While parents of Indian students are worried about safety, only 1% of those set to go for higher studies in the United States (US) this fall have decided to defer it to January next year. Most feel that the ongoing ‘pro-Palestine’ protests on campuses, which are somewhat subdued now, will die down by the time the academic session resumes in August, post the summer break.
For those who have secured admission and paid for flight bookings, college fee and accommodation, not taking visa will mean losing a year, when they have been preparing for two years. Fall (September-October) is the largest intake period for the US universities.
Most colleges and universities in the US have turned into battlegrounds with students participating in a ‘Pro-Palestine’ movement for the past couple of months and the local police cracking down on student encampments to disperse the protesters.
Campuses of prominent universities saw violence and students being detained by the local police authorities. Currently, most encampments have been taken down by the police. In retaliation, students have begun protesting outside the houses of college trustees, while some have planned to stage a walkout at the graduation commencement ceremony.
With the summer break approaching in most universities – three months from mid-June or more – the larger sentiment is that the situation may de-escalate.
According to Pratibha Jain, Eduabroad Consulting, parents of Indian students, who have secured admission to colleges and universities in the US and are set to go during the fall intake (September-October), have queries on their children’s safety. “Parents are nervous about safety, but if they don’t take visa now, the student will lose a year. Only around 1% of those planning to join college in the US in the fall have deferred it to January next year. They are hopeful that post the long summer break, the movement would lose momentum,” said Jain, a Mumbai-based study abroad consultant.
US UNIVERSITIES CUT DOWN ON SUMMER COURSES TO MAKE STUDENTS GO HOME
Jain added that American universities this year have largely reduced the number of summer courses they would offer during the June-July period as a legally valid way to make students leave campus for the entire summer. “Every year, for instance, if a university used to offer 60 summer courses, it has reduced the number to six this time. This is mainly due to the protests. When there are no courses, students cannot come to the campus,” said Jain.
Also, the concern is mainly for those going to prominent universities like Columbia and the UCLA, among others, where the protests broke out. Those going to universities in the mid-west say it is not an issue as there weren’t any large-scale demonstrations as such, she said.
Every year, on an average, around 1.5 lakh student visas are issued to the US, which reports say is one of the top study abroad destinations, closely followed by the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia.
Jain said that a larger change, which has been in the pipeline and has become visible this year, is that around 3-5% of those planning to study abroad have decided to pursue undergraduate studies back in India, while they could go for post-graduation to foreign universities. “This could be for multiple reasons, including fear of safety due to racism, private universities in India getting recognition by accrediting authorities as well as financial factors,” she said.
A Delhi-based parent, whose daughter is to join college in the US this fall, said he was slightly worried about her safety, but since she has been preparing, they will stick to the decision. “We have been speaking to other parents as well, the concern is not too much as the protests have toned down already and may go down even further. We have just asked her to not get involved whatever the case may be,” said her father, who didn’t wish to be named.
While some parents said it was better to wait and watch, others said they may have to “re-evaluate” their choice of college if the situation doesn’t improve. Ashish Mehta, based in Mumbai, whose son is set to join the New York University in the fall, said, “I am monitoring the situation daily to see how it’s escalating. It is obviously stressful to send your kid halfway across the world, especially where protests and arrests are going on. My son is headed to a city college, where protests have been on in full swing. If the situation doesn’t calm down, we don’t know if re-evaluating the college decision would make more sense.”
Mumbai-based Seema Shah, whose daughter is set to join the Northeastern University, said, “It is definitely a cause for concern for all parents. It’s too early to take any action or change any decisions that have been made. We’re not jumping to conclusions. Let’s wait and see how the situation progresses. It’s still a couple of months away – maybe all the protests will fizzle out by then.”
ADVISORY CLEAR FOR INDIAN STUDENTS: ‘DO NOT GET INVOLVED’
LeverageEdu, another study abroad platform, too, said that although there is a concern, it is not “over the top”.
“We are asking Indian students to stay safe during these times, but the larger feeling is that it will die out eventually. Most universities we have spoken to have promised us that measures such as detention are extreme and rare. Racial sensitisation is happening across campuses in the US and most colleges with open grounds etc have been advised to suspend mass gathering of students,” said Akshay Chaturvedi, founder and CEO, Leverage Edu.
Even if the movement continues post summer, the advisory is to not get involved.
Taking part in protests peacefully doesn’t put Indian students in visa trouble, however, in cases of cities where there is a curfew in place, violating it may lead to questioning or an arrest, which will get reported to ICE (US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement).
“Repeat offences will have consequences on renewal or the current visa status. We have spoken to professors and even university authorities and the advisory is clear — do not get involved. So far, international students we have spoken to are complying with it,” he said.
Stay ahead with all the exam results updates on News18 Website.
Comments
0 comment