Studying Abroad at Home: The Meaning of Education Abroad During the Pandemic

I. INTRODUCTION:
Studying abroad has been more and more popular for many students recently.
According to the annual report Open Doors, Vietnam remained sixth on the list of
leading nations in terms of foreign students studying in the United States, with a
0.3 % increase between 2018 and 2019 (Đại sứ quán và Tổng Lãnh sự quán Hoa
Kỳ tại Việt Nam 2019). However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of
international students applying to universities in the US is down by 98 % to 63 %
from 2020 to 2021( Phan 2020). Furthermore, finance is one of the most
challenging issues for Vietnamese families when considering whether to send their
children to study abroad, especially in the setting of complex pandemics.
Therefore, the goal of this report is to discuss studying abroad in their home
country, particularly for Vietnamese’ students. The report’s content has four
sections: state, on-site study abroad models, the appropriate choice of financing
and brand of universities, and the relevance of the discipline to the Vietnamese job
market.
II. DIFFICULT OF STUDENTS WHEN STUDY ABROAD:
Studying abroad to move to another country is not an easy conversion, and there
are difficulties in the process. The reality of studying abroad today is to deal with
many issues such as financial, cultural, language problems and racism. Firstly, due
to the expensive cost of studying abroad, most young people tend to work part-
time to make and meet, which has greatly affected their academic performance.
Secondly, each country has its own culture, and culture shock is a concern when
international students choose to study abroad because of their experience of
difficulties in adapting to the new environment. Thirdly, linguistic barriers will
make it difficult for students to converse with one another and acquire knowledge
in school. For example, one international student in Australia shared about her first
days in foreign university. She has a hard time talking to locals and listening to
teachers. She always had to record what the teacher said in class and take time to
go home to listen to it repeatedly before she could understand. It took almost half a
year for her to integrate and participate in conversations with other people (Trung
tâm Anh ngữ AMA 2015). Last but not least, the reality of racism is very common
in some countries. The Chinese Ministry of Education issued a warning about
studying in Australia for Chinese students. After the Covid-19 pandemic, a wave
of discrimination against Chinese people, increasing discrimination against people

of Asian descent broke out in the country of kangaroos (Cao 2020). These
difficulties will make us feel lonely, lack confidence, and desire to return to the
family.
III. ON-SITE STUDY ABROAD MODELS:
Studying abroad in their home country is a method of studying a program
taught by foreign universities and getting a degree equivalent to studying
abroad in Vietnam. It is divided in-country study abroad into three
models:
1. Type 1:
It is an associate degree between a Vietnamese and a foreign
university, students can study and receive their diplomas in
Vietnam or transfer abroad to complete the program.
2. Type 2:
Foreign universities and colleges with campuses in Vietnam make
conditions for students to access international training programs
such as RMIT, BUV, and Fulbright.
3. Type 3:
Training institutions that offer programs in a foreign language,
with international-quality certification.
University education has changed a lot and has focused on
cooperating with international universities to create international
training programs in recent years so this is the most effective and
optimal method for students, particularly in pandemic contexts.
IV. SMART CHOICE OF FINANCING AND BRAND OF UNIVERSITIES:
1. Finance

When it comes to economics, we know that the cost per student in a country for a
year is roughly equivalent to the country's per capita GDP. For instance, a student
at Coventry University in the United Kingdom must pay around £13000 per year,
while the costs of living, including housing, food, transportation, and so on, are
approximately £605- £890 each month(Du học Anh: Coventry University - Top 13
trường ĐH tốt nhất Anh 2021). This is a prohibitively expensive expense that most
Vietnamese households cannot obtain sufficient financial support. However, some
educational programs such as CIE at Danang University of Economics allow
Vietnamese students to continue their studies and earn a bachelor's degree from an
overseas university affiliated with this program. The tuition fees that students have
to pay for a four-year course in Vietnam are only around £12476, which can save
you up to £15595 compared to the cost of studying in the UK. In 2019, Vietnam
had 24,392 students studying in the US, spending 881 million USD while each
student enrolled in an on-site study abroad program was only about 80-85 million
VND/year, including living expenses (Đăng 2020). Therefore, although the cost
per student has been significantly reduced, students can still study programs of the
same quality as in foreign countries.
2. The ranking of the university
To begin with, we need to briefly survey a few schools before making the best
choice by criteria such as ensuring the legal factors of Vietnamese schools with
"foreign partners", school quality and commitment to output. Nowadays, many
Vietnamese higher education institutions have been selected as the most
prestigious university rankings in the world, not to mention Asia. For example,
Vietnam National University, Hanoi and Vietnam National University, Ho Chi
Minh City, are among the top 1,000 best universities in the world in the World
University Rankings 2021 announced by the UK's Quacquarelli Symonds ranking
organization on September 6/2020 ( Phạm 2021).
In addition to the quality of training, combined with an extensive network of
business links both at home and abroad, ensuring the rate of students getting jobs
while still in school and after graduation is also a commitment. To achieve this
goal, the school is always interested in building practical training programs,
creating many opportunities for students to practice and work at enterprises right
from the first year, as well as being taught directly by successful entrepreneurs
during their studies.

