As global competence becomes increasingly favorable in the workforce, studying and traveling abroad has become an interest of the millennial generation. The new and trending study abroad adventures are followed with trips to the United States with hopes of obtaining a “western” education that looks amazing on a new graduate’s resume. These beliefs, along with the ideal Hollywood perception of a U.S. college life, are compelling reasons for Mexican students to study in the U.S.
For a better illustration, after China and India, Mexico sends more university students to the United States than any other country (2015 statistics “From the Field: Trends in Study Abroad for Mexican Students”). Mexico sent only 14,779 students to U.S. higher education institutions in school year 2013-2014, compared to China’s 274,439 students and India’s 102,673 students. But with influence of the Obama administration’s Proyecta 100,000, “an initiative designed to send 100,000 Mexican students to U.S. universities and to enroll 50,000 U.S. students at Mexican institutions by 2018”, things can really change the ballgame for Mexicans students looking for a university educational experience across the border. In terms of the new administration in the United States under President Donald Trump, there is no news of the removal or termination of this program agreement between the two governments.
Mexico remains one of Latin America’s largest education markets. “Despite continuing fluctuations in the rate of inflation within Mexico, and similar ups and downs in the exchange rate between the Mexican peso and other major world currencies, the economic outlook for 2017/18 is for relative stability and continued growth in demand for study abroad” (“From the Field: Where are Mexican Students Going Now?”). Alongside other reasons to pursue education in the United States, the most popular reason is learning the language. In Mexico City, as the financial capital of all of Latin America, English is required for business transactions. What better way to perfect one’s communication skills than to study in an English-speaking country?
“While the US will remain a leading destination for students, there is an increasing interest in other English-speaking destinations, including Canada.”
(“From the Field: Where are Mexican Students Going Now?”)
Currently, due to rocky international relations between Mexico and the United States, we are actually witnessing Mexican students choosing to go to countries such as Canada (as stated above), Australia, UK, and Ireland instead of the U.S. “I don’t want to go to the USA because they treat us badly,” said a Maria, a seventh grader. Asked to elaborate, she continues, “well they think we can’t speak English and that we are dumb people.” Though only a 12-year-old, Maria has a point to the stereotype imposed on Mexicans in the United States, both those with legal documents and those without. In tutoring an English class, we read news articles by the New York Times, BBC, CNN, the Telegraph, and The Los Angeles Times for two reasons: (1) to think about social and political issues along with the practice of following the media, and (2) for English practice to enhancement their already astounding vocabulary.
It’s commonly said that a student learns best when challenged until the breaking point. Important to note, excelling students like Maria are among dozens of outstanding students in English classes speaking English as well as many American student. There are small grammatical errors that are commonly found with many U.S. middle schoolers. As we note the common trend of interest in entering U.S. higher education institution, we are also witnessing a shift, as the next generation of leaders are looking for education elsewhere.
Works Cited
“From the Field: Trends in Study Abroad for Mexican Students.” Icef.com. ICEF Inc, 26 Jun. 2015. Web. 12 Feb. 2018.
“From the Field: Where are Mexican Students Going Now?” Icef.com. ICEF Inc, 20 Nov. 2017. Web. 12 Feb. 2018.