Breaking Into News: Journalism Education in US

A student in Vietnam asks about American J-schools.

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A student at Vietnam National University has a question for our Foreign Student Series. Phuong Lan wants to earn a master's degree in the United States and would like to know about journalism programs.

109 programs are recognized by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. Some of the best-known include the ones at the University of Southern California, the University of Missouri and the University of North Carolina. They also include the journalism schools at Columbia University in New York City and Northwestern University in Illinois.

Northwestern, for example, has the Medill School of Journalism. Medill says it provides its graduate students with the chance to study and work in the real world. Local newspapers and television stations carry their reports on government, crime and civic issues in the Chicago area. Other subjects include magazine publishing and Web design. And the Medill News Service offers experience reporting in Washington.

Graduate students at Medill can expect to pay more than 58,000 dollars this coming school year. That includes a place to live, meals, books and costs like health insurance. Medill also has an undergraduate program.

Medill scholarships or financial aid are not available to international students. Foreign students are advised to seek aid from their home country or groups like the Inter-American Press Association Scholarship Fund. Scholarship winners from Latin America and the Caribbean spend a year at a journalism school in the United States or Canada.

Journalism schools offer professional degrees, and some offer doctorates. Students may be able to earn a joint degree with another program like law or public policy.

It is true that the value of a journalism degree has been a traditional subject of debate among people in the media. But journalism schools offer training in skills like reporting, writing and production. They also teach about legal issues like plagiarism and libel law and freedom of speech. In addition they may offer classes in other areas, including public relations.

US Colleges for the Deaf

A look at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, New York.

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We are going to talk again this week about higher education for disabled students who want to study in the United States. As we noted last time, the National Federation of the Blind says there are no special colleges or universities for blind students.

But there are for deaf students. One of them is Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. Gallaudet says it is the world's only liberal arts university where everything is designed for deaf or hard-of-hearing students.

On May 9, Robert Davila became the ninth president of Gallaudet University

About 2,000 students attend Gallaudet. The cost for international students is about $33,000 a year.

Financial aid is available in the form of scholarships, but only after the first year of studies. Most scholarship aid goes to students in financial need who do well in their first year.

One scholarship for international students is for deaf students from developing countries. Another is just for students from China.

The university also offers an English Language Institute. But Gallaudet says this program does not guarantee acceptance to the university.

In the past year, students at Gallaudet protested over the administration's choice of a new president for the university. The protests resulted in the choice of a different president who is more popular with the students, Robert Davila.

He is a former chief executive officer of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. This technical college is in Rochester, New York. It is one of eight colleges in the Rochester Institute of Technology.

More than 1,000 students attend the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. About one hundred of them are international students. They come from Africa, Asia, Europe and South America.

The cost is about $28,000 a year for an international undergraduate student. Foreign graduate students pay about $28,000.

Both undergraduate and graduate students can receive limited financial aid. They can also take part in the student employment program. This program makes it possible for students to work at the school.

For Blind Foreign Students, Some Aid Available in US

A student in Nigeria asks if visually impaired foreign students can get a full scholarship as an undergraduate.

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A listener in Nigeria has a question about financial aid for blind and visually impaired college students in America. S.A. Ogunlowo in Ile-Ife wants to know if visually impaired foreign students can get a full scholarship as an undergraduate.

Financial aid programs in the United States, especially at the undergraduate level, do often require American citizenship. At the same time, scholarships often pay only part of the cost of an education. The National Federation of the Blind advises students to contact any school they wish to attend to ask about financial aid.

The federation is the country's largest group for the blind. Each year it awards scholarships that do not have any citizenship requirements. Students must be legally blind. And foreign students cannot apply until a college in the United States has already accepted them.

The application deadline was March 31 for 30 scholarships offered for this fall. Most are 3,000 dollars. The highest is 12,000 dollars.

The United States has an estimated one million blind adults. The federation says there are no special colleges or universities for the blind. But schools do offer special services and technology to help students with disabilities.

