Linden Tour Report: Linden Middle East Fall 2012 ME 2012 Tour Report final version 10-2.pdf · Linden Tour Report: Linden Middle East Fall 2012 The Fall 2012 Linden Tour to the Middle

Linden Tour Report: Linden Middle East Fall 2012

The Fall 2012 Linden Tour to the Middle East was a 15-day tour to six countries: Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, UAE and Kuwait. The tour was planned to place representatives from U.S.

colleges and universities (16 – 20 full tour participants depending on the city and1 Fairs Only

participant) in direct contact with students and parents, high school counselors, and advisers in these

locations. Our group included public and private universities as well as specialty institutions, such as, two art and design schools, and a business university. During the tour, we saw over 2,750

students and met with more than 60 educational professionals.

Although there was unrest in the region while we were there, we never felt anything but welcome.

Our fairs were well-attended with most events having larger turnouts in the number of candidates

present over last fall. We also had the honor of having many of our events officially opened by members of the US embassy and, at the Kuwait fair, we were especially proud to have Ambassador

Matthew Tueller cut the ribbon and welcome the students. This year the fairs in Qatar, Dubai and

Kuwait all had significant increases in the number of students who attended. It is also worth noting that many students were accompanied by their parents and other relatives revealing that they were

seriously contemplating studying in the USA. There was a good mix of undergraduates and

graduates at the fairs and, while engineering and business continue to be the most sought after

career choices, there was more interest in the arts and sciences and especially political science. There is also interest in pursuing degrees in the health professions.

This year’s tour members also participated in a Linden-sponsored Educational Forum in Amman, Jordan. Here, we hosted an event with secondary counselors attending from Egypt, Jerusalem

(West Bank), Lebanon, and Ramallah. In addition to those guests, 12 high school counselors from

six leading international schools in Amman joined us for the day-long workshop along with the

EducationUSA and AMIDEAST advisors from that city. The Regional Educational Advising Coordinator for Middle East North Africa also traveled from Morocco to partake in this special

program. Among the day’s highlights were a student panel and parent panel which the Linden

university participants found especially helpful.

Cultural activities are an important part of the Linden Tour to the Middle East and this tour was no

exception. Several of us started the tour with a pre-tour visit to the Dead Sea or Petra. Needless to say those of us who spent the day in Petra and walked the ruins of this ancient civilization were

awestruck by its architecture and beauty. Another cultural opportunity came in Oman when some of

the group enjoyed a magical day visiting the city sites: the fish souk, forts and royal palace while

others spent the day on a glass bottom boat watching dolphins, viewing corals and snorkeling. As always, opportunities for crafts shopping and bargaining were available.

Student Market

Middle East:

The countries in the Middle East represent a solid market for international student recruitment. According to IIE’s Open Doors 2011 data, there were 42,543 students from the Middle East

studying in the USA. This is a 25.9 increase from the previous year.

The academic level breakdown is as follows: 43% undergraduate

33% graduate students

20% non degree 4% OPT

It is worth mentioning that Open Doors positions Saudi Arabia as the 6th leading country of origin

of international students in the United States, sending 22,704 students to the States in 2011, representing a 43.6% increase over 2010. The leading fields of study for the students from this

country for 2011 are: 29.1% are studying IELP, 21.8% are pursuing Engineering, 18.4% are in

Business/ Management, 8.1% Computer Science and 5.3% Health professions. The breakdown of fields of study for KSA is representative of the preferred majors for the rest of the Middle East.

Students from the Middle East are often sponsored to study abroad by government supported

scholarship programs. It is important for the US Universities recruiting in this region to understand the processes involved in each country and to seek approval onto the list of endorsed institutions.

Scholarship programs:

Saudi Arabia: King Abdullah Scholarship Program provides opportunities for Saudi

citizens to pursue undergraduate and graduate education in many academic disciplines

needed by government and private sectors. Undergraduate level: medicine, medical

sciences, and health sciences and Graduate level: medicine, dentistry, medical fellowship,

pharmacy, nursing, medical sciences, engineering, computers, pure sciences, accounting, e-

commerce, finance, and others.

http://www.mohe.gov.sa/en/studyaboard/King-Abdulla-

hstages/Pages/default.aspxhttp://www.sacm.org/ArabicSACM/pdf/education_web.pdf

Qatar: The HEI’s scholarship office is responsible for administering scholarship programs

which enable students to be supported in under-graduate and post-graduate studies at the

best higher education institutions in Qatar and around the world. This office is also

responsible for following up on scholarship recipients’ financial and administrative affairs,

and monitoring their academic progress by communicating with their respective universities,

guardians and students themselves via e-mails, phone calls, letters or visits.

The Supreme Education Council Announces The New universities list (2011-2013)

The Higher Education Institute (HEI) has announced a list of 910 names of the best

universities and colleges from around the world. The list, which is updated every two years

selects the best universities for scholarship recipients based on international ranking criteria.

