Linden Tour Report: India Spring 2015 Overview The Spring 2015 Linden Tour visited 6 cities in 14 days. In the first three cities, New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore we conducted high school visits as well as public university fairs. In the last three cities, Hyderabad, Coimbatore and Chennai, we focused more on the graduate market by hosting public university fairs only. The last time Linden had been to Coimbatore was the Spring of 2012. Our fairs had great attendance with more than 860 students attending overall, exceeding in most cases the number of attendees at the Spring events in 2014, of which more than 65% were seeking graduate degrees. The quality of the students remained high and the percentage of undergraduates to graduates attending is increasing in all cities. In all the cities, the universities on tour saw many talented students both at the undergraduate and graduate level. The student interest and growing presence of parents and other family members confirms that the USA continues to be a first choice destination for students looking to study abroad. The Cricket World Cup was going on during this time of the year. Luckily, we anticipated this and on the days when there were important matches in which India was competing, we set up screens in the lobby area outside of the fairs so the public could keep an eye on the score. With the help of Syed Jamal and his expertise in promotion and marketing we were able to promote the fairs via social media outlets such as on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Linden also advertised its events on Happy Schools Blog and the Times of India. In New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai we offered presentations on U.S. higher education and the college admission process right before the fair. These sessions were followed by an information session on “How to process the Student Visa” presented by Visa Officers from the US Embassy Visa Section. This method allowed students to spend time in the session and also have more quality conversations between university representatives and the candidates inside the fair. These presentations were very well received by both the students and parents that attended. Cultural activities and shopping stops are an important part of any Linden Tour and this tour was no exception. The group began this tour with a pre tour day spent at the Taj Mahal in Agra. Eight of the fourteen tour members came in a day early for this incredible experience. Everyone agreed it was worth getting up early and leaving the hotel at 6:00am. The Taj Mahal is such an iconic symbol of India’s history and the tour members really enjoyed our guided experience of the grounds of this romantic example of architecture. We also managed to squeeze in a visit to Dilli Haat in New Delhi. This is a “must see” market shopping experience! In Hyderabad, some of us visited the Chaminar Laad Bazaar. This outing was rich with beautiful sights, people watching, yummy smells and even some pearl shopping! The view from the top of the Chaminar allows you to see almost all of downtown Hyderabad. What a great view! And lastly, in Chennai, some of us made sure to visit the Cane & Bamboo store. The store owner remembers the Linden tour group every time and takes great care of us! It’s a great store where you can shop calmly and even pay with a credit card!

India Market: According to Open Doors, in the 2013/14 academic year, 102,673 students from India were studying in the United States (up 6.1% from the previous year). India is the second leading place of origin for students coming to the United States. The majority of Indian students 60%, study at the graduate level, 12% pursue undergraduate degrees and 27% are doing OPT. The number of Indian students in the U.S. in 2013/14 increased 6.1% compared to the previous year, marking the first increase in three years consecutively. India had been the leading place of origin for international students in the U.S. from 2001/02 through 2008/09. Students from India make up approximately 11.6% of the total foreign student population in the United States. Interest in undergraduate study has been on the rise in the past few years, as was reflected in the growing percentage of undergraduates and their parents who attended the university fairs. It is noteworthy to state that the number of undergraduate degree seekers represent approximately more than 15-20% of the total public at all our events. With a population of more than 1 billion persons and a growing middle class, there is a huge demand for education. Currently 20% of the local universities have correspondence courses. Competition from other countries, including, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and several Asian countries is keen. However, the U.S. is still the number one destination for Indian students. Although the middle class remains firm, finances continue to be a concern for many, and even more so as the Indian Rupee continues to devaluate.!The transfer market is a good option for overcoming the burden of funding four years of undergraduate study. Engineering, computer science/information technology and business administration/management, remain the most popular fields of study, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and there is increasing interest in health sciences, public relations, advertising and humanities and social sciences as well as design fields and communication. One of the most important issues in higher education in India is the willingness of Indian universities to establish partnerships with US universities. This is a major point of discussion because the issue is vital to future recruitment. It is worth investigating on-going collaborative partnerships with Indian institutions, such as faculty research/ faculty exchanges, student exchanges, twinning programs, on-line courses, consulting on curriculum or program design, or any actual or future partnerships. It is recommended that all university representatives have some knowledge of their university policies regarding collaborative partnerships with Indian universities. Tour Review Based on the written evaluations and tour review meeting, the tour members would like us to: • Go back to last year’s dates and plan the tour a little earlier so as to avoid test dates and other recruitment

tours that might have just been in the same cities. • Continue to focus on second tier cities due to over-saturation in cities like Mumbai and New Delhi. India is

such a large country and has so many talented students! • Continue to coordinate a robust agenda full of a wide offering of school visits, putting them in touch with

many national, international and American curriculum schools as possible per city • Look into “Higher Education Saturdays” at TISB • Consider doing the 1-minute intros at all visits • Consider doing radio promotions for the public university fairs • Add more student interactive workshops to the itinerary