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AIT CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION WEEK NOVEMBER 12 - 16 WITH WIDE RANGE OF ACTIVITIES

The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) will participate in International Education Week to promote international education and educational exchange. From November 12 - 16, 2007, the EducationUSA Advising Centers in Taiwan, the AIT American Cultural Center in Taipei, and the American Corner in Taichung will jointly sponsor events for students, scholars, and professionals. The week's activities will involve current U.S. Fulbright scholars and recent graduates of U.S. universities.

International Education Week aims to attract future leaders from around the world to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the U.S. The theme for this year's International Education Week is International Education: Fostering Global Citizenship and Respect.

"AIT and the EducationUSA Taiwan team are celebrating International Education Week with many interesting activities across Taiwan. Taiwan students and their parents often tell me that the U.S. is their number one choice for study abroad," said AIT American Cultural Center Director Nicholas Papp. He encourages Taiwan students and their parents to participate in the week's activities and to log on to the EducationUSA Taiwan website - the number one source of information about opportunities for study in the U.S. - at http://www.educationusa.org.tw/.

The week's activities will include:

--student-centered lectures focusing on Study in the USA, including special talks for undergraduate and graduate students in Taipei and Taichung;

--radio interviews on ICRT Radio by EducationUSA advisers, AIT officers, and experts on international education;

--a digital video conference, "Internationalizing the University Campus: Sharing Experiences and Best Practices," featuring university and education officials from Taiwan and the U.S.;

--and an interactive web chat, "How to Succeed in Applying for Study in the U.S."

For details on the week's activities, please visit the EducationUSA website at http://www.educationusa.org.tw/.

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美國在台協會舉辦多項活動慶祝11月12-16日國際教育週

美國在台協會將舉辦國際教育週期，促進國際教育與交流。從11月12日至16日，台灣留美諮詢中心、台北美國在台協會美國文化中心、及台中美國資料中心，將為學生、學者與專業人士舉辦多項活動。國際教育週的活動也會有現任美國傅爾布萊特學者和美國各大學新近畢業生參加。

國際教育週的宗旨在吸引世界各地未來的領袖，到美國留學、進修和經驗交流。今年國際教育週的主題是﹕國際教育﹕促進全球公民精神與尊重。

美國在台協會美國文化中心主任潘柏楷說﹕「美國在台協會與『留學美國』台灣小組，正在全台各地舉辦許多有趣的活動，來慶祝國際教育週。台灣的學生和家長常常告訴我，美國是他們出國留學的第一選擇。」潘柏楷主任鼓勵台灣的學生和家長，踴躍參與國際教育週的活動，並上「留學美國」台灣網站瀏覽﹕http://www.educationusa.org.tw/，這是在台灣有關留美資訊的最佳來源。

今年國際教育週的活動包括﹕

--以學生為中心、著重於留學美國的演講，包含在台北和台中特別為大學部與研究所學生舉辦的說明會。

--ICRT電台訪問「留學美國」顧問、美國在台協會官員、及國際教育專家。

--視訊會議，題目是「大學校園國際化﹕經驗分享與最佳作法」，參加者有台灣及美國的大學和教育官員。

--網路互動對談，題目是「如何成功的完成留美申請」。

有關各項活動詳情，請上「留學美國」網站瀏覽﹕http://www.educationusa.org.tw/。

WEBCHAT: Educators Will Provide Tips on Studying in the United States

Taiwan is the sixth leading place of origin for international students in the United States. As the American Institute in Taiwan celebrates International Education Week, two guests will share their experience and tips on how to successfully apply for degree programs in the United States.

On Wednesday, November 14, from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Taiwan time, join us for an online discussion with Professor Rae Lan and EducationUSA educational adviser Clarence Fu.

Professor Lan teaches in the Department of English at Soochow University in Taipei, Taiwan. She received her doctorate from the University of Maryland. Clarence Fu, a former Fulbright fellow, is an EducationUSA adviser with the Foundation for Scholarly Exchange.

If you would like to participate in this webchat, please sign up on the USINFO Webchat registration page. Please tell us your preferred screen name; use of full names is not required.

If you have participated in one of our previous webchats, use the same e-mail. (You no longer need to enter a password.) You may submit questions in advance.

We accept questions and comments in advance of, and at any time during, the program. You may also e-mail questions without registering. We welcome questions in either Chinese or English.

The transcript of this webchat will be available on the EducationUSA Taiwan website.

