Tag: Richie Santosdiaz

Corporations need to become part of the study abroad ecosystem

“The link between studying abroad and getting a job is not as strong as it might have been in the past. One reason is that study abroad is not as exclusive as in the past”

Students are growing ever more conscious of the investments they make when it comes to study abroad, and they want to know that the time and money they spend will translate to job opportunities post-graduation. Getting companies on board could help to ensure that’s the case, writes Richie Santosdiaz, study abroad advocate and economic development expert for PA Consulting.

What inspired me to write this was a recent conversation with a friend from the USA whose younger sister was interested in pursuing a master’s degree overseas. The friend gave advice that the younger sister should only study abroad in the UK or on certain programs in Western Europe, Canada, and Australia, because it will be difficult to get a job in the USA afterwards – and that the countries mentioned are home to some of the most recognised universities globally. Naturally, at first I disagreed, but later recanted because in many ways that actually is a true statement.
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If we want more underrepresented students to study abroad, we can’t treat them all the same

“When I studied abroad in Argentina and France, I was one of few that one would classify as a visible minority. In both programs, almost everyone who participated came from middle- and upper-middle-class families”

When discussing how to increase participation in study abroad, we often talk about ‘underrepresented students’ as if they’re all the same – we need to take a different approach, argues Richie Santosdiaz, an economic development expert for PA Consulting and passionate advocate for international education.

When we talk about increasing participation in study abroad among underrepresented student groups, we must first understand what an underrepresented group is.
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Richie Santosdiaz
Richie Santosdiaz (@santosdiazr2) is mainly a London-based economic development expert for PA Consulting. In his free time he is an undergraduate-level adjunct lecturer mainly in the fields of international business & trade, where he teaches courses and guest lectures for institutions like the Council for International Educational Exchange (CIEE) in London. He is also an advocate of international education, specifically encouraging more young Americans to gain international education and work experience. One way he does that, as a hobby, is through his website www.youngamericanexpat.com.
http://www.youngamericanexpat.com