The scholarship office administers scholarship programs based on the following geographic distribution:

1. Qatar 2. Arab region and Australia 3. United Kingdom & Europe 4. United States & Canada

http://www.english.education.gov.qa/section/sec/hei/sco

Oman: The Ministry of Higher Education has a list of preselected Institutions. The

universities for the Thousand Scholarships for Post-Graduate studies are listed at

http://eservices.mohe.gov.om/Student/Makroma.aspx

Dubai: The Ministry of Higher Education provides lists of the recommended higher education institutions abroad. These institutions are evaluated according to a number of criteria for the recognition of higher education institutions abroad , which was developed by the Commission of Certificates Equivalency. Students wishing to complete their higher education first need to obtain the approval of the ministry before the enrollment through online request of the program study www.mohesr.gov.ae/en/institutes.aspx

Kuwait: Approximately 80% of the Kuwaiti students are offered scholarships from the Kuwaiti Government to attend colleges and universities in the USA. The Kuwaiti government also is willing to fund up to 1 year of English Language study in case students do not meet the EL admission requirements of the university. However, the college/university and the program that the student applies for must be on the approved list of the Kuwait Culture Office in Washington, DC. www.kuwaitculture.com

Competition from other countries, including, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and other Arab

countries is keen therefore it is important for US universities to visit early in the academic year,

participate in major recruiting events, be included on the approved scholarship lists and establish good working relationships with the Scholarship Granting authorities.

Tour Review Based on the written evaluations, the tour members would like us to:

Send an electronic version of the Linden brochure to the high schools before the group

arrives in the region so that the students can review it and be more knowledgeable about

each participating university prior to the group’s visits

Incorporate general information panel presentations and more specific ones into the

university fair prior to the fair opening, i.e., a grad presentation, an arts school

panel, a tech school panel, professional degrees, etc.

Continue to develop the Forum to be included in other cities in the region

Slow down the pace of the tour a bit. Expand it by two days so that there is some

institutional time.

Continue to develop online registration process; move towards mobile registration on site.

Consider the following cities for future Fall tours:

o Dubai, Abu Dhabi (day trip) Kuwait, Doha, Amman, Jeddah ( the group feels two

days should be given to this city in 2013), Muscat

What tour members liked about this trip:

"It is a challenging place to visit, but the schools we visit and the students I interact with are worth the trip. Dubai was absolutely amazing and easily my best UAE fair to date.”

“This was, by far, the best tour in the region that I’ve ever done. I’m actually surprised at the numbers, because they “felt” much, much higher than what is reflected on your chart … Students really seemed prepared and extremely interested in the US as their destination.” "This trip confirms that Linden is the best for recruiting undergraduate Middle Eastern students. The public fairs were wonderful."

Appreciation

First of all, I want to thank the tour members. You combined hard work, education and enjoyment

in this tour through the Middle East. The attendance at our fairs shows that there are many

outstanding students in this region who are seriously considering studying in the U.S. You were patient, positive and overall professional and I want to thank you for an amazing journey.

I also want to thank our colleagues in this region. We relied on them for help with advertising, registration and promotion of U.S. education before, during and after our tour. I particularly want

thank our friends and colleagues at the AMIDEAST and EducationUSA offices in the region as

well as other centers that assisted us; their support and help were instrumental to the success of the

tour.

Finally, I want to thank everyone at Linden Educational Services. Kathy Harrington was the

foundation of this tour, coordinating the cities as well as the Educational Forum; her organizational skills, steady demeanor and travel expertise laid the way for this tour to be the success that it was.

Lauren Olson handled countless logistics for us all, many thanks. Jody Stein worked hard in getting

the brochure, flyers and ads out in a timely and able manner, it is much appreciated. Last but not least, I wish to personally thank my two tour leaders, Kathy Harrington and Deborah Hefferon for

teaching me so much about this amazing part of the world, I could not have been luckier than to

have you both as my mentors. I am humbled and grateful. This region is a region of kind people,

amazing sights, and wonderful places to discover - we are fortunate to be able to visit it.

Respectfully submitted,

JoBeth Brudner

October 2012

Amman, Jordan

September 6-10, 2012

Linden US University Fair September 8 Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel 149 School Visits Mashrek International School

American Community School

Amman Baccalaureate School

King’s Academy

50 120 100

80

Total Students seen in Amman 499 Other professional Activities

Educational Forum

Newcomers Meeting

Intro Meeting

Briefing

AMIDEASTvisit

Fulbright office visit

Delicious Welcome Dinner

*Registered students – the vast majority of undergraduates attend the Fairs with their parents and siblings and often graduate-level students bring at least one family member, so the total number of participants in the ballroom is much greater than the number registered.