Choosing a Student Exchange Program to Come to the US

Our Foreign Student Series looks at programs for high school and college students.

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We continue our Foreign Student Series this week with two questions that we received. Anatolii Artamonov, a university student in Ukraine, would like to know about student exchange programs in the United States. Anatolii would especially like to know about the one called Work and Travel USA. And fifteen-year-old Betty Xu in China wants to know about a program called ASSE.

We continue our Foreign Student Series this week with two questions that we received. Anatolii Artamonov, a university student in Ukraine, would like to know about student exchange programs in the United States. Anatolii would especially like to know about the one called Work and Travel USA. And fifteen-year-old Betty Xu in China wants to know about a program called ASSE.

ASSE is the American Scandinavian Student Exchange. This program was established in Sweden in 1976 to organize exchanges with the United States. It expanded to include students in Norway, Denmark and Finland.

Today ASSE organizes international exchanges for high school students in 31 countries. The students live with a family and attend school for a year.

Other programs also offer high school students a chance to come to the United States. These include AFS, Youth for Understanding and the Program of Academic Exchange, or PAX.

For college students, there are programs like the International Student Exchange Program, or ISEP. This is a group of almost 300 colleges in thirty-nine countries. ISEP is an independent organization that was supported by the United States government until 1996.

ISEP is a true exchange program. That means two students from different countries trade places for a semester or a year.

Work and Travel USA is also for college students. But this program is not for those who want to study in the United States. It provides international students with the chance to work for up to four months while exploring American life.

The State Department says they generally work in hotels, restaurants and amusement parks but may also work for other employers. An organization called CIEE administers this program. It says students must understand that the money they earn from their work may not be enough to pay all of their costs.

Virginia Tech: 'As Strong a Place as It Has Always Been'

University officials say they have seen no sign that foreign students are rejecting admission offers because of the killings.

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A moment of silence was observed Monday for each of the 32 shooting victims at Virginia Tech

Classes began again at Virginia Tech on Monday, one week after the shootings by a student. Seung-Hui Cho, an English major in his final year of college, killed thirty-two people. He also took his own life.

University officials were criticized for not acting more quickly to warn of the danger of a gunman. School administrators across the country are re-examining their security policies and communications systems. But they say privacy laws restrict how they can deal with mentally troubled people, even if there are warning signs of possible violence.

Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, is a public university that has gained greater recognition in recent years. Its engineering and computer science programs, for example, are known internationally.

Seven percent of the students at Virginia Tech are international students. The Cranwell International Center at the university says there are about 2,000 foreign students this year. They come from more than one hundred countries. But most are graduate students from India, China and South Korea.

Jacqueline Nottingham is the Graduate School director of admissions and academic progress. She says more than four thousand foreign students applied to the Graduate School for the term beginning in August. More than 3,000 of those applications were for the College of Engineering.

She says she has not seen any evidence that foreign students are rejecting admission offers because of the tragedy. She says Virginia Tech is, in her words, "as strong a place as it has always been."

Graduate applications are accepted until May 15th. As of Wednesday, Jacqueline Nottingham said 669 international students had been offered admission. Just over 40% of them have already accepted the offers.

Norrine Bailey Spencer is the associate provost and director of undergraduate admissions. She says she has received e-mails and notes from some students who say they want to be part of Virginia Tech now more than ever.

More than 300 international students have been offered undergraduate admission this coming fall. In the United States, undergraduates traditionally have until May 1st to accept or reject an offer from a college.

The Formula for Becoming a Pharmacist

A look at pharmacy education in the US, and the requirements for foreign-trained pharmacists.

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Two listeners, Youngmin Kim in South Korea and Nestor Gastelo in Peru, would like us to talk about pharmacy education in the United States. This will be the subject today in our Foreign Student Series.

"Pharmacists are health professionals who assist individuals in making the best use of medications." That description comes from the Code of Ethics of the American Pharmacists Association.

The job may include filling doctors' orders and helping people choose medicines that can be sold without a prescription. A pharmacist might also answer questions from patients and work with medical devices and other technologies.

Community pharmacists work in drug stores. Pharmacists are also employed by hospitals and drug companies.

Pharmacists in the United States must meet the professional requirements of the state where they want to work.

