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Summer Nebrsskan, Thursday, July 20, 1978
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A shortage of universities in their home country is
the main reason Iranian students study in the United
States, according to a member of the UN-L
Organization of Iranian Students.
The student (who did not want his name used) said,
over 50,000 Iranian students are studying in the U.S.,
mainly on the east and west coasts and in Texas.
There are only 50 colleges in Iran, he said, compared
to the thousands of universities across the United
States. The Universities are better here, with bigger
labs that can handle larger clases.
Because it is very expensive to study here most of the
Iranian students come from wealthy families, he said.
But about 20 percent of the students are on
scholarships granted by the Iranian government. They
receive $300 to $400 each month, he said.
He said he came to Nebraska because he had friends
studying here. Many students come for similar reasons.
The number of Iranian students has been increasing
at UN-L, he said, and 200 are expected to enroll this
fall. Last year 140 students from Iran studied here.
He said 50 of those students, like himself, are in the
College of Engineering.
Many foreign students would like to remain in the
United States after completing their studies but most
cannot get permanent visas, he said.
Why did Patrick Anyikwa come to Nebraska?
"That's a very big question." according to the
president of the Nigerian Student Association.
"I have been asked that at least 20 times and on each
occasion I gave a different answer." he said.
There is probably no single reason for any of the
nearly 125 Nigerian students who are studying at UN-L.
Anyikwa said.
They come with a desire for adventure and a "sense
of admiration for the ingenuity of Americans," as well
to get an education, he said.
Many of the Nigerian students at UN-L came to
Nebraska because their friends who were here wrote
them about Lincoln and urged them to come. Anyikwa
said.
When Anyikwa came to the University in 1975 he
said there were approximately 40 Nigerian students.
The increase in students coming here can be attributed
to this word of mouth.
Anikwa said however that more would come if the
costs were not so high. Tuition for foreign students as
non residents is $61 per hour, he said.
But when the students do come, they encounter few
problems.
"Lincoln is a city where one could feel at home,"
Anyikwa said."
But he said that sometimes 'we feel that we are on
one side and that Americans are on the other side.
There isn't much input in the University student
organizations from foreign students."
He said it might be a good idea to reserve a student
senate seat for a foreign student. "When you have
somebody there you have a sense of belonging."
He said Nigerian students have some problem in
classes with language problems but not because they
do not understand the material, but because they are
sometimes afraid of asking questions for fear of looking
dumb.
He said some professors when speaking about issues
and conditions in Afric and Nigeria will look to the
Nigerian students and apologize as if the professor had
said something offensive.
"We don't want that," Anyikwa said. "We want to
be accepted. Come out with the facts and that's that."
Stories fay
Amy JLenzen sand George WHg
The British Colony of Hong Kong, on the coast of
southeastern China, has over four million people living
in an area the size of Lancaster County.
The group of islands has only two universities, and
students from Hong Kong find it necessary to continue
their education abroad after high school.
A past president of the Chinese Student Association,
(he did not want his name to be used) said the number
of students from Hong Kong at UN-L and other
universities across the U.S. has been declining because
the United States has recently restricted the number of
visas granted to foreign students and the quota of
student visas from Hong Kong is full.
"At one time there were 300 Hong Kong students at
the University (Lincoln)," he said "Now only 50
students are studying here."
He said he chose UN-L because it was inexpensive
compared to other universities. A placement center in
Hong Kong has catalogs of all the Universities across
the world and UN-L was the only campus he applied
to.
Because of the costs of studying abroad only those
from upper middle-class or upper-class families can
afford to attend foreign universities, he said.
No scholarships are given by the government of
Hong Kong for study in the United States, but a few are
given to students who wish to study in Great Britain,
because Hong Kong is a British colony.
UN-L has given two students from Hong Kong
scholarships, he said, but only after they had studied
here for a year.
He has studied life science at UN-L for four years,
and plans to apply for medical school next year. But he
said he doubts if he will be able to get into medical
school because of the competition and he will probably
return home next year when his visa expires.
The University was a good experience, he said.
"The United States has the world's most modernized
universities, especially in science areas, and are the
best places to go," he said.