Who Is He?

Abstract

The foreign students who comprise the educa tional and cultural exchange population are diverse in the coun tries from which they come, the interests which they pursue, and the levels of experience and competence they have at tained. Many United States citizens go abroad each year to learn and to teach, but the foreign students in the United States constitute the most thoroughly studied segment of the exchange population. A great proportion of the foreign stu dents in the United States come from the Far East. Slightly over half the foreign students are undergraduates. The field of study in which there is the highest concentration is engi neering. Among American students abroad, there is a tend ency to enroll at a few foreign universities, especially in the European and English-speaking countries and in Mexico. Nearly half are in the humanities, and a significant portion study medicine or related fields. The number of American undergraduates abroad is increasing. The exchange of pro fessors and scholars is heavily underwritten by the Department of State. Foundations also contribute to the exchange, par ticularly on the level of advanced studies. Short-term ex changes, as distinguished from the traditional academic year exchange period, are gaining emphasis. It can generally be said that the participants in the exchange programs are per sons able to adapt themselves to new situations to the mutual benefit of both sides involved.—Ed.