Many universities have a college of pharmacy. Since two thousand four, these offer only a doctor of pharmacy degree. The program takes four years.

Students generally enter pharmacy school after two years of general courses. Pharmacy students must be skilled in mathematics and the sciences. They must also take the Pharmacy College Admission Test.

After they earn their degree, they must complete a residency training program in a hospital or other setting. One year is required, but a second year can be added in a specialty area like cancer care or infectious diseases.

After their residency, pharmacists must pass the licensing examination given by their state.

Foreign students who plan to train in the United States and return home should make sure their degree will be recognized there. In the same way, foreign-trained pharmacists who want to work in the United States must be sure that their degree will be recognized here.

Even so, they will have to complete a residency in the United States. For more information, check with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, at ashp.org.

Foreign-trained pharmacists must also pass a certification process. More information about that is available from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, on the Web at nabp.net.

Doctoral Degrees: Aiming for the Top

Many doctorates in US go to international students

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Today we continue our discussion of the academic degrees offered by American colleges and universities. Last week, we talked about the associate, bachelor's and master's degrees.

The highest degree that a student can earn is a doctorate. Some doctorates are professional degrees, as opposed to a degree based on research. Medical students, for example, receive an M.D., from the Latin "medicinae doctor." Future lawyers receive a J.D., for "juris" or "jurum" doctor, meaning a doctor of law or laws.

Someone with a PhD is a "doctor of philosophy." Many people earn a PhD, yet not many are philosophers. The name has survived since the Middle Ages when many areas of study were called philosophy.

Students can receive a PhD in engineering, social work, education, music, history and a lot of other areas. Requirements can differ from one university to another, and from one area of study to another. But the National Science Foundation says American doctoral education is organized around a research experience.

A PhD usually requires at least three years of full-time study after a bachelor's degree. Some people first get a master's degree, other do not.

PhD candidates must also pass special examinations and carry out original research. Students present their findings by writing a dissertation, a long paper that they have to defend before a group of experts.

Every year, the federal government collects information on research doctorates awarded in the United States. More than 43,000 students received a research doctorate in 2005, the most recent year reported.

Close to one-third of those doctorates went to foreign students in the United States on a temporary visa. The largest numbers came from China, South Korea, India, Taiwan and Canada. Most of them studied engineering, physical science or life science.

The University of Illinois awarded the largest number of doctorates to foreign students. The other universities in the top five were Purdue, Ohio State, Texas A&M and Pennsylvania State.

Studying Agriculture in the US

Our Foreign Student Series looks at agricultural programs

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A listener from China named Walker would like information about agricultural programs in the United States. This is our subject today in week number thirty of our Foreign Student Series.

About one hundred colleges and universities began as public agricultural colleges and continue to teach agriculture. These are called land grant schools. They began with support from the federal government. Federal aid supported the building of most major state universities.

The idea of the land grant college goes back to a law in the nineteenth century called the Morrill Act. A congressman named Justin Smith Morrill wrote legislation to create at least one in each state.

The name "land grant" came from the kind of aid provided by the government. The government wanted Americans to learn better ways to farm. So it gave thousands of hectares of land to each Northern state.

The idea was that the states would sell the land and use the money to establish colleges. These colleges would teach agriculture, engineering and military science.

Congress passed the law in 1862. This was during the Civil War. Southern states had rebelled against the North and withdrawn from the Union.

Another law created a center at each land grant college to develop new scientific ideas and to help farmers solve problems.

The Agricultural College of the State of Michigan was established in eighteen fifty-five. That was seven years before the Morrill Act. It later became the first college to officially agree to receive support under that law. The college grew into what is now Michigan State University in East Lansing.

Today, the university has more than 40,000 students. These include more than 3,500 students from 130 other countries.

Last year the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State had 336 foreign students. More than 200 of them were graduate students in the areas of agricultural economics, packaging, and crop and soil sciences.

Undergraduates majoring in agriculture can also study other related areas. These include agricultural education and food industry management.

Getting an Education at the US Military Academy at West Point

Graduates of West Point become army officers, but not always in the United States Army.

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This week, in our series for students who want to study in the United States, we tell about the United States Military Academy at West Point.

