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Facing U.S. security hurdles, top students flock to Canada
Thought this was kind of interesting:
Source
| quote: | By CAROLINE ALPHONSO
Tuesday, February 22, 2005 Updated at 2:57 PM EST
EDUCATION REPORTER
Canada's top universities are seeing a huge influx of applications from high-quality international graduate students as many try to avoid the layers of security checks and visa problems introduced in the United States after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Foreign applications to the University of Toronto and McGill University have doubled in the past four years. And at the University of British Columbia, they have climbed by about 25 per cent.
"There's no doubt that the difficulties in the U.S. have been Canada's gain in terms of interest from international students," said Jenny Phelps, director of student academic services for the faculty of graduate studies at UBC.
International graduate enrolment climbed almost 20 per cent at Canadian universities between the academic year 2002-03 and 2003-04, according to a survey of seven universities done by the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies.
At the same time, institutions in the United States are struggling with a 6-per-cent decline in enrolment after a decade of steady growth.
Portuguese resident David da Silva can rhyme off a list of reasons for choosing to complete his PhD at McGill University rather than an Ivy League U.S. school: engaging professors, cutting-edge research and a notable biology program. But the reason that stands out is that the foreign student wanted to avoid the security hassles that came with studying in the United States.
"With the present international situation about terrorism . . . you kind of think twice before wanting to go to the States," said Mr. da Silva, 29. His university in Portugal, the University of Coimbra, requires him to do part of his research in developmental biology outside his home country.
"Most of the very good scientists are in the States. That's true. But I think Canada and Montreal and McGill for me is a good compromise between being in North America and not being in the States," Mr. da Silva said.
The same holds true for California native Joshua Caulkins. The political climate in the United States helped sway his decision to move to Vancouver and do his PhD at UBC, he said. He has found that other Americans doing their graduate studies in Canada share his political views.
"I feel really lucky to be here during this time of turmoil in the world. It feels so safe to be in Canada," said Mr. Caulkins, 28. "I don't like what's going on down there, and I'm glad I'm here during this time."
The United States's loss is Canada's gain, university officials say.
"It's more like politics was a kind of a wake-up call or a catalyst for [foreign] students to start noticing that there were options outside of the United States," said Susan Pfeiffer, dean of graduate studies at the University of Toronto.
But despite the flood of applications, both from the United States and abroad, there's still concern among university officials that Canada can't take full advantage of the growth in applications unless the federal and provincial governments provide more money.
Universities put together financial packages for almost all graduate students to help cover their tuition fees and living expenses. But Martha Crago, dean of graduate and postdoctoral studies at McGill, said government funding has been cut or frozen in many provinces, and universities can't afford to compete with U.S. or Australian universities for top students.
"They won't come for nothing," Dr. Crago said.
She added: "Recruiting is an F word. It means fellowship. You recruit by offering money. If we got more from the government for foreign students, we would be able to fund more."
At McGill, PhD students receive a package averaging about $16,000, not nearly enough to take care of an international student's costs, Dr. Crago said.
To compete with other countries, the university started a minimum funding guarantee five years ago for its doctoral students. Students in the humanities stream get $12,000 a year, plus their tuition as long as they remain in good standing. In sciences, students receive $15,000 in addition to their tuition.
In fact, the number of applications dipped this past year in part because of a significant decline in the number of Chinese students applying overseas due to increased competition from universities at home, UBC's Ms. Phelps said.
Universities make big money on higher tuition from undergraduate international students. But at the graduate level, the motivation is not the cash, but rather to attract innovative students who will conduct groundbreaking research and raise the international profile of the university.
"The push is to attract the best students wherever they're from," said Ms. Phelps. "It's a push to be competitive for the best students."
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but hey maybe theres gonna be space for me in harvard 
Nathan Fake - Outhouse (Valentino Kanzyani Remix) 
