Facing the epidemic, should I go abroad or not?
The spread of the new crown epidemic globally has forced many students to change their study abroad plans. The continuation of the overseas epidemic and the extension and suspension of visas and language tests have made parents and students more cautious when choosing to study abroad.
How does the epidemic affect students' willingness to study abroad? What are the future development prospects of the study abroad industry?
The trend of the epidemic affects the willingness to study abroad
After learning that the University of Manchester in the UK will contact overseas students to charter flights to help them return to the UK on time to start school, Chinese student Li Mengchen was a little relieved.
As early as the beginning of this year, she was faced with a dilemma: Go, the new crown epidemic spreads in Europe, and the risk is unpredictable; if you don’t, Manchester University is her ideal college, and there will be basically no allowable delay. The possibility of enrollment, if you give up this year’s enrollment, you can only apply again later.
After thinking about it again and again, after discussing many plans with her family, she has made up her mind in her mind that she still has to seize this opportunity to finish the journey of studying abroad. "But it is really difficult to make such a decision, because one is the risk of the epidemic, and the other is my dream for many years." Li Mengchen said.
Li Mengchen's concerns are the epitome of the mentality entanglement of many international students and prospective students at this stage. In addition to concerns about the future trend of the epidemic, changes in teaching methods and their own economic reasons have also made some Chinese students choose to delay enrollment or abandon their study abroad plans. As the fall semester approaches, many students become more anxious about how to choose.
"The course teaching in studying abroad is only part of it. Club activities, practical experience, making more friends, etc. are all very important parts of studying abroad. But now it is changed to online teaching, and the tuition is only exchanged for the course teaching part, frankly It's not cost-effective." Wang Zhe got an offer from California State University. The school has previously announced that it will continue to provide online teaching this fall and will not open the campus.
There are not a few international students with similar views as Wang Zhe. There have been ridicules of "hundreds of thousands of online classes" on the Internet, which once aroused heated discussions. However, for the sake of prevention and control of the epidemic, it is really helpless for schools to teach online.
Studying abroad institutions seeking to transform themselves
International students are in a dilemma, and the study abroad agencies are also deserted. A trainer who works for a study abroad agency in Nanjing told our reporter that during the epidemic, the number of study abroad consultations at his company has dropped significantly compared to the same period last year, and the number of students and parents he has received has dropped sharply. In order to increase income, the trainer who is an Australian returnee now also works as a part-time English tutor.
In Beijing, a director of an agency responsible for studying in the United States and Canada told reporters that the families he has contacted who intend to study abroad will take longer to make decisions this year. Not only are they concerned about the new crown pneumonia epidemic, but many parents are also out of it. Considering the future direction of international relations, we have become more cautious when discussing plans for studying abroad with students.
The study abroad market is cold, and industry institutions are also seeking to transform themselves. During the epidemic, some students' demand for online scientific research and internship products has increased, and overseas study institutions are also accelerating the enrichment of product mix and using their own external resource advantages to respond to the impact of the epidemic.
Zhu Yanmin, chairman of the well-known study abroad institution Jin Gillie Study Abroad, is cautiously optimistic about the future study abroad market. In his opinion, the overall trend of the study abroad market will not change much, and will continue to show an upward trend. The postponement of international students this year will be the same as the normal application next year. Students have a stacking effect. Many aspects including visa processing, school application, dormitory accommodation and supporting study abroad services will bring development opportunities to service organizations.
Study abroad will return to stable momentum
Faced with external influences, parents are increasingly worried. Some experts predict that there will be a second wave of epidemics in autumn and winter. Before the successful development of special medicines and vaccines, it is difficult to return to normal life in studying abroad. At the same time, the changes in international relations brought about by the new crown pneumonia epidemic are the deep-seated reasons that families studying abroad consider. So, how should the road to study abroad be planned?
Not long ago, the "Opinions of the Ministry of Education and Other Eight Departments on Accelerating and Expanding the Opening up of Education in the New Era" was formally issued, reiterating that it will continue to train various talents needed for my country's modernization through the channels of studying abroad. The head of the International Department of the Ministry of Education said that he will vigorously improve the "safe study abroad" mechanism, safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of overseas students, and further institutionalize and normalize the effective practices explored in the process of responding to the epidemic. The impact of the special period on studying abroad is temporary. We will actively explore cooperation channels for high-quality educational resources and expand the space for studying abroad.
"Now we are also hesitating whether to send our children to study abroad, but we have done so much preparatory work before, and we are really not reconciled if we don't go." Mr. Sheng from Suzhou, Jiangsu told reporters. His daughter is about to enter the third year of high school in the fall. He and his wife originally planned to send their children to the U.S. for undergraduate studies. The preparations for the two years of high school were based on the needs of studying abroad.
Although the current epidemic has had a significant impact on overseas study and it is likely to continue for a period of time, many people in the industry are still optimistic about the prospects of studying abroad. Sun Tao, the president of New Oriental Futures Abroad, previously stated that in the long run, international students will be more cautious in choosing the way to go abroad, but this cautiousness stems more from concerns about the international environment and student health risks, rather than disapproving the value of studying abroad. He believes that after the external environment is stable, studying abroad will continue to return to a stable momentum.
Sun Yahui