A Tale of Two Visas Types: B1-2 & F-1

A colleague recently asked me about the difference between issuance rates for two types of non-immigrant visas: tourist (B-2) and student (F-1). The question was in reference to a summer program for students at her university. (Note: A B-1 visas is for business.) The FY2022 stats from the US State Department confirm my answer, which … Continue reading A Tale of Two Visas Types: B1-2 & F-1

Telling Our Stories: A Tale from Vietnam

29/06/202327/06/2023 Mark A. Ashwill Books, Commentary autobiography, oral history, people's history, vietnam

What's Past is Prologue (W. Shakespeare, The Tempest, 1610-11) We all have stories to tell, knowledge and experiences to share, and advice to offer. The longer we live, the greater the supply, generally speaking. For as long as I can remember, I have been passionate about history as a means of making sense of what … Continue reading Telling Our Stories: A Tale from Vietnam

2022 SEVIS by the Numbers Report: Vietnam

17/05/202317/05/2023 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary, Updates international students, sevis by the numbers, study in the USA, vietnam, Vietnamese students

While the periodic SEVIS updates, sometimes monthly, other times quarterly, contain real-time statistics, the annual reports present cumulative totals. According to the 2022 report (PDF download), the total number of SEVIS records for active F-1 and M-1 students was 1,362,157 in 2022, an increase of 10.1% from 2021 and the largest number since 2019. There … Continue reading 2022 SEVIS by the Numbers Report: Vietnam

The Toad That Lived to See Another Day

08/05/2023 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary hanoi, toad, vietnam

One of her/his distant cousins. Recently, a rather well-fed toad found its way into my car, a first since I began driving a lifetime ago. I was transporting a couple of plants and trees to my Hanoi office and the critter must have been hiding in one of the pots. When my wife came to … Continue reading The Toad That Lived to See Another Day

Reflections on a Dirty Industry

14/04/202317/04/2023 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary commission-based recruitment, international education, international student recruitment, international students, overseas study, success without integrity is failure, vietnam

No, not that industry, which is literally dirty and a major contributor to global climate change. I'm referring to international student recruitment, which is often a figuratively dirty industry. A US higher education colleague who has been around the block a few times recently asked me this question: "At the risk of sounding like a … Continue reading Reflections on a Dirty Industry

Top 10 Overseas Study Destinations for Young Vietnamese

05/04/202322/05/2023 Mark A. Ashwill Updates overseas study, recruit in vietnam, vietnam, Vietnamese students

These countries host 90% of all Vietnamese studying abroad, over two-thirds (67%) of whom are in Asian countries. The USA is still the leading English-speaking destination. Vietnam ranks 6th among places of origin. Source: Chào Hanoi S. Korea: 70,212 (2023) Japan: 37,405 (2022) USA: 25,198 (2-23) Australia: 21,316 (1-23) Taiwan: 20,000 (2022) Canada: 16,140 (as … Continue reading Top 10 Overseas Study Destinations for Young Vietnamese

Protected: SERIES ‘THE ART AND SCIENCE OF WRITING’ – NÂNG CAO KHẢ NĂNG VIẾT LUẬN: Persuasive Writing

07/02/202319/04/2023 Mark A. Ashwill Workshop capstone education, capstone vietnam, persuasive writing, vietnam, Vietnamese students

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Vietnam-Related “Firsts”: A Retrospective

03/02/202302/02/2023 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary vietnam

Image courtesy of Scientific Editing I was recently thinking about my Vietnam-related work, which began in earnest in 1996 with the establishment of a short-term study abroad program for US students. (Before Vietnam, my focus - beyond the borders of the US - had been Germany, where I studied, taught, and conducted Ph.D. and US … Continue reading Vietnam-Related “Firsts”: A Retrospective

Mark Ashwill to Lead 6th Annual Vietnam Recruitment Seminar at NAFSA 2023

28/01/202331/05/2023 Mark A. Ashwill Announcement capstone education, mark ashwill, nafsa 2023, recruit in vietnam, vietnam, vietnam recruitment seminar

And now, a word from my employer... 😀 🇻🇳 🐱 Capstone Education/Recruit in Viet Nam is pleased to announce that Dr. Mark Ashwill, managing director and co-founder, will speak at an unofficial, pre-conference Vietnam student recruitment seminar from 9-11 a.m. on Tuesday, May 30, 2023 at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. The Viet Nam Recruitment … Continue reading Mark Ashwill to Lead 6th Annual Vietnam Recruitment Seminar at NAFSA 2023

Waste Transformation Through Closed-Loop Farming

26/01/2023 Mark A. Ashwill Commentary closed-loop farming, paul olivier, pollution, poverty, vietnam, waste transformation

This is a guest post by Paul Olivier, a US expat who lives in Dalat. His article Beyond the hype, a dirty side of Da Lat was published in December 2022 by VNExpress International. No More Poverty and No More Pollution Introduction Plants and animals do not appear separately within the natural world. Did you … Continue reading Waste Transformation Through Closed-Loop Farming

An International Educator in Vietnam

Information, Insights & (Frequently) Intrigue

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