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Article from "Russian Beyond the Headlines"

Work and Travel: U.S. closes door on Russia’s students?

April 12, 2013 Pavel Koshkin, RBTH

Recent rejections of visas for participants in a popular program for students to visit the U.S has raised many questions in Russia.

The recent cases of Russian Work and Travel visa applicants being denied American visas indicates that the visa issue hasn't being resolved yet. While some observers claim that the stance taken by the U.S. Embassy might be politically motivated, Russian experts see these restrictions as a reasonable response to the lack of control on Work and Travel participants. Likewise, U.S. officials view the move as an attempt to introduce higher requirements for students.

Work and Travel

Summer Work and Travel was created as a public diplomacy tool in 1963. It allows foreign university students to work and travel for up to four months in the United States, where most work entry-level jobs at resorts, theme parks and restaurants, and experience American culture. The only firm requirements for participation in the program are a working knowledge of English and to be a full-time student at a university. About 1 million students have participated in the program. Participants come from around the world; some of the top participating countries are Russia, Brazil, Ukraine, Thailand, Ireland, Bulgaria, Peru, Moldova and Poland.

In early April, Moscow’s English-language newspaper The Moscow Times reported that 80-90 percent of the Russian students who have applied for visas to participate in the U.S. government’s Summer Work and Travel program since mid-March have been rejected. The information came from several U.S.-Embassy approved Russian agencies that manage Summer Work and Travel applications.

The paper went on to report that at the same time, last year the U.S. embassy rejected only 35-40 percent of the Summer Work and Travel visa applications.

Some observers claim that the rejections are a reflection of the difficult political relations between the U.S. and Russia, while others think the rejections are a justified response to the lack of control of the Summer Work and Travel participants and employers. Meanwhile, some U.S. officials regard the rejections as an attempt to introduce more stringent requirements for students who apply for visas.

Tara Sonenshine, U.S. Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, addressed the issue during a question-and-answer session at the American Center in Moscow on April 10.

“Over time, the number of summer work travel programs in the U.S. has gone up, up, up. And quality sometimes suffers when you grow extremely big with a number of programs,” Sonenshine said.

Statistics: U.S. Embassy rejects Work and Travel visa applicants. Click to view the infographic. 

She went on to explain that the U.S. has to make sure that everyone who is accepted into the program has a good experience, which means that they have had to take a more serious look at the students and the U.S. firms who hire them.

"Our most important priority is the security, health and well-being of people who come for a summer to travel and work," she said. “We have to put on some more difficult restrictions because we were finding in some cases that we are not able to deliver a highest possible quality. Any time when an international visitor comes to the United States, it has to be a positive experience. If it is negative in any way, it is going to be hard for everyone.”

In 2011, Summer Work and Travel participants staged a walk-out at a Hershey chocolate factory in Pennsylvania saying that they were being used as underpaid labor.

Russian experts agreed with Sonenshine’s assessment that the recent cases of visa rejection are a result of more stringent requirements for participants rather than politics.

“There is no politics [behind the U.S. Embassy move] at all. I don’t see it as a U.S. asymmetrical response to Russia’s NGO law. It’s too shallow for politics,” said Maxim Bratersky, a research fellow at the Center of Comprehensive European and International Studies (CCEIS) at the Higher School of Economics (HSE).  “Americans have been always open for foreign students and exchange.”

Related:

Educational programs remain central in U.S.-Russia collaboration

Urals students reap benefits of Russian-U.S. exchange

The U.S. extends visas for Russians

Andrey Kortunov, president of the Moscow-based New Eurasia Foundation, believes that politics should not play any role in such decisions. 

“When the relations between two countries have been worsening and when Americans find it difficult to work in Russia, on the contrary, the U.S. should place its bets on an increase in student exchange programs,” Kortunov said.

He noted that after the closure of the USAID office in Moscow, many educational agencies and funds encouraged Russian students to visit the U.S. in an effort to counter stereotypes about the United States and Americans.

When asked about the Summer Work and Travel case in particular, Kortunov said that the program requires more control from officials.

