Sometimes, watching globalization from America isn’t the same as going overseas to see it at work. I recently returned from a semester teaching at Bahcesehir University in Istanbul. BAU was founded as an intentionally global university, growing hand-in-hand with the emerging global economy. It has campuses in nine different countries, and purposefully draws a student body from around the world. Working with its students gave me a chance to learn more about what drives students to study abroad. Below are four institutional and cultural dynamics driving overseas study.
1) Capacity squeeze: Some countries, especially those that have been working to boost college attendance, simply don’t have enough capacity in their college systems to accommodate every qualified domestic student. Like many other developing countries, Turkey has been under pressure from the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and other partners to improve its educational system at all levels up to and including college. These same institutions have also helped Turkey to modernize its economy, creating a demand for a college-educated workforce.
The result has been a surge in students prepared for college study and a demand for more college graduates. This has far outpaced the rate at which universities and colleges have been able to expand in Turkey, leaving many potential students without a domestic option for college attendance. According to the Turkish Online Journal of Higher Education, only forty percent of Turkish college applicants were admitted to any domestic university in 2009.
2) Overseas opportunity: At the same time that domestic capacity has fallen behind the demand, new partnerships with foreign governments and institutions have made it easier to go abroad for opportunity. The Erasmus Programme, a project of the European Union, represents a signature effort to facilitate international student study within Europe. It was popular enough to be recognized by name on the streets of Turkey, and a large part of BAU’s foreign student population was affiliated with it.
BAU also supported its own foreign study programs. The school heavily encourages its domestic students to study abroad at its own overseas campuses, and works in partnership with American schools to find overseas practical internships for students.
3) Civil unrest: Educators are beginning to recognize domestic civil unrest as a motivation for overseas study. The European Association for International Education recently offered a panel discussion on the issue at its 2013 conference in Istanbul.
For myself, working in the Middle East this year offered a front-row view of the worst challenges that students and professionals face in this regard. My classes at BAU included students from Syria, Egypt, Iraq, and other unstable countries whose families had come to Turkey with enough resources to continue their childrens’ education. Schools offered social integration and economic mobility, but also something of a refuge from the challenging day-to-day task of settling into a new country.
4) Foreign institution reputability: Lately, American Universities have encountered growing skepticism at home about the value of their education after graduation. In many other countries, however, students still view an American degree as a valuable credential for working and doing business locally. For that matter, they still see opportunity in the American labor market. Many of my students at BAU were actively seeking study opportunities at American campuses, with an eye towards working their way into Silicon Valley or other American technology and business centers.
Going to Turkey was one of the most educational experiences that I have enjoyed in university management. It gave me a set of new perspectives on global education management, only some of which I’ve been able to introduce here. I’m looking forward to addressing more of my observations from the trip in future blogs.
Brendan O’Brine has been working in college education since 2006. He holds a law degree from the University of California and recently completed his Master of Education courses at Northeastern University.
