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.

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.

In the light of heightened controversy surrounding the changes to the current visa policy, which include closing the current post-study work visa in April 2012 and cutting down on private colleges, Cable said: “It is vital – notwithstanding the need to prevent any abuse of our immigration system – to continue attracting overseas students to the UK.”

There is increasing concern within universities about what they say has been a significant reduction in applications as a result of the new student visa system. A recent report published by Universities UK has also warned that a clampdown on student visas could worsen British Universities’ declining share of the international market.

In the report, Professor Paul O’Prey, chair of the Universities UK Longer Term Strategy Network, said: “The UK’s share of the international student market has reduced over (the past decade), with other countries becoming more competitive in attracting these students.” He went on to add: “This trend does not include the impact of recent changes to non-European Union student visas, which may result in a greater loss of market share in the future.’

The number of non-EU students in the UK has doubled to 400,000 in the last decade, but some universities are reporting a troubling downturn in applications, particularly from countries which have traditionally provided high numbers of students, such as India.

However, in his speech to the British Council, Cable said that: “there is no visa limit on the number of overseas students who are eligible to study here”, also stating that: “The recent immigration reforms…are certainly not designed to undermine legitimate and quality colleges.”

This post is by guest contributor Nathaniel Forrester. Contact Nathaniel here.

The system measures the scientific performance of 500 major universities across the globe and ranks them accordingly. Having been recognised for its objective methodology, it may prove to be a useful alternative to ranking systems such as The Times Higher Education.

Specifically, it ranks universities by their scientific impact and number of collaborations. For instance, it looks at the average number of citations of university publications and the proportion of publications that have been coauthored with other institutions. Leiden University claims these methods are more ‘transparent’ than those used in other, more popular ranking systems, that largely base their figures on opinion surveys.

The system this year has improved in a number of ways. For instance, it offers universities the possibility to exclude non-English speaking language publications from the research, as these publications will have a smaller readership and receive fewer citations. It’s hoped such changes will produce fairer, more objective results.

Interestingly, eighteen of the top twenty universities are American institutions, according to this system. The top university worldwide is Massachusetts Institute of Technology, followed by Princeton and Harvard. Switzerland’s École Polytecnique and ETH Zurich also feature in the top twenty. Cambridge was the top UK University at number 31.

Time will tell whether this updated system will prove more popular than the ever-growing list of competing rankings systems.

To earn the “golden ticket” to a life of free education, students will need to show their capability of thriving in various challenges that become increasingly difficult the more students’ progress through the competition. Students are expected to demonstrate qualities such as passion, commitment and intelligence.

The competition is open to all domestic and European undergraduates who have been accepted on a firm basis to study at Cardiff.

The first of the series of challenges will be online with the last stages bringing together a group of finalists to Cardiff University for a live challenge. Students who reach the finals will all win a scholarship to put towards their undergraduate tuition fees.

Director of strategic development, Louise Casella, said that the competition offers “fantastic opportunity to an exceptional student who can demonstrate the qualities which we seek in our applicants and which we nurture in our students”.

The scheme – which has been criticised by some academics branding it a “gimmick” – comes at a time when students are struggling to come to terms with the new tuition fee structure in the UK. Dr Philip Dixon, director of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers expressed his concerns for the state of the higher education system that see’s “gimmicks like this [having] to be offered by our universities”.

Students can now register to receive the first clue of the challenge.

Student unions have expressed concern, believing that the government’s decision to increase the 2012 fees to £9,000 has deterred potential applicants. It’s thought that the students who’ve missed out are those from less privileged backgrounds. Applications from mature students, for instance, are down by one-fifth.

More encouragingly, the number of applicants from outside the EU is up by 11.8%, making the overall fall in applications less dramatic and securing the UK’s cultural diversity for the near future.

UCAS remains optimistic, claiming that universities can expect a ‘possible late surge’ in applications when the January deadline approaches. They’ve also recognised that application rates in 2010 were unusually high in anticipation of the increased fees, and may not be valid for comparison. In fact, this year’s figures are similar to those for 2009, suggesting higher education is still as popular as ever.

David Willetts, the universities minister, hopes to reassure students worldwide, affirming that “going to university depends on ability, not the ability to pay… there will be more financial support for those from poorer families and everyone will make lower loan repayments than they do now once they are in well paid jobs.”

The Guardian newspaper has teamed up with Ones to Watch – a website showcasing the best UK student journalism – to launch a writing competition for UK undergraduate or postgraduate students.

The competition hopes to explore the issue of how the rise in tuition fees next year will impact students, their parents and the institutions. It will explore the debate about whether the student will become a consumer, and The Guardian thinks who better to ask than the students themselves!

The competition asks students to write a 600-word blog answering the question: “With fees tripling to £9,000 a year at most universities, is it inevitable that the student will become a consumer?”

The deadline for submissions is Sunday December 4th at 5PM (UK time) and the competition is open to any current UK undergraduate or postgraduate student.

The best entry will be published on Education Guardian’s Mortarboard Blog and on Ones to Watch.

The Guardian says: “We are open to any interpretation of the question, but are looking for something original, engaging and well-researched, that is written clearly and accurately.”

More details and information on entering can be found here: www.guardian.co.uk/education/mortarboard/2011/nov/30/students-higher-education

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…

Organised by the Chinese Ministry of Education and the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange, the event marks an increasingly active approach by Chinese institutions hoping to attract students from other countries, but particularly from Britain.

In an interview with Times Higher Education, Cue Xiliang, president of the Beijing Language and Culture University, said that the university was searching for “opportunities to enhance links with students in the UK” and that the possibility of studying Mandarin at the university was “very attractive for UK students”, adding that UK students were “very good at learning Mandarin”.

However, the Chinese envoys acknowledged that the language barrier can be off-putting for many international students: “We did some research and the biggest (hurdle) is the language barrier for students from Europe”. To counteract this trend, institutions such as the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics are now offering students from abroad the opportunity to study in English.

Britain is currently the only country with overseas campuses in China, represented by Nottingham and Liverpool Universities, which, according to Joanna Burke, China Director for the British Council, means it has “a privileged status” in Chinese higher education. Lancaster University has recently announced that it will also be launching a campus in the country, which will be based in Guangzhou and work in collaboration with the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies.

The Chinese government has devised an education strategy running up until 2020, with a key theme being internationalisation, said Ms Burke, who also explained that there are government funded scholarships available for those wishing to study in China, an experience she herself undertook as a student.

This post is by guest contributor Nathaniel Forrester. Contact Nathaniel here.