“The Work and Travel program is a tool for Russian students to come the U.S. [easily] and it is not always possible to control,” he said. “It’s no secret that many Russian students became illegal migrants in the U.S. Sometimes they happened to come in an unfavorable environment and their expectations didn’t come true.”

But he nevertheless warns against closing the program altogether.

“It’s not in U.S. interests to shut down such a program,” he said. “And I hope that program will exist and its efficiency will be only increased.”

Alumni of the program, however, argue that increased scrutiny of applicants is the wrong path to take.

“I can't imagine myself getting a job in a program these days, when the rules are a lot tighter than three years ago,” said Stepan Serdyukov, who visited the U.S. as a Summer Work and Travel student in 2010.

He called his experience “life-changing and character-building.” Serdyukov said the program has “a slow but deep impact on a society” as well as on its participants, who “may have a clearer view of what a civil society looks like and how important liberty is to economic prosperity.”

“Almost everyone with a fair grasp of English could benefit from the program, and not only in the terms of money earned: A complete immersion in a foreign culture, a foreign immigrant worker culture is something priceless,” Serdyukov said. 

Anna Laletina who was a Summer Work and Travel participant in 2009 working as a housekeeper in a motel in upstate New York and later in a local McDonalds wasn’t as positive about the experience as Serduykov, but was still happy for the opportunity.

“I had already been to the U.S., so I knew a lot and I knew what to expect,” Laletina said. “Yes, it was interesting though to work in such environment where we worked. I am glad I did that. When in my life would I do such a thing again?”

Moscow State University student Vladimir Chukov who lived and worked in New York said that he came back from his Summer Work and Travel experience “a completely different person” and that it helped him build his problem-solving skills.

Vladimir Chukov's expereince as a Work and Travel participant. Source: VChukov / Youtube

Serdyukov is ready to attribute the increase in visa rejections to politics. “The embassy employees see that the political climate in Russia is getting harsher by the day, and so they may grow overly suspicious about every young person trying to cross the borders with a work visa, because they understand that a life in the U.S. might be a very tempting perspective,” he said.

Laletina had a different perspective, however. “Maybe the U.S. government thinks that within the U.S., the unemployment rate is so high anyway that they don't really need additional people who want jobs,” she said.

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The American Dream

(From my point of view)

    If you ask Americans what “The American dream” is. They would probably associate it with freedom, independence, democracy. I guess they would be right.

The definition of the American dream is rooted in the United States Declaration of Independence.

 (which proclaims that "all men created equal" and that they are "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights" including "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

  “Happiness”

In many European countries, America and things American, are  associated with freedom. 

 We hear American politicians saying that America is for everyone, we see the movies where Americans rescuing the world, we watch TV shows where average family in the United States earns enough money to live in a house and have two and more cars parked in a garage, every child has their own room, women have so much clothes in a closet that they can fit out the half of the village in Africa.

   There are many opportunities in America. 

You can become an actor – Hollywood releases thousands of movies each year and hundreds of TV channels makes another thousand TV shows.

So American cinematography is a huge industry which gives you the opportunity to find the place in the movie production market.   You can be in music industry – there are hundreds of thousand radio stations in the USA, there are seemingly endless music recording studios and there are so many successful people looking for new talents.

     You can be a dancer, an artist, a writer or the next “American Idol”. All of this paints a great picture of a successful and happy American life.

“Great American picture”

     There are so many people all over the world who seek to have a better life than they have in their countries, better jobs, better stability or they just want to have an American lifestyle, because it seems so much fun and again, so much more stable.

  

     Since I was a little girl I dreamed of a life in America.

 It wasn’t a dream to come here and have a career and be successful.  It was just something so excited and bright, something new, something so different from what I saw in my country.  Those first American commercials in 1990’s, those Walt Disney cartoon and movies, those chocolate bars and sodas, that music and clothes. All this was new!

I was born in 1990 a year before USSR collapsed, so I really didn’t know that soviet life which my mom and older people knew.

 But looking back I can see how big and important it was when an American lifestyle first touched Russia. For example you can find the picture in the Internet which was taken from the first McDonald opened in Moscow in January, 1990.

    USA is very young compare to many European countries, but for such a short period of existing America made big progress in technologies, science, economy, education, cinematography and music. Became one of the most developed countries in the world.