Current Market/Trends According to Open Doors, the number of students studying in the USA from Jordan has increased by almost 0.4% in the 2010/11 academic year to 2,002. Currently, 29.4% are studying at the undergraduate level, and 70.8% are studying at the graduate level/other (ESL/OPT).

Attendance at the Fall 2012 Fair Of the 149 registered students at the fair, we learned the following:

Gender: 77% were male, 23% female Degree sought: 47% want undergraduate study, 33% master’s degrees and 11% PhDs Field of Study: 24% want a degree in engineering, 11% in business management and marketing,

7% in computer science, 8% in biology and biomedical science, and 6% in architecture TOEFL Score: The average TOEFL score of those who had taken the exam was 330 Intended year of entry: 61% plan to begin their studies in 2013, 16% in 2014 Citizenship: the predominant citizenships in this event was: Jordanian: 85%, Others: 15%

Amman Highlights Meeting up with old friends and starting new friendships as the tour got underway The Educational Forum, an opportunity to learn from one another while networking with colleagues

from secondary schools and advising centers throughout the region Great number of students and parents and excellent questions at the public university fair, strong

presence of undergraduate candidates. Warm welcome at all International Schools, well focused students who asked knowledgeable

questions Welcome dinner at Fakhr El-din, an amazing variety of local delicacies

Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

September 10-11, 2012

Linden US University Fair School Visits KAUST

American International School

British School

50 150

28

Total Students seen in Jeddah 228 Other professional Activities

Briefing

Current Market/Trends According to Open Doors, the number of students from Saudi Arabia studying in the USA has increased by almost 44% in the 2010/11 academic year to 22,704. Currently, 48% are studying at the undergraduate level, and 52% are studying at the graduate level/other (ESL/OPT).

Attendance at the Fall 2012 Fair No fair was held in Jeddah.

Jeddah Highlights

Navigating our way through immigration, an experience we will never forget Women in black, abayas and scarves. The interest and quality of the students and staff at all our school visits which made this city

well worth repeating.

Doha, Qatar

September 11-13, 2012

Linden US University Fair September 12 Doha Marriott Hotel 263 School Visits Middle East International School

Doha American

International School of London, Qatar

Academic Bridge

Doha College

32 60 65 25

Total Students seen In Doha 455 Other professional Activities • Country Briefing

*Registered students – the vast majority of undergraduates attend the Fairs with their parents and siblings and often graduate-level students bring at least one family member, so the total number of participants in the ballroom is much greater than the number registered.

Current Market/Trends According to Open Doors, the number of students from Qatar increased by almost 8% in the 2010/11 academic year to 716. Currently, 78 % are studying at the undergraduate level, and 22% are studying at the graduate level/other (ESL/OPT).

Attendance at the Fall 2012 Fair Of the 263 registered students at the fair, we learned the following:

Gender: 79% were male, 21% female Degree sought: 75% want undergraduate study, 21% master’s degrees and 4% PhDs. Field of Study: 25% want a degree in engineering,31% in business management and marketing,

8% in computer science,6% in biology and biomedical science, and 5% in architecture TOEFL Score: The average TOEFL score of those who had taken the exam was 521 Intended year of entry: 60% plan to begin their studies in 2013, 26% in 2014 Citizenship: the citizenships represented in this event were: Qatari:41%, Indian: 21%, Egyptian:

9%,Other: 29%

Doha Highlights

Embassy participation, ribbon cutting and welcome address at university fair. Impressive number of students and parents and great questions at the public university fair First time visits to International School of London, Qatar and Academic Bridge Program,

warm hospitality of counseling staff Warm welcome at Doha American and Middle Eastern International School where students

had good conversations with the university representatives.

Muscat, Oman

September 13-16, 2012

Linden U.S. University Fair September 15 Grand Hyatt Hotel 180 School Visits International School Choueifat

American-British Academy

American International School of Muscat

21 40

120

Total Students seen in Muscat 361

Other professional Activities • AMIDEAST Country Briefing w/ MOHE Scholarship officials • AMIDEAST meeting

*Registered students – the vast majority of undergraduates attend the Fairs with their parents and siblings and often graduate-level students bring at least one family member, so the total number of participants in the ballroom is much greater than the number registered.

Current Market/Trends According to Open Doors, the number of students from Oman studying in the USA increased by almost 9.4% in the 2010/11 academic year to 313. Currently, 61% are studying at the undergraduate level, and 39% are studying at the graduate level/other (ESL/OPT).

Attendance at the Fall 2012 Fair Of the 180 registered students at the fair, we learned the following:

Gender: 75% were male, 25% female Degree sought: 54% want undergraduate study, 28% master’s degrees and 10% PhDs. Field of Study: 26% want a degree in engineering, 16% in business management and marketing

and 4% in applied health fields TOEFL Score: The average TOEFL score of those who had taken the exam was NA Intended year of entry: 60 % plan to begin their studies in 2013, 14% in 2014 Citizenship: the citizenships represented in this event were: Omani:58%, Egyptian: 27%, Other:

15%

Muscat Highlights

Participation of MOHE at the briefing and opportunity to speak to them individually and informally later on in the evening.