V. JOB OPPORTUNITIES:
Whether you decide to study abroad or study at home, students need to consider
the issues which are the job market in Vietnam to choose the right major for
themselves and family investment. Today, international universities in Vietnam are
not only periodically inspected and evaluated for the quality of their learning and
facilities, but also introduced new training methods by encouraging students to
speak completely in English while combining theory and practice. In addition,
there are many diverse learning environments associated with foreign businesses
so that students can improve their skills and effectively apply them in practice. For
example, RMIT University trains students in English with a team of lecturers from
many countries around the world and creates opportunities for students to work in
managed hotels and resorts by the world's leading hotel and restaurant management
groups like Intercontinental Hanoi Westlake and Intercontinental Hanoi Landmark
72. Thereby students gain more experience and they can apply in their real work.
By contrast, students must consider practical issues as well as their interests and
passions when making specialized choices because many people are following
trendy industries in Vietnam that are not suitable for their abilities, leading to an
increase in unemployment. According to the Vietnam labor market update in the
first quarter of 2019, the country has more than one million people of
unemployment age, of which 124 500 people have university degrees or higher. It
also means that every year, more than 100 000 university degrees are "abandoned".
The number of bachelors engineers wasted four years and a large amount of money
but could not apply the knowledge learned in practice (Hoàng 2019).
Therefore, students should take the time to reconsider their qualifications and be
able to consult with relatives and friends to choose an industry that is both
passionate and suitable for the market. Following the forecast of human resource
demand in 8 key industry groups in Ho Chi Minh City from 2015 to 2025, the
industry group with the highest demand is science and technology with 35%,
followed by economics with 33%, social sciences - humanities 8%, and the
remaining 5 groups account for 24%(Trần 2014). From there, they understand
which industries have oversupply and shortage of manpower to change direction
considering their major. As a result, individuals must investigate the job market in
Vietnam in order to select a vocation that is appropriate for the present social
environment.
One more thing, another advantage when choosing to study abroad in your home
country such as some miniature international universities in Vietnam: RMIT,

VinUni, BUV and some international joint training programs such as CIE at the
Danang University of Economics, students may have more time to think carefully
about choosing a career because at these affiliate programs only hot majors are
trained and have high job opportunities after graduation such as international
business, marketing, business administration, finance banking etc,.. Due to the
international training programs such as the Center International for Education - the
University of Da Nang provides training programs in entire English and certain
fundamental courses in the first year, you have more time to think about their
major. In the second and third years, students will be trained in the specialty of
BTEC HND of PEARSON International Education Organization until the last year
you can choose the right major for you, the market demand through lectures at the
center and research (Trung Tâm Đào Tạo Quốc Tế, 2008). Therefore, choosing a
major will not make you rich or successful, but it is very important because it
greatly affects the fate of an individual. As a result, they need to be thoroughly
reviewed and researched before settling on a major.
VI. CONCLUSION:
In short, studying abroad is a new and effective method in the current social
context, it also helps to solve the difficulties of studying abroad. In order to
achieve the best results, people need to make smart choices, consider the high-
quality school, the budget to match their own capacity and the investment of the
family. Thus, with this form of study abroad, students have the opportunity to own
an international degree and expand career prospects around the world. In addition,
with a well-trained English level, enhanced soft skills and understanding of world
cultures, it is a favorable first step for the journey to the world of young people,
who want to "merge without dissolving" with the world.
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