“There are undeniable benefits to having diverse, international classrooms, but we should also be concerned about these growing numbers. There are undeniable benefits to having diverse, international classrooms, but there are drawbacks too.”
That you come across people from different cultures and different points of view.
I can think of only pluses (assuming that people who have been admitted are of the required standard).
Historically the university scholarship exams ( fiest year degree standard )were the hardest entrance test of any country which were phased out along with O Levels and and S Levels but this is in the past . British exams and interviews did require a certain ability to think for oneself. One can be good at passing exams but lack the ability to innovate. B Wallis was hopeless at passing exams bit was one of the most innovative engineers in the World. The Great Inventor – YouTube
I doubt many Chinese are innovative.To be innovative one has to challenge ones superiors. As B Wallis ” Everything I have achieved has been in despite of the experts, not because of them “. Having undergraduates who pay well, do not challenge them and lack ingenuity makes the academics life much easier.
Here’s a very significant minus. There is seething rivalry between pro-Beijing Chinese and HK and Taiwanese. The mainlanders are ordered to spy on the latter and snitch to the Chinese authorities.
One very large benefit is we get other countries to pay large sums to educate their best and brightest young – and then get to poach them after they graduate. Many of the most excellent immigrants are ones allowed to remain on after they become highly educated and therefore valuable – educated experts, And Young = excellent immigrant. Worth 100X unskilled illegal migrants, maybe 1000X.
Apart from young people being exposed to different cultures, backgrounds, experiences, lifestyles and attitudes, with any luck developing a broader mind, increased tolerance and curiosity, I can’t think of any.
Caroline Watson
2 years ago
This is not only detrimental to British students, it is packing small, historic cities like Durham with far too many people, to the detriment of locals and the historic environment.
“There are undeniable benefits to having diverse, international classrooms” – could you kindly list these benefits?
There are so many, she mentioned it twice:
“There are undeniable benefits to having diverse, international classrooms, but we should also be concerned about these growing numbers. There are undeniable benefits to having diverse, international classrooms, but there are drawbacks too.”
Unherd sometimes stutters in that way. Get a competent proofreader, Unherd.
That you come across people from different cultures and different points of view.
I can think of only pluses (assuming that people who have been admitted are of the required standard).
Historically the university scholarship exams ( fiest year degree standard )were the hardest entrance test of any country which were phased out along with O Levels and and S Levels but this is in the past . British exams and interviews did require a certain ability to think for oneself. One can be good at passing exams but lack the ability to innovate. B Wallis was hopeless at passing exams bit was one of the most innovative engineers in the World.
The Great Inventor – YouTube
I doubt many Chinese are innovative.To be innovative one has to challenge ones superiors. As B Wallis ” Everything I have achieved has been in despite of the experts, not because of them “. Having undergraduates who pay well, do not challenge them and lack ingenuity makes the academics life much easier.
Here’s a very significant minus. There is seething rivalry between pro-Beijing Chinese and HK and Taiwanese. The mainlanders are ordered to spy on the latter and snitch to the Chinese authorities.
One very large benefit is we get other countries to pay large sums to educate their best and brightest young – and then get to poach them after they graduate. Many of the most excellent immigrants are ones allowed to remain on after they become highly educated and therefore valuable – educated experts, And Young = excellent immigrant. Worth 100X unskilled illegal migrants, maybe 1000X.
Or they could emulate the success of the Soviets at Oxbridge in the thirties, by being poached by us and then spying on behalf of China.
International students pay more to be there. From the point of view of the University, that’s a massive benefit!
Or conversely, it lets the government off the hook for underfunding our universities
Overfunding many of our worst universities i think
Apart from young people being exposed to different cultures, backgrounds, experiences, lifestyles and attitudes, with any luck developing a broader mind, increased tolerance and curiosity, I can’t think of any.
This is not only detrimental to British students, it is packing small, historic cities like Durham with far too many people, to the detriment of locals and the historic environment.