Why do you think it is important for a university to have students from around the world?

Universities are an educational hub in which today have students from all over the

world. It is important for a “world-class” university to have literally, and figuratively a

“world-class” impression, where a lecture is filled with a mixed variety of students. The word

“universal” itself has it’s connotations to “university”, implying the importance of a

university being universal in terms of its population and education.

What students look for in a university is not based solely on its ranking or standard of

teaching, but also its diversification. In the 21 st century whereby the economies of the world

are becoming more closely integrated, diversification is key. With an array of students, the

university can gain a wide range of input and opinions, which is essential as this would make

an argument more well -rounded and representable. Having different opinions also allow

greater improvement as concepts and theories can be further refined to be more flexible.

With more students around the world in a university, these students can learn from

each other as they carry out activities, as well as build better relationships. As students are the

future pillar of their countries, they can become more closely linked in their university life

and later use this as an advantage to build up and improve their economy. Learning as a unit

in a university can also allow them to learn the cultures of each other, and as they gain

understanding between different cultures, they can learn acceptance and tolerance, allowing

them to get closer to solving disputes and eventually leading to a more peaceful society.

In light of having a cosmopolitan university, the university itself can gain more

recognition when they receive international students as this would enable them to gain world-

class information. For an example, a university conducting research and development

projects can expand their horizons if their students are from different parts of the world as it

will not only confine them within the minds of local students. If a university can reach out to
vast nationalities, different minds can combine to form a dynamic theory which is applicable

and flexible, hence boosting the advancement of both the theory and the name of the

university.

Moreover, as globalisation takes place in the world today, universities play the role of

an accelerator in this. Increasing levels of technology and convenience has allowed the world

to be more integrated economically and I believe that universities play a vital role in this. As

education is packaged as an intangible good where its trade is defined as “service”, trade in

services between countries allow the multilateral trade between countries expand, while at the

same time integrating economies to become better-knit. This is beneficial to each country as

firstly, the quality of students will increase and secondly, economic ties become stronger for

the growth and development.

Thus, I believe a university should have a controlled amount of international students

in order to maximise the benefits they can achieve through this.