Increasing competition for American students

     When I have the opportunity to talk to students for more than just a few minutes I frequently mention that they are no longer competing against their classmates, the students at the school across town, or even the students in neighboring cities and towns.  Presently their competition comes from all corners of the globe and where once the playing field was tilted in favor of students from developed nations, the playing field is rapidly becoming more level and the students from the lesser developed nations are very, very hungry for the opportunities the students in the more developed nations enjoy.  This article supports what I have been telling my students for the past decade and is certainly a success story for the young man it features.  I have no quarrel with this young man, his story, or others like it, but rather will use it to convince my students that the world is much more competitive and much more closely connected than they may wish to believe.  I believe competition is a great thing, but I also believe that our nation’s students are unaware of how competitive it is becoming for spots in top universities and for tomorrow’s best, and most lucrative, careers.