Appreciation First of all, I want to thank the tour members for your professionalism, flexibility and dedication to your institutions. All of you were extremely positive and gave your best even on the longest days which can be quite common in India given the distances. You all made the trip an incredibly enjoyable and fun experience! I also want to thank our local contacts. We relied on them for help with advertising, registration and general promotion of U.S. education before, during, and after our tour. I would also like to thank our colleagues at the US Embassies as well as other offices in the region. The Visa Officers in all the cities we visited who attended the fairs were really helpful. They spent their time with students and shared valuable information about the student visa process with them In India, I want to especially thank our local teams, under the direction of Swetha Muthanna, Educational Adviser, Yashna Trust, Bangalore and Vijaya Khandavilli for her help in Mumbai. Everyone was extremely dedicated throughout the planning of this whole tour. Your onsite coordination and dedication during the trip, and drive to quickly process the registration data were very important to the success of the tour. Again, thank you for your competent and enthusiastic work for Linden. I also want to thank the Visa Officers in all the cities we visited who attended the fairs, spending their time with students and sharing valuable information about the student visa process with them. I also wish to thank Mishkat Ahmad, Director at Vesna Tours, for enabling us to travel in India in a comfortable and efficient manner. I want to especially thank Bharat Pathania at Vesna Tours, his devotion to the tour always goes above and beyond. It is his care and attention to each detail that speaks of his devotion to Linden and all his customers. We surely miss his candor and upbeat personality greeting us everyday with a happy smile! This tour would also not be possible without the incredible support from Liz Theal, Events Coordinator and Leah Baines, Communications Coordinator, in the Linden office. Without their help in coordinating logistics and promoting the fairs online and preparing the printed brochure….we could never have a successful trip! Lastly, I want to thank Kathy Harrington, JoBeth Brudner and John Williamson for their support in allowing me to lead the Spring India 2015 tour. I feel honored that they trust and support me both in the office and while I am on the road. I feel privileged to work for an organization like Linden that is dedicated to U.S Higher Education and international student recruitment. I really do love India and all the beautiful colors, smells, people. I hope to return soon! All my best, Brandy Fransen April 2015

New Delhi, India

February 7-11, 2015

U.S. University Fair 16 universities 142 School Visits DPS Rohini

DPS R.K Puram Ansal University Ahlcon International School Ahlcon Public School Genesis International School American Embassy School

140 0

40 120 120

50 0

Other Cultural activity: Taj Mahal at Agra

Country Briefing by Vijaya Khandavilli Welcome Dinner at Punjabi by Nature

Total Attendance in New Delhi 612 Linden University Fair Statistics Of the registered students at the fair: • 21.8% wanted undergraduate study; 65.5% wanted graduate study and 7% wanted Doctorate degrees. The

rest did not specify. • The most frequently identified fields of study were: Engineering, Computer Science/Information Technology,

Biological and Medical Sciences, Computer Science, Design and Business. • 75.4% of the attendees were male • 24.6% of the attendees were female • The rest did not specify Highlights

! The Taj Mahal was breathtaking! All the tour members that were able to go said they were so grateful to have this experience and they enjoyed a great introduction to Indian heritage and culture!

! The country briefing offered by Dr. Vijaya Khandavilli which covered country information and valuable educational data as well as the key recruiting tips.

! Welcome Dinner at Punjabi by Nature was delicious! Convenient location and great atmosphere! ! Great turn out for the fair; many interested students and their families asked outstanding questions;

representatives spent quality time with all; presentation of visa section consular officer at the public fair was offered by Leon D’Souza

! Most school visits were well attended, especially at the public schools ! DPS Rohini was a great way to start the tour. They were very organized and the students had very

good questions. ! We felt like celebrities at Ahlcon Public School! There were cameras and flowers and food! It was so

nice to have the slide presentations prepared ahead of time and to have face to face interactions with both the President and the Counselor. The college fair at the end of the event was good too and could have lasted longer!

! Thank you tour members! Your generous donation to AES Reachout Camp was provided many school uniforms as well as many useful products to the hygiene stations!!

! !

Mumbai, India February 11- 14, 2015

U.S. University Fair 17 universities 196 School Visits

American School of Bombay Singapore International School Jamnabai Narsee School (Parents Program) H.R College of Commerce and Economics Shah & Anchor Kutchhi Engineering College

20 60 2

0 120

Total attendance in Mumbai 398 Linden University Fair Statistics Of the registered students at the fair: • 20.9% wanted undergraduate study; 72.4% wanted graduate study and 6.1% wanted Doctorate degrees.

The rest did not specify. • The most frequently identified fields of study were: Engineering, Computer Science/Information Technology,

Biological and Medical Sciences, Computer Science, Design and Business. • 64.3% of the attendees were male • 35.7% of the attendees were female • The rest did not specify

Highlights

• The fair in Mumbai had the highest attendance of the tour. The students had excellent questions and interaction with students at the university fair, good mix of academic interest; Participation of visa section consular officer who presented on how to obtain the student visa and had a booth at the public fair

• This was one of the cities we had the screen and projector set up in the lobby of the fair so the patrons could watch the Cricket World Cup which they seemed to really appreciate.

! The Essay Workshop at Oberoi International School was a great learning experience for all. The 11th graders that attended that activity were extremely engaged and it was a good time for the university reps to interact with the students.

