AfterSchool Africa takes a look at the finer points of arranging accommodations for international students. Among the considerations: How close is the housing to campus? How safe is it? What about its proximity to public transit? Read the full story here. …
Why Aren’t Americans Going to College?
American college enrollments are falling, even as they are increasing in comparable countries. One culprit could be the cost: while college graduates earn more, the debt they accumulate often wipes out much of that advantage. Paul Tough investigates for The New York Times Magazine. (September 2023) …
David McCallum, Star of ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ and ‘NCIS,’ Dies at 90
Actor David McCallum, who became a teen heartthrob in the hit series “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” in the 1960s and was the eccentric medical examiner in the popular “NCIS” 40 years later, has died. He was 90. McCallum died Monday of natural causes surrounded by family at New York Presbyterian Hospital, CBS said in a…
Public Universities Went on Spending Spree … And Passed the Cost to Students
The University of Kentucky has spent $805,000 a day for the past decade on upgrades to its campus, and now has one of the highest tuitions in the country, despite serving a lower-income state. Melissa Korn, Andrea Fuller and Jennifer S. Forsyth report for The Wall Street Journal. (August 2023) ] …
Spain Charges Pop Singer Shakira With Tax Evasion for Second Time
Spanish prosecutors have charged pop star Shakira with failing to pay $7.1 million in tax on her 2018 income, authorities said Tuesday, in Spain’s latest fiscal allegations against the Colombian singer. Shakira is alleged to have used an offshore company based in a tax haven to avoid paying the tax, Barcelona prosecutors said in a…
Federal Student Aid Application in US is Changing
Every year, most American college students fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It determines how much need-based assistance you can receive and is also important for many scholarships, grants and other opportunities. Now, the format is being simplified, as Cheryl Winokur Munk of The Wall Street Journal explains. (August 2023) …
ChatGPT Isn’t a Good Research Assistant, Yet
In the Chronicle of Higher Education, Maggie Hicks writes that ChatGPT frequently invents sources, causing headaches for librarians asked to find them, and getting students in trouble when they don’t learn how to track down information themselves. With scholars willing to cut corners to get papers published faster, academia could fall prey to a “complicated…
Play by Ukrainian Director About War Back Home Debuts in Washington, DC
“My Mama and the Full-Scale Invasion,” a play by Ukrainian playwright Sasha Denisova, made its debut at Washington, D.C.’s Woolly Mammoth theater earlier this month. The play was inspired by online chats its creator had with her 82-year-old mother who lives near Kyiv. Maxim Adams has the story. Camera: David Gogokhia. …
Biden Administration Releases Official Guidelines on Affirmative Action
The U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down race-based affirmative action, but colleges have struggled to implement the ban. The new guidelines stress that affirmative action is now illegal but that there are other ways for schools to diversify their student bodies. Read the explainer from Liam Knox of Inside Higher Ed. (August 2023) …
North America Box Office Hits Low Point
The North American box office hit a 2023 low this weekend, with top film “The Nun II” estimated to take in a paltry $8.4 million, industry watchers said Sunday. “The numbers are not good,” said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research, describing an entire month of poor results. He said the months-long strikes by…
China Wins First Gold Medals of Asian Games
The first gold medals at the Asian Games were all won by host nation China on Sunday in rowing, shooting and wushu after President Xi Jinping opened the two-week multisport extravaganza in a colorful ceremony. China claimed the first gold when Zou Jiaqi and Qiu Xiuping dominated the women’s lightweight double sculls rowing final to…
Check Out These Lesser-known Scholarships Available to International Students
Most students looking to study in the United States are already familiar with prospects for financial aid, but there are some lesser-known scholarships available. The Times of India has compiled a listing of scholarships — many offered by individual schools — that can benefit students from other countries. (August 2023). …
Despite Challenges, Afghan Refugee Students in the US Are Thriving
Two years after the Taliban took Kabul, Karin Fischer of the Chronicle of Higher Education profiles a group of Afghan women at the University of Delaware who fled Kabul. After learning English, mastering U.S. cultural norms and surviving the trauma of separation from their families, these students are now mentoring other new arrivals. (August 2023)…
Sudanese Filmmakers Who Fled War Screen Work in Nairobi
When an award-winning Sudanese filmmaker documented the journey of Sudan’s martial arts team, which traveled by road to Kenya for an international championship in 2019, he did not know that four years later he would be taking a similar path as he did in the film “Journey to Kenya” but for completely different reasons. VOA…
