Youthful escapes? British students, overseas education and the pursuit of happiness

Abstract

This paper draws upon the findings of a recent project examining the motivations of UK students seeking higher education overseas. We argue that notions of fun, enjoyment and the pursuit of happiness abroad featured strongly in young people's stories, in contrast to an emphasis in recent academic and media accounts on overt strategising around educational decision making. Several students wanted to escape the UK, particularly the rigidity of British higher education; the perceived flexibility of a liberal arts education was extremely appealing. Others saw education overseas as a chance for personal reinvention. Moving the focus away from stressing the negative effects of academic-related pressures upon young people, in this paper, we argue that education can offer up new possibilities for fun and excitement, which for privileged individuals work alongside more strategic objectives around the accumulation of cultural capital.

Cet article tire des conclusions d'un projet récent examinant les motivations des étudiants britanniques cherchant une formation supérieure à l'étranger. Nous soutenons que les idées du plaisir, amusement, et la poursuit du bonheur à l'étranger figuraient fortement dans les histoires des jeunes, au contraire à une importance accordée à des objectifs stratégiques liés aux décisions scolaires dans des comptes-rendus académiques et médiatiques. De nombreux étudiants voulaient échapper au RU, particulièrement la rigidité de l'éducation supérieure britannique; la souplesse perçue d'une éducation aux arts libéraux leur était très intéressante. Des autres ont cru l'éducation à l'étranger comme opportunité d'une réinvention de soi. En déplaçant l'accent d'un mise en relief des effets négatifs des pressions académiques sur les jeunes, nous soutenons dans cet article que l'éducation peut ouvrir de nouvelles possibilités au plaisir et à l'excitation, lesquels complémentent des objectifs plutôt stratégiques liés à l'accumulation du capital culturel.

Éste articulo se examina las motivaciones de alumnos Británicos cuales buscan estudiar al extranjero. A diferencia del énfasis de algunos informes académicos y periodísticos sobre estrategias de tomar decisiones educativas, discutimos que los conceptos de diversión, placer y la búsqueda de la felicidad salieron con frecuencia en los cuentos de jóvenes. Varios alumnos querían escapar al Reino Unido, particularmente la rigidez de la enseñanza superior Británica, y la flexibilidad percibida de una educación de las artes liberales al extranjero fue muy atrayente. Otros se percibían estudiar en el extranjero como una oportunidad de reinvención personal. Cambiando el énfasis de los efectos negativos de los presiones académicos que los jóvenes se encuentren, este articulo se discute que la educación se ofrece nuevas posibilidades para diversión y placer, cuales funcionan al lado de objetivos más estratégicos de la acumulación de capital cultural para los individuos privilegiados.

Keywords:

• international students
• young people
• happiness
• overseas education

Keywords:

• étudiants internationaux
• jeunes
• bonheur
• éducation à l'étranger

Keywords:

• alumnos internacionales
• jóvenes
• felicidad
• estudios en el extranjero

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the British Academy for funding the project on which this paper is based (British Academy Larger Research Grant LRG-45489) and to extend our sincere thanks to all of our research participants. Three referees have provided extremely helpful, constructive and supportive comments on this paper, for which we are very grateful.

Notes

1. Attitudes towards schooling and exams, however, would seem to vary by ethnic group and by class (see Louie 2006; Portes and MacLeod 1996).

2. Participants were recruited through different channels, including the Fulbright Commission, the Canadian Rhodes Scholars Foundation, the Commonwealth Scholars Commission, sixty-five alumni associations, university notice pages, and state and independent schools in the UK (within Surrey, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cumbria).

3. It is interesting to note, as highlighted by one referee, that although many students would seem to have chosen a North American education as a way of escaping excessive examinations, they were still prepared to undertake (and indeed saw no contradiction in undertaking) additional examinations (i.e. pre-sats and sats) in order to achieve this goal. Not one student described to us the ‘burden’ of taking ‘sats’. Clearly, this was rationalised by them (if it was rationalised at all) as simply a means to an end.