The personal stories of international students in British Columbia will take centre stage in the second annual ‘StudyinBC’ contest administered by the British Columbia Council for International Education (BCCIE) to promote study in the province.
“Learning about BC from a peer is more trustworthy and authentic than learning information directly communicated by an institution”
Organisers are expecting at least 100 submissions this year of photos, videos and blog entries that will speak of the advantages of living and studying in British Columbia. Last year the event attracted 70 submissions from 13 different countries.
“From the perspective of a potential student, learning about BC from a peer is more trustworthy and authentic than learning information directly communicated by an institution,” Christina Wu, Manager of Communications at BCCIE told The PIE News.
Wu said as well as the grand prize offering of an iPad Mini, this year’s secondary winners will have a wider range of prizes than last year including bike rental packages, a deluxe hotel room for a night and harbour tours in hopes to facilitate greater participation.
Although the contest is not specifically aimed at the province’s top source markets China and Japan, there is a strong presence of testimonials on the website that make efforts to engage East Asian students.
The StudyinBC website is the only directory covering all regions and types of school districts and institutions in the province and places the student’s voice at the heart of its marketing in order to give a “unique glimpse of what it means to study in BC”.
British Columbia attracts 30% of the Canada’s international students. In 2010, foreign students spent $1.8 billion on tuition, accommodation and other living expenses, which in turn created 22,000 jobs within the province’s economy.
Submissions for the contest will be accepted from September 16th to October 31st. Winners will be selected in a random draw on November 1st.