West Point is a four-year school in New York State that educates future Army officers. The students are called cadets. They do not have to pay for their educations. But they must agree to serve on active duty in the Army for at least five years after they graduate.

A young man or woman must be nominated to the academy, usually by a federal or state lawmaker. Nominees also must satisfy the entrance requirements. These include being in excellent physical condition and getting good grades in high school.

About 4,000 American cadets are at West Point this year. In addition, 59 cadets from foreign countries are attending.

These international students are nominated by their home governments. They also must satisfy the physical and educational requirements. And they must do well on the TOEFL, the Test of English as a Foreign Language.

Home governments may have to pay up to sixty thousand dollars a year for each student they send to West Point. Among the countries with cadets at the academy this year are Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, and Tunisia.

Each year, the United States Defense Department invites countries to nominate students to West Point and to the Navy and Air Force academies. This year, 159 countries were asked to nominate students for the next school year. Not all countries take part in the program.

We spoke to Major Robert Romans, chief of the international affairs division at West Point, and Major Michael McBride, head of the international cadet program. They say up to 60 foreign cadets at any one time can attend the academy. And they say that interested students must seek information about the program at their local American Embassy. The embassy's Defense Cooperation Office will know how the student can be nominated.

The West Point Web site provides some information about the international cadet program and its requirements. The address is admissions.u-s-m-a.e-d-u.

A Military Education, Though Not Necessarily for a Military Life

We look at two military colleges in the American South.

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Our Foreign Student Series continues this week with two examples of military colleges in the United States.

One is the Virginia Military Institute. V.M.I. is a public, four-year military college in Lexington, Virginia. It accepts women as well as men. Its 1,300 students are called cadets.

Older cadets teach new arrivals about the honor system at V.M.I. Cadets risk expulsion if they lie, cheat or steal -- or accept lying, cheating or stealing by any other cadet. V.M.I. officials say an important part of a college education is learning self-control.

Lieutenant Colonel Stewart MacInnis is associate director of communications and marketing at the Virginia Military Institute. He says V.M.I. this year has 23 cadets from countries including Britain, Egypt, Poland, Russia and Thailand. Most of them are studying engineering.

The cost for one year at V.M.I. for someone from outside Virginia is about thirty thousand dollars. Graduates are not required to go into the military, but Colonel MacInnis says about fifty percent do. And twenty percent make it a career.

Another public military college in the South is The Citadel, in Charleston, South Carolina. It also accepts both men and women for its four-year program.

The Citadel says it offers a traditional military education to its more than 2,000 students. 38% of its graduates choose to enter the military.

This year, The Citadel has 49 students from 24 countries outside the United States. They are mainly studying business and engineering. The Citadel costs about 27,000 dollars for the first year. After that, it drops to about 24,000.

You can find links to the V.M.I. and Citadel Web sites at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also find transcripts and audio files of our Foreign Student Series. Next week, learn about the United States Military Academy at West Point.

We began our series on studying in the United States in September. So far we have dealt with the application process, college admissions tests, English language testing, financial aid and other subjects. In the weeks to come we will talk more about individual schools and programs. If you have a suggestion for our series, write to special@voanews.com. And please include your name and country.

Studying in the US - Rules About Alcohol

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The legal age for drinking alcohol in the United States is 21. Underage drinking is a crime but also a common part of college social life. This week in our Foreign Student Series, we look at alcohol policies at American colleges and universities.

These policies differ from school to school, as do enforcement efforts. But many schools have been moving to strengthen their rules.

The United States has more than 17,000,000 students in higher education. Each year, 1,700 of them age eighteen to twenty-four die from alcohol-related road crashes and other injuries.
600,000 more are injured while under the influence of alcohol. And almost 700,000 are attacked by another student who has been drinking.

These numbers, from a 2005 report, are on a government Web site: collegedrinkingprevention.gov.

One behavior that college officials are trying to prevent is binge drinking, having four or five drinks or more in a short period of time. Some researchers have found that students who think binge drinking is normal often overestimate how much other students really drink. A person can die of alcohol poisoning.

For example, the University of Oklahoma implemented new policies after a nineteen-year-old student died in 2004. He had been drinking heavily at a fraternity party.

