Why college counselling just got 10 times harder

In the Council of International Schools (CIS) global membership community, leaders and students are struggling to keep up with fast-changing regulations impacting the mobility of students and scholars internationally.

“Political safety” is now an essential topic of discussion as we advise students on their pursuit of higher education studies internationally.

Recently, CIS convened a summit of our university and school leaders from across the world, just as new regulatory measures and actions were being introduced (and challenged) in the United States. Leaders shared what was on their minds as we gathered together. Their comments included, for example:

“We need to follow regulatory changes impacting mobility that seem arbitrary. Our words no longer match educational policy in the United States.”

“We’re here to learn from each other about actions we can take to redesign the horizon for international education.”

“I’m here to find hope in an environment that is changing at pace and in scope.”

How are educational leaders – in schools and universities – making sense of the scope and pace of changes that are impacting international education?

Collectively, we agreed that educational organizations need to be agile and flexible in response to (sudden) regulatory changes, such as bans on international students from certain countries, limits on international student (and teacher) recruitment, and discriminatory immigration policies.

It’s important to tell a story about daily life that is accurate and up to date.

We must remain fair and transparent in policy making and messaging to students. This is a time to communicate with them more often, and in new ways. It’s important to tell a story about daily life that is accurate and up to date.

This includes the need to communicate new information verbally, as prospective students are becoming more engaged, directly contacting higher education institutions. Above all, leaders agreed on the need to focus on what we can control and how we can use our collective “voice”. This includes working across institutions and countries to help students develop alternative options and back-up plans.

What are the greatest fears and hopes of international students?

Importantly, we invited international students to the summit to share their perspectives, including students who are currently studying or recently graduated university in the Netherlands. What did we learn?

The perception of worsening conditions (uncertainty) can be more impactful on decision-making than reality. When things are uncertain, many people prefer to stay where they are.

Today’s students, particularly those who have been exposed to international education, have grown up with an expanded perspective on the value of diversity.

The perception of worsening conditions can be more impactful on decision-making than reality.

Learning how “to be” in a diverse community is their life. They will continue to believe in the value of their experiences, despite governmental regulatory changes that are now mandating compliance to eliminate DEI programmes and any references to them.

What are students’ greatest fears? Here are some examples of what they said:

“Extremism…in many conflicts…We need to talk about it and universities need to allow us to talk about it.”

“Will my social media post be used against me?”

“The pace of change…politically.”

“Anti-immigration. The vulnerability of being an immigrant is scary.”

“Scared we don’t talk enough about topics that governments are banning.”

How should educational leaders apply this advice and perspective as we counsel and advise the young people in our care?

Above all, let’s remember to take care of ourselves. If we are not doing well, then we cannot take care of others. During recent virtual meetings, we can see the visible level of stress that our university leaders and school counsellors are experiencing, especially when their ability to help students is limited due to unexpected governmental interventions.

We can see the visible level of stress that our university leaders and school counsellors are experiencing.

A senior enrolment management officer at a US-based higher education institution told us that “this year is unlike any other” and has been the “most difficult year of my career”.

The reality is that the aspirations of students, educators and researchers past, present and future are now being disrupted for many who participate in international education programmes and cultural exchange around the world.

But importantly, there is some good news! Many educational institutions are responding by adjusting their admissions policies for those who are negatively impacted by changing regulations.

Our fundamental, collective responsibility as educational leaders is to enable student dreams, their plans and collaboration internationally, so they can put their ideas and practices together to achieve great things for society across the world.

At CIS, we are committed to developing solutions to resolve and remove these restrictions and we’ll continue to share new means of collaboration, understanding and innovation as they arise.