     All this creates a great American picture in our minds.  And so many people want to be a part of it. Human always want something better, something more and we can’t blame anybody for it. I think it just natural.

So a lot of people find this “something better” by coming to United States.          But is it really “better”?

“Better or easier?”

     As you probably know so many great people came to America in a beginning of it existing. They were all immigrants from Great Britain, Spain, Ireland and other European countries. The greatest minds had come here: scientists, artists, writers, businessmen.  By bringing different cultures, history, making new discoveries, they made America and American history.

       This country was a “Silicon Valley” for the scientists, a “Trading Port” for a businessman and later “Land of freedom” for everybody else.

       But it was then; right now there is more than enough freedom in European countries, maybe even more then in US, but people still have that “American picture” in their heads. You can be successful in your own country. You can make a difference by staying in your homeland. It’s not easier in America right now than anywhere else because there so many immigrants come here every year. And everybody wants to be happy and successful, and have a career, and the house and your own business and a big family, etc. To have all that, you have to work very hard and it doesn’t matter what country you in – either its USA or England, or Russia. I saw people in America who work even harder than people in my country to have what they have. But unfortunately you don’t know that until you come here and see it… and live it!

  

How to transfer from one university to another.

Steps 1,2,3!  

(In help for international students)

Based on my experience. 

-Tips for choosing the right university

-List of required documents

-TOEFL and other english proficiency tests

The hardest part is to figure out where to start! 

As you can see in my blog spot I'm from Russia. I studied journalism in Nizhny Novgorod State university for 3 years. Then I moved in US and since that time I haven't had a chance to get my diploma. 

 Ok, so I decided that it's time for me to continue my education, well... I got to start from searching the info about different universities around here (by that I mean in DC or Northern Virginia-that's where I currently live). There are few colleges and universities which offers journalism or public relations, such 

Journalism Bachelor's Degree Programs in Washington, DC

American University

• Program Name: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Journalism
• Specialization Areas: Broadcast journalism, print journalism
• Program Length: 4 years (full-time)
• Tuition: $18,777 per semester (costs for 2011-2012; excluding fees)
• Prerequisites: High school diploma or equivalent; minimum 16 college preparatory units from a secondary school, including 4 credits in English, 3 credits in mathematics, 2 credits in laboratory science, 2 credits in foreign language and 2 credits in social sciences
• Requirements: Letters of recommendation; SAT or ACT test scores
• School Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit; approximately 7,100 undergrads and 5,700 graduate students
• Address: 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
• Phone: 202-885-2061

American University is located in northwest Washington, DC, and administers undergraduate and graduate journalism programs through its School of Communication. The B.A. in Journalism provides you with two track options: broadcast or print journalism. You must complete 120 hours, with 36-40 credits earned from core courses that include reporting skills, media analysis, ethical issues and technological influences. The school also offers a combined degree program that allows you to concurrently earn a B.A. and a Master of Arts in Journalism.

George Washington University

• Program Name: Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication
• Program Length: 4 years (full-time)
• Tuition: $22,868 per semester (costs for 2012-2013; excluding fees)
• Prerequisites: High school diploma or equivalent
• Requirements: SAT or ACT test scores; two letters of recommendation, including one from a teacher and one from a counselor
• School Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit; approximately 10,000 undergrads and 15,000 graduate students
• Address: 805 21st Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20052
• Phone: 202-994-6227

Located in the center of Washington, DC, George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs awards a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication. While pursuing this degree, you might study journalism theories, television and print news production, political communication methods and electronic media. The school provides high-tech production facilities that you can use while enrolled in the program, and you may also have the opportunity to work in an internship at one of the many businesses or public sector organizations in the area.