Now alcohol is banned from all fraternity and sorority houses and university housing. Student organizations can serve alcohol at events but only on Friday and Saturday nights. And they must provide for transportation to and from off-campus parties. Other new requirements include an alcohol education program that first-year students take online.

At the University of Oklahoma , these policies govern behavior on campus and off. With a first violation, students pay $75 and their parents are told. They must also take an alcohol education class. For a second "strike," they have to pay $150. A third strike means a suspension for at least one semester.

Since January of 2005, 633 students have had a first strike. 30 have had a second strike -- and one has been suspended. An official at Oklahoma tells us the aim is not just to punish but to change behavior and the culture at the university.

Choose Your Degree at an American College or University

International students may attend an American university to earn a degree, including a BS, BA or MBA.

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Today, we answer a question from Martin in Mexico City. He asks about the kinds of degrees that students can earn at an American college or university.

American higher education offers degrees in many areas of study. A community college student earns an associate degree after two years of general study. The student may then continue at a college or university for another two years to earn a bachelor’s degree.

An undergraduate student at a four-year school earns a bachelor's degree. Students majoring in an area of science receive the bachelor of science, also known by the letters B.S. Arts or humanities students get the bachelor of arts degree, or B.A.

Students who continue in school may earn a master’s degree after two or three more years of study. Many Americans earn master’s degrees at night or on the weekends while they are working. One example of this is the M.B.A., a master's degree in business administration. Students learn to deal with all kinds of business situations. They develop skills needed by many companies.

M.B.A. programs teach about economics, finance and marketing. They also teach about the structure of organizations and other subjects. Business is a popular subject for students who come to the United States. To be admitted to an M.B.A. program, a foreign student must have a bachelor’s degree and a good score on the TOEFL. Most students also take the Graduate Management Admission Test. Most of the one thousand eight hundred M.B.A. programs around the world use these test scores.

The Graduate Management Admission Council says that foreign students should find out what different schools could do to help them find a job after they receive their degree. Representatives from many companies visit colleges to hire students. You should ask how many companies are willing to hire international students. The council says even the best schools may have fewer job placements for international graduates than for others.

Our Foreign Student Series continues next week with a report about the highest degree a student can earn at an American university -- the doctorate.

Helping Foreign Students in the US Feel at Home

A college's international student office is a good place to start getting to know the country.

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A college is more than just classrooms and laboratories. It represents a working community with a population that can be greater than that of many towns. And college communities have to deal with many of the same issues and problems as the general society around them.

All this can be a little scary, especially if a student is new not only to a college but also to the country. This week in our Foreign Student Series, the subject is college support services for students who come to the United States.

The school we have chosen for our example this week is Indiana University in Bloomington (pictured to the right). About ten percent of its almost 40,000 students are from other countries.
The Office of International Services at Indiana University provides assistance to foreign students and scholars. For example, the office organizes a special week-long conference for new foreign students before the start of each semester.

The conference is called the New International Student Orientation. It provides information about classes, social clubs and health services. New foreign students also take placement examinations and a required English language test.

Also, the office of international student services organizes programs to help foreign students feel more at home in the United States. For example, the office works with a group called Bloomington Worldwide Friendship. This group helps international students at the university meet and get to know people who live in Bloomington.

The university also has advisers who explain the rules of student life and try to help international students feel at ease.

Most American colleges and universities have a similar office for students from other countries. These offices can help guide students through the steps to come to the United States. Later, they can provide support so the students become involved in school life and make American friends.

The job is not always easy when students want to spend their free time with friends from their own country or group. But an international student office is one of the best places to start getting to know a new country and its people.

Studying in the US: Four Kinds of Financial Aid

Assistantships, scholarships, fellowships and grants

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This week in our Foreign Student Series, we return to a subject we have discussed before: financial aid. This time we are going to talk about financial aid in the form of assistantships, grants, scholarships and fellowships.

An assistantship at a university is a job that is paid with money or free classes. These positions usually go to graduate students to assist a professor for about twenty hours a week. The assistants may teach, grade papers and tests, or do research in a laboratory.

