E-Paper
Coronavirus pandemic forces students to put their study abroad dreams on hold
Education consultants and students have been left in the lurch as there is no information from universities abroad about cancellation or rescheduling of new academic year and reopening of institutes.
For many students, the plans of studying abroad have been put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. From identifying the best university and best-suited courses, taking tests online, filling up several college applications and applying for the visas, students feel disheartened as the effort and time devoted by them to the lengthy process has gone for a toss all of a sudden.
A Delhi-resident and fashion enthusiast, Priya Goel, who had applied to several fashion and designs universities in Italy for her bachelor’s degree was looking forward to the new session from October, shares her plight and says, “I was always keen on studying at one of the premier fashion and design colleges and had applied to a couple of them in Italy. But now, I’m unsure of going overseas for my degree and don’t even think my family will agree now. I also have no clue yet about whether the money spent on the applications will be reversed or not, or whether we’ll be given a choice of opting for online classes but spending so much amount for a distance learning course will not make sense.”
Italy being synonymous with rich art, design and culture and the hub of world’s greatest fashion labels is one of the preferred destinations by Indian students to pursue a career in fashion. Another student, Tripti Rughwani pursuing masters in fashion styling, photography and film in Italy decided to return to India before the situation got worse. She states, “In the last week of February, our school sent a mail stating classes have suspended and the school will not host any activities for a week. So we measured the situation and our parents decided us to call us back home.”
For Rughwani, her third semester classes have begun online and will go on till June. She says, “A lot of students were agitated and requested university to not begin the third semester because our course is a very practical one and requires hands-on experience. But we have got a mail from college saying that they will compensate for the practical classes but nothing is confirmed. It’s just a ray of hope so that way we don’t lose out on the opportunities we paid for.” She also says, “Our student visas are valid till October because from June onwards, we were supposed to have an internship/job period but we [international students] haven’t been informed about visas yet.
So, will the pandemic witness a dip in students applying at international universities due to no clear information by universities? Aradhana Khaitan Mahna, founder and managing director, Manya Education Pvt. Ltd., that offers study abroad services, says, “Right now, nobody is saying anything. There is certainly 20% of the students who are either dropping or deferring their plans to next year, another 10-15% are stating that they’re still confused but remaining say that they’re still on track. We have been talking to them regularly. On the other hand, universities are also saying that there’s nothing that has changed and they look forward to welcoming students for Fall in August/September. Of course, the summer sessions and intakes have moved online. But worst case we expect that depending on how things span out, may be the fall semester will move online but after that it should be back to normal. But right now, there’s no confirmed news.”
However, some education consultants also state that the demand for international courses is still on the rise particularly due to lack courses choices and specialisation. A Delhi-based education consultant informs that although they’re still getting requests from students to study in Europe, “but some universities have postponed the admissions to next year 2021 because of the pandemic and also extended deadlines for application submissions to ease out the process for students”, he says.
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