid the whole time, and I like to feel I have got there on my own… you can always resit.” – Ruth, Marine Biology student from Newcastle University

“If you wouldn’t get caught why wouldn’t you? You would be stupid for not cheating.” – Ben, Business student, Brunel University

Although the majority of students are not cheating, those who are considering plagiarising or cheating should consider the consequences. Plagiarism can lead to failure of a courses and even expulsion, and in some cases can be a legal matter.

What do you think? Would you cheat if you thought you wouldn’t get caught? Do the morals around cheating matter?

*Names have been changed for confidentiality reasons

When presenting the new report, Andreas Schleicher of the OECD’s education directorate commented: “If you have a poorly qualified adult population and higher qualified young population, you have big growth potential. Those are the countries that are going to move forwards.” Schleicher pointed out that the countries at risk of falling behind were those where the situation has not changed for the younger generation such as Mexico, Turkey and Greece.

Canada, Korea and Japan lead the way in educating the younger generation with over 50% of 25-34 year-olds having university qualifications. The average across all countries was 34% compared to 20% of 55-64 years-olds.

The OECD’s annual report measures levels of higher education in over forty countries across the world and examines emerging trends in terms of the education of the workforce. In almost all countries 25-34 year-olds have higher tertiary attainment levels than those about to leave the work force (55-64 year-olds).

The report does warn that although some countries are experiencing growth in tertiary education, some countries are in danger of falling behind as their rates of growth in higher education are not rising as fast as others. This was particularly marked in Austria, Brazil and surprisingly Germany, which currently has 6% of the world’s university educated people.

Countries like Ireland, Japan and Korea which have high tertiary attainment levels will continue to increase their advantage, the report states.

About half of the students have gone to the US where they have enrolled at twenty-two colleges including the University of Kansas, Oregon State University and the University of West Virginia.

The Academy for Educational Development, an international non-profit organisation for higher education, is helping to run the project in the US and has asked participating universities to fast-track applications from Iraqi students.

The students will initially spend time at intensive language schools in order to improve their English skills to enable higher education study but this appears to be the only weak spot with many department heads already commenting on the outstanding ability of many of the students and predicting they will be “upper-echelon students”.

Iraq previously had one of the most highly-respected higher education systems in the world but with much of the infrastructure being destroyed during the conflict the country is keen to rebuild its education network.  It is hoped that by receiving training in other countries in the interim period Iraq will be able to speed up the rebuilding process.  The students are on full scholarships from the Iraqi government during their studies. They are also planning on building an English language institute in Baghdad to allow students whose language skills are not strong enough to improve before going abroad to study.

Zuhair A.G. Humadi, the driving force behind the Iraq Education Initiative will be honoured at this week’s annual conference of NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

Robert Stevens, chief executive of Education New Zealand attributes the rise to the tendency for people to stay in education for longer or re-enter tertiary education from the labour market during times of economic hardship.

However, the rise may also be due to some intensive marketing strategies implemented over the course of the last few years. Stevens said that his organisation and other education providers had worked hard to attract new students from China, India, Vietnam, North America, Brazil and Germany last year.

One notable campaign saw Education New Zealand run secondary school cricket competitions in New Delhi. Stevens said: “Those competitions really helped put New Zealand on the map for education options and it was through a very simple marketing campaign.” Although he added that it was too early to have any firm statistics about the success of such campaigns he also said that anecdotal evidence and feedback had been very positive.

Similar to Australia, the bulk of international students in New Zealand come form China, Japan and India with the majority choosing to study English. However there were also significant numbers studying business and tourism. New Zealand and Australia have traditionally been very popular destinations for international students because of the high standards of education and equally high standards of living in the countries but it would seem that current difficulties with Australian student visas are encouraging more students to choose New Zealand as their study destination.

Have you chosen to study in New Zealand over Australia? Let us know what influenced your decision.