The 2020 U.S. elections saw the highest voter turnout in at least 100 years. Joe Biden will be the States’ oldest serving president at age 78. And this election has seen the biggest electoral spend in the country’s history, totalling up to nearly 14 billion U.S. dollars in costs1. These were some of the 2020 U.S. election facts that INTI International University & Colleges’ (INTI) American University Programme (AUP) students learnt as they closely followed the competitive race that eventually led to Biden’s triumphant victory.
Kendra Nicole Jones, Dean of INTI International College Subang’s Centre of American Education (CAE), shares that the U.S. elections has often been the centre of attention among INTI’s AUP initiatives, given its significant impact to students looking to complete their education in universities in North America.
Kendra Nicole Jones, Dean of INTI International College Subang’s Centre of American Education (CAE), shares that the U.S. elections have often been the centre of attention among INTI’s AUP initiatives, given its significant impact to students looking to complete their education in universities in North America.
“Every election year, we have class assignments covering topics such as the primary elections, conventions, and the roles of public opinion, media, interest groups, and political parties in campaigns. We have also hosted forums and debates, including having our students develop videos that offer electoral result diagnostics,” she explained.
Kendra said that all of these efforts are aimed to help prepare INTI’s AUP students early in their experiences to assimilate and adapt to the American lifestyle with ease.
Nur Sabrina binti Farris Aziz is an INTI Subang AUP student looking to complete her forensic science degree in the States
Nur Sabrina binti Farris Aziz, an INTI Subang AUP student looking to complete her forensic science degree in the States, shares that she appreciates learning about the U.S. government and elections because it gives her insights into how things work in that country.
“I did not know much about American politics before. Thanks to the discussions we have had in my classes, I am now confident enough to initiate conversations about it when I go the States. It will be especially helpful when I engage with my American professors, classmates, neighbours or friends, who seem to be very passionate about their country’s politics,” she said.
(taken before the pandemic) Sabrina (third from left) shares that she appreciates learning about the American government and politics prior to going to the U.S., because she will be able to initiate conversations with her American friends.
Tan Lin Nah, Chief Executive Officer of INTI, shared that apart from creating discourses surrounding America’s topical issues in the classroom and providing smooth credit transfers to over 300 American universities via INTI’s AUP programme, the institution also organises other American-focused initiatives to expose students to the nation’s unique culture and lifestyle. This helps to offer them a more holistic experience before they enrol into American universities.
“In order to create a more holistic educational experience for our students before they enrol into American universities, we host Halloween and Fourth of July events and bring in AUP alumni to share their American educational experiences with our existing AUP students. We have also collaborated with the U.S. Embassy to organise a Black History Month forum to understand the realities of African Americans living in the States, which has been helpful as these are one of the ethnicities students will meet when they transfer over” shared Lin Nah.
Lin Nah believes that through these initiatives both inside and outside the classroom, INTI’s AUP students will be more than ready when they decide to go off to “The Land of Opportunity”.