Know the Details, and Risks, of Student Loans
After School Africa takes a look at student loans and international students. “Normally, many people do not like the idea of loans, and it is not the first option in the minds of many people,” the article notes. “However, student loans can be the only option for some students who want to actualize their goals.”…
Asian Games Open Saturday in China
The Asian Games are an attention grabber. For starters, they involve more participants than the Summer Olympics. Organizers say more than 12,000 will be entered when the opening ceremony takes place Saturday in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou. That is more than the 10,500 expected for next year’s Paris Olympics. The giant numbers are…
Want an MBA from a US School? Here’s How One Man Made It from Indonesia to Wharton
A student from Indonesia writes about his path to studying for an MBA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Among his suggestions: apply to a range of schools and craft a compelling personal essay. Read more here. (August 2023) …
Academic Integrity in the US: What International Students Need to Know
International students have many things to learn about the U.S. when they arrive on American campuses. U.S. News & World Report delves into a less-common topic: academic integrity. The magazine explores basic expectations at many U.S. schools, including how to use quotes and citations in papers, how to avoid plagiarism and navigating artificial intelligence pitfalls.…
Rupert Murdoch, Creator of Fox News, Stepping Down as Head of News Corp. and Fox Corp.
Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old media magnate who created Fox News, is stepping down as leader of both Fox’s parent company and his News Corp. media holdings. Fox said Thursday that Murdoch would become chairman emeritus of both companies. His son, Lachlan, will become News Corp. chairman and continue as chief executive officer of Fox Corp.…
Chinese Interest Grows for US Study Tours
A surge in inquiries from China for overseas study tours to the U.S. suggests that parents of children from primary to high school are willing to pay the big money so their offspring can have an American classroom experience during their summer vacations. Yvonne Shi, director of Offer Education Consulting in El Monte, California, said…
Congress Could Stall a Landmark Research Funding Bill
The CHIPS and Science Act was signed into law a year ago and promised billions of dollars in funding for science at U.S. colleges and universities. However, Congress is already falling short of the funding targets called for by the legislation, instead focusing on investments in America’s semiconductor industry. Katherine Knott explains the situation for…
Virginia Visitors Splatter Stress Away in Paint Room
Just outside of Washington, D.C., in Northern Virginia, there is a place where anyone can release their inner painter and splatter their stress away. Maxim Adams has the story. Videographer: Sergey Sokolov; Video editor: Sergey Sokolov, Anna Rice …
Financial Savvy for International Students in US
In the Financial Express, Indian students take a look at money matters for international students in the U.S. Here are the details on credit cards, currency and more. (August 2023) …
One Professor’s Homework? Make a Friend
Martha Mulally, a biotechnology professor in Canada, urges each of her students to make a friend in the course. She noticed that students seemed disengaged and lonely, not knowing how to interact with each other after years of virtual instruction during the pandemic. So, she insists they work together outside of class in groups of…
London’s Historic Blue Plaques Seek More Diversity as 1,000th Marker Is Unveiled
A resounding thump breaks the silence as Jaulia Land drops a lump of grey-brown clay onto the slab roller before Ned Heywood cranks it through the machine once, twice, three times, creating a rectangle about an inch thick. Laying a pattern on top of the slab, Heywood slices through the clay to create a disc…
Northwestern University Has Tips for International Students
The Daily Northwestern, the student newspaper at Northwestern University, has advice for international students bound for the U.S. The tips include: Familiarizing yourself with the restrictions that come with an F-1 visa holder. Tapping on-campus resources like the Office of International Students for support. Read the full story here. (August 2023) …
Want to Study STEM in the US? Here’s What You Need to Know
Programs focusing on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) are popular among foreign students looking to study in the U.S. After School Africa takes a look at some of the reasons why these paths are popular and gives a rundown of study options. Read more here. (August 2023) …
Iranian Soccer Fans Flock to Ronaldo’s Hotel After Saudi Team Arrives in Tehran
Hundreds of soccer fans stormed into a hotel in Tehran on Monday, hoping for a glimpse of star player Cristiano Ronaldo after he arrived with his Saudi teammates ahead of a game. Chanting “Ronaldo, Ronaldo,” the fans pushed past police, filling the corridors and public spaces of the Espinas Palace Hotel. Ronaldo arrived on his…