Foreign students…

There are plenty of single foreign students.

Germanshepherdsmum

There are plenty of single foreign students.

So? There are plenty of potential students - especially females with spouses - who won't be able to study in the UK, so they're missing out, as are the UK universities.

Germanshepherdsmum

There are plenty of single foreign students.

Seems so.

Studying is solitary, or was for our over educated girls.

MayBee The government's statistics show that most of them don't stay in the UK, so they don't add to long-term immigration stats. Most of them are post-grad, so they''ve already got a degree from somewhere. What they do is bring knowledge from other countries - and lots of money, of course. They're also brilliant ambassadors for the UK and are often part of international scientific/academic/business/diplomatic networks for life.

There were several foreign PhD students in our department, and the whole university, when I was doing my doctorate. Some of them did bring their families - 3 years was a long time to be away from spouses and children - and we were friendly with some of them.

A few stayed, mostly those who found partners here. One or two came back because of the unstable situation in their home country. Most got their qualifications and went home, with their families.

Students on short courses could be banned from bringing families as they're not here for so long, but it's unfair to those who are here for several years and not good for university finances if we don't get the students.

Norah

Germanshepherdsmum

There are plenty of single foreign students.

Seems so.

Studying is solitary, or was for our over educated girls.

Good grief! Research is collaborative.

There could be a loophole for universities, which is to change masters courses to MRes courses.

growstuff

Norah

Germanshepherdsmum

There are plenty of single foreign students.

Seems so.

Studying is solitary, or was for our over educated girls.

Good grief! Research is collaborative.

Not all advance degrees are research based.

You know as well as I do that there are vast numbers of single foreign students applying to UK universities. Students with spouses can perhaps bear to be parted for a while in the interests of the improvement to their prospects that the desired qualification is likely to bring - and those who don’t have enough money to support dependants would have to do that anyway.

To be clear, we are talking here about Post Grad students being potentially affected, not 'students' in general.

Undergrads can't bring family members to the UK during their course.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65683046

Norah

growstuff

Norah

Germanshepherdsmum

There are plenty of single foreign students.

Seems so.

Studying is solitary, or was for our over educated girls.

Good grief! Research is collaborative.

Not all advance degrees are research based.

No, but they can be tweaked. My partner's university now doesn't run MSc courses in his specialism. They're all MRes. An increasing number of masters courses are MRes. Maybe the universities knew what was coming.

Germanshepherdsmum

You know as well as I do that there are vast numbers of single foreign students applying to UK universities. Students with spouses can perhaps bear to be parted for a while in the interests of the improvement to their prospects that the desired qualification is likely to bring - and those who don’t have enough money to support dependants would have to do that anyway.

Indeed

Study was solitary for our girls

I assume by that you mean that they lived alone in solitary single occupation accommodation with no contact with friends and family.

It must have been pretty grim for them. My children were in shared flats with others on their course, where, as well as revising alone, they also had people they could discuss issues with have an occasional cup of coffee and share a meal.

My DGD is sitting GCSES at the moment. Living in a home with her family. She revises on her own in her bedroom, but has parents who by looking after her and providing meals and company for her when she needss it and keeping her grounded and stopping her from worrying too much are aiding her success

Many overseas students go to university at an older age than our students do because of the difficulty of funding. They are married and have children. We worry about the effect that incarceration has on the children of prisoners when their parent is away from them for years at a time. Foreign students have committed no crimes, why should their children have their lives disrupted and parental bonds damaged because their parents are studying abroad? The stability of living a normal family life with spouse and children , must enhance a students mental well being and capacity to make most of their education over here. Universities have libraries, study areas and other spaces where a student needing isolation can study, knowing that the end of the day, like so many British students they can return to their immediate family and relax.

Choices and sacrifices have to be made when one has children.

M0nica I assume by that you mean that they lived alone in solitary single occupation accommodation with no contact with friends and family.

I meant what I typed, they studied alone - or told us they did.

They all lived in halls at first, then flats with other girls. Then alone in flats when in advanced education. I feel sure they were in contact with outsiders when they weren't studying as they did marry after finishing.

I'll ask - they're round all this week, new topic for mum.

I'm assuming none of you have been that postgraduate student abroad- or the spouse of one?

Many years ago my husband won a Fulbright Award for postgraduate study in America and all three of us went. Fortunately the funding supported me and our little girl too.

If we had not been able to go as a family we would not have gone at all. To us, the family was more important than mere career progression...

As it happens I believe good things came out of it for everyone, not just us, the university and the Fulbright Commission too (and Anglo-American relationships in my husband's circle of expertise).

We returned to the UK afterwards with no problems - but our connection with America continues, and now, our son, born there during this time, is living, working and employing people there.

I do not believe that bringing immediate family with you while you study is at all the same as bringing parents and grandparents in.

As someone upthread said, most go home and the few remaining add to our universities and pool of knowledge.

There will be a loophole for those doing research based courses, so they will be able to bring dependents, but not others, which seems fair enough to me.

growstuff

Germanshepherdsmum

There are plenty of single foreign students.

So? There are plenty of potential students - especially females with spouses - who won't be able to study in the UK, so they're missing out, as are the UK universities.

growstuff Just speaking in general I think really, do you believe that everything in the Uk should be available for everyone in every other country?

oops, didnt mean to link that in to any other post.

People do what they do - to achieve what they desire. Daughter3 went to Cambridge, MA, in America, on some scheme for her master's - alone. No partner, no parents. Did well. Moved back to Suffolk. The end.

I don't assume one needs others along to study. However, I was done with all school at 16, what do I know? We just pay!

Norah we are talking families here. Would you separate a parent from their young children for 2 or 3 years because they are studying for a degree?

Not every overseas student can afford to fly home every vacation, or even once in a year. I have met a number of students, especially from poorer countries, who come here at the start of their degree and do not go home until it is complete. When parents are paying for their children's education, they can often only afford to educate one at a time, so younger children may be in their late 20s before they get their turn.

Your daughter was not married with children when she went to to the US. Would she have been happy to leave a child under 5 at home with father and grandparents while she studied overseas for a year?

Basically they can’t stop illegal migration so they’re trying to look proactive y stopping legal migration…

M0nica

Norah we are talking families here. Would you separate a parent from their young children for 2 or 3 years because they are studying for a degree?

Not every overseas student can afford to fly home every vacation, or even once in a year. I have met a number of students, especially from poorer countries, who come here at the start of their degree and do not go home until it is complete. When parents are paying for their children's education, they can often only afford to educate one at a time, so younger children may be in their late 20s before they get their turn.

Your daughter was not married with children when she went to to the US. Would she have been happy to leave a child under 5 at home with father and grandparents while she studied overseas for a year?

Quibbling.

People in forces are away, often, what about them?

People train. People have off-site jobs for extended periods

She liked Cambridge, loved coming home. Not all schooling programs take 2 or 3 years, if one gets on with it, finishes fast.

fancythat

growstuff

Germanshepherdsmum

There are plenty of single foreign students.

So? There are plenty of potential students - especially females with spouses - who won't be able to study in the UK, so they're missing out, as are the UK universities.

growstuff Just speaking in general I think really, do you believe that everything in the Uk should be available for everyone in every other country?

Ask university vice chancellors what they think about the money.

Your question is irrelevant because we're not talking here about everything being available for everyone.