Howard University

• Program Name: Bachelor of Arts
• Specialization Areas: Advertising, broadcast journalism, print-online journalism, public relations
• Program Length: 4 years (full-time)
• Tuition: $9,575 per semester (costs for 2011-2012; excluding fees)
• Prerequisites: High school diploma; high school coursework including four English credits, two math credits, two science credits, two foreign language credits and two social science credits
• Requirements: High school GPA of 2.5 or higher; minimum 22 on the ACT or 1020 on the SAT
• School Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit; approximately 6,900 undergrads and 3,400 graduate students
• Address: 525 Bryant Street NW, Washington, DC, 20059
• Phone: 202-806-7690

The School of Communications at Howard University enrolls more than 1,400 students each year and offers four majors in its undergraduate journalism program. You can focus on public relations or advertising or learn how to produce news and feature stories in the broadcast and print/online journalism sequences. While majoring in broadcast journalism, you might have some of your work aired on local television and radio stations, such as WHBC-AM or WHUT-TV. As a print/online major, you might want to consider writing for The Hilltop and The District Chronicles, Howard University's school newspapers.

---

Journalism Master's Degree Programs in Washington, DC

American University

• Program Name: Master of Arts (M.A.) in Journalism and Public Affairs; M.A. in Interactive Journalism
• Fields of Study: Broadcast, print (journalism and public affairs)
• Program Length: 11 months full-time; 20 months part-time
• Tuition: $1,348 per credit hour (costs for 2011-2012; excluding fees)
• Prerequisites: Bachelor's degree
• Requirements: Purpose statement; GPA of 3.0 or higher in last 60 hours of undergrad classes; two recommendation letters
• School Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit; approximately 7,100 undergrads and 5,700
• Address: 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20016
• Phone: 202-885-2061

You have the option of pursuing two journalism related master's degrees at American University. The M.A. program in journalism and public affairs allows you to choose a broadcast or print journalism track. Both tracks require you to participate in a 3-week boot camp at the beginning of the program. This program introduces you to the basics of journalism and teaches you how to produce, report and write for various media platforms. The interactive journalism graduate degree is designed for journalists or Internet professionals seeking to implement Web media into their current work. You are also able to experience a real newsroom atmosphere by visiting and possibly working at the Eric A. Friedheim Journalism Center on campus.

Georgetown University

• Program Name: Master of Professional Studies in Journalism
• Program Length: 5 semesters; can take up to 5 years to complete
• Tuition: $905 per credit hour (cost for fall of 2012)
• Prerequisites: Bachelor's degree
• Requirements: Professional portfolio, personal statement; professional resume; two recommendation letters; undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0
• School Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit; approximately 7,600 undergrads and 9,400 graduate students
• Address: 3307 M Street NW, Suite 202, Washington, DC 20007
• Phone: 202-687-8700

This is just a few of those! You can always find that specific type of college you are looking for... I'm sure everybody knows how to google:))

Anyway, apart from those universities there also online ones such as University of Phoenix, Full Sail University, Ashford University and etc. Usually they all offer undergraduate and graduate journalism programs. The only problem I see is that they ridiculously expensive!! For me anyway) 

I'm thinking to go to GMU(George Mason University) even though it doesn't have exact major I wanted to study they have similar ones such as mass media and communications and humanities and social science. Also its affordable and one of GMU campuses located not far from my house.

So the step #1 is to outline one or few universities for yourself. 

Step #2 is to see requirement and deadlines. You have to make sure that you gather all required paperworks before the deadline. 

Well let me walk you through general requirements for transfer students. They might change and some universities might require more than the others but in general they either the same or a little bit different. 

1) University/Post-secondary Transcripts

Official transcripts are required from each post-secondary institution attended. A certified translation of each transcript must be provided if the document is not already in English. Students who have attended a university in the U.S. must have their transcripts sent directly to the Office of Admissions from that institution in a sealed envelope.

A certified external course-by-course* evaluation must be submitted for all post-secondary level studies completed outside of the U.S. We recommend WES and AACRAO but you may use any NACES recognized service.

*There are few types of evaluation, you have to make sure you order the right one(each university require there specific type of evaluation ), here is some of them:

1. COURSE-BY-COURSE REPORT 

A Course-by-Course evaluation identifies and describes each diploma or certificate, indicates the periods of education, provides an equivalency for each document, lists all courses (subjects) with U.S. semester credits, and gives a grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale.

This is the evaluation report you should order for: 

• Education (to apply for an advanced degree or transfer credit. See below for high school education evaluations.)
• Professional licensing
• Professional certification

2. DOCUMENT-BY-DOCUMENT REPORT 

A Document-by-Document evaluation identifies and describes each diploma or certificate, indicates periods of education, and provides an equivalency for each document.