! This was our first time visiting Singapore International School and it was a great visit! We could even have spent more time there and we proposed that next time we offer to give presentations or a workshop. Maria Bible, the new Counselor used to be a university representative so she is keen to understand our needs.

! Shah and Anchor Kutchhi Engineering College stole the show in this city! They are always so grateful for our visit but this time they went above and beyond! They even downloaded videos of each school from YouTube and prepared a PPT of each school as they introduced the five university representatives. The students were very respectful and had insightful questions. The College fair was successful and demonstrated the high interest for both transfer and graduate programs in the U.S.

Bangalore, India February 15 - 17, 2015

U.S. University Fair 17 universities 185 School Visits Deccan International School

Inventure Academy Sarala Birla Academy for Boys INDUS The International School of Bangalore (TISB)

100 80 11

250 30

Other Graduate Session at Yashna Trust 20 Total Attendance in Bangalore 676

Linden University Fair Statistics Of the registered students at the fair: • 21.6% wanted undergraduate study; 69.7% wanted graduate study and 8.6% wanted Doctorate degrees.

The rest did not specify. • The most frequently identified fields of study were: Engineering, Computer Science/Information Technology,

Biological and Medical Sciences, Computer Science, Design and Business. • 69.2% of the attendees were male • 30.8% of the attendees were female • The rest did not specify Highlights

! Bangalore had the second highest number of attendees at the university fair. Attendance was excellent in terms of both quantity and quality- a growing interest in undergraduate education with parents asking well-rounded questions and more variety in graduate fields of study

! First visit to Deccan International School was really memorable and it was nice to have such great support from the counselor and staff there. This school has great potential and we already have plans to return in the Fall!

! Wonderful luncheon with counselor and outstanding hospitality at The International School Bangalore, students who stopped by were very serious about pursuing their studies in the USA.

! The strongest school visit of the tour was INDUS with 250 students that attended. The Counselors were smart and divided the college fairs between the 10th and 11th graders. They had pre-requested that we prepare PPT presentations on: Popular Majors on Campus, Emerging New Careers and the Importance of 9/10 grades. The students used what they learned during the presentations to form and ask intelligent questions and they sparked a lot of interest!

Hyderabad, India

February 17 - 19, 2015

U.S. University Fair 11 universities 138 Other Visit to Chaminar Laad Bazaar Total Attendance in Hyderabad 138

Linden University Fair Statistics Of the registered students at the fair: • 15.2% wanted undergraduate study; 76.1% wanted graduate study and 4.3% wanted Doctorate degrees.

The rest did not specify. • The most frequently identified fields of study were: Engineering, Computer Science/Information Technology,

Biological and Medical Sciences, Computer Science, Design and Business. • 79.7% of the attendees were male • 17.4% of the attendees were female • The rest did not specify Highlights

! The local contacts took the time to come around and introduce themselves to everyone before the fair, which was very nice.

! There was a steady stream of both students and parents that had serious interest in studying at U.S. universities

! It was really nice to have a table for both the Consulate Office and USIEF to answer questions regarding the student visa process and funding options for students/parents

! The view from the Chaminar was just incredible. The sights, the smells, the small stalls/shops and the shopping for pearls ALL made this quite a fun afternoon before the fair.

Coimbatore, India

February 19 -20, 2015

Linden US University Fair 8 universities 43 Total Students seen in Coimbatore 43

Linden University Fair Statistics Of the registered students at the fair: • 15.2% wanted undergraduate study; 76.1% wanted graduate study and 4.3% wanted Doctorate degrees.

The rest did not specify. • The most frequently identified fields of study were: Engineering, Computer Science/Information Technology,

Biological and Medical Sciences, Computer Science, Design and Business. • 79.7% of the attendees were male • 17.4% of the attendees were female • The rest did not specify Highlights

! The quality of students in the room was very high. ! There was also quite a high numbers of parents that came to the fair. ! The ones that STOLE the show were 10-15 students from Riverside College, a high school in the

mountain city of Ooty! Those boys drove 2.5 hours to get here, showed up in their uniform jackets, all dressed up and ready for intelligent undergraduate questions! Then drove BACK at 9:00pm! They don’t have a Counselor but they came with one of their teachers.

Chennai, India February 20 - 21, 2015

Linden US University Fair 10 universities 165 Total Students seen in Chennai 165

Linden University Fair Statistics Of the registered students at the fair: • 20.6% wanted undergraduate study; 49.1% wanted graduate study and 4.8% wanted Doctorate degrees.

The rest did not specify. • The most frequently identified fields of study were: Engineering, Computer Science/Information Technology,

Biological and Medical Sciences, Computer Science, Design and Business. • 80% of the attendees were male • 17.6% of the attendees were female • The rest did not specify Highlights

! The quality of students in the room was very high. The number of students was great for a Spring stop and there wasn’t really a time when all the university reps were engaged in deep conversations.

! The officers from the U.S. Consulate gave a very engaging presentation on the student visa process. They also went around to each university representative before the fair

! This was a great ending to the trip! There were many students who were really invested and prior knowledge in Computer Science and Engineering.