17. Opinion (International)

 Declining International Student Numbers Stabilize
U.S. News

In 2020, the pandemic interrupted everyone's lives from industries to economies. Travel became scarce and, sadly, for international students education was put on pause. According to statistics from Open Doors, the total amount of international students a U.S. universities dropped by 15% from 2019-2020 to 2020-2021. Within that year new international students enrolling in U.S. universities decreased by 45.6%. 

In addition to economic challenges, others blame policies and political rhetoric that made international students feel unwelcome. Founder and president of Lakhani Coaching, Hafeez Lakhani, had this to say, "The Trump administration basically put out an unwelcome mat for international students."

Despite the challenges international students faced this past 2 years, overall numbers are beginning to climb again. A popular college application portal, Common App, estimates prospects of international students will be up 51% by the next year.

Students Walking Through The Park
I think travel is the greatest form of education. Hearing that the students were having a hard time getting to study abroad was disheartening for me. There is a lot you can learn from immersing yourself in another culture. I am glad to hear that kids are getting back out there and that the pandemic hasn't affected their opinion on traveling to other countries. It is nice to hear that people are still curious about the world and that the energy America gave off during the pandemic hasn't scared them away.



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