This is the evaluation report you should order for: 

• Education (high school credentials evaluation only)
• Employment
• Immigration

3. CPA BOARD EVALUATION

For those applying for state Certified Public Accounting exams.

As a rule this evaluation will cost you anywhere from $140 to $250 and it take approximately 2 weeks for them to prepare such evaluation for you. The list of required documents for this process you can find on official sites I provided above.

2)English Proficiency

   All new students are expected to accurately comprehend written English, clearly understand rapidly spoken English in classroom lectures and in professional settings, write with proper grammar and syntax, and be able to respond quickly in English using a vocabulary appropriate for collegiate settings.

Students who have completed a full high school degree/diploma program from a regionally accredited university in the United States, Canada (excluding province of Quebec), United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand are considered to have met that standard. All other applicants are required to show further evidence of English proficiency either by scoring at the prescribed level on an English proficiency examination, scoring at the prescribed level of the SAT I/ACT verbal section, or by taking college level English courses in the United States. 

Listed below are the English proficiency examinations:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

• International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

• Pearson Academic Test of English

• SAT I Critical Reading/ACT-English

Official test scores must be sent directly from the testing agency. When you going to take your test you will need to choose few universities you would like to send your test results to so Please make sure you have your testing code from your university.  

As for me I'm going to take TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) test.

There tones of books and CD in a library which can help you to prepare for this test. 

If you want successfully pass the test start preparing for it at least 2-3 month before the test. This test contains 4 part: reading, listening, speaking,writing. There 2 types of test you can choose either one paper test or ibt(internet based test). All I can say is there are more ibt test every year then the paper one.   

TOEFL cost about $160 and can be taken in special test centers. You can find test centre and dates in your state following this link: http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/tclists/IBT_a.html

What can you do if you didn't pass any of those english tests?

Well some of the universities offers you college level english courses which you can take while you study: 

For example:

Completion of English Composition I & II with grades of C or higher in each course at a regionally accredited college or university, where instruction was delivered in the United States. ESL and remedial English courses are not accepted. The University Admissions Committee makes the final decision about the acceptability of all English composition courses used in lieu of a TOEFL/IELTS requirement.

Provisional Admission is available for first-time freshman students through our ACCESS program. ACCESS is designed for academically qualified undergraduate international students who need additional English language proficiency assistance. Students enrolled in this program can work on their academic English language skills while taking a full-time academic course load toward their Bachelor’s degree. A minimum TOEFL score of 68 on the internet-based exam or a minimum IELTS score of 5.5 and a strong academic record are needed in order to qualify.

Conditional Admission may be available for applicants who do not meet our minimum English proficiency requirements but are otherwise academically qualified for admission. An offer of conditional admission means that once you have met one of our English proficiency requirements, we re-evaluate our decision and offer you admission to our ACCESS program or full admission to an academic program. Conditionally admitted students may apply to our English Language Institute and study English at University. Students who complete the highest level of study at ELI and receive an appropriate recommendation for advancement to academic studies will be considered as having met our English Proficiency requirement.

Transfer applicants who have not completed the equivalent to 30 university credits will also be required to submit:

• Official SAT/ACT scores sent directly from College Board or ACT.
• Secondary/high school transcripts, results from leaving certificates or national university entrance exams, and a certified English translation if the documents are not already in English

Step#3 now when you know what kind of paperwork you need to gather plan your time and budget, make sure you get everything done and send to admission office by set deadline!

You also need to register online on official site of university so admission office can contact you! 

Also you will need to produce other document such as: 

- document proving your legal status in the USA (visa, green card, citizenship)

-if you have a visa they may ask you to have a sponsor who can proof that he has enough money for you to study in US. Such a proof can be a statement from the bank. 

-also if you trying to get under in-state tuition rates you will need to show any proof that you lived  in a state enough time which is 2-3 years. Such a proof can be your bank account, mail on your name, visa and etc. 

-also see if you qualify for financial aid. Contact your university for the info.

I hope my article was helpful and good luck to you all!!!!