A grant is a gift of money. Unlike a loan, a grant does not have to be repaid. Grants can come from public or private organizations. Schools often receive donations for this purpose. Some grants are for general purposes of paying for school, while others are offered in a subject area.
Scholarships and fellowships do not have to be repaid either. A scholarship is financial aid to undergraduates; a fellowship is for graduate students.

Scholarships and fellowships are generally for students with special abilities or interests. Some are based on financial need. Others may go to students who live in a certain area or meet other conditions.

Our example this week is the University of Missouri-Columbia, or Mizzou. That school has a number of financial aid programs for international students. One of them is the Global Heritage Scholarship. It pays up to about 7,500 dollars a year. But this scholarship goes only to foreign students whose mother or father graduated from Mizzou.

Another aid program is called the Global Tiger Scholarship. This one is supported by the Mizzou Alumni Association. International students can receive 1,000 US dollars. In return they agree to provide service to the association during the school year.

Still another program for international students at Mizzou is called the Curators Grant-in-Aid Program. This is for undergraduate or graduate students who get good grades and take part in university activities. The program is especially for those who have unexpected or unusual financial needs that can affect their progress at school.

Colleges and universities may provide all the details of their financial aid programs online. You can find a link to the Web site of the University of Missouri-Columbia at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also find the earlier reports in our Foreign Student Series and download transcripts and audio files.

A College Handbook Just for International Students

The College Board's International Student Handbook provides information about American schools and is available online.

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We continue our Foreign Student Series this week with a report on the International Student Handbook. This publication can be a useful guide if you are interested in attending a college or university in the United States. The College Board organization publishes a new one every year. In it, students may find much of the information they need to know about higher education in America.

The International Student Handbook explains the higher education system and how to apply to schools. It explains the different costs and the kinds of financial aid available to foreign students. The handbook also gives information about admissions tests.

The material is organized for undergraduate and graduate students. Information is provided about almost 3,000 two-year and four-year schools.

A printed copy of the International Student Handbook costs about 30 US dollars if you purchase it through the College Board Web site. You might find it for less at a site like Amazon. Or, for 12 US dollars at the College Board site, you can read an electronic version and print out a copy. The online handbook also includes links to more information. The Web site is collegeboard.com.

We began our Foreign Student Series in September. So far, we have explored the American higher education system and government rules for coming to the United States. We have also talked about admission tests, the costs of an education and the different kinds of financial aid available.

Some of our reports have been based on questions from our listeners. We welcome questions, and are happy to see all the interest in our series. But please understand that we can only answer general questions. We cannot tell you how to get into the school of your choice or what you should study to be prepared.

All we can do is suggest that students who are interested in a school should carefully read its Web site or printed materials. Then send an e-mail or letter to the admissions office with any questions you have. There may also be a special office for international students.

Higher Education in the US: Life as a Teaching Assistant

Many states are trying to make sure that foreign TAs can speak English well enough to communicate with students.

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Graduate students often work as teaching assistants while they study in the United States. Teaching assistants may get money or get to take classes for free, or both.

A teaching assistant usually works about 20 hours each week. In some cases, the professors they assist have big undergraduate classes with hundreds of students. The professor gives one or two lectures a week, and teaching assistants lead smaller discussions at other times.

They also give tests, grade work, provide laboratory assistance and meet with students who need help. And they have their own educations to think about.

Labor unions have been working to organize teaching assistants who feel overworked and underpaid. Some schools have had strikes.

Another issue is the language barrier. Many states have proposed to require that teaching assistants be able to speak English well enough for students to understand them. Universities have increased their efforts to deal with this problem.

Our example school this week is the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles. The Institute of International Education says more foreign students go to USC than any other American university.

The American Language Institute at USC provides training to help international teaching assistants improve their English. The university requires most non-native English speakers to pass a test before they can become a teaching assistant.

Those who went to college in an English-speaking country do not have to take the test. The same is true for those who scored at least 27 on the speaking part of the TOEFL Internet-based test.

The exam at USC is a fifteen-minute spoken test that involves two examiners. Students talk about their education and interest in the school. Then they present some issue or idea from their area of study, and answer questions about it from the examiners.

Those who do not score high enough on the test have to take classes to improve their English. Until their English is better, some departments give them jobs that do not require them to communicate with students.