A Student’s Perspective on International Education

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“Contemporary societies are marked by new global trends—economic, cultural, technological, and environmental shifts that are part of a rapid and uneven wave of globalization. The growing global interdependence that characterizes our time calls for a generation of individuals who can engage in effective global problem solving and participate simultaneously in local, national, and global civic life. Put simply, preparing our students to participate fully in today’s and tomorrow’s world demands that we nurture their global competence” (Asia Society xiii).

As our world rapidly changes with globalization and interdependence, our infrastructures to keep students competitive and competent need to keep pace. Through classroom exchanges and their free time on the internet, students interact from young ages with people all over the world. From my experience growing up in Seattle, attending both public and private schools in the area, there are good global education practices at work. The most salient examples of international education in grade school and secondary school in Seattle are opportunities for students to explore a second language and study abroad.

However, these opportunities are often not fully taken advantage of by the majority of students due to finances and a common view that a second language is only a graduation requirement and not necessarily a lifelong skill. This is where our schools could greatly improve. Using the Asia Society’s Global Competence framework, schools could pursue much stronger academic areas of international education.

As a student at the University of Washington I see how competitive not only getting into a strong university is, but also after graduation how competitive the job market is. For example, “3 jobs are created for every 7 international students studying in the United States” (Mapping the Nation). In 2013 close to 820,000 international students studied at U.S. colleges (NPR). Not only are US students competing with each other but they are also competing with students from other countries. Competition is not the only factor that should drive the development of global competence in US schools, but it is important to recognize and adapt to.