i-SECT magazine is the definitive resource for all students considering international study in Science, Engineering, Computing or Technology. This is a great opportunity to be featured alongside experts in the field and will make an impressive addition to your portfolio! To get involved please email Vivienne Egan, i-studentadvisor Editor, at vivienne.e@i-studentgroup.com by Friday 20 January.

View the 2011 edition of i-SECT here.

We’re proud to announce the release of our latest issue of i-LASH, which explores courses in the Liberal Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities across the globe.

The LASH subject areas are vast and offer the opportunity to study a wide range of different subjects, whether this is within a liberal arts degree or in a more specialised programme. This issue has plenty of interesting articles about studying some of the popular subjects within these areas, and will give you an idea of what types of courses are available in different countries around the world. You can find articles about studying theology in New Zealand, politics in the UK or sociology in the USA, to name just a few!

We’d like to say thank you to all of our contributors for their time and effort, and their help in creating this guide. Their expertise and experience are invaluable, and here they share their knowledge with you.

We hope that you enjoy reading this guide. If you have any comments or suggestions for the next issue, or are interested in contributing to any of the i-studentadvisor resources, please contact us at editorial@i-studentgroup.com

And don’t forget, there are more articles, plus country-specific information about visas, fees and more, on the i-studentadvisor website.

This issue is full of helpful articles about learning English overseas, along with hints and tips about finding a course that is right for you. English as a Second Language courses vary, and are offered at a wide range of overseas institutions. Hopefully after reading this guide you will have an idea of where might be the best place for you to study – be it in sunny Australia, the historical UK, or one of the other fantastic and exciting countries featured in this guide.

Once you have read through this guide and have an idea of where you would like to study, head over to our Country pages to find out all about fees, visas and more in your chosen country.

As always, we’d like to thank all of our contributors who have shared their experience and advice in this issue of i-ESL.

We always love to hear feedback from our readers, so please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any comments or suggestions – please email us at editorial@i-studentgroup.com

We hope you enjoy reading this issue of i-ESL. Remember, you can find all of our other 2011 subject guides through the Subjects page.

The guide contains a range of interesting and informative articles exploring the study of specific subjects overseas, written by experts and professionals from within the six main areas of higher education and industry. The guide also contains select articles from counsellors and students about their own experience and their advice about overseas education.

The guide is divided into sections according to subject, with correspond with our interactive online subject guides, where you can find even more useful articles and information.

We’d like to thank all of our contributors who have shared their knowledge and expertise to make this guide as extensive and informative as possible. We are confident that the articles and information within this guide will help students to embark upon the wonderful experience of international study.

If you would like to request a free copy of The Subject Guide 2012, please click here and provide us with your name, school name and address. You can also preview some of the pages from The Subject Guide 2012 in the gallery below.

Interested in contributing to the next issue of The Subject Guide? We are always looking for new associations, organisations and counsellors to contribute to our guides. Please contact us at editorial@i-studentgroup.com

If you are from an institution and are interested in featuring in any of the i-studentadvisor resources – online or in print – please contact us at editorial@i-studentgroup.com

View a gallery of sample pages from The Subject Guide 2012…

The weather wasn’t as welcoming as the people of Lisbon. However, despite the persistent rain on the Friday and Saturday, moods were not dampened and on Sunday the sun finally shone.

The exhibition saw a number of school representatives including teachers, counsellors and some librarians travel from across the globe to gather information on resources that can help their school, soo it was a great opportunity for Maria and Sarah to introduce them to the i-studentgroup websites; i-studentadvisor, i-studentenquiry, i-studentlife and i-studentbrochure and send them home with lots of information and merchandise too!

The new i-studentadvisor Subject Guide 2012 was a hit with everyone, with a number of people taking additional copies to put in their library or to take home to their children.

We were lucky to meet some fantastic people including some old friends, who we hope will enjoy using the resources and sharing them with their students.

Early admission programmes cause much debate, which flairs up each year when new deadlines approach. Critics – many of them high school counsellors – suggest that such programmes unnecessarily speed up students’ decision process and favour those students who have access to the best counselling services. The programmes that are ‘binding’ – meaning a student agrees in advance to enrol if they are accepted – are also criticised for limiting students’ abilities to compare financial aid offers. Colleges and universities, however, see it as rewarding students who are willing to commit and make a decision early in the admissions process.