Embassy participation, ribbon cutting and welcome address at university fair. Outstanding interaction at all the international school visits, warm hospitality of counseling

staff City tour, dolphin boat trip, amazing city for cultural events, magical day to remember. Dinner

at the Turkish House for delicious fresh seafood.

Dubai, UAE

October 18-20, 2011

Linden US University Fair October 18 Shangri- La Hotel 162 School Visits Dubai International Academy

Dubai American Academy

Repton School

American Academy in Al Mizhar

International School of Choueifat- Dubai

Gems World Academy

Indian School

Universal American School ( Deira)

Al Mawakeb School of Dubai

American School of Dubai

42

40

50

0

85

25

45

82

45

18

Total Students seen in Dubai 594 Other professional Activities • US Embassy Country Briefing • Meeting Counselling Point

*Registered students – the vast majority of undergraduates attend the Fairs with their parents and siblings and often graduate-level students bring at least one family member, so the total number of participants in the ballroom is much greater than the number registered.

Current Market/Trends According to Open Doors, the number of students from UAE studying in the USA increased by almost 13.2% in the 2010/11 academic year to 1,871. Currently, 57% are studying at the undergraduate level, and 43% are studying at the graduate level/other (ESL/OPT).

Attendance at the Fall 2012 Fair Of the 162 registered students at the fair, we learned the following:

Gender: 63% were male, 34% female Degree sought: 42% want undergraduate study, 24% master’s degrees and 6% PhDs. Field of Study: 26% want a degree in engineering, 18% in business management and marketing

and 6% in computer science TOEFL Score: The average TOEFL score of those who had taken the exam was 575 Intended year of entry: 60% plan to begin their studies in 2013, 11% in 2014 Citizenship: the citizenships represented in this event were: Indian:56%, Pakistani: 7%, Emirati:

4%, Other: 33%

Dubai Highlights

Outstanding fair, an overwhelming turnout with the number of candidates attending more than doubling last year, excellent in quantity and quality

Briefing by US Embassy officials at which a clear outline of the UAE Education system was given as well as recruiting strategies and cultural highlights. All information shared was greatly appreciated by the group.

Well-attended college fairs at the International Schools, and warm hospitality shown by college counselors.

Kuwait City

September 18-20, 2012

Linden US University Fair September 19 Marina Hotel 232 School Visits Al Bayan Billingual School

American School Kuwait

American Creativity Academy (Girls)

American Creativity Academy (Boys)

Universal American School

American International School Kuwait

British School of Kuwait

Kuwait English School

Kuwait University

28

52

150

18

10

70

30

35

7

Total Students seen in Kuwait City 632 Other professional Activities

AMIDEAST Country Briefing

Review meeting

Farewell dinner at Al Boom Restaurant *Registered students – the vast majority of undergraduates attend the Fairs with their parents and siblings and often graduate-level students bring at least one family member, so the total number of participants in the ballroom is much greater than the number registered.

Current Market/Trends According to Open Doors, the number of students from Kuwait studying in the USA increased by almost 23% in the 2010/11 academic year to 2,998. Currently, 62% are studying at the undergraduate level, and 38% are studying at the graduate level/other (ESL/OPT).

Attendance at the Fall 2012 Fair Of the 232 registered students at the fair, we learned the following:

Gender: 74% were male, 26% female Degree sought: 67% want undergraduate study, 23% master’s degrees and 6% PhDs. Field of Study: 34% want a degree in engineering, 15% in business management and marketing,

8% in biology and biomedical science, and 5% in applied health sciences TOEFL Score: The average TOEFL score of those who had taken the exam was 474 Intended year of entry: 67% plan to begin their studies in 2013, 26% in 2014 Citizenship: the citizenships represented in this event were: Kuwati:47%, Egyptian: 8%, Indian:

6%, Other: 39%

Kuwait Highlights

Ambassador Matthew Tueller officiating the opening ceremony and spending time at the university fair talking to the university representatives and greeting prospective students

The country briefing offered by AMIDEAST, which covered country information and important educational data as well as the scholarship program. Having the US Embassy join this session made it especially robust.

Great number of students and parents and excellent questions at the public university fair, strong presence of undergraduate candidates.

Interested students and great questions, large turnouts at many of our visits to the International Schools. Special thanks for the counselors at these visits for making the group feel very welcome.

First time visits to the British School of Kuwait and Kuwait English School resulted in meeting very interested students. These visits show great promise for the future. Extremely supportive administration.

Farewell dinner buffet on the Al Boom, a traditional Arabic dhow, was the perfect way to end the tour.