Studying Abroad, an Economic Factor

Veronica Martinez was determined to find the perfect school for her daughter. She visited several colegios, including The Columbus School. There, she was thrilled by the teachers’ professionalism, the exceptional facilities, its commitment to social and ecological activities. But mainly what captured her attention was the English excellence and fluency students graduated with. That convinced her. She wanted her daughter to graduate from TCS.

Parents enroll their kids at The Columbus School searching for English excellence since it’s the only school in Medellin that offers outstanding bilingual skills. TCS´s mission is to graduate professional and fluent English speakers, opening international opportunities, an  education abroad and preparing them to communicate like native English speakers.

For many Columbus School students, expanding their educational ideas leads to visualizing themselves studying abroad. Some go for it and leave family and friends behind. But for many, the high cost of universities abroad is an obstacle to pursue this dream and most end up staying in Colombia.

Not Enough Scholarships

Government assures citizens an education system, each country has a different institutional support. In the United States, public universities are rated among the best although their benefits are only for the citizens.

“For a lot of the universities you have to fill out the fausaul form and that will tell universities what your need based financial aid is. If you are doing grants or loans from the government to pay for it, then you will need to pay back,” Brian Summers, University expert, said.

There are two types of financial aids, one focuses on human needs bases and the other one on scholarships. Financial aid is available from federal, state, educational institutions and private agencies. It can be awarded in the form of grants, educational loans, work-study and scholarships.

“Public universities generally 98% of the time, don’t give scholarships to international students because the public universities scholarships are funded by the government and by the taxes that U.S citizens pay,” Maria Teresa Mejia, Columbus School University Counselor, said.

TCS students are not prospects to obtain a scholarship for public colleges due to their citizenship. It’s more accurate for them to apply to a private university and work hard towards a scholarship rather than attending a public one. The cost of public universities exceeds what most students are willing to pay.

It´s Expensive!

Columbus School students have an immense pressure of obtaining a scholarship because this determines their future education. Most parents are not prepared nor disposed to paying colleges for their kids without them obtaining a scholarship to reduce the payment.

Colombian education has been improving exponentially throughout the last 50 years. Some people prefer staying in the country rather than spending their parents fortune on universities abroad. Some parents believe that their kids are prepared enough to study abroad thanks to the superior education received at the Columbus School. Their ability to communicate in English and Spanish with confidence and fluency is only one of the factors that benefits them the most when it comes to studying abroad.  

“Georgia Tech doesn’t give scholarships for international students, so just my tuition would be about $43,000, which is too much. That’s without paying the dorms and my food and my well being there,” Maria Antonia Aristizabal, TCS 11th grader and Georgia Tech aspirant, said.

Georgia Tech is a top ranked public university, so it is nearly impossible to obtain a scholarship. Ever since Aristizabal learned about Georgia Tech, she wanted to study there. Georgia Tech is one of the leading research and engineering universities in the United States.

“When I decided to study in Penn I knew that it was almost impossible to obtain a scholarship. Penn didn’t support me with my finances, my parents are currently paying for all my career,” Elena Vasquez, TCS Class of ´16, and current Penn student, said.

Tuition at the University of Pennsylvania costs $49,536 a year, in addition students must pay for a room that costs 13,990. The university doesn’t offer financial support for non citizens. Penn is one of the first universities in the world start industrial engineering program and that captured Vasquez.

The Ivy League colleges are known for their academic excellence, selectivity in admissions and social elitism. This are the most expensive because of their prestige. The average cost of Ivy league universities is around $50,000. Penn state is one of the seven Ivy League Colleges.

The Struggle of Deciding Where to Study

Columbus School students and parents consider that studying abroad is a wise alternative because teenagers have the possibility to interact with diverse cultures and expand their critical thinking skills. In average 15 to 20 Columbus School students finally carry out the plan of studying abroad, meaning around 85% decide to stay in Colombia.

“I think that I want to study in Medellin, I believe that the education here in Colombia is very good and I don’t see any reason why I should go to the United States. It exceeds what I can pay,” Tomas Quintero, Columbus School 11th grade Student, said.

Some students highlight Colombian education. Universities such as La Escuela of Ingeniería, Universidad de Los Andes, La Javeriana among other are rated as the best Colombian Universities were education is equally effective and rigorous.

“I enrolled my daughter at the best bilingual school of Medellin with the hope that in the future she would study abroad and take advantage of the benefits of speaking English so well. If I have the economic possibility to send her abroad I would do it because I’m aware of the reward,” Nora Gómez, Mother of TCS 12th grader Sofia Perez, said.