U.S. most popular foreign study destination

JAKARTA (JP): The United States is the most popular destination for Indonesian students wishing to study abroad, according to coordinators of overseas education.

"The United States is still seen as the most prestigious destination," according to Henny Ardi of LIA Overseas Training and Travel.

She was speaking on the sidelines of an international education fair here Sunday. Aimed at providing information to high school and university graduates seeking to further their studies abroad, the fair will also be held in Bandung, Yogyakarta, Semarang, and Surabaya.

Universities and colleges from 18 countries are taking part; they include the United States, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and France.

Participants said the most popular fields of study were English language programs, business administration, engineering, hotel management and aviation.

Indonesia, the United States and Malaysia have recently formed twin college concepts for hotel management and aviation education.

The President of Southwind Aviation Academy of the United States, Robert Harper III, said that a pilot school was started in Jakarta this year in cooperation with his country's Federal Aviation Authority and LIA Overseas Training and Travel.

Harper said the seven-month program aims to train Indonesians in aviation English and aviation knowledge; five months of the study period are spent on practical training in the United States.

Director of studies at the Institute of Hotel Training Joezhar N. Beten said a twin college program in hotel management under LIA-Bhakti Mitra was established this year for Indonesian students.

Students are taught six months of theory in Indonesia and six months of practical training in Malaysia.

Hanief, from the Educational Advising service of American Indonesian Education Foundation, advised Indonesian students to apply to American colleges and universities 11 to 18 months in advance.

Roland A. Fischer, director of Saint Cloud State University, in Texas, said that international students considering studies in the United States must maintain their full-time student status, be in good academic standing, have an authorized work permit and complete their studies within the specified timeframe.

However, he said, international students would still be allowed to work 20 hours a week on campus and pursue practical training related to their fields of study for 14 months after graduation.

American university courses for foreigners cost between US$6,000 and $10,000 a year.

American immigration authorities plan to place a tracking system on foreign students in the United States in 1999, Fischer said. (01)