Degree Requires Self-Exile By Zaina Afarat: An Analysis

For my Follow-on Service Project, I aim to promote the notion that studying abroad is an experience that everyone can have. I will emphasized that this opportunity is not limited to the elite few who have the money to pay for the experience out of their own pocket. I will accomplish this by highlighting the various funding opportunities available to students, especially those opportunities geared specifically toward lower-income students. I will encourage students to look at every possible avenue such as local scholarships available back home, university scholarships, organizational scholarships, departmental scholarships, state-level scholarships, and national scholarships.

In the article, “Colleges Adapt to New Kinds of Students from Abroad,” Karin Fischer (2011) explains the increase of foreign students in U.S. universities leads to make more problems in campus and how universities are trying to overcome those problems and help foreign students to adapt to campus. Fischer explains the increase of the foreign undergraduate students due to the support from foreign governments. Fischer quotes Wesley Young, the director of services for international students and scholars at the University of California at Davis, to discuss that the increase of foreign undergraduate students especially requires more care and help than graduate students. While older students know what they need to do and what to do in U.S. university,

Living in America is often taken for granted, but many would risk their lives just to live in this free country. My parents risked their lives escaping from Laos after the Vietnam War in order to reach America hoping for a better life. My dad’s struggles in life has inspired me to pursue higher education in order to create a brighter future for myself. Being the first generation children born in America has given me the opportunity of free education. In America education

In the article, “Low-Income Students Seeking the Education They Need to Move Up,” Emily Yount writes about the way that poverty affects people entering higher education. In her story, a girl named Chelsea is a single mom trying to get her education, and the path is difficult for her. In this paper, I will discuss both my mother and Chelsea and show the ways that it is mainly the single moms that struggle the most in this society. Regardless if you’re rich or poor, your economic status always is important. A student’s economic status has a great impact and can affect her depending on the decisions she makes.

In “Keeping Close to Home: Class and Education”, bell hooks writes about her experience with her family as she, a young educated black woman, first of her family, goes off to Stanford University. While her parents’ attitude towards her leaving her home to further her education was not the best, hooks used this struggle to make an educated point that while pursuing a higher education, it is important for young adults to maintain family and community values. While reading this essay, I not only agreed but also connected personally with hooks’ point about never forgetting where you come from due to my family’s immigrant background.

In the article Shattered Lives by Kristin Lewis Dania faces several challenges living as a refugee outside her country. First of all Dania and her family had no choice but to fled after her school had closed and there was lots of bombing in her village. She had to run from the war. Which led to Dania’s family having to live in a small garage with no heat. In the article it talks about how Dania’s father tries finding jobs where he can, but trying to find good paying jobs is hard. Dania misses everything she had to leave behind, like her home her friends, everything. Dania was enrolled in school, and everything is getting better, the school helps them a lot like with everyday items she needs for school and food. The war in Syria hasn’t ended,

“The importance of foreign students’ cultural, political and economic contribution has gained a fresh focus in the light of a recent travel ban on citizens from the Middle East and African countries.” – Humar

As upcoming high school seniors, many such as myself, desire scholarships in order to alleviate the financial burden that attending a university can bring. Though this considerable and generous scholarship prize money will be used to further my education at Texas A&M University, my main wish is to bring pride and satisfaction to my family. As a first generation student, I am humbled by the opportunity of obtaining an education in America. Since my parents were migrants from Vietnam and Hong Kong, a successful life here was unheard of many years before. Financial strains do occasionally plague our lives, however, we have not forgotten the strenuous hard work and sacrifice that my parents have conquered in order to put their two daughters through

It should be common sense that those who work hard in school and achieve academically should be rewarded with the opportunity to attend better universities in our field of study. When Caldwell seeks advice from her friends on Facebook, the issue of attending the University of Wisconsin or Rutgers University is controversial. Although some argue that her son should attend Wisconsin “debt be damned”, others contend that the debt is not worth it and he should settle for Rutgers and transfer later if he desires. My view is that debts should be avoided when possible, but people should not be punished for their achievements in the education system. The harsh costs of further education limit the abilities of many middle class people, such as home ownership, job opportunities, and financial independence. Achievement and success should not be limited by being born into a family that provides a decent standard of living. The middle class is being left behind in the wake of budget cuts and higher tuition because many people earn too much to be considered for need based aid and are also incapable of affording skyrocketing tuition, room and board, and many of the other required expenses of higher education without sacrifice and looming loans. The insights of Deborah Caldwell into the costs of college are disappointing because it is just the story of one family that is facing the expense of a necessary part in a child’s education. The decision to accept financial burden to attend a prestigious program or for financial stability and a mediocre experience is a difficult one that society has forced man to make. The values of a community are reflected in their policies, and many across the country have realized the harm of slashing college aid programs. It is important

Ever since before the inception of a stricter limitation on granting of U.S. educational visas in the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks, the US immigration policy for foreign graduate students has become the focus of a powerful debate in congress. Those who are worried about the policy change argue that it will damage the nation’s transformational capability. For example, most of the U.S. University representatives are becoming more and more alarmed that these boundaries might cause a

“I don’t mind if I have to sit on the floor at school. All I want is an education,” said Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani activist for female education. In today's society, many people don’t realize how grateful they should be for the education they receive. Even the slightest education is much more than people were receiving just three centuries ago, and even more than people in countries besides the United States of America. In specifics, women and African Americans were once unable to pursue any form of education in the United States, along with many other ethnicities.

Five years ago I had to flee Syria to save my life, I had to leave my university as well. As a new immigrant, few things can be challenging. However, soon I was able to go back to school. I was advised to take some classes at a community college to get a good start toward my bachelor’s degree. Yet, the financial side came in the way. “Give up” is a word that doesn’t exist in my dictionary, so I went ahead and worked hard to establish myself financially. I stopped school for a little bit and was able to prove my success in the business world. Today, I stand tall and ready to go back to school and obtain my four-year degree. More ready than ever for a shiny future.

The U.S has long been an attractor of some of the finest academics. Filled with known academic juggernauts, the best of students has always flocked the U.S. with the hope of getting the best possible education. (This is one of the factors which influenced K’s coming to the U.S. to continue his education after living in the U.K. It is worth noting that during this time, with the newly found oil wealth, a large number of Iranians came to the U.S to study. In fact, in our interview with K, he made it clear that Boston, Massachusetts was a preferred option because of the presence of a large Iranian diaspora.) At the beginning of the Iranian Revolution in 1978, there were 36,220 Iranians enrolled in U.S. universities, in one year, the number

The various ethnicities that comprise the student body across the country has influenced education in today’s society. At any time one can look up the breakdown of the different ethnic groups in schools, and I see the greatest effect of this statistic translating into money being given to further education particularly at the college level. With senior year in progress, college is right around the corner, and much more inevitable for a successful future than ever before in the world we live in. But in order to receive an education at the collegiate level, we must be able to afford it, which is a pivotal factor regarding choices in individuals’ lives. While everyone is different, the scholarships that a certain person is presented with are much

In the US, I witnessed the challenges of many Diaspora members, and I kept thinking about strategies to succeed and help others. While I was struggling to achieve my American dream that at one point I thought was an American nightmare, relatives and friends in Africa were unceasingly asking for my financial help more than I could and not realizing that, in order to obtain my doctorate, I had to go