Figures gathered so far by The Choice – a website run by the New York Times which ‘examine all facets of the college admissions process’ to help students navigate the process – suggest that early applications are continuing to increase in popularity, despite current the economic difficulties that many families face. Their figures reveal that applications under binding early decision programmes increased by 20% at Boston University, to 1,057; by 15% at Northwestern, to 2,450; and by 5.5% at Brown, to almost 3,000 (for a total freshman class of 1,500). Many others have also reported a rise.

However, some institutions have seen a fall in the number of applications to early action programmes – whether binding or non-binding – including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which has had applications fall by nearly 5%, to 6,100, and the University of Pennsylvania, which said applications under its binding early decision programme had fallen by just under 1%, despite a rise in applications in 2010 of 20%, compared to 2009. Eric J. Furda, the Dean of Admissions, said that he felt they were approaching their upper limit, but also recognised that they may have lost some applications to Princeton and Harvard, which reinstated their ‘single choice’ early action programmes after a four-year break. Both colleges cancelled their programmes in order to delay the ‘frenzy’ of applications, but reinstated them this year when none of their competitors followed suit. Whilst Princeton and Harvard’s programmes are not binding, students are prohibited from applying to any other private colleges. According to the figures, Princeton has so far received 3,547 early applications, for an anticipated freshman class of just 1,300. Harvard’s figures are not yet available.

The Choice continue to update figures about early application here. To find out more about studying in the USA, visit our US study guide here and for more information about the early application process, please click here.

What do you think about early admissions programmes? Are they fair? Would you recommend them?

In New York, Boston, Washington DC, Charlotte, Atlanta, Chicago and San Francisco, college counselors, study-abroad advisors, faculty members and students will learn why more than 7,000 US students selected Ireland last year for their college studies. They’ll also hear first-hand experiences from participants in the newly launched US Student Ambassador Program.

The Education in Ireland events are part of a broad initiative by the Irish Government to raise the number of full-time US students at Irish universities and colleges by 50 percent in the next three years. They began with a special welcome message from His Excellency Michael Collins, Ambassador of Ireland to the United States. They precede the first annual Education in Ireland tour for US college counsellors, which will take place next March.

The globalisation of higher education is a cornerstone of Ireland’s strategy to help shape future-generation international leaders, technologists, entrepreneurs and thinkers. In virtually every field, Ireland’s universities and colleges stand out internationally. From STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) disciplines to liberal and performing arts, Ireland consistently produces career-ready graduates – skilled knowledge workers that continue to inspire international companies to make Ireland their EU hub. The strategy is drawing substantial numbers of foreign students. Many come for their semester-abroad experience. But a growing number are choosing Ireland for full-time degrees. Boosting the numbers is a top priority.

“Over the years, many talented US students have benefited from a unique educational experience at Irish institutes of higher learning,” said Michelle Dervan, USA Manager for Education in Ireland. “And while some have strong family links to the country, the typical US student in Ireland is a global, career-minded individual seeking a high-quality and affordable college experience. These students add much to the vibrant education scene that makes Ireland a preferred study-abroad location for ambitious kids across the world.”

The week’s events include the following:

New York: Launch of Education in Ireland’s US Student Ambassador Program at the Consulate General of Ireland.

San Francisco: Event for students at St. Mary’s College in Moraga hosted by the Consulate General of Ireland.

Washington DC: Mitchell Scholarship Program Awards Reception at the Embassy of Ireland. The Program honors former US Senator George Mitchell’s contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process. Up to twelve Mitchell Scholars are chosen annually for one year of postgraduate study.

Atlanta & Boston: Receptions celebrating education links between Ireland and the US hosted respectively by the Consulate General of Ireland in Boston and the Consulate General of Ireland in Atlanta.

Charlotte: Address at the WorldQuest High Schools Competition by Paul Gleeson, Consul General of Ireland in Atlanta.

