INTO This Week 38

It all began at the end of August when Wendy Ridley, International Liaison and Marketing Officer at Newcastle University, contacted INTO asking for help in placing some late applicants from Rivers State in Nigeria. The students were interested in the INTO Science Foundation Programme which leads to degrees in Biomedical Sciences at Newcastle.

Newcastle had welcomed students from Rivers State on their undergraduate programmes before, but never via INTO Centres. Naturally INTO was happy to help: not only would the students benefit from the excellent academic and social head start provided by INTO foundation courses, but also get to spend an extra year on campus as opposed to studying in language schools or unaffiliated preparation centres.

From there things happened fairly quickly. Hanna Jenna, INTO's Regional Director Africa, said: 'I was in Nigeria and got in touch with the organisers and all the relevant INTO staff members at INTO Newcastle and in Central Admissions. Within a few days our Central Admissions office had received 34 applications and issued 20 offers for INTO Newcastle, as well as 14 for INTO UEA.'

However it wasn't all plain sailing. Term was just about to start and at INTO UEA there was no more on-campus accommodation left. Add to that the usual payment processing times, and staff were uncertain whether the Nigerian students would actually make it.

Never the less, about four weeks after the term began 18 students arrived at INTO Newcastle and 10 at INTO UEA, where alternative accommodation arrangements had been made. Just six students were deferred until January 2011.

The students at both INTO Centres have received extra tuition to catch up and are now doing very well. Kevin Conroy, INTO Newcastle Centre Director, said: 'I am delighted that everything has worked out so well so far and that we had the right patience, faith and determination to see it through. It really is a great credit on everyone involved in the centres, in the University, in Central Admissions and in market.'

It was USF's first International Festival, and staged as part of the university's commitment to bringing its domestic and foreign cohorts together. International students, many from INTO USF, thronged the lawns outside the Marshall Student Center and displayed dances, food and dress from their cultures.

Maria Crummett, the USF Dean of International Affairs, said: 'Many of our [domestic] students will never be able to travel, so by us bringing the world to them, they get a snapshot, a taste of what it means to interact with someone from Venezuela, South Africa, Ghana, Saudi Arabia, you name it.'

Every INTO USF student played a part in the fair, having prepared for the event over the previous four weeks in class. All presented exhibitions and displays, representing over 40 countries in the process.

Students from China, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Colombia and Japan also performed. Of note was the Fisherman's Dance performed by Japanese students, as well as the flag parade in which many INTO students got to carry their nation's flag.

INTO USF Director for Student Support, Ariadne Miranda, said: 'It was important for INTO USF to be part of this… Our students felt very proud to represent their countries on the day. They are real ambassadors of their countries in the US.'

The positive global image of events like the International Festival is likely to help USF increase its international student population, which fell after the September 11th terrorist attacks but has begun to rise again in recent years.

The University's partnership with INTO has contributed to this turnaround, and looks set to increase the foreign intake significantly. This year alone the University has welcomed 125 nationalities to the campus.