GESP holds its Annual Study Abroad Fair both In-person & Virtually

On November 2^nd, 2023, the Office of Global Education & Strategic Programmes (GESP) hosted over 42 International universities for its annual Study Abroad Fair. The fair was held from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm (in person) and from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm (online) with over 704 students in attendance / participating.

The students had a wonderful opportunity to meet representatives of various universities across the globe and asked questions about summer and semester study abroad opportunities. They were also given information about these universities’ master’s and doctoral programs for graduate study. 

Participating Universities and Organizations

In order to give students direct information and guide them of the best possibilities, several higher education institutions—including international universities and government education organizations participated. These universities included Sciences Po, University College London, London School of Economics, King’s College London, UC Berkeley, NUS Singapore, Lehigh University, University of British Columbia, UPenn, University of Melbourne, Clark University, University of Manchester, Leibniz University Hannover, and many more. 

Several government education organizations also participated including Embassy of Switzerland, Campus France, USIEF, US Embassy and Jamboree Education. They provided Ashoka students with general guidance about studying in their respective regions.

52 Representatives from more than 15 countries representing Australia, Ireland, Spain, France, USA, UK, Canada, Turkey, Singapore, Israel, Netherlands, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Switzerland attended the fair. The in-person format and the Zoom online platform of the Study Abroad Fair made it possible for everyone to easily connect and engage with one another. 

Student Participation at the Study Abroad Fair

All Ashoka University students, including undergraduates, master’s, and Young India Fellows attended the fair. However, it is evident from looking through the registration data that undergraduate students made a significant portion of those in attendance at the event.

The geographical diversity of the participating universities and the platform the fair offered for one-on-one conversation with their representatives was highly valued by the students who attended. 

The university participants were also very happy with their time at the fair based on the comments GESP office received, their interactions with Ashokan Students was highly intriguing, engaging, and productive. Here are some of the comments that the GESP office received.

Testimonials

“I had great conversations with a few prospective students. Also, I’ve attended many virtual fairs with complicated platforms, and I appreciated that this one was very simple and flexible using Zoom breakout rooms,” Danielle Goldstein, GWU, Elliott School of International Affairs.

“The fair format (as opposed to a typical info-session/presentation) enabled students to ask their specific questions in a timely manner. By visiting several “booths” students were able to get their particular questions answered quickly,” Gregg Charron, Boston University Summer Term.

 “Overall, it was a very good experience and thank you for the opportunity to speak to your students about opportunities at UC Santa Cruz,” George Sabo, University of California Santa Cruz