Chicago: High School Essay Contest Winner Announcement at the Consulate General of Ireland. Contestants in grades 9-12 were invited to address the topic: “Ireland is a country renowned worldwide for its inspiring writers, musicians and artists.  In 1,000 words or less, explain what inspires you most in life…”

About Education in Ireland

To learn more about Education in Ireland’s outreach to US high schools and universities, please visit – www.educationinireland.com

The above post is reproduced, with permission, from the original feature on the Education In Ireland website here.

You can also find out more about studying in Ireland by visiting the i-studentadvisor Ireland Study Guide.

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About International Education Week

International Education Week is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. This joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education is part of efforts to promote programmes that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn and exchange experiences in the United States.

The first Week was held in 2000 and today is celebrated in more than 100 countries worldwide. To find out more, visit – iew.state.gov

The Open Doors 2011 survey has recently been published by the Institute of International Education; the detailed report highlights the trends of foreign students studying in the US, as well as information on American students studying overseas.

The results have proved quite interesting with the overall number of international students studying in America increasing by 4.7%, despite the economic downturn and the increased efforts from other countries such as Australia and China to attract more students to their campuses. Their hard work over the past 12 months must have paid off, after upping their marketing strategies due to the fierce competition from around the world.

There has been some distinct changes in where these students are coming from in comparison to last year. The number of students from African and European countries has stayed around the same, only dropping 0.5-1% from last year. However, Asia and the Middle East has seen an increase of students choosing to study in America with the number of Asian students increasing by 30,000 and those from the Middle East increasing by 11,000.

Some individual countries have seen some very dramatic changes since 2009/10, with countries such as Brunei, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and East Timor sending over 40% more students in comparison to last year. And, at the other end of the scale, countries such as Liberia, Laos, Cuba and North Korea sending at least 25% less than the previous year.

Business and Management remains the most popular subject, with 21.5 of students choosing subjects in this area, closely followed by Engineering at 18.7%. The biggest increase in subject interest was Intensive English Language, where the number of students choosing courses in this field increased by 24.0% compared to last year.

To find out more about how you can join the growing number of students choosing the US for their higher education please visit the USA pages on i-studentadvisor. You can also register for free at our online university matching service i-studentenquiry, to see which universities are right for you. Speak to students already studying in the US and learn what it’s really like at i-studentlife.

The Open Doors Report and International Educational Exchange is published by the Institute of International Education, the leading not-for-profit educational and cultural exchange organization in the United States.

The department has reportedly already cancelled 15,066 visas, due to students breaking the terms under which they where granted. Around 3,624 students are faced with deportation for failing their course or poor attendance, whilst a further 2,235 visas were cancelled because students had quit their courses and begun working illegally.

The crackdown, which has seen a 37% spike in the number of cancellations compared to the previous year, particularly targets students who are studying vocational courses. Of the 332,709 international students in Australia mid-2011, a third were on a vocational training visa studying for diplomas, and more than half were studying at a university. The immigration department offers eight different student visas, depending on the type of study that is being undertaken.

It seems that Indian students have been most affected by the crackdown, whilst Chinese students have fared much better, as they are more likely to be studying academic courses.

There are a large number of students who become ‘unlawful’ when they do not leave or apply for a new visa once their student visa has expired – 8,309 in the past year. Currently, it is planned that university students will be able to stay in Australia for two years after they graduate. Vocational training students are waiting for the outcome of changes due next year to find out whether they will be granted to same rights.

To find out more about Australian student visas, please click here.

This issue contains articles about study and careers within some of the different areas of medicine and health sciences, including dentistry, medicine, veterinary science, optometry, physiotherapy and sport science, plus many more. Also featured is an interview with three different psychologists in very different careers, plus we speak to a PhD student about her studies in cancer research.

We’d like to thank all of our contributors who have provided articles and information for this issue of i-MHS and for making this one of the best and most comprehensive i-MHS issues yet.

Once you have read through this guide and have an idea of what, and where, you would like to study, head over to the Country pages to find out all about fees, visas and more in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the USA.

We always love to hear feedback from our readers, so please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any comments or suggestions – email editorial@i-studentgroup.com