In April, we asked future international students to tell their stories. We wanted to hear about their backgrounds, educational goals and their interests. The Tell Your Story competition was a huge hit and we learned a lot from our student community. We debuted a compilation video of those stories at NAFSA with one message to universities: GlobalCampus students have talent.

Type “international scholarships” into Google. You should get about 15 million results.

If you’re a future international student, how do you find the right scholarship for study in a specific university program? How do you sort through the information to know which scholarship is right for you? If you’re a university administrator, how do you get your international scholarships to the right students? How do you get your scholarship and institution seen in a Google sea of scholarship listings?

By Nicolle Merrill and Gleyce Oliveira

Hello students!

We’ve just returned from NAFSA, the world's largest convention on international education, held in Kansas City, USA. During the event we presented GlobalCampus to many more universities, showed the videos of the winners of the ‘Tell Your Story’ contest and explained how to reach our talented users. The result? Loads of new universities are joining GlobalCampus to find students like you!

When you receive a message from a university on GlobalCampus and click on “Yes, I am interested” , a notification is sent to the university who can then view your profile. Admission officers told us that the more complete a student profile the better the student’s chances. So we’re here to remind you: complete your profile, universities are searching!

Completing your profile is like preparing to a fancy party

Imagine that a friend invites you to a huge party and that girl/boy you are crazy about will be there. You put on your lousy sweater and tracksuit pants and head to the party, right? NO! You’d dress up like a celebrity: glamorous shoes, stylish hair and shiny accessories. So why get lazy when it comes to ‘flirting’ with universities?!

This post will give you some hints on how to make your profile look fabulous and make any university think ‘mmm, this is a strong candidate!’

At our second NAFSA this week we’ve been chatting non-stop at the GlobalCampus booth, showing off our international talent and telling universities and colleges all about our unique community. We’ve talked to university and college staff representing institutions from 6 continents, heard about their detailed plans to draw talent to their institutions, and the challenges they face in a time of budget cuts and reduced staff. And we’ve been inviting all of them to participate in our global community.

Here’s what universities are discovering at booth #436:

At GlobalCampus, I spend a lot of time talking with universities and colleges, in the US and abroad. One of my favorite parts of my job is hearing about the variety of programs, lifestyles, and options offered by colleges around the world. The array of options offered to international students globally is exciting and impressive! Though my days of being an international student are over, I love picturing the international student life and programs at universities that I learn about daily.

An American admissions counselor’s advice on applying to college
By Jennifer Murray

Hi, I’m Jennifer and I help students from around the world study in the United States. I love what I do and I’ll tell you why: international students are vibrant, creative, ambitious and hard working individuals who bring so much to the campuses where they study. Chances are, if you are reading this article then you, too, share these important qualities. OK, so you are thinking about studying abroad for all or part of your college experience – that’s great! Read on for some helpful tips on the admissions process and how to prepare a winning application to the colleges that offer the best fit for you and your goals.

At GlobalCampus we connect international students with university staff worldwide. With the rise of social media tools that enable global communication, we’re keen on knowing how students and staff are talking to each other. So while we’re helping university staff scout future international students on GlobalCampus, we’re also tracking trends and information on new communication tools for international education professionals and how they interact.

Imagine you’re a student. You’ve worked hard in the primary school to get good grades and now you have educational aspirations that go beyond your country’s borders. You have your family’s blessings, but you lack financial support. To find funding, you type in “international scholarships” into a search engine. You receive 15 million results. How do you know which scholarships apply to you? How do you know they are legitimate? Who do you ask for questions and guidance?

so•cial en•ter•prise (n.) - An organization or venture that achieves its primary social or environmental mission using business methods.

NAFSA’s Nov/Dec issue of International Educator featured the Brave New World of Recruiting, declaring Internet recruiting “is here to stay.” Facebook is taking over admissions Universities are jumping on the Twitter bandwagon.