Irish universities make their presence felt at Education UK fair
The number of Indian students applying for universities abroad is growing by the year, and the United States and the United Kingdom still remain popular destinations for higher studies.
Despite the Euro Zone crisis last year, there has been no dent in the number of scholarships offered to students, said L Dhanasekaran, head of Education UK (South India), the British Council.
The annual Education UK Fair, held in Bangalore on Monday, witnessed a good turnout of students. For many students, though the UK has a slightly expensive fee structure, it gives a degree that makes them secure because of the quality of education.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, a student of Trio World School said she was keen on getting admitted to a university in the UK for graduation in law. She feels she has more choices for electives of her interest in the British universities than in the US and India.
Arishi, a student of Christ College, is looking at the UK for her post-graduation in journalism. Higher fee doesn’t matter compared to the opportunities presented, she says.
For a few others like Anil Kumar, an engineering student who aspires to pursue Bioinformatics in a good university abroad, the UK works only if scholarships are available. “I am entirely dependent on scholarships. If not, I will choose a university in the US which offers more research-oriented courses,” he says.
Daisy, a teacher at Trio World School, also prefers the US universities over the UK varsities. She feels the US universities are fairer in terms of the selection process, as they don’t hold grades as the only criterion. “Universities in the US give importance to the statement of purpose and teachers’ reference. This is fairer to students.”
However, since the UK education system is closer to the Indian system and is very rigorous, many students opt for it, she observes. Among her students, law, psychology, arts and economics are a popular choice. Engineering has taken a backseat, says the teacher.
“From Bangalore, we get many students for Arts Design and Fashion Studies,” says Dhanasekaran.
The fair was earlier conducted in Pune, Chennai and Hyderabad, which also saw a huge turnout of students, according to him.
Irish varsities
While the US and the UK are the traditional choices, Irish universities are all set to make themselves visible in India.
Seven universities from Ireland — Trinity College, Dublin, University College, Dublin, University College, Cork, National University of Ireland Galway, National University of Ireland Maynooth, Dublin City University and University of Limerick were in the City to present before the students the opportunities available in Ireland.
“Irish universities have seen a lot of Chinese students, but very few Indian students,” said Prof Frank Roche, UCD College of Business and Law.
Ireland is the headquarters for many multinational companies. That apart, pharma industry in Ireland is witnessing a steady growth, said the professor, who felt that there are plenty of job opportunities in the country for Indian students.
“Most of the students from here are polyglots who can also speak good English, which provides them an edge over students from other countries,” he said adding that companies such as Google and other social media ventures look for people fluent in three or four languages.
Research sector is also flourishing, creating more opportunities, Roche said, opining that this was just about the right time for students to pursue education in Ireland.
